Culture of Pythos
Overview
In their early years, Pythian culture revolved around battle, with war being a source of honor and pride in their community. It is believed to have begun as a religious warrior society, with sophisticated laws and customs that went on to become the Canons of Honor. War was practiced as a form of ritual worship to their multiple gods, but following the destruction of the Athani people, a rival tribe in the region, war itself became a god, personified by Kad Ha'rangir the destroyer god. The ancient Pythian Templars lived and thrived on war, seeking conflict, and attaining glory through conquest.
Pythians are people of contradictions. Their feared warriors have a savage reputation, but they cherish family life and will adopt children orphaned by war, rather than kill them as other people might. This odd blend of tough pragmatism, brutality and affectionate family life makes them a mystery to many.
Whatever drove the first humans to adopt the Pythian customs and language, they remain a people who will accept anyone willing to follow their code, and non-natives are welcomed into the community. Pythians believe that you are what you do, not what an accident of birth dictates. But they’re still predominantly ethnically Pythian. Although there is no true Pythian ethnic type, the prevalence of common gene clusters indicates that specific populations were either absorbed by the Pythians or joined them. Pythians regard the following six acts – known as the Six Actions, or Resol’Nare – as central to Pythian identity. Anyone who practices them is considered a Pythian. The emphasis is on carrying out these actions daily, not simply paying lip service to them.
Their society places no emphasis on birthplace, race or gender. They ignore rank and status and prefer to judge by actions and achievement, a true meritocracy. And yet it is hard to mistake a Pythians for any other people when they see them. In the past, for a people who appear to have little interest in rank and hierarchy, Pythians were extremely co-operative in combat. The rugged individuality so marked in their approach to most things is set aside to reach a common goal, and they’ll do whatever it takes to achieve their objective. Their fighting forces settle into informal command structures, almost without thought or effort, focused on the outcome and not personal ambition. This instinctive flexibility is also what made them superb mercenaries.
Because they’re self-selecting, they attract and retain people with the same mindset and genetic predisposition, which reinforces these traits. The more that soldiers are inclined to co-operate on the battlefield, the more likely they are to survive and produce children with the same characteristics.
Resol'nare
The Resol'nare, or Six Actions when translated from Pythian into Lanlanian, were the central tenets of Pythian life. They consisted of wearing armor, speaking the language, defending yourself and your family, raising your children as Pythians, contributing to the clan's welfare, and when called upon by the Aloral'verde, rallying to his cause.
Anyone who wished to be considered Pythian had to abide by these guidelines and live these actions daily. Pythian whom did not follow the Resol'nare were considered to be dar'pytha—someone who was ignorant of their Pythian heritage. The status of dar'pytha was widely feared within Pythian society due to the belief it meant they were soulless and had no place in the Pylos, the Pythian afterlife.
Young Pythian children were taught a rhyme to help them learn the tenets of the Resol'nare.
The Resol'nare is as follows: Ba'jur, Beskar'gam, Aliit, Ara'nov, Pyth'a, and, Aloral'verde
Society
There is no gender in the Pythian language. This mirrors the equal status of men and women and the general flexibility of societal roles, despite what appears to many to be a traditional division of tasks along gender lines.
Men are expected to be warriors and to raise and train their sons to be the same. Women maintain the home wherever the nomads happen to travel and raise daughters. But women are also expected to have the combat skills of a man in order to defend the homestead when the men are away. Women also fight alongside men on the battlefield. If they have no dependent children to care for, they’re expected to share the responsibilities of defence and warfare.
Not surprisingly, the Pythian female ideal that men respect is not fragile and graceful, but physically strong, enduring and gritty. The word laandur (delicate) is a common insult among women. If you imply that a Pyth woman is a bad mother, a poor fighter or a laandur (weakling) you’ll find out the hard way that she’s none of these things.
Marriage is expected to be for life – which is sometimes prematurely short for warriors – and usually takes place soon after Pythians turn 16. A couple enters into a legal commitment simply by making the following pledge to each other:
Pythian
Mhi solus tome
Mhi solus dar’tome
Mhi me’dinui an
Mhi ba’juri verde
Translation
We are one when together
We are one when parted
We share all
We will raise warriors
Despite their emphasis on fidelity and chastity before marriage, Pythians are surprisingly forgiving and relatively unconcerned with parentage. As they prize action and pragmatism above words and intentions, they take the view that aliit ori’shya tal’din (family is more than bloodline). It’s the daily affirmation of family life that matters to them, which explains their propensity for adoption and even welcoming adults into the Pyth fold.
The adoption process, like marriage, is a simple statement of intention: the gai bal pytha (name and soul) takes its place in the declaration ni kyr’tayla gai sa’ad (I know your name as my child). That, and the ongoing adherence to the six tenets of Pythian life, is all it takes to become Pythian.
Just as it’s possible to become Pythian, it’s also possible to lose your Pythian status, renounce it, or even have it taken from you. Exile is a rare but feared punishment.
