Lorath Culture

The history and development of the modern lorath culture has lead to a unified people who through education, religion, and government policy adhere to a centralized set of beliefs and practices. Though largely homogenous, the culture of the Lorath Matriarchy has many aspects and nuances to it. This page will serve as a compendium of information relating to the social practices and beliefs of the majority of lorath citizens.

It is readily apparent to any who spent any time among them that the lorath as a matriarchal society are inherently biased toward females viewing them as more competent, intelligent, and reliable. While males within the Matriarchy are not highly restricted by cultural standards, they tend to bear the weight of expectations, dismissal, and casual condescension especially when stepping out of line.

It is also worth noting that in many aspects lorath social life is more relaxed than that of other humanoids, in particular lorath enjoy casual indulgence of their senses and partake in activities that many would consider taboo or decadent without worry of social stigma. It should be noted that in some instances however, the social pressures are merely found in other aspects. For example; it would not be unusual for a female lorath to walk around in public shirtless, however were she to leave her neck uncovered it may be considered somewhat inappropriate and depending on the setting indecent. For a male however, while it would also be acceptable for them to walk around topless, leaving their neck uncovered in any public setting would be considered highly indecent.

Another common observation is the highly communal and co-considerate nature of the lorath as a people. The focus of the average lorath is to support the while rather than the individual, something that would seem strange to members of individualistic and capitalistic nations. It is due to this mindset that lorath would be extremely unlikely to withhold information from official channels in an investigation, since for them it is more important to be helpful, than to maintain personal privacy. As such within lorath society, a secretive lorath would be considered highly unusual by both their peers and governmental bodies. This community supportive attitude extends to the point that lorath are led to sacrifice themselves if it would benefit their peers or society.

As a part of this communal mindset it is noteworthy that lorath take great pride in their work, knowing that they are working toward a better future for themselves, and especially future generations. This coupled with a strong maternal instinct that is present in both males and females of the species predisposes the lorath to take actions for the long-term benefit of their society rather than immediate personal gratification.

While there is a great unity among the lorath people, this solidarity and care rarely extends beyond their kind. Experiences with the helashio in their shared history, as well as their unpleasant experiences with alien cultures as they ventured into the stars has developed a cold and defensive outlook toward foreigners. Typically lorath citizens choose to hedge out others and while remaining polite will remain cool and distant, offering only as much as is necessary socially. To this end lorath are typically seen as evasive and unforthcoming toward foreign interests and individuals.

The most prevalent aspect of lorath culture visible in almost every aspect of their life is the lorath Religion of the Goddess.

The religion is a two-deity duality featuring the Lorath Goddess and the Lorath God. The Goddess promotes cultivation, understanding and growth, and the God is portrayed as seeking knowledge, power, and control.

This is reflected largely in the common belief that only a woman through bearing children can know true creation, and that the artifice that men are capable of is most often destructive in nature and warns against dangerous progress and encourages the lorath to be mindful of their own activities.

Inherent in this is a respect for those things created by the Goddess as well as a desire to follow in her footsteps encouraging mutual prosperity among the lorath people as well as a responsibility to care for and ensure the prosperity of life native to Lor.

Teachings typically follow a structure similar more to instructive fables giving adherents to the faith a series of mental tools to fall back on and apply in their lives rather than a controlling dogma.

It is important to note that unlike many cultures with religions, that the lorath are truly invested in their faith, and take great comfort and pleasure in religious practice. As such it is considered highly unusual and worrying when a lorath individual does not participate in lorath religious practices. This is most apparent in the lorath classification of atheism as a mental illness, one which is treated with care and kindness with provided social and government support, counselling, and monetary support to individuals who suffer from this affliction to try and ease their suffering.

An additional consequence of the lorath dedication to their religion is that practices such as dumping relatives who are unwanted in covens are almost unheard of and would be considered highly impractical by the average lorath citizen.

The castes are a central portion of the Lorath culture and shape many of the most basic and overarching aspects of individual Lorath.

Fewest in number the Turlista exist somewhat apart from the Lorath populace as a whole intermingling more rarely especially in recent years. The Turlista are most commonly looked upon as leaders and spiritual guides who work for the benefit of the Lorath as a whole lending their strength, wisdom, knowledge, and experience.

Being the warrior caste the Fyunnen maintain a structured lifestyle featuring regular regimented actions, reliable rote practices, and an appreciation for martial and tangible achievement. Among Fyunnen reliability and respect are highly sought as well as general practicality.

Direct.

The shaman caste is complex in function being broadly caretakers. The Lmanel oversee the relationship between the Lorath, the natural world, the Helashio, and the dead. Lmanel are most often spiritual guides and try to seek a balance in all things.

The role of the Occhesta is in some ways more subtle than the other castes, but is one of great importance. Their role is one of improvement seeking to address flaws within the population as well as to pursue improvements in Lorath understanding. They aid in the internal maintenance of the Matriarchy's populace, provide security, as well as deliver new improvements to the Lorath way of life.

Lorath names are an important and functional portion of Lorath society. Over the years they have been developed into a pattern that incorporates useful information pertinent to most introductions.

The first portion of a name consists of the individuals occupation such as “Doctor” or “Engineer” this portion of the name fluctuates with time as the individual progresses in their career and is used as an easy identifier.

The second portion is typically the individual's given name as provided to them by their parents. In most cases this name does not change over the course of an individual's life with few exceptions. As such it is used most often to identify individual Lorath.

The third portion is a name used for personal identification and anonymity with outsiders, whether those who are considered unpalatable, or are actually foreign. This name may change to reflect achievements or changes in outlook of an individual.

The fourth portion of a name is the individual's family name, tying them to their lineage and providing an idea of who they are. This name under almost all circumstances will never change, and it is considered highly irregular for an individual in Lorath society to have a name which does not have an attached family history.

The final portion of a name is the name of the individual's caste. This name is not intended to ever change, and any changes to it will likely draw the attention of Lorath Inquisitors.

An example name would be; Captain Mil'ana “Sightseer” Porrim Lmanel.

The Lorath observe a variety of days in the year as either days of celebration, remembrance, or mourning.

Among them are:

• The day of Exile
• The day of the Lorath return to the surface
• The day of Lorath victory over the last of the Helashio tribes and dominion of the surface of their world
• The day of the Moon Drop
• The day of the Lorath exodus from Lor to Ny'li
• The day that the Lorath returned to Lor
• The day of exodus to WSO?

Lotta stuff goes here.

Traditionally Helashio serving in Lorath households typically go nude save for their slave collar.

Here if needed.