Athulia is one of four countries on the continent of Erraecha, which is one of four continents in my world. I will be posting various articles about the Athulian culture in this thread so that it's neat and tidy.

Athulian Warriors


Athulia is renowned across the world for its prowess in battle. While other countries avoid war at all costs and focus on diplomacy, Athulia is quick to declare war to defend or assert its interests.

Because of the country’s militaristic mindset, boys begin to learn the skills necessary to be warriors at a very early age. The sons of nobles and of a few of the very rich middle class are sent to battle school at the young age of eight. The sons of the lower class and the poorer middle class are trained right in the city or town in which they live and do not begin their training until they are ten. Girls do not undergo the same training as boys, since they never participate in wars.

The lower class typically forms the infantry of Athulia’s army. Their characteristic weapons are heavy swords and shields. They are trained to adopt special offensive battle formations that cut off small groups of men from the other army’s infantry and give Athulia the advantage.

The middle class is Athulia’s cavalry. They are armed with light swords and javelins. The horses are especially bred for speed and courage, and the men are trained to be able to do acrobatics on their horses to avoid their opponents’ attacks.

The upper class nobles are reserved as archers, scouts, spies, and commanders. Trained for stealth in battle school, the archers are well equipped for surprise attacks on the enemy. Their aim is so well honed in battle school that they can hit a single enemy in a throng of friends. Their stealth also gives them an advantage as scouts, as the enemy rarely discovers that their motions have been monitored. Because battle school does not only teach warfare, their stealth combined with their knowledge of other countries and languages makes them excellent spies. Finally, their knowledge of tactics and leadership makes the upper class adept commanders.

To the Athulians, cowardice is the worst fault a person can have, and courage is the most important of all character traits. Shirking one’s duty in a time of war is one of the most disgraceful acts a man can commit, second only to the act of deserting a countryman on the battlefield. Compromise and diplomacy is seen as weak, and incompetence in arms is highly looked down upon, especially among the eldest sons of nobles.

That is a fascinating aspect of their culture. Can a good soldier work his way up the ranks, or is rank entirely dependent on social class?

Very interesting, Zoe I especially like how the different classes hold different ranks - that's cool. It's also neat that you made the upper class archers and spies; I'd have thought to make them cavalry but the reasons you gave out make better sense Good job!

Andrew

Fascinating. Are there any upper-class men that are kept out of the position of spy because they are 'too valuable' to lose?

Thank you all.

Oooh, you guys ask good questions.

Jonathan: If the soldier managed to scrounge up enough money to pay for the different training to move up, and was willing to spend years on it, then I suppose it could happen. It would be extremely rare, though, and he would always be working against the stigma of being from a lower class.

M/L/S: You've given me an idea for another aspect of their culture now. But to answer your question, the only ones that would be considered "too valuable" would be the eldest son of the king, the king's second son (if there was no daughter older than him), and the second sons of nobles.

I wonder if perhaps there would be wealthy sponsors for a few rare soldiers who showed great promise, so as not to lose that promise? The social stigma would still be there, but some soldiers and sponsors might be willing to go against it for the greater good.

Sorry if I'm overthinking it, but I started pondering how a lower class soldier who became a higher class soldier would be a cool character.

Good point, Jonathan. I think the wealthy sponsors you are referring to would probably come from the very rich middle class.

Battle School

The battle school was established early in Athulia’s history to equip the upper class men of Athulia for warfare. It took centuries for the boundaries of class to be broken down enough to allow those that could pay to attend, regardless of status. There are two battle schools in Athulia, one in the capital city of Eolisuir, one in Tyira, both of which are overseen by the elder brother of the king or the king’s oldest son, if his elder brother predeceases him.

Boys are sent to battle school at age eight and only return home once until they finish their training at twenty. Their one vacation is during the summer of their sixteenth year, in which they return to their homes for their coming of age ceremonies.

Often, a boy’s future duties are determined when he enters battle school, if not before. This results in a highly specialized training so that the students have the exact skills necessary for their future position. Stealth tactics are taught to all but those marked out as commanders of various ranks. Archers spend the majority of their time perfecting their aim with the different types of bows and learning to throw javelins. Future spies focus less on weapons training, and more on learning the culture, customs, history, and language (if applicable) of the country to which they will be assigned. Scouts learn tracking skills, including covering their own tracks, ambush tactics, and trap construction. Their academic studies focus on mathematics and sciences. Finally, besides their weapons training, future commanders focus on historical battles, tactics, and leadership.

Kings and very powerful nobles from other countries often send their sons to learn from Athulia’s battle school. Arriving at a later age, usually fourteen or fifteen, they are put through a shorter, more general program. They return to their countries exceptional warriors, but unbeknownst to them, Athulia retains secrets that still give them an advantage.

Discipline and organization is very strict in battle school, almost as though they were already part of a functional army. The students are divided into divisions based upon their place of origin. Each division has a commander-in-training over it, in order to give that person experience. If the king’s eldest son is in training, he acts as commander over all the divisions, though his decisions can be vetoed by the school’s head or his uncle (if not deceased), and do not affect the school’s weapons and academics masters. The school’s masters monitor this system carefully, but without getting in the way of its function, so that it does not degenerate into foolishness and bullying. Foreign nobles often find it difficult to fit into this system, especially the sons of kings, because they are not used to being down on the totem pole. It is extremely rare for a foreigner to be made commander over a division, not only as a result of their generalized training, but also because those places are usually reserved for those who will later serve Athulia. In the rare case a foreigner acts as a commander, it causes friction with the Athulians in his division, who resent being lorded over by an outsider.

The Athulian culture is fun to read about.


I was wondering about them retaining secrets, and there it was in the text moments after I wondered it.

Thank you very much, Jonathan. That's really nice to hear.




I read your mind.....before you thought it.

Very awesome stuff.

I agree with Jonathan - that's a really cool element.

Aubrey has visited my thread!

Thank you both! I had fun coming up with it.

That's very interesting, Raven. It's cool that you thought it through like that. I think it's interesting and very plausible that the upper class would take the higher up position, but this would probably result in less than favorable allocation of human capital (yes, I've been reading Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell) so it would make the Athulians a worse army than another country who divides the positions among those best suited for them. It might make an interesting element in your story if an "underdog" country defeated the Athulians because of this. Dig?

*reads post a couple times until she understands it*

Very good point, Loki, and thank you for commenting!

One thing to note is that they spend twelve years training for their position. Also, the nobles are sorted into the higher positions based on competency. To make a trivial example, if a boy was more likely to do what the other children wanted while playing, he wouldn't be placed in the position of commander. However, if he was very good at sneaking up behind someone and scaring them, he could be considered for a spy, scout or archer.

(note: my having to read your post a couple times in order to understand it doesn't mean that it was poorly crafted. You used a commendable blend of exemplary sentence structure and large words that temporarily fuddled my fried brain. )

Makes sense! That should mitigate (sorry) the effects of what I was talking about.

sorry, I just like cool words

Oh, good. I was actually thinking about it some more, and what you were saying might actually take place later in the history of the country as their history of being unbeatable lulls them into becoming careless in forming their army.

Thank you again for your input!

And no problem about the big/cool words. I was just tired, yesterday, is all.

Athulian Women

The military mindset of Athulia extends even to their women. While wars and battles are considered men’s work, the women are taught the skills they need to defend their homes while their husbands are in battle.

Beginning at age ten, girls are trained by older women in the skills necessary to one day protect their homes. At age eighteen, the young women are considered skilled enough to fight alongside their mothers if the need arises, though younger girls do help if, and only if, it is absolutely necessary. Use of their skills outside of self defence is viewed as disgraceful and severely frowned upon. They are taught to maim, not kill, and purposeful killing is looked upon as a rejection of the woman’s femininity.

The women’s most unusual weapon is their hair. It is cultivated with special pastes to grow long and thick, to about knee length. It is then braided tightly and a small steel spiked ball is attached to the end. When the braid is whipped through the air, the ball strikes the attacker, acting like a small mace. The women wear head, neck, and shoulder armour specifically designed to protect them should they miss and their braid wrap around their neck.

Other than their braids, the women’s main form of defence is a combination of martial arts and dagger. Trained to be extremely light and quick on their feet, they are able to avoid the generally slower swords and movements of their attackers and get through their guard. Their daggers are specially designed to pierce through the gaps in armour.

Wow. That is really cool.

Hmm....*catches swinging braid in gauntleted hand*
Isn't she now forced to run in and either grapple or get a killing blow right away? Otherwise...
*yanks braid hard*
You could imagine it's a bad situation

But I suppose, since you say their specialty is martial arts, a swung braid is rarely a stand-alone attack. Perhaps the next kick is already en route while the braid is being caught...

*chuckles* Thank you, M/L/S.

Good point, cephron, and thank you. It made me realize that I didn't explain things as well as I could have. Can't you read my mind?

It would be fairly cumbersome for her to just pick up her braid and fling it at her opponent. It would always be a follow-up on a kick, since the momentum would send the braid flying around. As my martial arts instructor - who was actually the source of this idea - said, "The kick could miss and the bad guy would think, 'Haha, you missed me,' and then WHAP, he'd be hit with the braid." It could still be caught, true, but it's much less likely.

*remembered that quote*

Court and the Succession of Nobility

Established by Athulia’s first king, Athulia’s succession follows a different pattern than most countries in the world. Given Athulia’s warlike culture, the order of succession was established to minimize military coups intended to grasp the throne. Without this provision, Athulia’s throne would likely have been constantly threatened by power-hungry nobles.

In Athulia, the throne is not passed to the eldest son. Instead, after an intensive education in battle school, he is given command over the battle schools and the entire army upon the death of his uncle. Eldest sons never marry. The second son is not sent to battle school at all, but is trained up to take his father’s place as king. By the first king’s decree, the nobles follow the same pattern, sending all their sons but their second to battle schools and their second sons to court to learn how to take their fathers’ place. Eldest daughters are also sent to court in order to form political marriages, but they are usually allowed to marry for love, as long as their love stays within their class.

Second sons are sent to court at the age of thirteen, and not expected to return home until their fathers’ death. However, like those that go to battle school, they do return for their coming of age ceremony. At court, they represent their family’s holdings, learn how to rule those holdings someday, and make an acceptable marriage. As soon as a man’s father dies, he removes himself from court except for occasional visits and focuses on the responsibilities he has inherited. That family is not represented at court again until the next generation is old enough.

Eldest daughters, as mentioned before, are sent at age thirteen in order to make expedient marriages. They do not expect to ever return home, except for brief visits, which usually do not occur until after their husband has inherited. While encouraged to marry based on love, some girls look only for the marriage that will give them the most power. To them, the crown prince is the greatest “catch.” They leave court when their husband inherits.

Unlike the rest of the country, the courtiers give no thought to war or fighting. While they supposedly spend time learning how to rule one day, their focus is on parties, hunts, rides, music, and dalliance. Parties are given for the least little thing, and they can usually find some animal to go out and chase.

Just like foreign nobles are sent to Athulia’s battle school, they also flock to the opulence of the court. More noblewomen come than noblemen. The visitors are usually the younger children of foreign nobles. There is no limit on their stay, and sometimes they stay permanently. If they do return, it is often noted that they have become quite self-absorbed and foppish.

Fascinating.

Are there any attempts to garner information from the visitors that come to court?

I love the politics and the drama here.

Could you elaborate, though, on how this keeps the eldest son from using the military to take over the throne?

M/L/S: What sort of information do you mean?

Aubrey: Well, first of all, the eldest son is not allowed to marry, meaning he has no heir to pass the throne on to if he did have it. Also, Athulia has never known kings that weren't the second son, so unless the eldest son looks closely at neighbouring countries, he doesn't really realize that it could be done differently. Finally, because Athulia is a military-minded country, acceptance of order and regimentation is "programmed" into them.

*nods* I think it's a really neat system. It separates the head of the military from the monarchy. But, if anything, I think that would keep the monarchy from rebelling rather than the military.

See, if the eldest son got ideas in his head, he could use the army to take over the throne, marry, and reset the system. Anything is possible, and my dramatic brain likes to think of the possibilities. That's not to say it would happen - tradition is a strong bond - but I think the possibility exists. In other words, it's story fodder.

What happens if a king has no sons, or only one? If the eldest son is killed, does the line of succession move up?

*nods* I can't help wondering though if the repercussions would make him at least think twice about it. If he took the throne and turned things on its head, all of a sudden he has a whole bunch of powerful nobles that realize that usurping the throne is possible, and want to take his life and throne.

If the king has only one son, that son will be the heir, and the king's younger brother's oldest son would become the military heir. If the eldest son is killed, the line would not move up. The third son would become the military heir. This is because a second son as a military heir would feel pushed out of what was rightfully his, and then could end up seizing the throne. Also, the second son would have to go through twelve years of training to take the elder brother's place, while the third son would only need an extra year or two.

I agree. Even evil overlords don't decide to rebel overnight. I was just speculating.

That makes good sense, about the succession. How long do they wait before deciding "Okay... this guy isn't going to have any more sons"?

Speculation is good.

They would probably wait until the first son's eighth birthday, since that is when a boy would enter battle school. At that point, if no more sons had been born, the king's only son would be trained to take his father's place.

Hm... I don't think I meant any particular type of information. What about military information? Does the military keep listening ears inside court?

Ooh, very good discussion going on in here.

M/L/S: Hmm. Not usually. At least not among the nobles, because the ones that went to battle school would not be at court, and the ones at court don't care about military matters. There may be the odd person from a poorer noble family that could be bribed into trying to gather information, though.

Airi: *grins*

Makes sense.

I know this is on the boring side, but it will help make sense of the next, gigantic article I have coming.

Hierarchy

Imperiator: equivalent of an emperor. Sovereign ruler of Athulia.
Imperiatrix: wife of the imperiator, title never held in her own right.
Bellatores: elder brother of the imperitor, head of the army and battle schools.
Imperes Regnant: heir apparent to the imperiator.
Imperes Bellator: imperiator’s son, heir apparent to the bellatores.
Imperes/Imperias: other sons and daughters of the imperiator.

Dux: equivalent of a duke. Ruler over a duxate, the equivalent of provinces. There are four duxates.
Ducix: wife of the dux, title never held in her own right.
Bellatores Dux: elder brother of the dux, head of a quarter of the army.
Dominus Regnant: heir apparent to the dux
Dominus Bellator: dux’s son, heir apparent to the bellatores dux.
Dominus/Dominias: other sons and daughters of the dux

Comes: equivalent of an earl/count. Ruler over a comesate, the equivalent of counties. There are sixteen comesates
Comix: wife of the comes, title never held in her own right.
Bellatores Comes: elder brother of the comes, head of a quarter of the bellatores dux’s portion of the army.
Heres Regant: heir apparent to the comes.
Heres Bellator: comes’s son, heir apparent to the bellatores comes.
Heres/Herias: other sons and daughters of the comes.

Baris: equivalent of a baron. Ruler over a barisate, which is a city and the surrounding land. There are sixty-four barisates.
Barix: wife of the baris, title never held in her own right.
Bellatoris Baris: elder brother of the baris, head of a quarter of the bellatores comes’s portion of the army.
Juven Regnant: heir apparent to the baris.
Juven Bellator: son of the baris, heir apparent to the bellatores baris
Juven/Juvenias: other sons and daughters of the baris.

Okay, I'm going to post this in three pieces so that nobody has a monster article to wade through. Altogether it's almost 2000 words.

Athulian Court Protocol and Etiquette
Court
Court is held for a full week once each month, though emergency sessions can be called at other times. It is used to determine procedure, create laws, settle disputes, and try criminals. The king, or imperiator, listens to the suggestions of all the members of the peerage present, though he makes the decision on his own and sometimes fully disregards their advice. As a result of attendance at court not being mandatory, most of the children of the peerage at the palace avoid it altogether. During the odd times that the peerage themselves are at the palace, they usually attend court, since their time ruling over their portion of the country has hopefully taught them more responsibility.

On each day of court week, court runs from ten in the morning to seven at night, with breaks for the imperiator and those of the peerage to eat. Dress is extremely formal, with only the highly elaborate court dress considered acceptable.

While talking and giving input is allowed and encouraged, heated debate and interruption is frowned upon. When settling disputes or hearing cases, those that wish to contribute gather in a specified area near the imperiator, and when the case is finished being heard, are called upon one at a time to give their input. During the passing of laws, or determining procedure, which usually results in more discussion, the participant indicates his or her desire to participate by raising both their hands when the current speaker is finished.


Dances
Depending on the number of guests invited, dances are held either in the host/hostess’s part of the palace, or in the big communal hall. Invitations are sent out a month or more before the specified date, and replies are expected at least three weeks before. Dress is usually evening, though court clothes are sometimes worn for dances that mark important occasions, such as a coronation. They cannot be re-worn for another dance.

All the guests are expected within five minutes in either direction of the time specified on the invitation, and the guests of honour arrive exactly ten minutes late. To arrive after the guests of honour is an extreme insult.

Unlike dances on Earth, touching is strictly forbidden. The dances can be divided into two categories, ribbon or scarf dances and formation dances. Throughout Athulia’s history, but especially during the reign of Euthen III, ribbon dances were the most popular and considered the most sophisticated. At the beginning of the dance, each man chooses his partner. The first choice of the evening is often looked upon as significant, and when the male guest of honour bypasses the female guest of honour, the hostess and the female relatives of the host/hostess, his choice provides gossip for weeks to come. The number of dances shared is also closely watched for hints of attachment. If the woman is willing to dance with the one who asks her, she gives him the other end of her ribbon or scarf. They then go through various formations, based on the kind of dance being danced, always careful never to touch. Formation dances involve separate lines of men and women weaving in intricate patterns through the hall.

The kinds of music used for dances could be likened to Earth’s classical.

The guests may not leave until the guests of honour do so, but can leave in any order and at any time following that point.

This is awesome, Zoe!

This is very well developed...I love reading about unique systems of politics and creed.

Thank you, Isiel! *hugs*

Thank you, Juliet. I'm very honoured that you would read my thread.

I should post the next piece soon...

Athulian Court Procedure and Etiquette - Part Two

Banquets
Like everything in the Athulian court, banquets are run by the strictest of protocol, even down to the order of the guests’ arrival and the serving of the dishes. Invitations for banquets are set exactly two weeks ahead of the determined date, and replies return at exactly two weeks less a day. Since it is considered rude to wear the same clothes to different banquets, the following weeks are spent frantically arranging for new evening clothes. It is considered extremely rude not to invite those in the classes above the host/hostess, therefore the greatest burden falls on the barises, who are required to invite all the other classes of the peerage. Each successive class only invites those from the lower classes if they truly desire their presence, making it an honour to be invited to any banquet above you.

Barises and their families arrive at the exact time specified, comeses ten minutes later, duxes a further ten minutes, and the royal family finally arrives a fashionable half hour late, at which time the banquet begins. Barises are seated at the lowest tables, comeses in the middle, and duxes at the high tables. The royal family and the host/hostess’s family occupy the head table.

The position of the host or hostess determines the opulence of the meal and the number of courses. A meal hosted by a baris or someone in a baris’s family is comprised of four courses, a comes serves five, a dux six, and the royal family seven. While salad, soup, and dessert type courses are fairly uniform between classes, the meat served varies based on the class of the host as a result of Athulia’s hunting regulations. By Earth’s terms, the meat that can be served by the barises is the most opulent, and includes shellfish, fish, or snake. The comeses’ meat courses can include all that is available to the barises with the addition of rabbit and other small game. Dux are able to provide their guests with all of the above as well as deer and elk. To all this, the royal family adds the ability to serve moose and boar. Any class can serve meat from domestic animals, such as beef, pork, and chicken, though it is generally looked down upon as a sign of relative poverty.

Each course is first served to the head table and then works its way down through the high and middle tables to the low tables. Touching the food is strictly forbidden, with the exception of breads, and messiness while eating, especially dropping food, is socially anathema. As a result, the guests are so careful that they make their bites miniscule in size. This causes the banquet to extend over hours. All talking is done in a hushed manner, limiting it to only the speaker’s nearest neighbours. All form of deep discussion is frowned upon, and small talk is encouraged. Debate can result in removal from the banquet or further consequences.

After eating, the guests rise, the Athulian’s form of applause, to give thanks to the host/hostess. After reseating themselves, the guests leave in the reverse order of their arrival, each class forced to wait until the class above it has left.


Musicales
Like the rest of court life, musicales, while more informal than banquets are still strictly regulated by class. The same rules for invitations apply as for banquets, though invitations are only sent out a week before, and replies a week less a day. Repeating clothing for musicales is not considered rude, so old banquet clothes are often recycled.

The guests must again arrive by order of class, but unlike banquets, lateness is forbidden, so the lower classes of the peerage begin to arrive twenty to fifteen minutes early. Seating is also regulated, from the lower classes at the back all the way to the royal family and the host/hostess’s family in the front.

While termed musicales, the program can include everything from music to readings and drama. Like everything else, the contents of the program are dictated by class. Barises provide music only, comeses music and readings, duxes music, readings, and drama, and the royal family music, readings, drama, comedy, and sleight of hand, all of which is provided by the king’s own entertainers.

Talking during any part of the musicale is strictly forbidden, even before and after. The guests applaud the performers by rising silently from their seats.

Like at banquets, the order of exiting is reversed.