Note one: GOATS! Evolved bigger to begin with, and then bred to be riding-sized. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markhor is a good size-idea, but they’re bigger than that, even, the size of small ponies

Second-smallest unit of currency will be what can buy a pound of wheat. Money is (easily available metal) set with semi-precious and precious stones, the Tien, the Vieg, the Rei, and the High Tien/Vieg/Rei.

Twitter notes on inheritance & gender

Well, under Empress Grandma, the country had a major renaissance of innovation: a blue dynasty. Emperor Now~~~is a Red dynasty, very warlike, using Grandma’s infrastructure to conquer the Southern People. Buuut because of the ~~way inheritance works, Empress Grandma’s time was a very restrictive time for women, while Emp.Now is not.

The 1st-of-1st, 3rd-of-3rd, 9th-of-9th etc. child-of-child, of Gender Opposite Monarch, are heirs. I.e.~~~~Emp.Now’s 1st daughter’s 1st daughter, his 3rd daughter’s 3rd daughter. He was Grandma’s 9th son’s 9th son.

Inheritance by the women’s lines doesn’t require knowing who the father is, thus less sequestering of mothers.

Talking about colours with TyBarbary yesterday made me ponder more the tricolour religion of the two main nations of Reiassan.

Prayer

I “know” more about how the Callanthe worship than how the Bitrani do, so this is the way of the Three the way the Callanthe observe it.

(Bridges and Relics, the latter $10/$22 sponsored and the former $10 if Relics’ goal is reached, cover bits of the religion throughout, including their Green Men and Women).

Magic and Faith are intertwined in Reiassan. The people worship three deities, to balance their three-season world, and have three paths of magic (although very few people who work magic follow just one path):

* The blue, Tienebrah, the sea, the sky, the air, change, the cold season. Mindfulness.
* The red, Veignevar, blood, fire, violence, death, the hot season. Strength.
* The green, Reiassannon, life, plants, earth, healing, growth. Fertility.

Notes on holidays, from a chat with Eseme spurred by something she posted in eseme_games (I meant to make it a meme but I forgot):

Eseme: I assume red/hot, blue/cold, green/rainy?
But that’s how I would do it
Aldersprig: yes 😉 Summer for war, winter for thinking, spring for growing
Eseme: nods Makes sense, and also works color-wise
So, holidays.celebrations/festivals that fit
have you already thought any of the three up?
Aldersprig: not really, braindead ;-D
Eseme: Well, for summer you could have war games.
Contests (which I know has been done, see Changeling) but it makes sense
and can be adapted to include religious ritual involving the winners (and if you want to be bloody, the losers)
Aldersprig: (contests does make sense. And they’re warry people)
Eseme: If you need inspiration, look into what the Mayans did to losers of their soccer games…
Aldersprig Yeah, I was thinking something like that
Eseme: It makes sense for a war-themed holiday. And war gods are not friendly. You could probably also incorporate fire in there, and weapon-smithing
Aldersprig: Yay fire!
Eseme: grins
You do have the option of cremating the losers
Or possibly less toxic bonfires…
Eseme Cold for thinking. Hrm. And the blue was also water, yes? Sea-brides and such?
Aldersprig: water, the mind, the sky
Eseme: And cold/winter.
Does the continent get snow? Or, at least, do the two countries get much snow?
Aldersprig: yes. the continent’s climate is like the western portion of the ussr
So Callenia gets more snow, Bithrain less
Eseme: They may have different winter holidays, simply based on weather. Probably with similar roots
Hrm. Most winter holidays in this world are about fighting back against the cold and the dark
few celebrate it
Aldersprig: I liked the Dr. who take on it; halfway through the dark
Eseme: grins
so yeah, contemplating. It would be a quiet holiday. A real contrast to summer
Aldersprig: nods Study. Theory. a mental holiday
Eseme: Not sure how water fits in. Possibly meditation bowls?
ocean in a glass?
Aldersprig: oooh, yes. bottle ships
Eseme: Cool! Possibly Labyrinths?
And if it is a mental holiday, possibly a sharing of scholarship – lectures, or publication?
Aldersprig innovations. inventions
Eseme: it’s well after harvest, so people would be able to travel to share learning, so long as there is not too much snow
Aldersprig: That leaves spring for baby-making
Eseme: And planting crops
Aldersprig: fertilities
Eseme: I think you don’t need much help brainstorming that one!
You can rip a lot off of Beltane
Aldersprig: 😀
and Oestra… Easter
Eseme: Possibly combine elements of both. Definitely planting the fields, fertilizing them, and weddings or couplings