User:Vivaporius/Sandbox/Vespia/II

Rites and passages

 * Jizakan – The act of jizakan is a rite of passage all Vespian youth undergo when they turn eighteen(?), the age of majority in Vespia, as a point of tradition. Known as the "bloodening", a Vespian youth will partake in the jīzakan as a show of their prowess as a hunter and their expertise as a torturer, extending the pain of the victim for as long as possible over the course of days, weeks, or months. This is done to attain the blessing of the gods Vakon, the god of hunting, and Vikara, the goddess of pain. The act of jizakan is symbolically linked to the youth's future as an adult, which will require the finesse of a hunter and the willingness to
 * TBD – The Vespians believe that, so as to please the god of war, Varshan, and the goddess of strife, Zhanka, an turn away their anger and ire, they must present them with sacrifices to prevent lamentation from visiting their lands. As such, the Vespians will typically take a number of individuals, typically criminals and slaves, and over the course of several days, torture, rape, and ultimately kill them, and hang their bodies at the gates of their cities as a "gift" offering and a sign of their submission to the will of the gods. The bodies will remain in their locations for a week, after which they will be removed and buried in a mass grave that serves as the "oversoul" for the slain, and a pool of both food and energy for the violent deities of the Vespians.
 * TBD – Each major Vespian city maintains a vast field of corpses located just beyond the city walls, where tens of thousands of slaves, criminals, and individuals from rival cities and households, are impaled and left to die and rot outside of the city. Unlike other methods of sacrifice and execution, the bodies of those located in the TBD remain their indefinitely. The purpose of the TBD is to serve as both a "ward" off malevolent spirits, as well as a warning for those visiting the city, as well as to boast to the military prowess of the city and its warriors. The bodies on the spikes are rarely replaced, with only those near the walls and along the main road receiving new bodies.
 * TBD – At the end of each month, a criminal or outcast is chosen at random is selected by the people of the town for sacrifice to the gods as a penance for any wrongdoing they have committed during the month. Bound and blindfolded, the individual is placed into sack and beaten to death by all the residents of the town as the priests sing songs of praise and offering to the gods begging for their supplication and forgiveness. If the individual is still alive after the beating, they are often placed into a pit at the edge of the town's borders, and buried alive so as to "bury the sins" of the past, and remove them from the sight of the gods.
 * TBD – The new bride of the groom is shaven bald and stripped of all her clothes and possessions, and delivered to her husband nude and without protection. This symbolic act of presenting her to the groom naked and without possessions is meant to signify her new life and status as her husband's property, where she will be assigned a role in accordance with his personal goals and ambitions, and will likewise be shaped to fit into whatever mold he wishes her to enter. It is solely up to the husband to determine what she will wear, how she appears, what she may own or look after, and how she may behavior in his presence. According to Vespian tradition, the bride has no rights, and her life the possession of her husband, who must care for her insofar as she remains useful or of value to him. Her possessions are returned to her by her father only after the marriage has been consummated on the first night, and if the husband approves of it, though her performance in the bed must be marked as satisfactory by the husband. If not, the bride is returned to her family by the groom, and punished by her parents for dishonoring the family and failing to live up to her obligations as a woman. Upon officially declaring his marriage to the woman, the uvazhak will take her to receive her vyadova, or "third eye"; a black gem permanently-affixed to the forehead of the newlywed woman symbolizing the third eye of Jeyana, the goddess of romance and families.
 * TBD – The Vespian ascension rites are some of the most anticipated events in Vespian society, taking placing once a Tazen has grown old, ill, died, or become incapable of ruling. During the TBD, a competition of martial feats takes place within the holy city of Ravaza, where the scions of the twelve great households of Vespia are sent to compete for the throne on behalf of their households. The contestants fight to the death over a series of rounds, with the goal of whittling down the competition down to two individuals who will fight for the throne. The TBD was established more than TBD thousand years ago as the replacement for hereditary rule, as infighting between the households had proven difficult for a young and inexperienced ruler to manage or survive. Likewise, the religious doctrines of Zheaniism mandated that the fleshly ruler of Zhakar be always vigilant and never prone to complacency. As such, attempts on the life of the Tazen were sanctioned, and to ensure that only the strongest Vespian would lead the holy war of Zhautan throughout creation, the TBD was established to find and crown such an individual. The rites are divided into thirteen rounds, with three additional placement rounds prior to the beginning of the event, to weed out the weakest competitors and determine who shall be granted leadership of the household teams in the competition.

Religious festivals

 * Yazurayanu – Known as the "Day of Skins", Vespian priests adorn themselves with the skin of those who have been sacrificed for one month, and plead for the blessing and forgiveness of the gods. Akzuna, Emana, and Ovani are main deities invoked during the festival with the aim of securing their aid. Skins are removed at the end of the month, signifying a renewal of the people's relationship with the gods, and the cleansing of the flesh as the decayed remnants of the skin are removed. The skin also represented the renewal of the earth and its vegetation as putting on the skin reflected the new crops, and removing the decayed flesh reflected the removal of the old and decayed crops.
 * TBD – Captives are tortured, flayed, and smoked by the priests, and feed to the public as gifts and charms of goodwill. It is believed that by consuming the flesh of the captives, the Vespians are consuming the cleansed energies of their opponents. This permits them the ability to carry out sacred duties where they will in turn impart that spiritual energy on to their gods, who store it in preparation for the great war against Zhanivoyan, and the vast evil and corrosion it seeks to spread across all of universal creation.
 * Yamekinoku – Known as the "Ashes of Youth", the children of slaves are immolated as offerings to Zhona, as thanksgiving for preventing miscarriages and deformities. It is believed that by offering the children of other peoples and nations, Zhona will turn her anger away from the Vespians and their failures to met her high standards, and striking down their offspring. The burnt flesh of children satiates Zhona for a time, and acts as a form of incense that keeps her in a pleased mood toward the Vespians, much in the same manner a person gives a person a gift as a way of asking for forgiveness for a great sin.
 * Ta'Shokon No-Zaka – Known as the "Great Lake of Blood", a massive pool of blood created from slaves, captives, and criminals as a drink offering to the gods, and a spiritual bath for the Vespians. It is considered the single greatest and holiest festival of the Zheannic faith, and lasts for nearly a week as thousands of captives are bleed into a vast artificial basin in the holy city of Ravaza. The sacrifices represent the offering of a payment to the great blood debt incurred by the Vespians during the creation of life by Zhautan. As the whole universe was created from his blood, no offering is ever great enough to pay it back, and thus the Vespians provide their latest "payment" in the form of a great lake of blood from the opponents of their god. Vespians bath in the blood as a sign of submission to Zhautan's authority, and a reminder of their eternal obligation to ensure Zhautan is paid what he is owed. Ta'Shokon No-Zaka is performed once every decade, and requires the sacrifice of some 300,000 victims alone just to fill the 500,000-gallon capacity of the Great Crimson Basin in Ravaza for the festival. Because of the vast manpower required for the sacrifices and to handle the slaves, a black harvest is always anticipated before each sacrifice, and tens of thousands of priests, warriors, and slaves are sent to Ravaza to assist with the preparations for the event. Once the festival has been performed, at the end of the week, the blood is drained from the basin using drainage mechanisms installed at the bottom of the pool, which transfers the blood to an underground site to decay away from the city's population.
 * Zhudoka – Known as the "Black Hunt", slaves released into the wild by the Vespians, and ritually hunted by the Vespians. They are later sacrificed on top of the yazanin throughout Vespia. The hunt represents the great effort the gods put forth to control the great evils that attempt to escape into the physical realm and wreak havoc throughout all creation. By performing the act of hunting those who would waste no effort in harming fellow Vespians, the participants understand first hand the difficulty of controlling and eradicating harmful elements the gods go through for untold millennia for their creations.
 * TBD – Massive orgy held following the torture of thousands of slaves in the name of Voyana. Takes place during the evening; considered especially fortuitous for newlyweds. Children conceived on this day are considered especially blessed, and are often given gifts of good-luck and fertility totems. The night is a festival of celebrations in honor of the gods, who blessed the Vespians with lust, happiness, and strength, as well as the ability to fulfill their deepest desires. Furthermore, in the manner that Zhautan, the personification of life, gave birth to all life, the Vespians believe it their duty to sacrifice thousands of lives to repay that gift of life. The festival night is considered an grand act of tajivasho, or "holy entertainment" for the gods, and is held twice a year during the flooding of the Zhona River, beginning in the city of Ankashun. According to religious tradition, Akzuna, Emana, Jivadena, Voyana, Zhevon, and Rodan, held a great orgy at the source of the Zhona, where modern-day Ankashun is located. So great was the orgy's size and endurance, that the region overflowed with sweat and semen, leading to the formation of the Zhona River. The Vespians believe that each inundation of the Zhona is linked to the regular orgies of the gods at the source of the river.
 * TBD – Warriors present enemy combatants before the priests who invoke the name of Varshan, the God of War, before beating them to death as a punishment for raising the sword in defiance to the will of Zhautan. As the Vespians view enemy combatants as agents of Zhanivoyan, the malevolent entity of Vespian religion regarded as the absolute embodiment of evil and corruption, beating such individuals to death is considered a righteous act that brings honor to Varshan as the chief warrior of his father's divine army. The beating is also considered a form of cleansing for the captive, as it is performed by warriors who are deemed holy representatives of Zhautan, and have the means to "save" the captive from eternal obliteration in the afterlife. Though they will never hold the same status as a Vespian, they have the "honor" of being cleansed by the warriors and permitted to serve as war-thralls during the coming great war against their former master, Zhanivoyan.
 * TBD – Gladiatorial games representing the creation of the universe held; slaves representing the forces of Zhanivoyan, and warriors the forces of Zhautan. The games begin with a warrior representing Zhautan, dueling with a slave who represents Zhanivoyan. The warrior is personally selected by the Tazen for the honor, while the slave is selected from among the most capable members of the slave population. The slave is painted white, which signifies evil and corruption in Vespian culture and religion, and given a club to signify to blunt and brutal behavior of Zhanivoyan's servants. TBD
 * TBD – Priests of a community sacrifice a young male adult or adolescent, typically between the ages of 13-24, so as to bring about a lush, and bountiful new year. Unlike the other human sacrifices in Vespia, the victim is of Vespian birth, and not always a criminal or outcast, and the sacrifice itself is not considered a punishment, but a great honor as the individual has been handpicked by Zhautan himself to join him by his side as a unique warrior of god. The individual is rarely from the higher classes of the population, but not always from the lower classes; most of the men sacrificed hail from the middle-class population. This individual is granted any reasonable request prior to their sacrifice, and typically has a harem of women provided for entertainment, any choice of foods he desires, and a luxurious room to remain for the final week of his life. The sacrificial victim willingly leads himself to the top of a yazan under escort where he is to die, and is given a concoction of drugs to put him under prior to his death so as to prevent the on-sight of fear or panic in the final moments of his life. His death begins the new year in Vespia, and the start of the TBD, where 365 captives are to be sacrificed for each day of the new year.
 * Voyashodeka – Known as the "Tears of Fertility", nearly a thousand children are subjected to great amounts of physical pain to induce crying. Their tears are collected by the ionakin and then showered upon an statue of Shonada, the goddess of storms, floods, and earthquakes, with the hope of receiving good rains and an abundant harvest, as well as keeping the many oases of Vespia well-watered and prosperous. The children are later burnt alive as an offering of smoke incense to the goddess, with the hope that it will please her and prevent her from striking the land with earthquakes. The flesh of the children is served to the communities where the sacrifices take place, and a period of celebration for a good festival held for a single day. All of the children are taken from members of the slave population, and are selected from among those between the ages of three and nine.
 * Yazura No-Kayuniva – Known as the "Day of Joyous Life", the entire day is devoted to song, dance, and celebrations in honor of Zhevon, Jivadena, and Rodan, collectively known as the "Gods of Joy". Vespians throughout the empire fill the streets and join in celebrations, feasts, dancing, and revelries, spending their time with one another and ignoring any other task. Officially, no work may be performed during Yazura No-Kayuniva, and all Vespians are required to pass aside their personal feelings for one another and spend their time doing something which makes them happy. The entire purpose of the festival is to bring the Vespians together and remind them of all the blessings provided to them by their gods on their behalf, as well as to remember the peace and prosperity they possess as a nation. Vespians conceived on this day are given names which represent joy, peace, love, and prosperity. The festival is considered an act of tajivasho, or "holy entertainment" for the gods.

Social standards

 * Ruhohun – The average Vespian man is held to a set of standards known as ruhohun, or "obligations of men", which govern the behavior and interactions of men with their fellow Vespians and non-Vespians. According to the edicts of ruhohun, Vespian men are expected to be stern and strict disciplinarians who guide their families with strength and confidence, and represent the best qualities of society in their daily lives. How they treat their families is of no concern to the gods or society as a whole, as it is expected that the head of the household – the uvazhak, or "family master" – knows what is best for those who fall under his command. Ruhohun likewise states that it is the responsibility of the father and husband to determine what course of life his family shall pursue, as is his sovereign and sacred right. He may determine whom his children marry, what rights are granted to his wives, who inherits what, and how discipline is to be carried out in the name of the supreme family master, Zhautan. All members of the family are legally owned by the uvazhak, and as a man, he is expected to enforce his will upon his wards physically, emotionally, sexually, or financially. In social settings, men are expected to take the lead in a solemn manner, remaining quiet while listening to their superiors or even their inferiors speak. Men are not expected to mingle, nor are they expected to explain themselves to those who answer to them. Physical and domestic abuse is not just permitted, but encouraged, so as to ensure that those who answer to them likewise know their place in the grand scheme of Zhautan's creation.
 * Juvahun – Vespian women are expected to follow a set of social norms known as juvahun, or "obligations of women", which set out the rules of engagement for all female Vespians within their culture and civilization. Compared to the cold, calm, and collected demeanor expected from men, Vespian women are allowed to be lecherous, violent, and combative. Due to the clear physical and psychological traits separating male and female Vespians, juvahun seems largely to have been established to acknowledge and regulate female behavior rather than restrict and suppress it altogether. Given the greater number of females to males within the general population, Vespian women are placed in the role of servant, soldier, and slave to their male counterparts, who are expected to take up all of the duties of leadership regardless of their own objections. According to juvahun, to be a woman in Vespian society is to submit yourself completely to the will of your male superior, and to serve him, service him, protect him, and die for him, as he is the physical embodiment of Zhautan's form and his will. Accordingly, women take these roles seriously, and are easily provoked when prevented from fulfilling their sacred responsibilities. Because of the aforementioned sex ratio in Vespian society, women are the primary warriors, something the unique physicality of the female Vespians allows. Juvahun declares that there are no barriers for a female warrior on the battlefield save the preservation of Vespian lives if they are allies, or young boys if they are enemies.
 * Savoyanka – Savoyanka, or "the act of rape/violation", is a Vespian concept entirely distinct from the act of rape in the normal context outside of Vespian culture. For the Vespians, the act of raping another individual does not carry negative concoctions in their society, as they believe it represents an act of love and compassion for another individual within the population. TBD
 * Jeyankeda – The carnal and lecherous behavior of Vespian women and girls, or jeyankeda within Vespian culture and society, has historically be attributed to the existing sex ratio within the general population of Vespia. Many anthropologists and evolutionary biologists have pointed to the development of this lopsided distribution of males to females, to have been responsible for the sexually-aggressive behavior of Vespian women, as a natural corrective mechanism within the population to secure stable population growth among the Vespians. With the existing sex ratio for Vespians hovering around 1-to-8 for the last two to three thousand years, and shrinking over time, it has long be posited that female Vespians became more sexually-inclined than their male counterparts as a means of making them more receptive to sexual encounters and thus increasing the opportunities for impregnation within the female population. Likewise, the heightened control over the sexual libido within the males allowed them to have a greater degree of control over those encounters, thus introducing a method of population control activity monitored by the Vespian males. This dynamic, the aforementioned jeyankeda, is responsible for much of the behavior of Vespian men and women, with men being more reserved and astute, while their female counterparts are generally loose, libidinous, and scantly clothed both at home and in public. For the Vespians, jeyankeda serves its purpose and has been accepted as an integral part of their culture.

Creation
Zheaniism begins with the actions of the eternal deity known as Zhautan, the creator of the universe and all life within it. Zhautan created the universe to serve as source of personal recreation, akin to a garden that he would maintain solely for his own pleasure. Consequently, the universe is referred to as the Eruzhautak, or "the meadow of Zhautan", in Zheaniic texts and Vespian literature. Many eons after the universe's creation, the physical and spiritual realm Zhautan presided over was breached by the entity known as Zhanivoyan, the purest embodiment of every evil and atrocity possible within creation. Zhautan fought the entity off after several years of struggle, and banished the creature to the realm outside of existence where the monster had originated from. Though he had been victorious, Zhautan witnessed the vast destructive and corroding influence the being had wrought throughout his realms, and was equally aware of the fact that entity would return in the future seeking revenge.

So as to prevent this from taking place, and to combat the forces of corruption within the spiritual and physical realms, Zhautan set forth creating the forces he would need to protect his creations from the malevolent entity. Using his blood as the medium, Zhautan created the Vespians, who were to serve as his physical sentries and protectors of all physical creation. The first of these individuals would be Veskan, who would father twelve sons, who in turn would become fathers to the rest of the Vespian people. However, due to the corrosion of all creation by the Zhanivoyan, many of the first Vespians created by Zhautan turned out to be crippled and barbaric versions of his envisioned warriors. These individuals were not destroyed by Zhautan, who saw a purpose for them in his greater plans for the universe and its survival, and he allowed them to live and go on to become the ancestors to the rest of the human species. The Vespians, however, would be his special and chosen people, the people on who's behalf he would intervene so as to ensure their prosperity and overall function to serve as the guardians of physical creation.

Within the spiritual realm, where Zhautan himself resided, he would fashion for his own domain divine offspring who would not only serve at his side as fellow warriors, but also as guardians and overseers for the Vespian people. These deities, known as the Kovinan, would hold dominion over a particular aspect of human behavior, emotion, and concepts, which would serve as a source of power for the entities themselves, strengthening them for the battle that was to come with the Zhanivoyan. The first kovina would be Ionoko, the god of wisdom, who Zhautan assigned to guide the Vespians in his ways and ensure their ability to organize as a civilization. The second kovina was Akzuna, who would be responsible for ensuring good harvests for the Vespians. Third and forth were Varshan and Vakon, who would train the Vespians in the ways of war and hunting to survive in the world. Fifth were the twin deities Zhon and Zhona, who would prepare for the inevitability of dark and darkness. The cycle of deity creation would continue until twenty-three gods had either be created by Zhautan or born to his children.

Deities

 * Akzuna – Goddess of wealth, greed, and fertility
 * Emana – Goddess of health, medicine, and goodwill
 * Hazana – Goddess of honor, courage, and discipline
 * Ionoko – God of wisdom, faith, and knowledge
 * Jeyana – Goddess of romance, family, and tithing
 * Jivadena – Goddess of drugs, music, and entertainment
 * Onavoya – Goddess of random numbers, poverty, and luck
 * Ovani – Goddess of protection, time, and interiors
 * Rodan – God of food, feasting, and wine
 * Shidona – Goddess of beauty, envy, an jealousy
 * Shonada – Goddess of storms, floods, and earthquakes
 * Shovik – God of speech, messages, and travel
 * Takina – Goddess of enchantments, curses, and rituals
 * Varshan – God of war, blood, and weapons
 * Vikara – Goddess of fear, pain, and suffering
 * Vakon – God of hunting, monsters, perils and traps
 * Voyana – Goddess of rape, lust, and orgasms
 * Yon – God of justice, truth, and equity
 * Zhanka – Goddess of hate and strife
 * Zhautan – God of creation, life, and the universe
 * Zhevon – God of joy, happiness, and contentment
 * Zhevona – Goddess of light, stars, and birth
 * Zhon – God of darkness, mysteries, and secrets
 * Zhona – Goddess of death, mourning, and miscarriages

Spirits

 * TBD – A nude, all-black female spirit with four arms and four eyes, who stands on one leg and points in the four cardinal directions. She is responsible for redirecting evil spirits and harmful auras away from the home she is assigned too, and considered a spirit of goodwill. Her fetish is placed in a prominent position within the home, and cared for by the paramount wife or eldest daughter of the head of the household. Vespians will pray to the spirit before leaving the home and sleeping, and a prayer by the eldest daughter to the fetish is presented before every meal. A gift of cloth is presented to the spirit to "keep her warm" and as a sign of gratitude for protecting the family and their possessions from harm. The spirit is considered a servant of Emana.
 * TBD – A tall, slender and nude female spirit with dark red skin and pale body-markings, and adored with various piercings and jewelry. The spirit is a representation of lust and violence, which are considered one in the same within Vespian culture. The TBD has long horns which represent the aggressive nature of sexual activities, and has male reproductive organs as a sign of its ability to engage in the active pursuit of lustful desires against other beings both willing and unwilling. Fetishes representing the being at typically placed above beds next to effigies of Voyana. When preparing to engage in intercourse, Vespians pray to these spirits and light incense for them to attract them to be bedroom, and "partake" in the event. The spirit is considered a servant of Voyana.
 * TBD – A two-faced, heavily-muscled male spirit with warpaint and various weapons readied for battled. The entity is said not to blink so as to ensure he is able to maintain a constant watch for enemy forces seeking to enter his domain. Vespians place his fetishes near walls, at military bases, barracks, border crossings, and within law enforcement offices, as he is responsible for maintaining the warrior spirit of those sworn to fight on behalf of the Vespians. Weapons, ammunition, body armor, and other weapons of war are presented to him by either the commander of the soldiers, or by the soldiers themselves, as proof of their willingness and readiness to maintain the watch with him. The spirit is considered a servant of Varshan.
 * TBD – A nude, taut, and heavily-muscled female spirit with a longsword and shield, as well as a long tail with a sharp end to it. She represents the warrior spirit in action, and is actively engaged in battle at all times, with her weapons drawn and primed for striking another individual. She has various horns on her head, and sharp teeth ready for tearing flesh from enemy soldiers within arms' reach. Vespians place her fetishes in warzones, city walls, besieged locations, and even within political offices, where the Vespians will be engaged in physical or mental struggle against another opponent. The spirit is considered a servant of Varshan.
 * TBD – An elderly male spirit draped with the robes of a Vespian ionak, sitting with legs crossed on the ground and hands either clasped together or crossed under the sleeves. He represents the waiting and watchful spirit of the Vespians, and serves as the constant reminder to rely on one's ability to reason and act on knowledge rather than emotion within formal settings. His fetishes are placed within office spaces, courtrooms, political centers, libraries, and laboratories, where insight is more important than raw strength or fury. Prayers to the spirit for insight and guidance before making important or weighty decisions is a tradition of politicians and leaders throughout Vespian society. The spirit is considered a servant of Ionoko.
 * TBD – A pre-adolescent female wearing a <> with legs apart and dress pulled outward. She represents Vespian girls and their hyperactive and lustful nature, and their desire to seek pleasure with others compared to their male counterparts. Her fetishes are placed within the rooms of Vespian girls, who are tasked with maintaining them and presenting small gifts such as toys and candies to keep them happy. They are the first spirits a Vespian girl will most likely be given responsibility for, and are considered the primary companions and guardians for female Vespian youth. The fetish remains with the Vespian girl throughout her life regardless of her status or position, and is typically buried with her upon death as a companion in the afterlife. They are considered the servants of Zhevon.
 * TBD – A male Vespian child wearing <> and holding a katar between his arms while standing at attention. Represents the young male spirit to accomplish great things and their vigor to surmount any obstacles that may impede their goals. Fetishes typically presented to Vespian boys around the age of five, and serve as their companion throughout childhood, and are kept near the bed of the boy or where he spends most of his time. Because of the important of the spirit in the lives of Vespian boys as a source of encouragement, the fetishes are typically passed from father to son as a gift and a source of pride for the great things the father may have accomplished throughout his life regardless of the accomplishment itself. They are considered the servants of Zhevon.
 * TBD – A tall, nude, and slender female spirit with a long black tail and digitigrade legs, as well as sharp teeth and claws, and a long, black prehensile tongue. She is believed to stalk individuals and guide rapists toward them during the evening, and has a vindictive view toward those who attempt to defy her attempts to harm others physically and emotionally. She was also known as the spirit of evil responsible for attacking youth and causing the onset of sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, in infants and toddlers belonging to Vespians who had run afoul of her goddess' wishes. She is also believed to be responsible for scaring away rival spirits that seek to enter the areas which she has claimed as her own. As such, Vespians place fetishes of her in areas which they seek to protect from harm and possession from evil spirits seeking to do harm to the individuals passing through the location. The spirit is considered a servant of Voyana.
 * TBD – A heavily-pregnant female spirit with long hair and large breasts, resting in a squatting position with legs apart as if ready to give birth. She is believed to represent fertility and virility in Vespian men and women, and their ability to produce large numbers of healthy offspring. Fetishes for this spirit are placed above the bed and cared for by the wives of the uvazhak, or patriarch of the household. Offerings to her consist of breast-milk and semenial fluid, as well as honey and pomegranate seeds, all with the hope of attaining her support in producing a child. During a pregnancy, the mother-to-be will offer beseech the spirit to help her carry to term and protect the child from harm, as well as assist her during labor. The spirit is considered a servant of Akzuna.
 * Zakunin – A tall, emaciated male spirit with sharp claws a fully-revealed skull, with sharp teeth in a grinning or yawning position, and greedily presenting a bowl awaiting it to be filled with a blood offering. He represents the insatiable thirst of Zhautan for the blood of sinners and debtors, and is responsible for overseeing the acquisition of the blood debt. His fetishes are placed in zhekarin, yazanin, and home shrines (TBD), where blood sacrifices are presented, or during regular personal offerings of blood within the home. The spirit is believed to bring the offering of blood to Zhautan for his consumption, and reporting on the quality of the offerings provided by Zhautan's Vespian servants. The bowl held by the spirit serves as the receptacle for a blood offering, scaling in size depending on the offering and location of the fetish. House fetishes of the spirit double as incense burners and candle-holders, which are often doubled with the blood offering to attract the attention of the spirit to deliver the offering to Zhautan. Because of the spirit's relationship with blood and tithing, it is believed to be a dual servant of Varshan and Jeyana.

Priesthood
The Vespian priesthood, known as the ionakin, are among the most important and most powerful individuals in Vespian civilization. Due to the deeply devout and superstitious nature of the Vespians, the ionakin wield vast amounts of power within society compared to the nobility. A Vespian ionak has the power to inspire extreme degrees of zealotry within the general population, and they are widely feared and respected by the nobles and warriors, especially given their potential role as allies. According to the traditional structure of the ionakin, there are seven priestly orders within the Vespian clergy, each known as a <>. Each <> is responsible for a particular aspect of the religion's growth, maintenance, and execution of rites and ceremonies.
 * Ankazhan – An ankazhan, known as a lustmaster, is a Vespian priest whose field of expertise involves the use of sexual behavior to forgive sins and pass on blessings through physical contact. The Vespians believe that in the same manner that blood was used for the creation of life, that semen and other sexual fluids are responsible for the transmission of sins, blessings, and curses, as they are the only substance actively and consciously ejected from one's body at will. As such, the ankazhanin are responsible for serving as the gods' catalyst for the transmission of various blessings on their behalf to their Vespians servants. In the realm of forgiveness, an ankazhan may receive the sins of a Vespian upon themselves if they are female, or impart divine cleansing power to a Vespian if they are male; representing the binary nature of sexual biology. However, as 80% of Vespians are female, the use of tribadism or cunnilingus is employed to "extract" these sins from another female Vespian. The order believes that upon achieving an orgasm, a divine epiphany takes place, facilitating the transmission of a blessing, curse, or a sin. They are identified by their TBD.
 * Onazhan – An onazhan, known as a knowledge master, is a class of Vespian priest tasked with the accumulation of knowledge and information for the clergy, as well as the conducting of religious gatherings and sermons. Due to their role within the priesthood as a whole, onazhanin are considered the most senior members of the caste, and one of the most common class of priests one will encounter in their lives.
 * Ovikazhan – An ovikazhan, known as a fatemaster, is a class of Vespian priest responsible for the deliverance of divine messages, seances, predictions of the future, and reading of fates for Vespians throughout society. They are one of the most common class of priests, alongside ankazhanin, tazazhanin, and onazhanin. They lack the ability to forgive sins so as to prevent them from attaining divine insight, revealing it to those who have been judged, and forgiving them on the spot before that judgement passes. They are easily recognized by their veiled eyes, which symbolize their reliance on the will of the gods for insight into the metaphysical and things unseen by those outside of their order. Only the embroidered icon of an eye exists on the face of the veil, and immediately calls attention to their status as a member of the order.
 * Tazazhan – A tazazhan, known as a ritesmaster, is a Vespian priest tasked with the execution of rites, ceremonies, and passages within the Vespian population's many religious events. They cover everything from marriages, coming-of-age ceremonies, assisting other priests, opening congregational meetings, to leading prayers on behalf of any number of gatherings. It is often the role of the vakazhan to initiate opening of a sacrifice, meeting, assembly, or announcement, as well as deliver messages to political, religious, and civil bodies on behalf of the clergy. Tazazhan typically sing, dance, and conduct rituals on behalf of their order, as well as serve as representatives for the priesthood at times due to their extensive background within the clergy.
 * Vakazhan – TBD
 * Voyuzhan – A voyuzhan, also known as a painmaster, is a class of Vespian priests who devoted their skills to the service of Vikara, the Goddess of Pain. They are master torturers who have taken up the task of procuring for the goddess the pain of others to strengthen her powers. Such Vespian priests typically hail from the house of Dekan, where the majority of orders devoted to the art of torture are located. It is believed that the pain of others strengthens Vikara, who turns her spiteful gaze away from the Vespians, and instead inflicts untold suffering upon the lands of others. In this chaos and disorder, the Vespians find strength and unity, allowing them to further pursue their divine mission to purify the lands of the world and bring true peace to the universe.
 * Yanuzhan – A yanuzhan, also known as a fleshmaster, is a Vespian priest skilled in the art of the manipulation of flesh, bone, and organs. Historically, yanuzhanin were the first true surgeons in human history, developing highly detailed and intricate maps of the body and its organs, and determining the role of each. Highly secretive, fleshmasters form special orders that can only be joined through the support of one of their own, and proving oneself worthy of joining these orders is a long and difficult ordeal. Vespians typically heap praise upon members of this class of priests, viewing them as following in the footsteps of Zhautan, reshaping the body and mind of an individual, and creating something barely human for the entertainment of their people.
 * Zazazhan – TBD

Aynad Dynasty

 * 1) Zhautakin (937–968) – "The blessed of Zhautan"
 * 2) Kata'Var (968–1012) – "Blade of Varshan"
 * 3) Rodiyon (1012–1021) – "Haven for Rodan's feast"
 * 4) Zhoyon (1021–1057) – "Black prince"
 * 5) Memideka (1057–1069) – "Mother of fertility" (F)
 * 6) Eman-Yon (1069–1092) – "Mercy of Yon"
 * 7) Tayon (1092–1109) – "Great wisdom"
 * 8) Udok-Zhato (1109–1133) – "Huntsman for Zhautan"

Tirad Dynasty

 * 1) Takinayn (1133–1153) – "Holy one"
 * 2) Dekoyoyon (1153–1165) – "Contentment of Yon"
 * 3) Jeyihunotakin I (1165–1191) – "Admiration for the path of righteousness"
 * 4) Kar-Eman (1191–1202) – "Refuge of Eman's goodwill"

Vyad Dynasty

 * 1) Kovintakon (1202–1216) – "Avatar of holiness"
 * 2) Izhomaro (1216–1261) – "Peace of the land"
 * 3) Jadivara (1261–1278) – "Hand of war"
 * 4) Marataki (1278–1297) – "Sister of righteousness" (F)
 * 5) Aynazhan (1297–1330) – "Only one shall rule"
 * 6) Jivazhao (1330–1338) – "Slayer of the impure"

Jarad Dynasty

 * 1) Karovinata (1338–1344) – "Refuge of the soul of the great"
 * 2) Izhomaro II (1344–1354) – "Peace of the land"
 * 3) Zhojadozhan (1354–1357) – "Black fist of the noble"
 * 4) Yazhurizhayaka I (1357–1369) – "The one responsible for much bloodshed"
 * 5) Hazudoyahuya I (1369–1373) – "Venerable bird of prey"
 * 6) Jeyihunotakin II (1373–1381) – "Admiration for the path of righteousness"
 * 7) Yazhurizhayaka II (1381–1383) – "The one responsible for much bloodshed"

Yanad Dynasty

 * 1) Eman-Yon Ravak I (1341–1357) "Petition for the mercy of Yon"
 * 2) Eman-Yon Ravak II (1357–1360) "Petition for the mercy of Yon"
 * 3) Adekakon-Zhanimaro (1360–1366) "An island of tree in the Holy Fatherland"
 * 4) Jikizhako I (1366–1372) "I shall rule on high"
 * 5) Aujazhoturo (1366–1372) "Lord of the black sands"

Sinad Dynasty

 * 1) Ijaninodekan I (1357–1371) "Wings of abundance"
 * 2) Ijaninodekan II (1371–1378) "Wings of abundance"
 * 3) Ijaninodekan III (1378–1400) "Wings of abundance"

Military organization
Imperial Vespian Air Force (Vespian:, Tâzeno No-Veskoyâno Īyâvano Jedâko) (TVIJ)...

Vadiyon
A vadiyon (from Vespian vâdīyon, literally meaning "war body", or "the body that makes war"), is a Vespian military formation within the Zhautakar roughly analogous to a in modern armies. Consisting of about 15,000 military personnel, the vadiyon is the modern-day iteration of the ancient vadiyons which served as the permanent military formations of ancient and imperial Vespia. Most of the existing vadiyons currently in service were established more than four thousand years ago at the time of the Zhautakar's original formation, and have been in an active service since with an unbroken period of combat operation. Traditionally, vadiyon were divided into five 1,000-man units known as uvokin, the first of which was commanded by the leading senior officer of the formation, the TBD.

Ranks

 * Audak – Commander of TBD, or a vakudin.
 * Dakimar – Auxiliary personnel not officially apart of the warrior caste, who are raised regionally to assist warriors during wartime.
 * Dukovak – A disciplinarian officer assigned to a vakudin.
 * Emadin – A medic.
 * Emadok – Chief medical officer within a vakudin.
 * Ionovak – War priest for the vadiyon, and one of the high-ranking staff officers within the unit.
 * Jadakin – Second-in-command to an audak.
 * Jazan – Commander of five warriors, or a jadon.
 * Oviyon – Enforcer and watchman tasked with breaking up fights and keeping watch over the warriors.
 * Ovazhan – Independent political commissar/inquisitor responsible for enforcing the will of the Tazen within the military.
 * Sajadon – Commander of ten warriors, or a dakin.
 * Tazoduvak – Elite warrior serving as a member of the personal guard of the Tazen and the imperial household.
 * Ta'Zhadak – Highest ranking warrior of the Zhautakar. Responsible for executing all military activities across the empire in the name of the Tazen.
 * Udozhan – A sanitation officer.
 * Vakiva – A standard-bearer for a vakudin.
 * Vakoran – Generic term for a Vespian warrior.
 * Voyuzhan – Torturer and interrogator from the priesthood assigned a vakudin to oversee information extraction procedures.
 * Zhadak – Commander of TBD, or a vadiyon.

Units

 * Vadiyon – TBD
 * Uvokin – TBD
 * Zhidin – TBD
 * Vakudin – TBD
 * Dakin – TBD
 * Jadon – TBD

Civil architecture

 * Iyaduk – An iyaduk is a windcatcher were serves a paramount role in the arid landscape of Vespia, providing a measure of climate control within the housing and public spaces of Vespian society. These structures are among the most ancient structures in Vespian civilization, built as raised structures with one, four, or eight openings at the top to allow for a swift flow of air into a building. These structures are often used in concert with another known as a mahuk, and underground water canal which provides cool water to wells and residences. Warm air is brought into the mahuk, cooled, and exits up through the basement of a Vespian home, and out through the iyaduk.
 * Nedimoju – A large reception room with cushions, glazed tiles, artwork, and carpets, which served as the gathering place for visitors and the hosts of a home or palace. Located near the main entrance to the building which the visitors would remove their shoes and receive service from the host, typically in the form of food, entertainment, or sexual services. Traditionally located near the northern side of a house, where heat would be easily accessible during the winter, and during the summer, would have an iyaduk, or windcatcher, located above it to provide cooling in the heat of the day.
 * Shohark – Shoharkin are aqueducts constructed by the Vespians to provide water to all major cities in the empire. The longest shohark in the country is the one carrying water from the Zhonazanin mountain range through the Tuvada, the largest desert on Zhakar, to the great mountain city of Zanishan sitting at the edge of the desert.
 * Tanaku – Large library open to the public, usually consisting of information that would be found at any other library in the world. Typically lacks fine information such as government documents or advanced religious texts which are restricted to the nobility and the priesthood.
 * Uka – A large courtyard, typically located at the center of a city or a large building such as a zhekara or palace. Most have fountains and gates, and serve as gathering places for major events, festivals, speeches, and open-air markets within the city or town. A uka was a major source of pride for a city, with most decorating them with glazed tiles, fountains, gardens, and statues of the patron gods of the city.
 * Yanamosha – A perforated stone or latticed screen designed with ornamental Vespian geometric patterns. Common yanamosha for residential buildings or public buildings in poorer communities are typically constructed using lacquered wood, while most prestigious buildings belonging to the imperial government, aristocracy, wealthy individuals and the Tazen himself, are usually graced with perforated stone yanamosha. Yanamosha are very important within Vespian society, as they compress the air passing through the holes of the screen, cooling the interior of the structure they are built for. As a consequence, yanamosha are an integral part of the desert-influenced Vespian architectural style.
 * Yanamu – TBD
 * Yavokin – TBD
 * Sa'Yavokin – TBD
 * Uk'Yavokin – TBD

Religious architecture

 * Zhekara – Zhekara are the most numerous type of religious building in Vespia, serving as the main place of worship through Vespian culture and society.

Vespian geometric patterns
Vespian geometric patterns are a frequent form of decoration utilized by Vespian artists and architects, and which formed over the course of several millennia of Vespian history. The geometric patterns originated from Vespian astronomy and mathematics, and the commonly held religious beliefs that Zhautan created a universe which though constantly in flux, remains orderly and can be understood in a predictable manner. Considered an outgrowth of Vespian art, the geometric patterns invoke the focus on simplistic ornamentation known as veskoesque, and realistic depictions of the environment in a conceptualized form of the human mind.

List of Vespian corporate houses

 * Arkan Construction – Arkan Construction is responsible for all of the vast building schemes and construction projects taking place throughout Vespia and its environs. Arkan is contracted to maintain all of the structures and facilities in Vespia, as it has what can be described as a monopoly on all high-end architects and structural engineers employed by the corporations. In union with TBD, Arkan has helped to develop some of the most innovative architectural and structural developments in Vespia's history.
 * Daniva Systems – Daniva Systems is the primary electronics and software manufacturer for the city of Vespia. All corporate houses in the country utilize Daniva electronic components, or in someway run their systems using equipment procured from Daniva. The premium quality and detail of Daniva products is such that other corporations have either found it too difficult or too unnecessary to compete against them, and have thus acknowledged Daniva's prominence as a tolerable trade-off for the vast array of wearable devices, surveillance systems, and computer technology Daniva provides.
 * Ejada Group – The Ejada Group is the largest and most prominent of the twelve corporate houses of Vespia. Controlling the banking and finance sectors of the city-state's economy, all wealth flowing through the country must pass through the hands of the Ejada Group. Every bank, every trading house, every loan and line of credit extended to a Vespian, comes from or goes through Ejada, so much so that the state itself is financed in part by the loans provided to it by Ejada. Because of its vast wealth and resources, Ejada through the Zharanokan family has held the seat of Chief Executive for six consecutive terms, or thirty fiscal years, with the current head of state hailing from this corporate house.
 * Namakin – Namakin is the sole owner of all communications networks within Vespia, as well as the proprietor of the Universal Grid, or UniGrid, connecting Vespians to one another. Namakin has, as a consequence of its industry, developed close ties with Daniva and TBD, so as to advance their needs and forming into a voting block within the state Syndicate. All state databases are managed by Namakin, as well as the Daniva-made communication surveillance systems utilized by the government for tracking potential dissidents and their supporters.
 * Onavo Media Group – Onavo Media Group (OMG) is the foremost news and entertainment provider in Vespia, controlling the majority of the major news outlets, sports arenas, and production companies in the city. Through OMG, the state propagates its views, ideologies, and agendas, and thoroughly manages public perception of negative events and protests through the lens it wishes them to see through. All of the corporate houses employ OMG public relations managers and company actors to whitewash their image as well as their talent in delivering their messages to the public.
 * Rodanin – Rodanin is the sole food processing and distribution corporation in Vespia, dominating the food supply for the city-state. All agri-domes in the country are owned wholly or in-part by Rodanin, and in those areas where its ownership is partial, it controls the sell of the foodstuffs that come out of the domes. In spite of its vital role in feeding the millions of Vespians of the state, Rodanin is not as powerful or influential as its opponents, though it remains comfortably secure in its position as people still need to eat.
 * Vakora Concern – Vakora Concern is the largest weapons manufacturer and private security company in Vespia, controlling almost all military assets in the country. Responsible for producing all lethal and non-lethal weapons, body armor, combat equipment and drones utilized in military and civilian life, all noteworthy security is provided for by this solitary corporation. Though the other corporate houses employ their own armed security forces, all buy their equipment from Vakora, and the state itself depends on Vakora for defense.

Aduyaka Zevanokan
Ion'Rek'Aduyaka Zhe'Ruzhan'Jivashomaro Muzhanioka-Zevanokan (Vespian:, Īon'Rek'Âduyâka Xī'Ruxân'Jīvâšomâro Muxânīoka-Zevânokân; born 17 September 1967), is the current representative for the marin of Odamar within the Imperial Hazakiyon of Vespia. She was appointed to the position by Zharuk Tothan VI Azhunaza of Ruzhan to preside over the marin on behalf of the inhabitants of the territory, who requested her leadership based on her service as a priestess for the household.

The twelfth of seventeen children, and the third-eldest child of her father's fifth wife, Aduyaka was never to hold a position of prominence within her family. Consequently, Aduyaka entered into the clergy seeking a means to advance her status, and was accepted as an acolyte to the clergy in Odamar where she would later build her political career. Originally tasked with cleaning the bodies of slain prisoners for consumption by the residents during religious festivals, Aduyaka rose rapidly as she performed her religious duties well. She was eventually assigned to the Uka'Odamar as a professor of the faith for her yavin, where her oratory skills were noticed and promoted by the Ionikon of Odamar.

Over time, Aduyaka was granted more and privileges as a sign of her competency within the priesthood, and was ultimately promoted to the rank of "rek", or "prioress", of the Vyad-Aduvo Zhekara in the neighboring city of TBD, a great sign of trust from the clergy in her marin. As a priestess, Aduyaka never completed the dukori as the rest of her peers, and was initially disqualified from holding a position of power within the government. However, given her performance as a public speaker and religious leader saw Aduyaka evade the traditional requirements for a politician in Vespia.

Random notes
The Vespians as a species do not have the psychological capacity to fall in love or find beauty in having romantic relationships with non-Vespians. Rather, they find the idea repugnant, and find the concept of members of two separate races interacting with one another in a romantic manner blasphemous. Likewise, the sole exception of the 5% of Vespian males in the species, entire Vespian population cannot interbreed with other races, as the chromosomal differences between Vespians and other races, humans included, are too numerous for successful interbreeding. However, do to their cruel and sadistic nature, members of species who fall within their grasp as slaves or prisoners, regardless of sex, are typically victims of rape and sexual assault by their Vespian captors. The five percent of Vespian men capable of breeding with other races are drafted by the imperial government to serve as slave breeders, forcibly impregnating the females of raced sanctioned by the state to be serviceable as a slave species.
 * Brief argument between Vespian mother and toddler
 * Mother: Kī īx-âho uhâr! (I said sit!)
 * Child: Yâd! (No!)
 * Mother: Jī-sâved kī âho okö! (Do as I say child!)
 * Child: Yâd! (No!)
 * Mother: (Continues to shout in Vespian)
 * Child: (Beaten with jumper cables in Vespian)