Potential Revamp

[size=32]--- --- --- --- --- Evenstell
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- Name: Evenstell, pronounced like “Even-stell.”

- Government: Theocratic Matriarchy.

- Flag: (???)

- Size/Population: Large.

- Balance: About 67% mundane, 33% extramundane.

- Races: Primarily northern varieties, with spotted cats being very common, but other big cats, wolves, goats, and sheep can be rather common there as well. Has a spattering of other species.

- Landscape: Primarily cold-temperate plateaus and hills, framed with mountains. Evenstell has a long cold season and short, mild summers, though the southern half of the country does experience more warmth than the northern half, being at a lower altitude and closer to the equator.

- Inspiration: Arabia, Russia.

- Type: Theocratic Matriarchy - A government ruled by religious figures in the name of a deity, and in this case, those authoritative figures are primarily women.

- Bodies of Government: Matriarchs (Queens), Clergy (Religion), Order (Law).

- Current Matriarchs:

- Current Heiresses:

- Matriarchs - The Matriarchs are a pair of queens chosen from youth to be the figureheads and primary rulers of Evenstell. Sometimes, the pair have a sisterly relationship, and other times they are lovers, but both Matriarchs are forbidden from marriage with anyone aside from one another, and may not ever bear children, remaining "pure" from the touch of man.

- Heiresses - Students of the Matriarchs, a pair destined to become the next leaders of the nation. Their studies are rigorous, and extend beyond just the law and religion of their country. They learn geography, diplomacy, history, the cultures of nations surrounding them, and a multitude of other things, including various arts and sciences, depending on a particular Heiress's strengths and skills. Some are even trained in martial arts and swordplay, and others in medicine and healing. Oftentimes, the Heiresses become true Matriarchs when one or both of their mentors are deceased.

- Duties - Essentially being queens and princesses, the Matriarchs and Heiresses are the primary ruling force, and all final decisions are made by them, which can include forming peace treaties or alliances, declaring war, appointing high-ranking officials, creating or abolishing laws, and a multitude of other things. They do not have absolute power, but it is pretty close, considering only the Council can do much against them. The balancing factor is that there is almost always two Matriarchs and Heiresses.

- Deaths Among Matriarchs and Heiresses - Matriarchs and Heiresses are always seen as a pair, and no half of this pair can be replaced. This means that if one Matriarch dies, the other Matriarch is forced to remain as the sole ruler, or to step down and allow both Heiresses to step forward. If one Heiress dies, the Matriarch who chose her will not choose another, and the remaining Heiress will rule alone. If both Heiresses pass before their mentors do, the new Ceremonial Year will be held at about the time the deceased Heiresses would choose their successors, except the most high-ranking female clergy members will be the ones doing the choosing. If all Matriarchs and Heiresses pass, the realm will go without rulers until the next appropriate Ceremonial Year, when the high-ranking female clergy members choose the next Heiresses.

- Ceremonial Year - When the present Matriarchs feel the time is right, usually when they are somewhere in their thirties or even forties, they prepare to choose their Heiresses. It takes one full year to choose the Heiresses, beginning on the first day of spring, when the announcement is traditionally given. A holy ceremony is held on this day to prepare the Matriarchs, thus opening the ceremonial year. A grand festival is held on the last day of every month henceforth, and the Matriarchs are subjected to rigorous religious exercise, taking part in a multitude of different ceremonial acts to reach their goddess. Then, one year later, once again on the first day of spring, thousands of people flock into the grand castle to witness the choosing of the Heiresses. Early that morning, many families and staff of orphanages prepare adolescent girls for the ceremony. They are bathed, dressed in their finest clothes, their hair lovingly combed and decorated with a crown of flowers, as is tradition. Then, the girls are brought to the grand castle's courtyard, accompanied by one family member or caretaker. There they wait for the Matriarchs, while the thousands of onlookers stand raised up on platforms surrounding the courtyard, like a colosseum arena. When the sun has reached its highest point in the sky at noon, the Matriarchs emerge from a pair of ornate gates at the Eastern end of the courtyard... they are dressed from head to toe in ceremonial garb, and their eyes closed. High-ranking clergy members accompany them down a broad, short staircase, into the courtyard... There, the girls are lined up in rows, so that the Matriarchs may walk past each and every one, her hands held up, palms down, so her hands may pass just over the girls' heads as she walks past. Traditionally, the younger of the Matriarchs walks first, and then the elder. It is believed that the Matriarchs are able to sense the girls' connections to their goddess by passing their palms over their heads, in thanks to the long year of ceremony they underwent. When a Matriarch feels a strong instinct as she walks, she will stop, and rest a hand down on the head of the girl who was giving her this feeling. This is then her Heiress. Sometimes, a Matriarch must walk through the rows multiple times before choosing. Once both Heiresses have been selected, they will stand together in front of the gate, and clergy members will replace their flower crowns with beautiful tiaras, each with a jewel that is held right over the forehead, where Alaiyah's third eye is supposedly located. The girls are formally presented to the onlookers, and then a massive celebration is held. Families are given the chance to bid farewell to the chosen girls, since from then on the Heiresses will be living in the castle, where they will be molded into the next Matriarchs.

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- Deities: Alaiyah, the primary deity, as well as various servants of Alaiyah.

- Alaiyah: The goddess of time and history, an honored and beloved goddess who oversees time as a whole. She is generally portrayed as a feline with distinctly pointed ears, ash grey fur, and heavy-lidded orange eyes. Rather than hair, she has smooth feathers emerging from her head, resembling the shape of hair. The feathers often vary in different images of her, but the most common appearance for these feathers are shoulder-length and either white, mottled grey, or rust-colored. She has a small third eye set upon her forehead, but rather than seeing the present time, this eye can only see into either the past or the future. She can be portrayed as carrying a heavy, ornate shield, made from raw wood with the bark still intact and decorated with various leaves and small plants. Her clothing is a long, sweeping robe that is wrapped around her, and is often a multitude of shimmering colors, believed to be made from the fabric of time itself. (Name derived from Arabic “Aliya.”)

- Seasonal Celebrations - Considering the fact that they honor the goddess of time, it’s only natural for seasonal changes and the beginning of a new year to be celebrated. Festivals are held on the first day of each of the four seasons, with the biggest one being in the beginning of spring, which is also the first day of a new year in Stellan culture. The day is spent preparing grand meals and setting up decorations and stages, and once dusk falls, the citizens gather in the streets and kneel for an hour of prayer, with only firelight illuminating the streets. When the prayer ends, the party begins. Music and dance fill the streets with life, while girls and boys dressed in their finest clothes (often made particularly for these celebrations) are allowed to mingle and openly court one another. These celebrations are one of the few times when this is encouraged in public, and it as at times like this when courtship begins and engagements are made. Celebration often lasts late into the night, quieting down at dawn, which marks a day of rest before they all get back to their daily lives.

- Women - Unlike many religions on Earth, in this religion, women are revered. Women give birth to new life, thus creating time, in the sense that they create the life that will stretch on for a new generation. Their deity is also female, and perhaps those details are interrelated.

- Youth - Children are allowed to interact and play with one another as desired, but once they come to be of an adolescent age, their interactions may be restricted to family members and close friends (often of the same sex). This is to keep them from fooling around or being guilty of indecency.

- Courtship - All marriages and families begin with courtship. Individuals who are as young as ten or eleven may begin to seek out life partners, though courtship is only taken seriously in adolescents who are at least twelve or so and begin to resemble adults.

- Marriage - Naturally, considering their queens often marry one another, same-sex marriage is allowed in Evenstell. While it is less common than traditional marriages, it isn’t seen as strange or taboo like it can be in other countries, being just as normal in their society as opposite-sex marriage.

- Divorce - A heavily frowned upon and uncommon practice, divorce is generally only accepted in society if there were good reasons behind the separation, like abuse.

- Family Dynamics - Some families have given way to modern ideals, but traditionally, Stellan families were large and tightly knit. Important decisions are generally made by the family as a whole, be it just the parents and children, or including grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Everyone generally has somewhat equal standing, though dominant members of the family may emerge and guide the others.

- Casual - The cold weather must be taken into account when one looks at the traditional garb of this country. A simple shirt and pants pairing leaves a seam between the top of the pants and bottom of the shirt that allows a cold draft to get to the skin. Thus, both men and women in Evenstell tend to wear tunics that extend about to the middle of the thigh, though women may wear ones that reach below the knees as well. The tunics have pleats or slits in the sides to allow freedom of movement, and are worn with pants or leggings. Sweater-dresses and turtlenecks are also common, and many outer-wear garments have a lining of fleece on the inside. A common garment for women is a shawl with a hood, often with plush fleece around the neckline to act as a scarf.

- Clergy - The Clergy wear special robes instead of normal tunics. (White, orange, gold.)

- Order - The Order wear uniforms that dictate their status, namely in the form of a robe worn over their clothing. (Grey, white, black, gold.)

- Matriarchs - Adorned. (TBA)

- Heiresses - Adorned. (TBA)

- Crops - Considering the colder climate, Evenstell doesn’t exactly have a lot of tropical fruit around. Their vegetable crops often include; asparagus, beans, cabbage, carrots, leeks, onions, peas, potatoes, chard, celery, parsnips, turnips, rutabaga, radicchio, and arugula. Fruits are slightly less common, but generally consist of hardy apples, strawberries, blueberries, and sweet cherries (yellow and red). Grains are generally sown in autumn and lay dormant until the weather warms, when they rapidly grow, using snow as moisture to grow and producing high yields. Grain crops are rye, wheat, and barley, while nuts include hazelnuts, hickory nuts, pecans, and pine nuts. Herbs include sage, parsley, rosemary, thyme, chives, lavender, cilantro, and mint.

- Livestock - The high altitude is a good place to raise flocks of sheep, so most farmers in Evenstell choose to raise sheep. They are good for meat, milk, and wool, making them some of the most efficient animals to work with. Goats are used primarily for dairy purposes, and there are a few cattle herds, but beef is generally an unpopular meat item, and hogs are also relatively common because they will eat anything and their fat keeps them warm during winter chills. Geese and ducks are kept instead of chickens, because they cope better with cold, wet weather. Most dairy products are from goats, while goose and duck eggs can both be found in supermarkets.