Datak

1. #1Caste, Liro & Marusha

   Keys: Liro, Caste, Marusha

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   As stated earlier, Castithan Caste is incredibly strict, has seven branches, and determines interactions thusly. Of course, once on Earth, it grew to be fragmented, being challenged by new Liro that formed. It is believed ones Liro can be stolen from another, which can lead to a Cleansing Ceremony if such occurs. There are even unique greetings, one being a handshake of sorts, wherein those of differing Liro run the backs of their hands against one another. Those of the highest Liro often believe that their own spirit is cleaner than those below them. LIRO: There are Seven Liro's, seven different levels and types of classification for Castithan. (1) Shanje Liro is the highest level of caste, classified as the Ruler Caste. (2) Valáne Liro, the second, being called the Noble Caste. (3) Emine Liro, the Merchant Caste. (4) Rizi Liro, the Soldier Caste. (5) Yuke Liro, the Worker Caste. (6) The enigmatic, undetermined, Thorn Liro, known to be underground, but motivations and values are entirely unclear to this day, best known by Castithan Ark Hunter's. (7) Thawandayo Liro, the very lowest Liro of the lowest Caste, being that without a caste, often being criminals, outcasts and rebels. MARUSHA: Marusha is the measure/ quantification of one's level of honor/ Liro and Social Standing. This determines behavior and social roles. However, Castithan women/ females are still expected to abide what their mate/ spouse would dictate in way of behavior, regardless of her own Marusha. This, a Casti's honor, is incredibly important to them, sometimes driving those who have lost said Marusha, to commit murder or suicide.

2. #2Religion

   Keys: Religion, Faith, Tenets

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   On Daribo, there were many religions, though the one that survived and now exists on earth, the most prominent, would be those who follow Rayesto. The religion itself is called: Shirivanáwo. It is Monotheistic, has a strict Dogma/ list of Tenets, and is lead by the Skabolo, the Castithan equivalent to the head of the religion itself, the translation being "Revered One." There is also a "Shigustack", the Casti equivalent to a priest/ preacher. This religion is incredibly structured and strict, with prompt punishment if tenets are violated. That being said, when a Castithan dies with a perceived stain upon their soul, they are sent to one of the Three Hells, a Purgatory which is divided into layers, determinate on one's Liro in life. A death upon the Shaming Rack may save one from such a fate, but only at the discretion of their God, Rayesto. SHAMING RACK: A shaming rack in Castithan culture is not terribly dissimilar from the Human Medieval Torture device known as 'The Rack' or the old punishment of 'Quartering'. It is a table or rack, sometimes the frame of a vehicle, stood vertically. Though much like The Rack, a Casti Shaming Rack binds the one receiving punishment by ankles and wrists. There is a basket/ scale of sorts behind the rack, wherein a precession of fellow Castithans will progressively place rocks, one by one. One individual and one rock in a line, on and on. This will cause an increase in weight and thusly cause the device to tighten and pull the ropes bound to the individual on the rack, pulling and stretching their limbs. This will continue well past the point their limbs pop out of their sockets or even get severed. The Shaming Rack often persists until the one receiving punishment dies. It is not ALWAYS Fatal, sometimes even having one undergo such for only a few hours and being left to heal. But the ordeal is excruciating. For the most severe, such as Treason, one on the Shaming Rack is killed, and the severed limbs are then displayed as a warning to other Casti to not step out of line and follow suit.

3. #3Traditions, Customs & Culture

   Keys: Traditions, Culture, Customs

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   RELATIONSHIPS: Although Castithan's are a Patriarchal and conservative society when it comes to tradition and gender roles, they are uniquely liberal when it comes to sex and sexuality thusly. For this species, it is as much an expression of love and intimacy as it is used for political gain/ personal agendas. That being said, that does not mean they are not close. A great deal of higher Liro ceremonies is still deeply passionate and intimate. Because of this, Castithan's are not uncomfortable with nudity or closeness, able to discern with ease platonic, familial and romantic bonds. Though they are aware how lack of clothes and physical closeness may seem taboo to outsiders/ Non-Castithan's. BATHING: Baths are very normal to the Casti people, their bathrooms being similar to a Japanese Onsen bathhouse. It is seen as a ritual, often being in several ceremonies in their culture. Women/ females are expected to bathe with others; it being found INCREDIBLY unusual if not taboo when a Casti woman bathes alone. That being said, bathing as a whole is seen as communal, there even being 'bathing garbs' for Casti of both genders. Higher Liro often bathe up to three or four times a day. BLOOD DUELS: A practice wherein two Castithan individuals, often males, fight. Over a mate, political or other intense issues. COURTSHIP: Like most other things in Casti culture, courting a potential romantic partner is a deeply involved and multi-faceted thing. Bathing rituals to become closer, as well as specified bathing rituals. One wherein a new spouse bathes with their partners' family. Another wherein a newly married pair have their first bath alone with one another. There is such a thing as Kyerupavo, also known as a Courtship Gem. These are given when someone wishes to begin courting a romantic partner, again, usually a male Castithan. That being said, a Kyerupavo is incredibly rare, due to having been made by master craftsman, back on their originating planet of Casti. Because of this, there are only a finite number left on Earth, costing a fortune to obtain and are highly sought after. The Tilo, is a traditional Castithan face covering worn by the bride, symbolically and literally blinding them until the end of the ceremony, wherein the groom removes the Tilo. Family involvement is also high and normalizes between parents and elders, etc. MOURNING & DEATH: The Casti people vary upon the level of it, but often revere the dead, though can be determined better by one's Liro. That being said, with aesthetics being highly valued in Casti culture, one of the larger practices upon the death of a loved one, often a spouse/ mate, a Castithan will mark themselves with a Mourning Tattoo. Because they are so disgusted by marring their bodies, it is seen as the highest honor they can give to those they have lost. In recent years, an ink that fades over some time was formed, so said Castithan could eventually maintain their flawless complexion. For those Shanje Liro, they are often given the Castithan Prayer of Emptiness.

4. #4History & Origins

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   HISTORY: Castithan's are an ethereal and aristocratic, alien humanoid race that hail from the planet Daribo. The Castithans evolved on the planet Daribo along with the Indogene. Around 4,000 BCE the Castithans sent raiding parties to Irath to round up Sensoth to be used as slave labor and had to put up with resistance from the Irathients who took it upon themselves to fight for the Sensoth. The Castithans put many of the Irathients into caves and flooded them with chlorine gas, killing the Irathients in an event that became known as the Great Diaspora. The Castithans were one of the founding members of the Votanis Collective and have held the seat of power among the organization since the beginning. In 3502 BCE Indogene scientists discovered that the Votanis System was going to be destroyed but the other races did not believe their findings, until Kumbak Iro, the Skabolo of the Shirivanawo religion, asked the Castithans to join in the efforts to save the Votans that they put their full support behind building the Arks. In 3317 BCE the Indogene terraformed a planet orbiting Sulos and Castithan leaders in the Votanis Collective named it Casti and appropriated it as a new home to the wealthy elite. When the Arks were being completed the Castithans decided to only send those of the higher liros aboard, however many lower liro members gambled or bartered their way aboard or even stowed away. Castithans were one of the races, along with the Irathients and the Indogene, to have more of their race on the Arks, something which the other races found to be unfair. When the Votans arrived on Earth, their ambassador to the United Nations was the Castithan Onulu Toruku. In 2046 a new liro arose on Earth - the Thorn Liro - who opposed the traditional, and strict, caste system used by the Castithans.

5. #5The Votanis Collective

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   GENERAL INFORMATION: The Votanis Collective bases its name on the home star system, the Votanis System of the seven Votan species. After the arrival in Earth orbit of the arks, the Collective was given provisional membership in the United Nations. HISTORY: Sulos Colony, the Votanis Collective's headquarters, is located deep within the jungles of Brazil. The United Nations granted this patch of land to the Votans back in 2015 as an olive branch, when virtually every other country on the planet refused to allow aliens to settle within their borders. In the intervening years, the Votans used their terraforming technology to transform the region into a near perfect replica of their homeworlds. However, few humans have ever seen these wonders, as Sulos Colony closed its borders to all outsiders shortly after the Pale Wars began in 2023. According to news reports from 2023, Onulu Toruku, the Votanis ambassador to the United Nations, was shot and killed by a lone human gunman as he was leaving the United Nations. This event caused riots across the country and ultimately led to the start of the Pale Wars. The Votanis Collective was the unified group that went to war against the Earth Military Coalition. In the years that followed, conspiracy theories emerged as to whether his assassin, John Paul Bullock, was working alone, or if he was even human at all. It's possible that Bullock was an Indogene shapetaker (like astronaut Gordon McClintock, or Defiance's own Mayor Nicky, or the saboteurs who gave their lives to destroy the Omec fleet). One popular theory states that the Votans themselves started the war in the hopes of securing a purely Votan planet -- the same mission for which the Kaziri was originally built.

6. #6Castithan Language

   Keys: Kastithanu

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   BASIC INFORMATION: Kastithanu, the Castithan language is head-final in nature and is spoken at a very fast pace, making it difficult but not impossible for non-Castithan to learn it. The language is intentionally complicated and fast, as the Castithans believe this is a mark of sophistication. They don't need to lower themselves to the level of other races by speaking slowly for the benefit of non-native Kastithanu speakers. This fast-speaking pace only extends to when the Castithans are speaking their own, "refined and sophisticated" language: when Castithans speak foreign languages such as English, they speak at a normal pace. PHONOTACTICS: The language's syllable structure is (C)V(C). Stress is generally on the first syllable but can appear on any of the first three syllables of a root. WRITING SYSTEM: The language uses an abugida called Fajizwalino. FAJIZWALINO: Castithan’s writing system is by far the most difficult to write (not the glyphs, but spelling words correctly), though not the most difficult to read (I think Indojisnen is the hardest to read). The script is written from left to right, and each glyph is a syllable that has at most one consonant and a vowel. There are stand-alone vowel characters, so that’s where we’ll start. Like Japanese, Castithan has a number of glyphs for vowels, and several for diphthongs. All are counted as vowels in the system. All told, there are sixteen vowels. With Castithan’s writing system, I always feel like Homer with his float (“Hang on, I gotta explain a lot of it!”). There’s two a’s, two i’s, and two u’s. This is similar to Greek, where there are two e’s (ε, epsilon and η, eta) and two o’s (ο, omicron and ω, omega). In Both Castithan and Greek, they’re there for the same reason: there used to be long vowels that were spelled differently. Now the long vowels are gone, but the letters remain. The first three vowels in the first column were the old short vowels, some of which are now pronounced differently in certain contexts. Specifically, short i is pronounced ye when it’s stressed, and short u is pronounced wo when it’s stressed. The next three vowels are the old long vowels, and they’re always pronounced with their pure qualities. Before leaving the vowels, the diphthongs on the right side have two different forms. The first form you see is the form you’d use when the glyph begins a word. If the diphthong glyph is used in the middle of a word (i.e. after a vowel and not at the beginning of a word), you’d use the form on the right. For example, in the word farubawa, which means “related to outer to space”, the last glyph is the wa in the right-hand column (with the little hat), not the wa to its left. If you’re wondering about the vowels on the left having a second form, they do not. Any time two vowels came next to each other in old Castithan, the result was a new glyph. Now when two vowels come next to each other in modern Castithan, it’s because a consonant has been lost between the two vowels. That consonant will still appear in the spelling, though, so there will never be a case when two vowels abut. If this is needed (e.g. for a foreign borrowing), the consonant h is used as a carrier for the vowel. With that explained, we can now turn our attention to the consonants. The consonants below are showed with each vowel above, meaning each consonant will have 16 forms. The prenasalized series loses its nasal element at the beginning of a word (thus mb is pronounced [b] at the beginning of a word). Ng is pronounced [ŋ]; ngg is pronounced [ŋg] (again, except at the beginning of a word, where it’s pronounced [g]). All bilabial sounds delete a following w. Thus, pwa, mbwe, bwo—all of them lose their [w] (so they’d be pronounced [pa], [mbe] and [bo], respectively). The capitalized letters are older emphatic consonants. Words are still spelled with them, but they’re no longer pronounced differently, except as sound changes have applied to them. Thus, at the beginning of a word, s = S; z = Z; b = B, etc. Also, just as a note, th is [θ] and dh is [ð]. Though gemination is no longer phonemic in Castithan, one does write geminates. They take a special glyph that looks like a little c before the syllable which begins with a geminate consonant. Despite the geminate glyph, there is no way to simply write a consonant without a vowel in Castithan. The most basic form of a consonantal glyph features a short a vowel. So how do you get a word like shtako? Well, the word is spelled (using the schema above) siTaaKu. Short vowels disappear in between voiceless consonants—and s becomes sh before i—so that’s how it happens. (Also, word-final i and u go to e and o if they’re short). GRAMMAR: Castithan is topic-prominent, and is pro-drop, despite lacking agreement. Other features include a cessative aspect and a complex politeness system with many honorifics.

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