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Empire of Sythe Culture Test:
If you're Sythen...
-Vacation? That's for lazy officials!
-You worship the founder of your clan and the other important Ancestors by bringing large amounts of tribute to your utehlhah.
-You know your clan's history and its great importance, which is not to be overshadowed by other clans.
-You are proud of your line's irrigation works, which are better than your neighbor's works.
-You have extended family in the capital, but there's no reason for you to go there. It seems overcrowded, anyway.
-You know the Pudelehlkahvahn (think "Emperor"), but you might respect your clan elders more because they actually know your father by name.
Herbicide
-You would rather eat food cooked by your wife than anything else; there's nothing better than well-steamed lahbehd.
-You don't kill your own food, but mainly because you rarely eat meat. If killing plants was an offense of some sort, you'd certainly be guilty.
-You eat at a bench sitting down. Your probably have a dirt floor unless you're that local bureaucrat that embezzled all that produce the last time the court collected tribute. You have a chamber pot, and you think there is little point in having a separate room for it.
-You probably don't eat meat that often, and you might think that people who eat alot of meat are unhealthy. You consider the occasional insect to be a great after-dinner treat, but who eats stuff that crawls around in the dirt?
-Instead, you probably eat many grains and green vegetables with heavy spices and additives.
-You think fish is a delicacy, and you might be envious of the coastal clans for this.
-You own your water supply and work all fall and winter to prepare your irrigation works for the tumult of spring and early summer.
-There's no problem, if you want to go somewhere, to walk there. But where are you trying to go and why?
-The message system only functions in the capital, and the best way to convey a pressing sentiment is to go visit someone.
-It's too warm. Ugh. And talk about all that rain!
Those Other Three Feuds
-You think that because you live in the largest state, you're the best, but you really hate dealing with tribute requirements. As long as you're better than those Orhsan to the north...
-If you were born to the right line, a government career will find you. Why, pray, would you try to work for the government?
-You despise politicians and are glad that your clan father still has some apparent power over the officials.
-You think that tax is annoying, but it's wound up in your religious beliefs, so it's just best to let it go for now.
-You are glad that businesses don't play a part in government. (What is a business?) The art of government is for the Ancestors and the Pudelehlkahvahn to work out.
-You think that if people just consulted the Ancestors, they could solve their problems.
-You speak Eastern Traader, but you know that people in the Desert speak a strange language and probably think people from the coast sound stupid when they talk though it's not as if you've actually heard such people speak.
-Writing is extremely valuable and discovered only seventy-odd years ago. You can finally record your clan's geneology. If only you actually knew how to write...
-Learning to write is restricted to officials and their close families, and it seems they don't even make good use of it.
-You can tell where people are very accurately from by their dialect (not to mention those wierd expressions).
-You don't really want to take disputes to the government. They'd only favor the richer line. You'll just settle things at the clan level, taking your three-or- so current feuds in stride.
-Someone that knows how the bureaucracy works and the laws of your empire is a better man than you. You probably would not trust such a person, though.
Beating Back the Barbarians
-If you were born to a good family and were raised to be an official, you were tutored in the art of writing until you were old enough to do it on your own. Once you were, you busied yourself teaching others in your family or copying the great works to make easy money.
-If you practiced some other trade or were just a simple farmer maintaining irrigation works you were taught this by a family member. It's surprising how complicated this can be...
-Year first, then the generation name, then month and day: 29 Vehlutehpudehz Dehvahlku bed vehd zehlkehd Vehlutehkedeht Dehtahve 8-15 (You know what happened on this date, and you feel sorry for the Pudelehlkahvahn).
-If you go to the capital, you'll stay in your clan's house there.
-There's nothing wrong with, if you can support it, having a concubine. You don't see any problem with people in government having them either.
-You have most likely not heard of gay or lesbian people.
-Your clan will not exile you unless you've done something absolutely inexcusable. If you work for the government, you are held with intense scrutiny by the Pudelehlkahvahn and had better not do anything too rash.
-You call anyone older than you at all by their surnames with a title, and you give special respect to those in your clan.
-Bribes are necessary to conduct government business.
-The empire's most recent conflicts were those of expansion, and it sure was time to beat back those desert barbarians. You might be more proud of the Siege of Orhsa that occured about ninety years ago. There's just something heroic about (kind-of) defeating a rival.
-Bacon is too greasy to eat. Ugh.
The Better Language
-You know the history of the empire (it's not been that long that there was no such thing as a Pudelehlkahvahn) and are aware of how things went before these times. You also know the history of your clan, and if you can write, you're probably helping put these together for the first time.
-You know of the desert-dwellers, and you have probably heard stories about the Sekuun Empire, but that's enough. There nowhere as important as the here and now.
-You probably also know a lot about the northern state, Orhsa. You know that you really really don't like it. Writers seem to enjoy its works, though.
-Your country has never been defeated outright in a war, but this is is debatable.
-You are a farmer, and if you're not a farmer, your brother and/or father certainly is.
-If there's something wrong with you, there are limited options. Just pray to Ancestors and hope for the best. Herbal remedies can help ease the pain.
-You are familiar with one race only, and even the desert-dwellers look the same as you do. You'd rather discriminate based on language.
-You have a huge standing army, and are proud of this. Your father was in it, and you might've served a few years yourself. However, the army should always be kept in service by the Pudelehlkahvahn; it should not play a part in politics.
-You had to sign up for the army register when you were fourteen years of age. They probably won't ever need you, though.
-Your neighbors to the east, the coastal clans, seem to fight with each other too much and you probably think they are not as advanced as your empire is. Fishing is just a waste of time, isn't it?
-Your neighbor to the north, Orhsa, is hated for its contrary attitudes and various problems it seems to have with you. They're too weak now to worry about, and there are various domestic issues for the government to deal with.
-The small Empire of Nekul, to the northwest, seems to have copied the system of Sythe. You're not sure if this is a good thing or not.
-The desert seems stark and uncivilized. No reason to go there.
-You are not generally used to seeing foreigners in your country except for a few Loninen traders. You are certainly mistrusting of them.
Avid Suitors
-If a woman is plumper than average, it doesn't improve her looks, but it sure means her family has money.
-The biggest meal of the day is in the evening.
-If you're in the capital, Sythehahv, there's parts of the city you want to avoid at night.
-If you're a guy, marriage is the best way to gain assets. You'll find your true love in a concubine.
-If you're a girl, marriage is a Bad Thing. Your family will lose valuable property and perhaps become impoverished if every daughter marries.
-What family someone came from matters, especially when you're getting married.
-The Home Army, kind of like a police force, is certainly armed. How else could they do their work?
-The people you most often hear jokes about are the people in the coastal clans.
-The normal thing when a couple dies is to give the eldest male the estate. If you're a younger sibling, pursuing a military career might be the best option. Officials are often also younger brothers. If you're a sister, it's the best choice to stay in the home and help out there save you get forced into marriage by an avid suitor.
-You feel that your kind of people aren't being listened to enough in Sythehahv.
-You rarely go to the market, but there is quite a selection if you go to a clan trade event.
Space and time
-If you have an appointment, you'll mutter an excuse if you're ten minutes late and apologize profusely if it's an hour. Not coming at all is inexcusable and very rude.
-If you're talking to someone, you get uncomfortable if they approach closer than about three feet.
-Haggling for anything is customary and is not simply a search for the seller's minimum.
-When you negotiate, you are polite, of course, and you just have to hope for the best. The Loninen traders are too greedy and don't say what they mean, and that's exasperating.
-If you have an appointment with someone, you expect to have that person to yourself (if you're important enough), and the business shouldn't take more than a day.
Empire of Sythe Culture Test:
If you're Sythen...
-Vacation? That's for lazy officials!
-You worship the founder of your clan and the other important Ancestors by bringing large amounts of tribute to your utehlhah.
-You know your clan's history and its great importance, which is not to be overshadowed by other clans.
-You are proud of your line's irrigation works, which are better than your neighbor's works.
-You have extended family in the capital, but there's no reason for you to go there. It seems overcrowded, anyway.
-You know the Pudelehlkahvahn (think "Emperor"), but you might respect your clan elders more because they actually know your father by name.
Herbicide
-You would rather eat food cooked by your wife than anything else; there's nothing better than well-steamed lahbehd.
-You don't kill your own food, but mainly because you rarely eat meat. If killing plants was an offense of some sort, you'd certainly be guilty.
-You eat at a bench sitting down. Your probably have a dirt floor unless you're that local bureaucrat that embezzled all that produce the last time the court collected tribute. You have a chamber pot, and you think there is little point in having a separate room for it.
-You probably don't eat meat that often, and you might think that people who eat alot of meat are unhealthy. You consider the occasional insect to be a great after-dinner treat, but who eats stuff that crawls around in the dirt?
-Instead, you probably eat many grains and green vegetables with heavy spices and additives.
-You think fish is a delicacy, and you might be envious of the coastal clans for this.
-You own your water supply and work all fall and winter to prepare your irrigation works for the tumult of spring and early summer.
-There's no problem, if you want to go somewhere, to walk there. But where are you trying to go and why?
-The message system only functions in the capital, and the best way to convey a pressing sentiment is to go visit someone.
-It's too warm. Ugh. And talk about all that rain!
Those Other Three Feuds
-You think that because you live in the largest state, you're the best, but you really hate dealing with tribute requirements. As long as you're better than those Orhsan to the north...
-If you were born to the right line, a government career will find you. Why, pray, would you try to work for the government?
-You despise politicians and are glad that your clan father still has some apparent power over the officials.
-You think that tax is annoying, but it's wound up in your religious beliefs, so it's just best to let it go for now.
-You are glad that businesses don't play a part in government. (What is a business?) The art of government is for the Ancestors and the Pudelehlkahvahn to work out.
-You think that if people just consulted the Ancestors, they could solve their problems.
-You speak Eastern Traader, but you know that people in the Desert speak a strange language and probably think people from the coast sound stupid when they talk though it's not as if you've actually heard such people speak.
-Writing is extremely valuable and discovered only seventy-odd years ago. You can finally record your clan's geneology. If only you actually knew how to write...
-Learning to write is restricted to officials and their close families, and it seems they don't even make good use of it.
-You can tell where people are very accurately from by their dialect (not to mention those wierd expressions).
-You don't really want to take disputes to the government. They'd only favor the richer line. You'll just settle things at the clan level, taking your three-or- so current feuds in stride.
-Someone that knows how the bureaucracy works and the laws of your empire is a better man than you. You probably would not trust such a person, though.
Beating Back the Barbarians
-If you were born to a good family and were raised to be an official, you were tutored in the art of writing until you were old enough to do it on your own. Once you were, you busied yourself teaching others in your family or copying the great works to make easy money.
-If you practiced some other trade or were just a simple farmer maintaining irrigation works you were taught this by a family member. It's surprising how complicated this can be...
-Year first, then the generation name, then month and day: 29 Vehlutehpudehz Dehvahlku bed vehd zehlkehd Vehlutehkedeht Dehtahve 8-15 (You know what happened on this date, and you feel sorry for the Pudelehlkahvahn).
-If you go to the capital, you'll stay in your clan's house there.
-There's nothing wrong with, if you can support it, having a concubine. You don't see any problem with people in government having them either.
-You have most likely not heard of gay or lesbian people.
-Your clan will not exile you unless you've done something absolutely inexcusable. If you work for the government, you are held with intense scrutiny by the Pudelehlkahvahn and had better not do anything too rash.
-You call anyone older than you at all by their surnames with a title, and you give special respect to those in your clan.
-Bribes are necessary to conduct government business.
-The empire's most recent conflicts were those of expansion, and it sure was time to beat back those desert barbarians. You might be more proud of the Siege of Orhsa that occured about ninety years ago. There's just something heroic about (kind-of) defeating a rival.
-Bacon is too greasy to eat. Ugh.
The Better Language
-You know the history of the empire (it's not been that long that there was no such thing as a Pudelehlkahvahn) and are aware of how things went before these times. You also know the history of your clan, and if you can write, you're probably helping put these together for the first time.
-You know of the desert-dwellers, and you have probably heard stories about the Sekuun Empire, but that's enough. There nowhere as important as the here and now.
-You probably also know a lot about the northern state, Orhsa. You know that you really really don't like it. Writers seem to enjoy its works, though.
-Your country has never been defeated outright in a war, but this is is debatable.
-You are a farmer, and if you're not a farmer, your brother and/or father certainly is.
-If there's something wrong with you, there are limited options. Just pray to Ancestors and hope for the best. Herbal remedies can help ease the pain.
-You are familiar with one race only, and even the desert-dwellers look the same as you do. You'd rather discriminate based on language.
-You have a huge standing army, and are proud of this. Your father was in it, and you might've served a few years yourself. However, the army should always be kept in service by the Pudelehlkahvahn; it should not play a part in politics.
-You had to sign up for the army register when you were fourteen years of age. They probably won't ever need you, though.
-Your neighbors to the east, the coastal clans, seem to fight with each other too much and you probably think they are not as advanced as your empire is. Fishing is just a waste of time, isn't it?
-Your neighbor to the north, Orhsa, is hated for its contrary attitudes and various problems it seems to have with you. They're too weak now to worry about, and there are various domestic issues for the government to deal with.
-The small Empire of Nekul, to the northwest, seems to have copied the system of Sythe. You're not sure if this is a good thing or not.
-The desert seems stark and uncivilized. No reason to go there.
-You are not generally used to seeing foreigners in your country except for a few Loninen traders. You are certainly mistrusting of them.
Avid Suitors
-If a woman is plumper than average, it doesn't improve her looks, but it sure means her family has money.
-The biggest meal of the day is in the evening.
-If you're in the capital, Sythehahv, there's parts of the city you want to avoid at night.
-If you're a guy, marriage is the best way to gain assets. You'll find your true love in a concubine.
-If you're a girl, marriage is a Bad Thing. Your family will lose valuable property and perhaps become impoverished if every daughter marries.
-What family someone came from matters, especially when you're getting married.
-The Home Army, kind of like a police force, is certainly armed. How else could they do their work?
-The people you most often hear jokes about are the people in the coastal clans.
-The normal thing when a couple dies is to give the eldest male the estate. If you're a younger sibling, pursuing a military career might be the best option. Officials are often also younger brothers. If you're a sister, it's the best choice to stay in the home and help out there save you get forced into marriage by an avid suitor.
-You feel that your kind of people aren't being listened to enough in Sythehahv.
-You rarely go to the market, but there is quite a selection if you go to a clan trade event.
Space and time
-If you have an appointment, you'll mutter an excuse if you're ten minutes late and apologize profusely if it's an hour. Not coming at all is inexcusable and very rude.
-If you're talking to someone, you get uncomfortable if they approach closer than about three feet.
-Haggling for anything is customary and is not simply a search for the seller's minimum.
-When you negotiate, you are polite, of course, and you just have to hope for the best. The Loninen traders are too greedy and don't say what they mean, and that's exasperating.
-If you have an appointment with someone, you expect to have that person to yourself (if you're important enough), and the business shouldn't take more than a day.