OKTI’NAK
Mountain, Flatland, Kinzhal
Mountain Okti’nak General
Okti’nak native to the Cloud Range region, fully Skolexari by blood but define themselves separately. Sub-culture. View the Empire as an oppressive outside force.
Have longer pointed ears tha n most Skolexari, orange eyes common, appearances vary. Okti’nak are fiercely traditional, valuing strength, blunt honesty, loyalty, and freedom. Reject modern Skolexari culture and unity, seeing non-Okti’nak Skolexari as outsiders and invaders, Royal authority as oppression.
Mindset is practical, direct, warrior-based. Prefer action over diplomacy, highly suspicious of deception, outside influence. Remain loyal to ancestral ways. Dislike whining, endure physical discomfort without complaint. Refuse drugs, alcohol, dislike altered states of consciousness.
Okti’nak are known for resisting control, aiding rebels, rejecting modern life, and violently attacking military who enter the cloud range mountain territory. Mistrustful of outsiders, they will intervene when they see the weak oppressed by the strong, making them unusually compassionate toward aliens and slaves compared to other Skolexari.
Religion (both Flatland and Mountain)
Sun based.
Bury their dead in the open, above ground, “for the sun.”
Their prayer is “I am for the sun.”
Form of paganism that worships a female sun goddess, Aza, and other nature-based deities. Carve sun symbols into stone all over the mountains for her. Aza is a Skolexari female goddess, mythological figure, light green skin, glowing yellow eyes, beautiful, feminine, head in halo of light, brings blessings, fertility, luck, warming, loving, safe.
Death Rites: Female Okti’nak (both) go to collect bodies of clan members who have fallen in battle. Sacred practice, body collecting and burials are never interrupted, blocked, attacked, or stopped. Death rites null all blood feuds, war, or fighting. Enemies may come out to help enemies collect the dead. Properly burying fallen clan members is extremely important to all Okti’nak people. Even when at war or full of hate for each other, they will not stop collecting bodies and having burials.
Flatland Okti’nak have access to ancient paths to mountain burial sites. This is a respected custom that has never been broken, as Okti'nak bury their dead in the highest places of their mountains, out in the open, in the sun. All Okti’nak are buried in the mountains in burial regions. Burial Boxes: Sarcalinx, stone square above ground tombs located in mountains, have slots on each side where bodies are slid in, sunlight enters through slots, bodies dry in sun, eventually decompose, Sarcalinx full of bones. Okti’nak do not mark grave sites with names or by clan.
War (both Flatland and Mountain Okti’nak)
Combat: Tame, ride Hala’na, favor close hand-to-hand combat using long daggers. Like to slit the throats of their enemies up-close. Use guerrilla tactics, hit-and-run, ambushes with their superior knowledge of the cloud range territory’s mountains.
Warriors in okti’nak culture: Never force Okti’nak to train, fight, especially if the individual is not suitable for battle (too small, anxious, uncoordinated). Okti’nak recognize individuals who are not capable, and find something else productive for them to do. No one wants a stupid jittery Okti’nak guarding their back, they must have someone they can depend on. No amount of training can alter core personality traits.
Hala’na: Massive beasts used as war mounts. They have four stout legs, bear-like muscular bodies covered in fur, bear-like heads with large teeth and claws, furry wolf-like tail, pointed wolf-like ears. Hala’na can climb cliffs, scale steep mountains, climb vertically, run fast, fight even when wounded. Vicious animals, strong enough to easily kill an unarmed Skolexari. Tamed from pups, they're bonded, loyal to their handler. Controlling one requires strength, experience. Hala’na are decorated with ornate saddles, saddles have a front and back harness (for climbing). Carnivores. Known for absolutely stinking, a musky sour smell, and having wet drool covered jowls, burp, and have heavy footfall (heavy animals).Okti'nak General Roles (both Flatland and Mountain Okti’nak)
For men: must wear pants (bare legs are considered childish). Raise their sons personally, bringing them to work, teach them directly. Role models, primary caregivers to male children. Men prefer the company of other men. Act as elders, leaders, decision-makers in both family and clan matters, though power shared with women. Men expect to be obeyed but will not interfere in a woman’s domain nor force her to do something she is clearly against. Responsible for combat, hunting, brutal tasks, religious rites. Most Hala’na tamers are male. Men typically spend time outside the home. Men train with large two-handed swords, bows, daggers, axes, modern weapons, and learn the mountains.
For women~ must wear specially designed skirts with pants underneath for ease of movement, wear colored sash, wear simple bandana head-cover. Some tame Hala’na, train with daggers or bows. Do not go to war unless defending home or vulnerable clan members. Female warriors increase during violent times, decrease during peace. Each woman decides for herself whether to fight or avoid it; both choices are respected. Okti'nak women are not to be underestimated, they use more brutal tactics than men. May execute enemies in gruesome ways to scare off further attacks as a protective measure. Women are in full control of the home, responsible for its maintenance, cooking, mending, caretaking, gardening, and animal care (non-Hala’na). Typically stay near home.
Both sexes~ fight to protect weaker members of their group, take part in raising children, sing songs, dance, play music, idolize war heroes and rebels, will shelter and protect outsiders who are in alignment with their beliefs or struggles. Under extreme circumstances women will fight alongside men, acting as support for their mate or elder male family member (staying behind him and firing at foes with gun or poisoned arrows, jumping in to help him if he is being overwhelmed).
(Mountain Okti’nak) Personal choice is more respected among Mountain Okti’nak, who may deviate from a role in the name of freedom. Example: an Okti’man man has a little girl, she wants to be a warrior and train with a sword. Her mother doesn’t know this skill, the father takes the female child under his wind and trains her because it is her will. He honors first the individual, second the rule. All things are assessed in mountain culture, they judge on an individual basis before they sweepingly implement clan law. They are unique in this among Skolexari, who tend to strictly follow clan judgement and rules before personal desire.
Mountain, Flatland Oktinak Relationship: Mountain Okti’nak absolutely hate flatland Okti’nak, as much as they hate royals and the military. Will attack, attempt to kill any flatland Okti’nak in the mountains. If it’s a Kinzhal clan member, mountain Okti’nak would likely chase them even into flatlands attempting to kill them. There’s nothing a mountain Okti’nak, especially one still fighting imperials, loves more than killing the Kinzhal clan, believing they’re traitors, “not real Okti’nak”. Applies more harshly to Kinzhal clan because they're direct blood descendants of the original Okti'nak who turned on their mountain kin. Mountain Okti’nak do not call or believe Kinzhal clan or flatland Okti’nak are Okti’nak but just Skolexari. Mountain Okti'nak hate Kinzhal Clan Okti'nak because their ancestors broke from Okti'nak to side with imperials during unification, turned against mountain Okti'nak, defeated them, forcing entire cloud range territory under imperial rule. They have been at war with each other for thousands of years, it is the longest recorded conflict in all of Skolexari history.
Difference between the two (in a nutshell): Flatland Okti’nak (includes Kinzhal Clan) share many beliefs with Okti’nak in the mountains, but are Skolexari loyalists, part of modern culture. Mountain Okti'nak are rebels, hate Imperials, and live in separation from modern, unified Skolexari. Flatland Okti'nak have joined modern society, helped fight for unification, and are loyalists. Kinzhal clan are Flatland Okti'nak.
Flatland Okti'nak
Kinzhal clan royals live outside of Eshxhe City in a large mansion. Kinzhal clan is blood descendants of Kinzhal and Eshxhel.
Flatland Okti'nak: beliefs are softened, intermarried with non-Okti’nak Skolexari. Responsible for keeping mountain kin under control, first line of defense. When they need aid or something especially grievous takes place, Xan’dorith soldiers are sent in but generally flatland Okti’nak handle mountain rebels (Okti’nak).
This group consists of all the Okti’nak who live outside the mountains and in Eshxhel city, which also is home to non-Okti’nak Skolexari who may live there for various reasons.
Fiercely traditional, valuing strength, and blunt honesty. The mindset is practical, direct. Prefer action over diplomacy, highly suspicious of deception, outside influence. Dislike whining, endure physical discomfort without complaint.
Flatland Culture: When warriors go into mountains to fight rebels. Warrior’s mate fills a handmade clay water pitcher with water from Qelid river. As her mate kneels, she pours water over his head and body, cleaning him, helping him dress and prepare to leave. She stands and watches him leave until he is no longer visible.
Females blow a long sacred horn (Zamuid) which makes a low eerie call out over many miles. If mate doesn’t return from battle, she blows horn each evening for 3 years. After 3 years, if mate has not returned, she may remarry.
Marriage: Will not divorce. Divorce seen as shame, clan will be against it, may punish or exile a clan member who divorced without “justification” or clan permission. Justification among flatland Okti’nak is severe abuse (usually physical) and it must have witness or proof. Otherwise, couples are encouraged to remain together until death. Believe in purity, savings self for marriage but many members don’t follow this (it’s an unspoken secret, everyone knows people have premarital sex but no one talks about it, as long as you’re not caught in the act or make it obvious you’re doing it, you’re fine).
Younger clan members closer in age band together, Okti’nak are often seen hanging out in groups divided by age and sex which is different from main Skolexari culture.
Believe in the Empire and Skolexari superiority. Polite to guests, but do not hold rebels and freedom fighters in high regard like mountain Okti’nak do. Strong belief in Skolexari unity and unification, proud of their Kinzhal royal family. Proud to have fought for modern Skolexari, battles were long ago (thousands of years) but memories persist, fighting between mountain x flatland Okti’nak continues.
Kinzhal clan: Okti’nak royal clan, they rule over cloud range territory and are responsible for handling its management. They live in a huge old stone mansion about 2 hours outside Eshxhel. Dark stone, brutalist, narrow windows, surrounded by softly twisting with pebble paths and low thick blue wildflowers. Well maintained. Mansion houses many members of the clan, and has hundreds of rooms, holodecks, and entertainment. Secluded on private acres outside Eshxhel. Guards and other staff (cooks, maids, servants) live in servant’s quarters year around to run the home. It has a large Hala’na stable and riding paths. Hot in summer, usually cool or cold, random strong winds that howl at windows, blue flowers everywhere.
Language
Okti’nak is part of the same language as Skolexari. Evolved into a distinct language over time. Linguistic Differences: 38% difference in vocabulary between Skolexari and Okti’nak. Flatland, mountain Okti’nak share languages.
Known Okti’nak words (Okti'nak language)
Loraken~ alcohol, alcoholic drink
Loraken~ a traditional Okti’nak alcohol, very harsh, served in horn cups and drank in one gulp, burns, bitter. Drank by Flatland Okti'nak, never by mountain Okti'nak.
Garguli~ dove
Keywords
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