Conclave of Kergen

The Conclave of Kergen, also known simply as Kergen, is a nation in the northern half of the continent of Sphaera. It has the distinction of bordering almost every other nation on the continent; the Confederacy of Saremitas, the Kingdom of Zewan-Tal, the Eralih Empire, the Ietsahru Tribes, the Huon League, and the Toryl Republic, as well as the sea via the bay on its western border.

Ancient legends tell of another land called Aprhaes where the Kergen dwelt until they were forcibly separated from their home due to the machination of a rival people. Their descendants are the modern Kergen who live on the steppes of Sphaera. Kergen is ruled by an assembly known as the Conclave, a group of elected officials led by one among them called the Kergheen who decides national policy and conducts matters with foreign nations.

Geography
The lands of the Kergen consist primarily flat steppe lands with wildly varying temperatures, from frigid to arid, with fertile lands thought the west and center. To the west is the ocean, and it is roughly in the political center of the other nations.

History
Long ago, the Kergen lived in Aprhaes with all the other types of spirits. Aprhaes is a land so large, that you could walk for ten thousand generations and still not get to the end. But due to their increasing popularity, another group, the Gjeegu, grew jealous. They used their powers over the winds to make the sun start moving and making a night, tricking all the other spirits into thinking the Kergen had stolen it. All the spirits gathered together and stole all the the powers from the Kergen, turning them into humans. Then they called a great earthquake, the likes of which was never seen, to make a chasm so large the Kergen could never cross it, and then filled it with water so they could not live there. This created all the oceans and islands. When the sun came back the next day, the others knew they were tricked, and they knew they couldn't undo the oceans they had created. So they cursed the Gjeeru, stealing the wind from them. They used the wind to make the moon move, so that at night, the spirits of the Kergen could jump up touch the moon, instead of having to try to go over the ocean. But because they had taken away all the power from the Kergen, their spirits couldn't reach the moon in one night. Instead, the Kergen have to live an entire life growing stronger, until their spirits are strong enough to reach Aprhaes quickly.

Government
Their government is a cross between a tribal group and a kingdom. There are numerous villages (they are called villages, but they range in size from hamlets to smaller cities) called Kerghan that have their own chief and council. A village's economy is governed by the council, while the chief deals with matters of the law. The council is made up of an odd amount of people, consisting of only three people for small villages, and scaling up for larger populations. When a new council member or chief is needed, the adult men and women in the village decide in the public square who in the village is most worthy. They do this by first seeing how many people have at least ten people supporting them. At this point, those who have been selected nominate anyone in the group except themselves to see who is most worthy from that group. Having at least one son or daughter living in the village is the only real requirement, as it shows that one has been in the village long and is dedicated to it, but Gedur and Ajdeeg are the most commonly chosen. The chief apoints a member of the Gedur as the commander of the Gedakur for that village, known as the Gedhajur.

From there, there are seventeen super-tribal regions known as Kerglerii that act like a state. Each council selects a representative from their village, who is required to have at least three children living in the village they represent, who joins the council of their Kerglerii on behalf of their village. From the representatives, one is chosen as the chief of that region, the Kergjen. The Kergjen acts like a governor of that region, and also appoints the military commander of that region, known as the Gedejur. In the council, the Kergjen's vote counts for five.

One of the representatives is chosen to represent their entire Kerglerii in the Conclave of Kergen. The Conclave is the government of the nation, and while it does not have the same fine controls that a council has, its scope is the entire nation rather than a single village or region. The Conclave decides when to go to war, decides when a council or chief has strayed, and other matters based on simple majorities. When a region faces a time of hardship, or is attacked, it is the Conclave that instructs the other regions to offer aid. There are laws that dictate when aid must be given or when they must go to war, which can be interpreted differently by those who stand to lose and gain. Often, fights break out among the representatives as they attempt to sway the views of the majority, with deaths not being unheard of. Of the representatives, one is chosen as the Kergheen, who acts as a national chief of sorts. They make decisions in all matters of policy, military, and economy without having to ask the Conclave first. The Kergheen's vote counts for seven in the Conclave. The Kergheen appoints one of the Gedhajur to become the Gedhenur, who is the highest military leader in the nation.

The Conclave is located in the coastal village of Kerg, which acts as the capital of the nation. It is by far the largest village, and is a city in design and population, with strong walls and bustling streets. It is believed to be the first village from which all villages sprang from, and it houses the Conclave of Kergen.

Law Enforcement
Those who break the law are grabbed by witnesses and taken to a platform in front of the house of the village chief. At that point, the chief tells those gathered the person's name and crime, and then they are beaten. Once the beating is over, their punishment is considered over. However, if the crime requires the death of the perpetrator, then an event known as Alkuen, a "reckoning, " is called for. As the Kergen believe that taking the life of another human who was not fighting back as an ultimate sin, one which corrupts the soul, they cannot simply execute those who deserve death. At a reckoning, the criminal is given a sword while the people of the village likewise take up arms against them. This grants the culprit a chance to die in battle, where they can then go on to their True Life. They believe that this way, even the worst spirit can reach the moon after ten thousand generations, and have some stake of Aprhaes, no matter how small. However, there are those who refuse to fight at their reckoning. Those individuals are considered the lowest of the low, as they willingly forsake any claim to their True Life. They are branded Alkatzerii, "One whose soul who will wander for ten thousand generations and still not find the True Life". Literally - their faces are branded with the mark of the Alkatzerii and they are exiled from the village, with anyone giving aid to them punished by a severe beating.

Economy
There is no Kergen currency. Because the council assigns workers, distributes food, and controls the village, the typical transactions that require money do not exist. A Kergen in need of a house does not buy one, instead when the council decides they need one, usually after a marriage, they are given one to own. Things such as food and water cannot be owned by anyone. The Kergens have a sense of personal ownership, though. In addition to where they reside, they have special possessions, known as Djerge, "interesting things", which are exactly that - interesting things. They are objects that hold no value to the village in terms of survival, but have personal meaning to the person. Djerge depend on the person - to some it might be a sword they claimed in battle, a shiny rock they found, or a piece of pottery they like. Trade with other nations such as in the ports tend to rely on barter.

Military
The Kergen do not go on wars of offense, tending to only engage in wars of defense against nations encroaching on their territory. Each village is expected to maintain a defensive force, known as the Gedakur, that is a mix of trained militia and soldiers. The soldiers, known as Gedur, who live in each village and are expected to be commanders of the Gedakur in war, and to make sure the art of war craft is not lost in times of peace. As a militia-oriented culture, everyone old enough to carry a weapon is expected to fight in a war, regardless of gender. In wars, a fraction of each village is sent to battle - the Gedur and any villagers who have been taught to fight as part of the Gedakur. When more soldiers are needed than that, the rest of the village is ordered into a militia with only a small part of the village left behind to take care of those who cannot fight and prevent it from withering away from neglect, with the exact amount varying depending on the scale of the conflict. This lets the Kergen maintain a relatively small standing army that can be supplemented first by partially trained soldiers, and then by militia. The majority of the weapons used by the militia are strong wooden sticks with an iron head attached to it, mainly consisting of hammers, axes, and poleaxes. They are not above pilfering swords and armor from the field of battle. The Gedakur, though, tend to fight with swords. Bronze shields are very commonly used by fighters. Metal armor and cavalry is almost nonexistent except for commanders who wear full bronze armor and ride horses.

The supply lines employed by the Kergen are internal, rather than external, with militia bands usually bringing carts with them, and if enough time is given to prepare, other villages will begin sending supplies to the battle as well. Because of this, they will stay close to the village or villages they are defending, instead of going to other nations.

Overall, they rely on their large size to reduce the amount of soldiers an opposing nation can afford to send during war, while causing invaders to have to fight the entire population of their villages in addition to their soldiers. They make use of fighting on familiar terrain to create as much of a disadvantage for invaders as possible.

Language
The Kergen language is very brutal, isolating, and has a large amount of words. There are no genders, cases or honorifics that can be added on to words - instead extra words are thrown into a sentence. The language also sounds primitive, as it has a large amount of hard sounds and low-pitched vowels. Oddly, though, it also possesses a sizable amount of words which use the "ee" sound.

Religion
Kergen do not have the concept of deities, believing that all humans are spirits related to the moon. Nor do they have traditional priests. Instead there are the Ajdeeg, a type of scholar who is responsible for recording a village's history, educating children, and other matters, but in their free time they take up playing instruments, producing art, and pondering. Myths involve the concept of two lands: Zeteka, where they live, and Aprhaes, the moon, the land that is ten thousand days across the ocean by ship, which can only be reached once one has left this life behind. Ten thousand is a common number in their stories.

They believe that their bodies are temporary containers for souls on their First Life. When they die, they turn into spirits that can reach the moon. Their True Life - which starts when their soul leaves their body and reaches Aprhaes - will have its rank and land determined by the success that one had in their First Life. The definition of success is sometimes different depending on the region, but it usually involves popularity. Those with weak spirits will be much slower and take longer than the others to reach Aprhaes, and will find a much smaller portion of the land there unclaimed.

While it might shock other cultures, Kergen consider bodies almost worthless once the soul inside is gone. But because people are people, the remains are usually cremated in the belief that the smoke might try to follow the soul across the ocean to Arphaes. Non-Kergens are referred to as Tzergen, and it is believed that they are Kergens who long ago forgot that there is a True Life, and their spirits do not know the way to Aprhaes. A Tzergen can become a Kergen by renouncing their false beliefs and joining a Kerghan. Conveniently, this allows the Kergen to kill their enemies in war without fear of losing their own claim to Aprhaes.

Family
A family consists of a father and mother and their children. The oldest child usually inherits the house, while the other children get portions of their parent's possessions. Infants are left with older villagers who have grown too weak for hard labor, while children start working with their parents as soon as they are old enough to do so. If both parents die, then it is the responsibility of the next-youngest sibling of each parent to raise their same-gendered children, or else the council assigns them to families.

Even though everyone should be equal as there are no set classes in Kergen society, there's a implicit social ranking system based on one's profession, usually based on how influential or prestigious the job is. Being on the council or the chief are the highest ranking professions, while laborers are on the lower end. The Gedur and Ajdeeg are usually the social elite of a village. In addition, this sometimes affects the quality of life of those individuals: For example, because the council decides when the mason, carpenters and builders should build new houses and who needs them, the son of an Ajdeeg, Gedur or blacksmith would usually have a higher priority than the son of a fisherman or woodcutter.

Houses in Kerhans are typically smaller than in other nations, being mainly a place for a family to sleep at night, and where one can store their Djerge. Families do not eat in their houses, instead there are communal dining halls where each household goes to eat, and the village's food is distributed there during the two meals of the day. Most of the time, children are taught the same trades as their parents, but in cases of abundance or scarcity of workers, the Council may assign a child to be apprenticed to another worker.

Kergen
Kergens are on the taller side, with men averaging 6'2" and women 5'8". They are a pale skinned, brown-eyed people where blond hair makes up the majority. Those on the west and in other villages where breeding with other cultures occurs, darker skin and black and brown hair are more common. Both sexes tend to wear simple clothes (pants and shirts), and occasionally wear a Djerge around their necks for social gatherings.