Beliefs of the Elenria

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Convent of The Paths

The Convent of The Paths is an ancient set of philosophical tenets that have guided inselni for countless eons, forming the backbone of Inselni culture as the guiding lifestyle for all Inselni through their long lives as a way to spend it actively. Its teachings exist in different forms, from ancient engravings upon stone in dead languages to minuscule script upon small scrolls stored in jewelry to just sheer memory. It can be thought of as a set of bucket list guidelines for Inselni to live a fulfilling life. The writings themselves do not define the goal- instead the Inselni in question must make their own list of points to achieve, with the writings solely serving as a set of rules.
    
The guiding of the Convent teaches that there are three roads for the Inselni to travel in their lifetime: Wanderer, Martial, and Nest. None of them must be traveled in any set order, but they must all be attempted at least once before the individual in question chooses to settle down in one. They are free to change paths at any time, given that they strive to accomplish the requirements of the chosen path once they do so and have attempted that path for a decade at least. Those who fail this are known as Restless, and are privy to being seen as indecisive and untrustworthy, up until they finally decide on a path and accomplish at least three objectives. Those that live out their entire lives having completed each or most tasks of their path, or even rarer, all three paths, are considered to be the most accomplished out of the rest of society. 

The Path of a Wanderer is exactly in the name: to be a free spirit in the world, and to see and experience everything other cultures and the planet has to offer, bringing home knowledge, culture, and experiences. The range of these experiences depend on what objectives are chosen to be accomplished- for example, a militaristic Inselni will seek a career as a soldier of fortune or as a member of a constantly-expanding army from some other nation in order to "fight in a dozen battles away from the Elenria". A civil, more intellectually-focused Inselni will focus on the academics to "discover a secret of the philosophies," and an uncommonly social Inselni might even seek to befriend another individual of a different race high in cultural understanding in order to "Learn of the literature and thinking of others." Even so, Wanderers do not tend to stay in place for very long, therefore leading to the constant transit of Inselni from nation to nation in search of new things. This might be a 15 year-long pub crawl, or an migration to all the national monuments of a continent. Inevitably an Inselni will end up nationless at some point, simply drifting about in the countryside, disregarding the law, and occasionally might seek to find themselves in a war zone, where the head authority is too unclear to enforce order. Ultimately flagless in on this path, Inselni can end up in all walks of life, from a conscript to bandit to worker- every occupation is but a small kilometer in their lives. They are essentially scouts of the greater nation. Those who do not subscribe to a solid path in the course of seeking a new goal often simply assume that of a Wanderer instead, hoping to find their next goal to reach.

The Path of the Martial demands order and discipline in its nature. Those following this path swear themselves to the allegiance of one of the Queens or another nation as either an enlisted service member, military research, or civil service officer and serve that interest until they either choose to leave of their own accord or until their command is removed from the existence or their oath of allegiance has expired (usually ranging for a century at minimum), in which their task of "serving a sovereign power nobly" is accomplished. Even if the nation they have sworn to is defeated and occupied by a foreign entity, they are still bound to their oath and must fight a war of resistance, even if they are alone in their actions. If the government they serve has a change of leadership and administration, they still must serve the region they have bound themselves to, though any internal resistance groups with loyalties to the former regime will make them duty-bound to assist in either subtle or direct manners.  While a follower of the Martial Path, dedication to department values is mandatory, and as such, professionalism and competence are among the traits expected of the Martial. That being said, there are exceptions- the Martial's values to the state they serve are entirely decided by their own experiences. If they are disillusioned with the behavior of the force they serve, it is not uncommon to see desertion or resignation, but never defection.

The Path of the Nest in comparison is far more maternal/paternal in view. It requires the follower to settle down, usually in the Elenria to raise children or contribute to their home Nest. Since the birth rate of Inselni is incredibly slow and offspring legally must be at least 48 to be considered an adult, most followers leave this until they have tried or sometimes completed the other two paths. A good parent is expected to be kindly and close to their child(ren) but firm. Helicopter parenting is discouraged, but parents should never be too far away from their offspring, save educational institutions. Additionally, parents, depending on paths they favor, are expected to teach their children a certain mindset or skill as they raise them: i.e. a martial-focused parent of military origin might teach their offspring to be extremely disciplined and obedient, and one of the arts or sciences would meanwhile heavily educate their child and highly encourage curiosity.  If their Nest is threatened, the first priority that followers must take are the protection of their children. This extends to orphans and their nearest blood relatives, even if they are currently following a different path. If no blood relatives are to be found or all are deceased, the orphan is transferred to their friends' family's care who will raise them as one of their own. 

In the mindset of one less interested at the moment for rearing a family, there is the other route of the Nest- a role known as an Etcher, responsible for specialized and veteran craftsmanship, usually as a culmination of all experiences gained after an Expedition. Perhaps this is in metalworking, where the long-lived experiences of the inselni can shine through centuries of practice, or in architecture, blending designs and influences from all varieties of foreign engineering and ingenuity learned on their travels to make a masterpiece of stone beams and bronze gilding. Whatever the case, the vaunted skills of veteran Etchers are what often present for everything in wedding dowries to the equipment of the most celebrated heroes.

The beliefs of the Convent have served Elenria well for millennia, but it stands to see if their success will carry on in a world shaken by first the intrusion of Kumo influence and then the ever-moving machine of modern industrialization. 

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Honor

As the backbone of Elenrian society, honor plays a major role in the both the conflicts and traditions of the nation. While codes of honor may differ significantly between the various cultures that span Elenria, taking different forms and varying in significance, all share the following mutual aspects.

Loyalty – One’s dedication to a state or entity. This tends to mean unflinching commitment to serve for extended periods of time with the threat of death possibly a constant threat while retaining a degree of autonomy to seek what is best for the continued survival of their binding entity. This also translates as adherence to one's family- one must keep their family and community safe first and foremost.

Integrity – Honesty and/or morality/lawfulness. More often than not the latter replaced by adherence to the law over personal ethics, this is one’s bind to fulfilling agreements, whether it personal or otherwise and the acceptance of responsibilities of a position/task.

Competence – The quality of one’s performance in a duty. Even if the task is unenjoyable, Elenrians should strive to make the best of it and do the best regardless to the maximum extent. Actions should be taken out of pragmatism, not out of convenience, and so the most effort is placed into a task wherever possible to ensure a job well done.

Respect – The level of politeness and esteem owed to others, extending not only to superiors, but usually family members, strangers, and peers as well. Based on the equal treatment of all others and acting to preserve a community’s unity, no matter population and its continued function as a society. If you are working with someone who has more experience in their field that you understand, defer to their knowledge.

Improvement – Mindset and active effort to change for the better from mistakes. More often than not it is accepting that a mistake or issue has been made and moving on to prevent it in the future.

They also share a social aspect of a close relationship known as an honorable bond, where a symbol of each individual is exchanged to indicate closeness. The extent of the bond universally has multiple tiers of closeness, the lowest being a political or monetary honorable bond used in politics and business with the highest being a familial or emotional bond. While these too vary, the result is an agreement of some level of cooperation and respect. Integrity is held to a high standard to fulfill, which usually ends with some agreed extreme, such as a timeframe or the death of one of the bonded or even beyond.

Inselni Honor

Easily the most inflexible code of honor, Inselni are bound by a deeply ingrained code of honor with varying stresses on aspects depending upon the Path followed. Wanderers, for example have the loosest leash in terms of loyalty, instead emphasizing the improvement of the self to practice and refine other virtues during their long travels. Followers of the Nest Path meanwhile are more focusing upon competence, integrity, and respect to present their offspring and community with a suitable example and environment.

For Inselni, the exchange of family symbols and personal treasures forms an honorable bond. Objects with significant personal sentimental value are by far worth more in terms of an exchange than say a purse of gold and silver due to a mentality of devaluing objects of monetary value. A crown, last name, and engraving a facial scar especially signal communal relationship, tying individuals and communities closer.

Those who choose to defy honor or violate inselni codes of honor are at the least shunned and considered unworthy of trust. It is common for such violators to be exiled or even executed by their community for such grave betrayals of values. Redemption to such loss of status is incredibly difficult, but possible, including volunteering oneself to the Martial Path and committing to the most dangerous and lethal tasks of their department for a full century. However, it should be noted that such occurrences are rare- due to the pure subjectivity of the Honor system on an individual basis, inselni are more likely to exile themselves on a perceived dishonor and seek redemption through that route instead

The complex politics that form the conflict between the FNCAE and Takpoe Inselni are well woven into their honor codes, originating from well before the Kumo occupation. As the Inselni honor code extends well after the death of a sworn greater individual, it is necessary for a formal transition of honor, done by the lesser Inselni on their personal accord. Thus, since only one national allegiance can be held at one point, those who were Wanderers, (and so nationless,) sworn as Martials to different nations (or lesser offices instead of the Inselni Queen, such as the Alpine Service and certain organized crime groups) and those of the Nest residing in foreign nations overwhelmingly chose to instead choose loyalty to a now-defunct Queendom of the deceased Akel I and her Queendom instead that of Akel II under Kumo rule, forming the FNCAE-aligned Inselni body.

On the other hand, Inselni already under direct allegiance to Akel II either found themselves begrudgingly having to follow the directive of the Queen to swear an oath to Kumosenkan and her Empress or willingly tying themselves to the Takpoe government, forming the Takpoe Inselni. Since the flexibility allocated by loyalty as a Wanderer was considered too easily abused to subvert Kumo authority, royal decree forced Inselni to directly switch to the Martial Path, regardless of what they currently had focused on. This forced the hands of countless Inselni to either willingly fall underfoot or face the unimaginable personal shame and horror of breaking their code of honor (and for those of the Nest Path, the danger of losing a home to raise their children.)

Crown Honor

Split into two varieties, Crown honor codes consist of the Expeditionary honor code and the Queendom honor code. While they share much in common when it comes to most aspects of honorable traits, their major difference stems from their focus.

Expeditionary Honor is focused on the direction taken by the leading Inselni of an Expedition. Though more common amongst active Wanderer Expeditions abroad, the prominence of Expeditionary honor is that of having taken root in Expeditionary families, following the direction of a single Inselni for a number of years. This tends to mean having the same political views, even if the Crown in question does not personally agree. Anything reprehensible done by the lower Crown is blamed directly on their leading Inselni in turn, tarnishing their honor for being a poor leader. Both sides reserve the right to break up the honorable agreement if they deem an event a grave enough insult to their honor.

Nevertheless, Expeditionary honor concentrates severely on the deference to the leading individual. While most of the time this is an Inselni, it is not uncommon for unconventional pacts to be made with a person of higher standing in a similar form. Crown honor demands a level of obedience and loyalty that is closely imitating that of Inselni standards. There is no numeral limit to the number of Crown bound to a single person, which is an issue when it comes to the crime families that dominate multiple cities in the Elenria, who often force otherwise innocent individuals to swear fealty to them. While in normal circumstances this would be more of an issue for crime, the major syndicates often take sides politically, using their connections by honor to manipulate those in power through small adjustments in the inner cogs of the greater government.

Queendom-styled Honor is like the Nest path, emphasizing the improvement of their community through both national and local participation. However, it is less strict, allowing for a rather loose lifestyle in comparison, unbound to any major loyalties except personal oaths, and renounceable only if their community is deemed to be in danger from poor governance or grave insult to honor. This renunciation is incredibly subjective, however, and depends from person to person. Poor governance is often interpreted by most Crown to only be that of select government officials and not the greater authority, thus continuing their bind to Takpoe's government. While some have renounced their loyalty to Takpoe based on the blamed deaths of loved ones or certain laws made to force further resources out of the region, the vast majority of Crown remain loyal to Kumosenkan upon the justification that their presence brings modernization and security. 

Queendom-styled honor also is known colloquially as "Resting Honor," (Mascrant) due to its interchangeability for Expeditionary-honor Crown who have chosen to suspend themselves from the duties of Expedition-honor, whether because of age, family, or any other issue, particularly mental. It is their duty then to almost completely shift to production and improvement of the community from what they have learned during travels to pass to the community, whether by taking up a trade or teaching the next generations and able-bodied community members. This in turn leads to a great respect of elders for wisdom and their experiences, giving the elderly respectful treatment and giving deep reason for individuals to involve themselves in local politics. The greatest sin one can commit within this honor code is to be selfish and lax without reason. All who take must in turn give back what they find for the collective benefit of all in the community.

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Monumental Valties

A post-death belief relatively simple in concept, the belief is universally shared by Elenrians, though it originated from the Inselni and was later amended and added on by the Crown humans and Expeditions.

Rather agnostic in nature, Monumental Valties teaches that a person’s spirit survives on their legacy, whether it be by their actions, accomplishments, societal memory, and/or other means. The definitions of a spirit is mostly debated as the belief is held differently from person to person, but the common consensus would seem to be defined by one’s memory as person following their death.

Generally, memories are preserved by physical representations of an individual with varying degrees of strength- the grave where the dead are buried usually is considered the most powerful connection, alongside literature, creations, and emotionally important personal belongings. These are known to be described as “anchors.”

Some beliefs speculate that one’s memory is fuel for an afterlife, where an individual would walk the ground as an unnoticeable spectator, tied to each anchor like in a certain vicinity. Others argue that the anchors themselves are fragments of an individual- a book representing their intelligence and creativity, war medals their martial prowess, and so forth.

Regardless, this is the primary reason for the regular upkeep of graves by Elenrians, as well as various holidays associated with the belief. Dead are cremated and their ashes stored in urns to be buried alongside their clothing, neatly folded. The entire setup is then stored into a hollow shrine, where respects can be paid regularly in the form of a miniature house. These are scattered around Elenria, sometimes together, sometimes alone and isolated.

It should be noted that Monumental Valties takes into account that no one will be remembered forever- thus, the memories of the deceased are more a temporary measure for one to look at their impact upon the world before fading. To those alive, the dead belong to the dead, so they should rest peacefully more than as they lived. What happens to the self after death is not a living person’s business.

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Expeditions

Originally part of feudal Crown-Inselni society, Expeditions were formed as part of the Convent of Paths and later built part of the Pact's fundation to supplement the agreement and strengthen the alliances between Crown and inselni. They served a variety of roles, from wandering trading caravans to mercenaries in greater numbers and couriers in smaller groups. With their numbers at first coming from volunteers who joined the Expeditions out of promise for adventure and experience, generations began to pass where descendants of original Expedition members joined the same Inselni in their travels, eventually forming the Expedition-style Crown honor code and Expedition households.

Expeditions are an interracial social formation within Elenrian society, usually made up of multiple Crown and a single Inselni Wanderer. The Wanderer is responsible for the leadership and actions of the group- any crime committed by a member is blamed upon the inselni (see Inselni and Crown honor codes.)
A mutual agreement is made with several individuals to combine into an Expedition, usually around three or more people, stopping at the largest recorded to be 57. Members may leave if they have met at a mutual agreement with the others in the group, whether it be age, personal emergencies, or other reasons, or other reasons. Members tend to remain in an Expedition for at least 20-30 years before leaving, but this number wildly changes from Expedition to Expedition.

Crown justify Expeditions with similar thinking to the Convent- traveling with Wanderers provides valuable experience during their journeys through multiple nations and forms of work, giving Crown skills they can bring back to their communities to build them up further. This later grew into a semi-religious belief related to the Monumental Valties, but still remained relatively grounded to a mentality that a coming of age meant maturing through experiences that only an Expedition could provide in sufficient quantities. Continued Expeditions over multiple generations eventually led to the separation of Expeditionary and Queendom-styled honor codes with a division in thought, where those in favor of Expeditionary reasoned to emulate the dedication of the inselni and bring back as many skills as possible, while Queendom supporters argued for a continued support of communities at home with a single generation of former Expeditionary members to act as a skilled worker base to teach future generations, with inselni Wanderers providing education to aspiring workers.

There is meanwhile a variety of reasons that a free Wanderer may take on an Expedition member, though the by far most common justification is a personal friendship with the inselni or an Expedition-associated household’s volunteers. The relationship is by no means one-sided- the Wanderer’s duty is to ensure that their Path’s goals expands to that of their company and that any pay extends equally to all members. Their members in return support them on every venture, whether it be financial or otherwise, even militarily.

Results of Expeditions greatly impact Elenrian society- former members retain contact and relationships with their leading inselni, often having formed bonds after their journeys that result in the sending of those same members' children to join the Expedition or be taught by the Wanderer once they become of age. In modern society, Expedition households function regularly to that of Queendom-styled families, save their very common involvement with inselni who have taken sides when it comes to major political upheavals, such as the FNCAE and TAKPOE relationship. To no surprise, these families hold to their honor and very often seek to emulate the opinions of their inselni leader, with the trust that superior experience equates to wisdom.

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Amperiad

More casually referred as the “Old Game” and for inselni as the “Long Dance,” Amperiad is a very simple holding of thought first practiced by the inselni since even before the days of the Convent. In modern times, Amperiad has spread to all members of Elenrian culture, even Greatferns. The core features can be summarized as simply extreme patience despite any painful fact of life, and the phrase, “whatever it is, it will end.” The Long Dance essentially places the thinking and personal placement of an individual on a greater-than-self position in the rather than oneself, emphasizing the continuity and prosperity of generations to come, a thinking that started with the long-lived inselni themselves.

The thinking is applied especially to times of strife and conflict, but also to golden periods to both warn and encourage of future times. It reflects standing TAKPOE and Royalist political theory, where Amperiad preaches for the eventual exhaustion of occupying forces- though the interpretation of the philosophy differs between the two groups. Royalists argue that the wearing down of occupation must be ushered in by force and active resistance, while TAKPOE argues that the occupation is a lesson to learn modernity missed out on by inherent flaws in existing Elenrian society and cooperation with Kumosenkan will eventually lead to freedom. Greatferns meanwhile interpret Amperiad as the guarded treatment of their descendants' immediate future in the light of previous treatment by both Inselni Queendoms and Crown Kingdoms, reflecting their own decisions to revolt and fight back.

This sentiment is not limited to politics. The thinking of Amperiad also extends to day to day life, where patience is deeply focused upon as a key tenant of life. Children are taught that time is fleeting and to enjoy what time they have, but also to make good on their roles in society, especially for those who have children. For this reason, material goods like clothes and furniture are designed as laboriously as possible, even if it means at an increased price and longer rate of production to ensure its quality and service life. Government positions are especially regarded highly as they tend to control the flow of most collected resources, so planners tend to consider public well-being and effectiveness of a public works project when implementing- not reflecting such values is often interpreted as either a hasty or corrupt decision by other Elenrians and reacted to as such, if not downright as dishonorable personal interest.

Other times, Amperiad affects the treatment of the young. Emergencies prioritize the protection of children during times of unrest and provide for their continued future. This is often reflected off Amperiad’s teachings of preventing children from suffering the same ills of their parents as much as possible, thus making raising each generation protected and prepared as they continue to grow. Being lax in duties, refusing to preform public service, and especially mistreatment of children is deeply shunned as damaging the future of others and often treated with the same sentiment as breaking one’s honor. Education is deeply ingrained within pupils, with talents and interests carefully nurtured as they grow with parental support to best support their grasp of future abilities.

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Great Self-Debt Doctrine

In of itself extremely controversial to begin with amongst its creators, the Great Self-Debt Doctrine (known in Old Elenrian as the Kasven av Naesient or Kasn, literally "Cutting Ankle") is the standing grand political doctrine of Takpoe, known for both its draconic policies and brutal enforcement in the goal of bringing forth a lofty future in spite of an uncertain present. Primarily the brainchild of a number of Queen Akel II's pre-occupation cabinet, (formally known as the High-Crested,) Kasn represents everything from the famines, rebellions, and depressions of Takpoe to the growing modern industrial and societal development unthinkable only almost a century prior.

Drafted in the hasty panic of 1860 as Kumosenkan landed upon Elenrian shores with their superior firepower and technology. With little time to decide as the Kumo landed, an emergency vote of the council outvoted a hesitant Queen and her supporters, foremost amongst them Captain Laspai of Her Majesty's personal Citadel Guard and the then-reigning Crested of Blades, Haprin Kalpes in a victory of 21 - 17. Honoring the institution of simple democracy erected by her predecessor, a young Akel II begrudgingly ceded all demands to the Kumo in person, alienating many of her own supporters who felt the action was everything from cowardly and unnecessary to downright treasonous and dishonorable. This greatly unpopular sentiment culminated into the creation of the FNCAE in the East, where several kingdoms and their hastily mobilized armies fled with leadership, treasuries, and population as Kumosenkan took full control of the region. It was a matter of time before the vast majority of the resisting forces and their warlords collapsed and fell in line with the Takpoe administration, leaving only a guerilla presence of the modern FNCAE.

In principle the Doctrine is seemingly straightforward enough- the resources and loyalty of Takpoe's service to Kumosenken will eventually pay off in turn by modern industrialization of the region in order to boost local industry and make production and refinement of resources cheaper. In this, a number of other preexisting factors contributed: Warlords ran rampant across Elenria prior to the Kumo rule and many of Kasn's supporters initially believed that it would bring lasting unification from the ethnic tensions that had divided the old Republic even after the disbanding of the nobility. However, with her drastically miniscule political experience as barely an adult out of adolescence, Akel II found herself practically blind in her own government, and subsequently taken advantage by the remaining High-Crested multiple times in ill-advised attempts to satisfy the Kumo levies. This became more visible as mismanagement of the Elenria ran rampant with the majority of the former opposition having fled to either Elenria Horizon and the FNCAE, many with their proteges, leaving their most of their replacements inexperienced and absurdly incompetent as a result.

Complete disaster was barely curtailed by the Queen suffering a mental breakdown and dismissing several Crested of Blades and Broken of Crowns replacements in a few years until finding and promoting Vaiseln Api and Kalti Sekra respectively, who both managed to stabilize the fledging Takpoe state for the coming decades with brute force and use of Commissariats as the Queen completely collapsed from stress and remained secluded for several decades in study by the encouragement by the pro-Kasn camp, leaving politics and a monopoly of political power in the hands of her cabinet. The Doctrine's extreme policies would cause incredible strain upon Elenria as a whole in the ensuing three decades, turning away many of its former supporters in light of tragedy.

As time went on without word from the Queen herself, many of those who had directly blamed her as the root cause began to reconsider as the High-Crested grew in power, supported by the Ourkala av Kori underground media, who highlighted the growing internal cronyism through their own investigations, assisted by dissenting members of the Royal Citadel's staff, many of whom saw the cabinet as having effectively removed the Queen from power through conspiracy. Thus, a growing student movement began to form against the High-Crested demanding the Queen's return, which went on to form ENCOR. Even after the Queen's return, ENCOR turned to focusing against the Kumo Governor, calling for reform to lessen the taxes and made steps towards a national identity for home governance.