Culture

Age

• The age of the soul is counted instead of the age of the body, which means all people are one yrold on the day of their physical birth.

• All souls were born in the divine realm before the existence of the material world, however the concept of time doesn't apply in the divine realm, which is why counting begins from the moment the soul enters the material world.

• Each soul arrives in the material world roughly three hundred to seven hundred days before the birth of the body. First, it spends some time selecting its parents, then it spends about ten lunar month as a fetus awaiting the day of its physical birth.

• Babies until the age of six (five years after birth) are fully dependent on their parents.

• Children no older than the age of eight (seven years after birth) enter kindergarten.

• Children of the age of ten (nine years after birth) usually begin school.

Clothing

• all clothing is divided into four types of layers:

  • 1) under-layer, which includes the following clothes:

    • undershirt

    • brashirt (undershirt with thicker chest area)

    • underwear

  • 2) mid-layer, which includes the following clothes:

    • T-shirt

    • M-shirt (shirt with long sleeves and buttons or a zipper)

    • Y-shirt (sleeveless shirt)

    • L-shirt (long shirt - can end anywhere between buttocks and the knees)

    • tights

    • leggings (footless tights, or tight pants)

  • 3) top-level, which includes the following clothes:

    • sweater

    • turtleneck

    • blouse (any loose fabric covering at least the chest and shoulders)

    • dress

    • skirt

    • pants (loose leggings)

    • socks

  • 4) outer-level, which includes the following clothes:

    • coat (covers full body)

    • vest (covers torso)

    • jacket (covers torso + arms)

    • wrap (covers shoulders)

    • scarf (covers neck)

    • hat

    • shoes

• All under-layer clothing is opaque, which means the material is thick and/or cannot be seen through.

• Winter under-layer clothing is made from wool; summer under-layer clothing is made from cotton.

• Winter top-level clothing is thick and often made of multi-layer fabric; summer top-level clothing is often thin and transparent.

• Women always wear leggings or tights under their skirts; leggings can be long (full leg cover) or they can be short (cover thigh only).

• Women rarely wear pants, (although it's not illegal). Women naturally prefer skirts and dresses.

• Men rarely wear skirts, (although it's not illegal). Most monks wear dresses.

• Rain coat is thin and waterproof, while snow coat is made out of fur.

Holy Places

• A temple is a piece of land, which belongs to God. Anything built on top, or in the soil is part of the temple. God is the only owner, therefore anyone coming in is considered a guest, and anyone working there full-time is considered a servant.

• Servants of the temple manage themselves, and they follow their own rules. Outside laws never apply to temples. It is strongly believed that God himself will punish his servants, if they don't do their job properly.

• Guests of the temple must follow the rules set by the servants of the temple. The servants of the temple can remove guests for any reason.

• Temples are closed from sunset till sunrise, unless it's a holiday.

• Servants of the temples are collectively called clergy; the clergy is further divided into monks and nuns.

• Monks never visit nuns's quarters, and nuns never visit monks's quarters.

• If there is less than two nuns at a temple, then either more nuns have to move from another temple, or the remaining nun joins another group of nuns. Same rule applies to monks, who can never be present in a temple in a number of less than two. Travelling monks are exception to this rule.

• Hermits (monks and nuns, who live alone outside of the temple) do not have to follow the rules of any temple, but they can if they want to.

• Temples are divided into three categories: churches, chapels, and shrines.

• A shrine is a minimalist temple, built around the divine presence (e.g. a statue). Typically it's small enough to move it, but since it's a holy place nobody dares to relocate it.

• A chapel is a one-room chamber built around the shrine to accommodate more people inside the temple.

• A church is a multi-room large building constructed through the process of expanding the chapel to accommodate even more people.

• Shrines are often built by clergy in areas, where supernatural events occurred. However, people can also request from clergy to build a shrine for them in an area, where they want to establish a settlement.

Politics

• Each settlement has their own laws and systems, and it can change them anytime, as long as it doesn't close its borders.

• Settlements are not allowed to close their borders, so all people can freely relocate from one settlement to another settlement, if they don't like the rules in their own settlement.

• The Emperor's duty is to ensure the unity of the world. Anyone trying to create their own country, or any settlement trying to close their borders, is eliminated by the royal family.

• The Emperor has absolute control over the royal family, and can use any means to eradicate people, who are hungry for power, or those who want to eliminate the royals.

• The Emperor doesn't create any laws for the people, but the royal family has their own rules within their own castle.

• The next Emperor is chosen by the previous Emperor. If the Emperor dies before he appoints his successor, the oldest living royal makes the decision.

Economics

• There is only one currency, called "syfra" in singular and "syfras" in plural.

• Syfra is mostly a digital currency stored on money cards.

• Money cards range from the most simple to the most complex, and can vary in appearance.

• Simple explanation of syfra's purchasing power:

  • 1'0000'0000 syfras - can buy a mansion or a manor

  • 5000'0000 syfras - can buy a cheap house

  • 1000'0000 syfras - can buy a ruined house in need of repair

  • 500'0000 syfras - can buy a brand new car/carriage 

  • 100'0000 syfras - can buy an old used carriage

  • 50'0000 syfras - can rent a fancy spacious flat for one month

  • 10'0000 syfras - can rent a nice midsize flat for one month

  • 5'0000 syfras - can rent a super cheap small flat for one month

  • 1'0000 syfras - can buy an expensive dinner at a restaurant (for one person)

  • 5000 syfras - can buy a whole cake at a bakery

  • 1000 syfras - can buy one meal in a bar

  • 500 syfras - can buy a piece of cake

  • 100 syfras - can buy a loaf of bread

  • 50 syfras - can buy one cookie

  • 10 syfra - can buy one piece of candy

  • 1 syfra - can buy nothing, but supposedly it brings good luck, so people often gift it as a good-luck charm.

Urbanization

• Majority of land is uninhabited, which means it belongs to no one, and anything can happen there.

• Anybody can build their home on an uninhabited land, but since it's dangerous - most people don't.

• A settlement is any place inhabited by humans.

• A village is a small settlement built around a shrine, usually it has between 100-1'0000 inhabitants.

• A town is a midsize settlement built around a chapel, usually it has between 1'0000-10'0000 inhabitants.

• A city is a large settlement built around a church, usually it has more than 10'0000 inhabitants.

• A settlement within another settlement is called a hamlet.