As a people, the Hanaset are proud and confident, and largely this is tempered by humility. Respect is given equally for strength, skill, courage or knowlage. They are not bound by spirituality - they live mostly in the here and now and do not concern themselves overmuch on spirituality. They are not athestic however - each tribe has at least one physical totem of divinity that they see at least a few times of the year. As such they are firmly convinced of the existence of the divine.
The Hanaset people are divided into five tribes - Husenalu, Ramenalu, Zeranalu, Serinalu and Maletanalu. Of these, the first four are considered 'proper' hanaset, and the 5th tribe, Maletanalu is treated as a pariah by the others. The cause of this disconnect is the 5ths tribe's reverence of Malitazum.
2.1.1 HusenaluThe Husenalu is the second largest Hanaset tribe, only the Maletanalu are larger. They consider themselves to be the favorites of Lutazum and many of the tribe are related to the great Hatumah. The Tortise is a very common theme through all of these people's artifacts, more so then any of the other tribes. They are the most diciplined in combat of the hanaset, partly from their frequent battles with the Maletanalu. Woven plant fiber is the source of most Husenalu clothing, Ralu fiber being reserved for their higher-status members. Stone-tipped spears, bladed clubs, nets and shields are their most common weapons, along with ornately carved throwing clubs.
2.1.2 Ramenalu Sequestered in the most densely forested area, the Ramenalu have the best hunters and the fewest livestock. They are also the most shy tribe and have well hidden villages within the tree tops. They have no real interest in outsiders, and unless pressed by circumstances will not reveal their presence to intruders. Ramenalu are all expert treeclimbers and typically bear only small weapons and no armor. They also have exceptional knowlege among the Hanaset of the use of medicinal plants.
2.1.3 Zeranalu The Zeranalu are the Ralu masters amoung the hanaset - they have bred varieties of the beast that they jealously hold back from the other tribes. This has lead to violence from time to time, as other tribes seek to steal some of their prized beasts. The Ralu plays an central part of Zeranalu culture - it being the source of most of their goods. Clothing is universally composed of fine ralu-quill fiber that is skillfully dyed and woven into ornate patterns. Common weapons with Zeranalu are winged-spears and blowguns shooting poisoned Ralu-quills.
2.1.4 Serinalu Withing the Hanaset lands lie the ruins of an ancient stone city of some lost race older then man. The Serinalu inhabit the above-ground structures and have carefully walled up any entry below ground. The elder serinalu may know why, but there is a taboo about speaking of it, and definately against breaking any of the seals. They hold this taboo so strongly that they will resort to violence to prevent any entry, regardless of the reason. The Serinalu have cultivated a tree that produces a cotton-like fiber that they use extensively for clothing and most closely resembles that of other civilizations. They also have a propensity towards facial tattoos made from irridescent dyes unique to their region. Fine stone axes,spears and hammers are their preferred weapons, tipped with excellent obsidian and surgically sharp.
2.1.5 Maletanalu The Maletanalu are unique amoung the hanset tribes for their reverence of Malitazum, brother and rival spirit to Lutazum. They are the most xenophobic and agressive of the tribes, and are often at war with their neighbors. They might deal with their rival tribes civilly from time to time, but they are at best dreadfully rude and abusive towards any outsiders. At worst they are homicidal and seek to present any intruders to Maletanalu as food. Maletanalu typically wear leather sourced from the crocodiles that frequent their swampy homeland. Most artifacts and weapons bear reptilian - mostly crocodilian - motifes. A club studded with teeth is their tribal weapon, though shortbows are also a popular weapon.
Go to CommentThe Hanset revere a number of totems of greater and lesser power, animals of mystical power and origin. Of the totems, two hold the greatest status - Malitazum and Lutazum. Both Malitazum and Lutazum are powerhouses of mystical power, Lutazum the incarnation of Hutamah the One Chief, and Malitazum, the remnant of the Vile Shaman. Both dwell physically in the Hanaset lands and are constant reminders of the powers of the Gods. Lutazum is typically associated with the summer solstice, while Malitazum is associated with the Winter solstice. The remainder of their Zodiac is as follows:
Talamu the Quick - A Ralu gifted with the ability to become invisible.
Visalu the Stoneeater - A Musalu - a type of venomous beetle whose larva are used for food. Visalu is by legend nearly the size of Lutazum, but has never been seen. His venom has been said to be so strong, that it will melt stone.
Mutaru - A fresh-water sunfish. Malitazum is always seeking to eat this brilliant fish, but she has always managed to evade him, usually in very embarrassing ways. She is a trickster image.
Rutanalu - A Wood-dwarf, a mythical being native to the Hanaset lands, but never seen. Said to be the builder of the stone city that the Serinalu dwell in.
Letumalu - A bird of paradise. Letumalu is a figure of both beauty and greed, and is said to have a vast nest of woven gold.
Timalenu - A large Squirrel. Timalenu is an unlikely figure of great wisdom and intelligence and has a taste for Hanaset foods.
Valulamu - A grey Elephant. Valulamu is at times patient and wise, but is struck by fits of anger and rage and is nearly as dangerous as Malitazum. Often subject to machinations of Mutaru the sunfish.
Mesalu The Weaver - A Mesulu monkey. Known for her craftsmanship and weaving skill, she is said to have taught the hanaset much of their woodcraft. She is forever stalking Talamu to steal his quills for her projects.
Tululu - A great mobile tree. This tree has never been seen by the Hanaset, but is said to dwell in the deepest parts of the forest. He acts as a mediator among the other totems and attempts to settle their differences.
Mufulu - A frog with chameleon-like abilities, he is known for his ability to sing and to sound like anything he chooses. Also associated with good luck, he is a common motif in household items.
Go to CommentThe Hanaset are a literate people, but they generally do not exercise this day to day. Written documents are used primarily for record keeping and inter-village communication. The Hanaset have two written languages - they have a cunifrom language used primarily with clay tablets, though they also use it seared into leather using heated metal dies. This langauge is a holdover from their empirial era and is used primarily by the Hanaset shamans to refer to the ancient works of that era. It also is used for village records, wills and similar official documents. The second, most commonly written langauge uses a combination of colored beads and ornate knotwork tied into Ralu fibre cord. It is used primarily for 'letters' sent between the hanaset tribes, usualy carried by Lutazum the Tortoise. Generally the beads used are color-fast so that these documents can remain legible for a great deal of time afterward. The most important concepts are depicted with beads, the subtle concepts, punctuation are carried via knotwork. As a result, even when the fibre rots away, it may be possible to decypher old works via the order and location of beads, assuming the beads are undisturbed.
Spoken Language of the Hanaset
The Hanaset language consists exclusively of Consonant/vowel/Consonant and Consonant/vowel forms. Take for example the name of the people itself: Hanaset - People(et) of Hanas
Other words: Hutumah - Proper name
Lutazum - Proper name
Letasur - Green Kingdom
Leta - Green Sur - Kingdom
Tili - Small Ralu - Common domestic animal, source of foodstuffs and fiber.
Ralutulu,Ralusalu,Raluhilu - Different breeds of Ralu
Tul - Meat
Sal - Quill
Hil - Musk
Velasu - Ritual Combat
Musalu - Large beetle, venomous.
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Pronouns
The Hanaset have 3 levels of pronouns used to describe social acceptance of the subject. They have subhuman (or outsider), human and superhuman(spirits, gods, kings, etc). To refer to a Hanaset using the subhuman pronouns is a deadly insult.
| Pronoun Subhuman | |
| Me | Nat |
| We | Natu |
| You | Mat |
| You(plural) | Matu |
| He | Tat |
| She | Vat |
| It | Rat |
| It(Plural) | Ratu |
| They | Satu |
Pronoun Human Me Nal We Nalu You Mal You(plural) Malu He Tal She Val It Ral It(Plural) Ralu They Salu Pronoun Superhuman Me Nas We Nasu You Mas You(plural) Masu He Tas She Vas It Ras It(Plural) Rasu They Sasu Construction of Hanaset Words: Vowel sounds: a,e,i,u Consonants h,l,m,n,r,s,t,v,z
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Locations (Area) (Underground)