#asklamai

It's possible! Though I will say that Lamaish labyrinths are surprisingly colorful. Since they don't have much natural beauty in their caves, the Lamaish people like to decorate their walls with intricate paintings and carvings. They make pigments with blood, mashed flowers, and minerals. They also like to hang up tapestries and decorations everywhere.

So in this case, a baby faun who grew up in Lamai Nation is likely to have some form of hazel eyes.

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

There is no such thing as "too esoteric" in worldbuilding if you ask me! Half the charm of a world comes from the little details like this.

In cases where people sacrifice themselves to the dragons willingly, the temple Drogazama loads the sacrifice up with The Good Shit(tm) first, so that they won't feel any fear or pain. The sacrifice will enjoy a peaceful slumber while they're ripped apart by the dragons they worship, and this cocktail of drugs is also believed to help their souls navigate to the afterlife. Better yet, the dragons get to enjoy a relaxing high after they eat the sacrifice!

Before the ritual, the sacrifice is honored with a party and a feast at their local temple. Basically they're treated like royalty for a day.

Meanwhile, unwilling sacrifices are literally just bound in rope and thrown onto a feeding altar, 100% sober and conscious. It's an incredibly brutal way to die, reserved only for the most heinous members of society. We're talking serial killers, child molesters, kpop stans, etc.

These sacrifices are not celebrated. Instead, they are whipped, beaten, and humiliated before the ritual to cause pain and also open bloody wounds that will attract the dragons faster.

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Chua has 9 conjoined siblings, and I imagine they each have their own unique personality.

There's Lua, the vain one who demands a ribbon to be ~unique~.

Bua, the drunkard who likes xamali.

Mua, the pervert who tries to kiss any attractive person within reach.

Dua, who always dances if they hear music.

Kua, the mean one who bites people.

Fua, always quiet and well-behaved.

Hua, has a big appetite and will eat anything, even foods that make Chua sick.

Rua, who is not smart and always gets themself tangled into knots.

And finally there's Peet, the silly one who makes mischief.

Chua is never lonely...for better or worse!

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

Wake up earlier than everyone else in the household. Spend five minutes disentangling your tail from your wife and her head-husband. Prepare breakfast for them and their five children. After breakfast, get those five little shits bathed, dressed, and ready for school while they squabble with eachother.

Escort five unruly gorgon kids to school. On the way home, drop off clothes at the laundromat and get groceries from the market. Clean the house. Put dinner in the oven. Realize one of the kids forgot their sack lunch and rush all the way back to the school to give it to them.

Clean the house some more. Burn dinner. Order takeout instead and pretend you cooked it. Pick up the kids from school. Watch them undo all the cleaning you did instantly. Wife and head-husband come home. Eat dinner with family. Spend hours getting all the kids ready for bed and convincing them to stay there.

Finally take yourself to bed. Wife and head-husband start fucking. Ask if you can join them. Denied. Go to sleep. Kid 1 wakes you up in the middle of the night and tells you they pissed on the floor. Clean it up. Kid 2 demands a midnight snack. Make them a sandwich. Kid 3 has a nightmare and their cries wake up Kid 4 and Kid 5. By the time you get them all back to bed, it's time for you to wake up and do it all over again.

That concludes the thrilling adventures of your average ziqit!

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

I've gotten a lot of requests for this one! Sorry it took so long.

Come to Lamai Nation! We've got tweekers, cecaeliaboos, snake-nazis, and incels! I think there are more subcultures than this, but this is all I have so far, so I'm posting it as-is.

(Special thanks to @razzek for the never-nesters idea! If you guys have more suggestions just send 'em over!)

Pinpricks - Pin is a popular drug throughout southern Wokina, mostly used for religious purposes. However, some people abuse this drug and end up worshiping it more than they worship their gods. These individuals are colloquially known as “pinpricks”. They are identified by their erratic behavior and loose grip on reality. They tend to congregate in groups and hold “alternative” religious services, which always involves getting high on pin and little else. They consider themselves more enlightened than mainstream society, though most of them suffer dementia symptoms due to the pin abuse. They wear clothing with bright, psychedelic patterns and overload their bodies with all kinds of eclectic jewelry.

Seasnakes - Refers to gorgons who spend a lot of time with cecaelia and emulate cecaelian ways of life. Many seasnakes believe that gorgons are actually another race of cecaelia, and they can somehow unlock their innate cecaelian abilities like body regeneration, water breathing, and longevity. They subscribe to a lot of woo beliefs and perform odd rituals to “unlock” these supposed powers. Many cecaelia just find them offputting, while others are flattered by them and enjoy their company. Some cecaelia even take advantage of seasnakes by charging money to “help” them unlock their powers.

Sons and Daughters of of Serpentia - A subset of Lamaish gorgons who believe Lamai Nation is only for gorgonkind and no one else. They campaign for the removal of all non-gorgons from Lamaish territory, and the outlawing of all religions except Serpentism. Their numbers grow and wane over the eras as local politics evolve, but their hateful beliefs remain the same. They are known for their hostile, thuggish behavior towards non-gorgons and non-Serpentists churches. There was once an old political movement in Lamai Nation, which called for a theocracy called "Serpentia". Serpentia was said to be a utopian land for all gorgon Serpentists. Sons and Daughters of Serpentia adopted their name from this concept.

Never-Nesters - These are male gorgons who have sworn off female companionship, refusing to romance females or start families. Some of them go as far as to refuse all interaction with females entirely. They may choose other males for companionship, but most often they end up alone. Most Lamaish never-nesters are ziqits, but some alpha males have joined the movement as well. These gorgon men feel disgruntled by Lamai Nation’s misandrist laws, and they wish to rebel against their culture by challenging women at every turn. Though they think themselves warriors of equality, most of them are simply recluses who struggle to relate to others. Lamaish culture heavily frowns upon never-nesters and their antisocial ways.

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

That's a great question! Same-sex marriage is legal in all Great Kingdoms except Evangeline and Damijana.

It's mostly legal in Lamai Nation as well, although it comes with some caveats. I'll talk about those in a second. First I will say that by Lamaish law, gorgons can only marry other gorgons. A Lamaish gorgon marriage may legally contain:

A female and alpha male.

A female, alpha male, and ziqit.

A female and a ziqit.

Two females.

Two females and an alpha male.

Two females and a ziqit.

Only these combinations can be in a legally-recognized partnership. Notice that two alpha males cannot exist in the same marriage, nor can an alpha male marry a ziqit. This is due to the fact that females have more rights in Lamai Nation than males do. Only females can own property, take out loans, etc. Males can only do these things with permission from a female representative; usually their grandmother, mother, sister, or wife. A family unit without at least one adult female in it can't really function in this culture.

When an alpha male and a ziqit marry the same female, they are not necessarily marrying eachother. They are each married "separately" to the female, so if the female dies or exits the marriage, the alpha male and ziqit have no legal ties to eachother anymore.

These males don't even get custody of their own children in most cases, the government tries to pass the children to female relatives of the mother first, then female relatives of the alpha male, then female relatives of the ziqit.

If the children are refused by all those parties, they are sent to an orphanage instead of to their fathers, because like I said, male gorgons do not have many rights in this society, so it would be harder for them to provide for a child without a female present, who has the power own property, bank accounts, and make important legal decisions that males cannot make.

When a gorgon wife dies, one of her female relatives usually takes ownership of the home as well as custody of her children. If this relative is single, she may even marry the alpha male and ziqit who were left behind. Otherwise these males might seek a new wife together, seek different wives separately, or just remain unmarried but continue living in that household to be with their kids. There are many possibilities, but ultimately it's up to the living female left in charge of the dead wife's estate.

I also want to mention that from a legal standpoint, female gorgons cannot register as ziqits. Some females may call themselves "ziqit" and behave socially like one, but this status won't be legally recognized by Lamai Nation's government.

TL;DR: Lamai really said, "lesbian marriages are fine but gay marriage is no-no because men are too stupid lol"

*

Questions/Comments?

Still working on this! Unfortunately I'm struggling to come up with ideas so it's taking a while. I'll be sure to post about it when I'm done. If you guys have any suggestions feel free to send them in!

*

Questions/Comments?

Lore Masterpost

This mostly applies to the gorgons of Lamai Nation, but it's a bit of global phenomenon too. There are several reasons why gorgons and cecaelia share a special relationship:

1 ) Appearance. Cecaelia and gorgons look quite alien compared to most peoples, and because of this, they face a unique kind of discrimination. Many peoples are naturally creeped out by them, the same way they feel creeped out by snakes or spiders. But gorgons and cecaelia are not creeped out by eachother--in fact they look similar enough that they're often attracted to eachother.

2 ) Biology. Gorgons and cecaelia are the only egg-laying peoples on Looming Gaia. Birth and child-rearing is obviously a huge part of life, so these two species are able to relate to eachother in this way. Gorgons and drifting cecaelia both lack legs, so they have similar mobility limitations. They're both tolerant to damp, dark conditions in ways that other species are not, so they can comfortably share space together (such as the underground labyrinths of Lamai Nation). Which brings me to my next point...

3 ) Lifestyles. Because their biology is so similar, gorgons and cecaelia can live similar lifestyles and share cultures easily. It's hard for most other species to live alongside gorgons and cecaelia because of their alien anatomy and different needs. But there are many places and times throughout history where gorgons and cecaelia lived together harmoniously.

The gorgons of Lamai Nation can be quite xenophobic and have a superiority complex above other species. But as far as "outsiders" go, they are friendliest and most accommodating to cecaelia, I think because they see so many relatable aspects of themselves in this species. To gorgons, species like humans and elves are creepy and alien. It's harder to relate with them and see them as "people".

*

Questions/Comments?