#cabatext

The Coiled Republics A federated democracy in a windswept western region of the cold side. It's a nation that formed by referendum, which is one indication of how much they love voting on things. Once they were relatively poor shepherds and fisherman. But these days, their economic fortunes have sharply improved. They are a maritime power with a strong navy and an oversized influence on international trade.

Greater Syma is a former queendom located in the agrarian center of the coldside. Though in the midst of a messy revolution, they remain and industrial champion and formidable land power. They're locked in an intensifying conflict with the Coilies, who busy pouring their resources into funding and supplying counter-revolutionary forces.

Agogy (or the Ottar Empire) is the nub of an ancient, theocratic empire ground down by numerous defeats. Though the height of their power has long passed, their cultural and religious influence protects their relevance in international politics.

The plot:

There's a temperature gradient as you sail north, and the cloud wall is evidence of two air masses of very different temperatures meeting.

But the truth is they don't know. Coldsiders make predictions using the "Warm Pole" model, and test these predictions against empirical evidence. If the prediction matches the data, that supports the accuracy of their model.

Yes, pigmentation abnormalities are a thing!

Albinism

Though seen as beautiful by many in the High North, there's an ongoing debate whether albinism should be considered a mark of divinity or a hereditary health problem. Since those two interpretations carry wildly different significance, whether or not state reproductive planners should select for this phenotype has become a flashpoint for cultural conflict between Optimist and Pessimist factions.

Duhra tend to agree that albinism is a gift from powerful spirits, though there's some disagreement on which ones in particular. A gift doesn't always carry a positive connotation however, particularly when there's a chance it's from the spirits of the deep. Many families with albinistic pups end up commissioning an Accountant to search their Family's spiritueconomic provenance for any corresponding debt.

In the Heartland, some orthodox Families view these kinds of abnormalities as a sign of spiritual corruption or divergence, but MOST don't assign any particular meaning to it. It's just a Color People Can be, and after the novelty of seeing a unique-looking person wears off, most don't think twice about it.

Melanism

In the High North, melanism is about as far away from beauty standards as you can possibly get. Ironically though, this gives it a powerful subversive appeal. Countercultural Northerners sometimes even seek out melanistic reproductive partners specifically to stick it to the Temple's genetic planners. Caught between stigma and fetishization, melanistic Temple Staters do not have the easiest time finding healthy relationships.

For the Heartland, Melanism carries the same cultural meaning as Albinism. Some people find the unusualness scary, but most don't care much one way or the other.

Thank you, glad you adore my guys :)

As you might expect, childhood varies a lot between Sana cultures.

In the Temple States, hatcheries are enormous and state-run. When they're old enough (and healthy enough) to think and act on their own, children are evaluated and assigned guardians. Guardianship is a sort of part-time job carried out by trained volunteers. Biological parents can become their offspring's guardians if they get the proper certifications, but this isn't often the case.

The actual responsibilities of parenting are split between these guardians and the series of state-run creches and boarding schools that make up a Temple Stater's childhood. While a Temple States lizard is usually separated from their social group multiple times as they move up through the education system, efforts are made to keep childhood friends with the same aptitudes together.

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Hatcheries in Duhr are privately owned, and their services don't come cheap. Many of them operate on a subscription model, where a reproductive pair will send over any fertile eggs they produce until one of them results in a healthy child.

Once they're discharged from the hatchery, children are raised by their parents and extended Family. While this is a more individualistic experience than childcare in the Temple States or the Heartland, Duhr households are large and multi-generational, and some of the responsibilities of parenting are shared with the neighbors. Kids usually grow up in a gaggle of tightly-bonded siblings and friends from the same apartment building. From there, it's either school or, more commonly, commitment to an apprenticeship.

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The ocean serves as a planetary coolant reserve. It ebbs and flows according to the patterns of some unknown industrial cycle, giving the planet the appearance of tides, although they're infrequent and irregular compared to tides on earth.

Sana can have tide pools (as a little treat), but the selection of tide pool critters is unfortunately limited. Sea life under the Shell consists of a small number of organisms that were hardy enough to survive the ocean's chemical manipulation, plus a scattering of lost or damaged purposed organisms drifting in from the shadowed seas to the South of the Aperture.

Dyes and Colors

Across cultures, Blue tends to have a connotation of vitality. It's the color of blood, flux, the sky, the ocean... You see it associated with energy, power, animating forces, reproduction, violence, etc.

In the Temple States it's particularly special, as its dual nature captures both the mortal realm (blood) and the heavens (sky). It's the "color of the world," symbolic of the entire cycle of reincarnation and attainment.

And blue isn't only auspicious, but expensive! As on earth, bright blue dyes are rare and pricey. That makes it a status symbol that's associated with (but not limited to) the Temple Caste.

Skin Colors

Spiritualistic Duhra believe that the source of a person's vital energy influences their personality and appearance. The great cycle starts and ends with the elemental animates of the continents, seas, and skies. Each one is thought to have unique characteristics that rub off on people whose spiritual provenance contains more of their juice.

Blue Folks take from the air currents, making them haughty and wise.

Orange Folks take from the sun that bathes their crops and the water that irrigates them, making them bright, fluid, and impressionable.

Green Folks are seen as taking from the earth, making them solid and incorrigible.

Temple Staters believe the first teachers were blue, so having blue skin is a physical manifestation of being closer to attainment. Other skin colors can be seen as a sign of spiritual and genetic... digression, sometimes associated with the specific infractions of the cultures associated with them.

Lately I've been conflicted about answering asks like this!

Historically not worrying about Spoilers and Mysteries was an intentional choice on my part. Keeps the focus on people, not what's going on in the background, and gives me the freedom to talk about any part of the project I want.

Lately though, I've been more interested in narratives, and a good mystery makes for a good story. The more questions I answer unambiguously, the fewer opportunities someone reading my stuff has to make their own predictions.