Te'kob Culture

The Te'kob culture was a complex society that arose in the highlands of Region A in the Early Bronze Age.

Encompasses

 * Te'kob
 * Te'kskal
 * Teutistlan

Material Culture
Te'kob housing is almost always made of various limestones supported with mud-brick, with only temporary abodes being made of wood and hide. Te'kob cities are highly fortified, usually with two or sometimes even three circuit walls. This is mainly defence from other cities rather than from others. Tin is imported via the 'Yak Route', across mountain passes to the east, allowing for the production of bronze due to the abundantly exploited copper in Te'kob territories. Obsidian is still widely used alongside bronze in weapons, usually being sourced from the mines near Teutistlan. Gems are sourced from deep in the mountains, in particular Padparadscha Sapphires. The most brilliantly orange of these sapphires are the most valued. Tiger's eye and quartz are imported from the north, gold and salt from the south. Motifs relating to birds and to trees are very common in all spheres of art, with particular prominence given to the silver wattle and the cannabis plant. Hemp and llama wool are both frequently used for clothing, though hemp is generally considered lower class. Conversely, jewel-lined hemp garments are generally considered higher class.

Society
Te'kob society has possibly the most complex caste system of any society on the entire continent; rather than simply dividing on general lifestyle categories, or economic categories, there is a complex hierarchy of maybe a dozen separate categories based on professions. At the top is the king, which is regarded as a profession, and at the bottom are dye-makers and dung-clearers. The order of the other ten or so is a fiercely argued point between cities, and a frequent source of tension. The king is regarded as the intercession between the earth and the void, with the void considered a terrifying unknown. The void is left offerings but is not otherwise worship, it is the earth which is the subject of festivals and prayers. The herders, however, are generally subject to a great deal less scrutiny in their spiritual life and happily adopt a multitude of deities and rituals into their common practices. Women, for better or worse, are accorded exactly the same social rank as their father or husband with the exception of the king. The daughters and wives of kings therefore end up in a sort of gray area; in cities where priests are ranked as second beneath the king, the female segment of the royal family tend to automatically become priestesses to avoid this problem. The sons of kings are put into the military caste, to teach them the art of war and also humility (in theory). However, reaction to this caste system is not uniformly that of meek submission; many unofficial guilds of various professions have begun to sprung up, each seeking to redress what they see as grave imbalances within society. Over time they are beginning to operate more and more openly.

Diet
Many members of Te'kob receive rations in relation to their profession; this tends to affect what is actually present in those rations, and in what quantities. However, one can ubiquitously expect maize as whole grains or as cornmeal, along with milk, the ivory sweet potato, and the fruit of the condoo tree. The presence of pink cassava, sorghum, figs, and coffee beans in rations tends to increase with social rank. Beef is the great equaliser, with a number of cuts being generally consumed by the entire population; salt beef and a kind of large beef sausage are both common elements of the diet. Pork is considered much rarer, and llama is only generally eaten by rural herders due to the importance of llama wool.