Karnasaur culture

The Karnasaur's culture revolves highly around intelligence, wisdom, and charisma. To them, a culturally advanced civilization is one with great philosophers and scientists, however, they've mastered the concept of different culture. The architecture of the Karnasaurs is highly futuristic, and is enough to amaze any culture. Karnasaurs highly value great leadership, and will allow a citizen, no matter how old or young, who has displayed good leadership, to use their skills anywhere.

Tradition
Critical to the belief system of the Karnasaurs is Baba Yetu, often mistaken by other species as a god. However, the Karnasaurs are monotheistic, believing in a single omnipotent, omniscient creator who works through his people and through science, often using his infinite knowledge to break the laws of science as we know them to perform miracles. Baba Yetu, however, is the famed "King of Kings, Leader of Leaders, and Lord of all Lords" who lead the Karnasaur Elican tribe to civilization by using knowledge imparted to him allegedly by the creator. He taught agriculture, construction, and leadership to his people. He is most famous for his versitility. He was the greatest mind of Sauran history, develpoing technologies that should've taken years for a civilization to even want. Optics, navigation, aquanautics, these were only some of Yetu's brainchildren. His was also the finest diplomat; when the Yetun (YET-uun) people discovered the Grancars, an ancient civilization of slightly xenophobic tribalists, Yetu himself successfully convinced them to join the Yetuns as a puppet state, the first puppet in Sauran history. The Grencars eventually became a fully integrated part of Yetun. He was also a domestic man of the people; never during his reign was there even a hint of rebellion, only towards the end, and that was the conspiracy of one man's household. And,during the few, yet great wars that the Yetuns fought, Yetu lead the charge brilliantly against the enemies of the Yetun, never losing a battle. Ever.

The Karnasaurs revere Yetu for setting a straight path that all should follow. So revered is he, that a group of Sauran priests from the Church (there are few denominations in Sauran religion; only a few cults differ) dedicate themselves o make sure his image is preserved for eternity at the Shrine of Yetu on Karnas, in the ancient city that onc sevred a Yetus capital, but now serves as the Sauran Imperial Capital CIty: Sauris, the "CIty of Yetu". The Eternal Image is a fullbody painting of Yetu, in perfect detail. None are allowed to touch it. It is brightened by special lights that contain no energy for bacterium to metabolize. It is contained within a perfect vacuum. It has not decayed a thread since it was painted about 22,000 years ago. The Shrine of Yetu is the location for every Karnasaurs Rite of Reverence, the fifth and final Rite of Passage before a Karnasaur is both legally, traditionally, and spiritually considered an adult. Once a Sauran year, the Priests of Yetu hold the ceremony for the Rite; a single lead is selected to sit at the center of a stadium to sing the solo part of the ancient "Song of Karnas", an ancient song dating back to the dawn of Sauran language. It uses the first Sauran language, the language of religion and priests, for its lyrics. Roughly translated, it is a prayer to Yetu's soul, thanking him for his deeds, and asking for guidance and wisdom along the path of life, the path most participants are anout to embark on in it's majority.

To see an example of the ceremony (non-Karnasaurs are not allowed within the Shrine, but they may watch the events remotely), simply watch the below video. This particular ceremony is lead by legendary Karnasaur Etah of Clan Owar, who was recentally found to be the last remaining Son of Yetu.thumb|300px|left

Also central to Karnasaur culture is swordfighting. Regardless of how advanced they get, all Karnasaurs find the sword to be the epitome of honorable combat. One-on-one sword duels are common resolutions between two feuding or arguing parties when the subject is a matter of honor or property (Note: Matters of philosophy or answers are not resolved this way; rather Karnasaurs choose to debate thier point until one side is shown to be incontestablely correct). Many Sauran films end with the protaganist facing off against the antagonist is singular combat. Tragidies end with the antagonist emerging superior. In fact, pre-firearm warfare on Karnas was almost exclusively done by sword; hammers and bludgeons were viewed as primitive and symbolic of brutality with no intelligence (In fact, it is still a somewhat vulgar insult in Sauran culture to be called a "bludgeoneer"). Axes were viewed as barbaric; archery was thought of as a necessary but unglorifing method; polearms were largely disliked; and siege forces (such as catapults and ballistas) were seen as "the other guys" who were just there to ake sure the siege was successful. There are several forms of Sauran swordfighting; the most used are the aqua motems, scutum immobilis, lamina una, and lamina duplex. Aqua motems (literally, "flowing water") is a style that requires dual wielding blades; the goal is to be as fluid and rapid as possible in the hopes that you will outmove your enemy. It is used when outnumbered or if a single enemy is using a defensive style or one blade. Scutum immobilis (literally, "unmoving shield") is a defensive, dual-wielding style. The goal is to keep the two blades as still as possible while moving them only to parry your opponent's attacks and to counter them when he is open. It is used when facing a single, dual-wielding enemy that has adopted an offensive style. Lamina una (literally, "single blade") is a dueling style that blends offense with defense. The goal is to keep a good defense with your body while using your sword for offense. A spinoff of lamina una is lamina una alia (literally, "other single blade"), where the user uses the blade for both offense and defense, however, it is a rarely used, alternative form. One should use lamina una when the opponent also has one blade, when the opponent is duel-wielding and you have only one sword, or if you have more talent in dueling rather than two-weapon fighting. Finally, lamina duplex (literally, "double blade") is a commonly used alternative style that focuses on double-edged blades. The goal is to make the double-sword a part of the body, moving with flexibility and using the double-blade like a connective extension of the arms. It should be used against dueling opponents, if you have only a double-blade, or if you have talents laying in the exotic weapon. While there are several other forms, almost all of them are alternatives or are spin-off of these forms.

The Rites of Passage
Every Karnasaur child, upon reaching the biological age of maturity, 75, are eligible to embark on the Five Rites of Passage to become, both traditionally and legally, an adult. The Five Rites cover the five most important pillars of Karnasaur life, culture, and tradition. The Rites may be completed in any order, at any time, except for the Rite of Reverence, which must be performed last. Each Rite is described in detail below:

The Rite of Strength
In order to become an adult, a Karnasaur must show they are strong enough (both physically and emotionally) to serve the Meritocracy, whenever, however, and where ever needed. To demonstrate such strength, a Karnasaur must complete basic training for a military branch of their choice. This enlists them in the KMF's selective service roster, and allows those who seek military careers a chance to show thier talents and, potentially, be granted elevated or special training upon adulthood. The mandatory training takes up six standard months, and always requires the participant to go off-world for at least half that period.

The Rite of Diplomacy
In order to become an adult, a Karnasaur must show they are cunning enough to settle disputes peacefully. To show this capacity for diplomacy, a Karnasaur undergoing this rite is assigned as an assitant to an established Karnasaur diplomat. Undergoing a one month training period, the culmination of thier time is a mock diplomatic summit with diplomats from other races participating. If the Karnasaur is capable of persuading the other diplomats to agree to the KMF's requests or demands, they pass the rite. If not, they must undergo another training period and try again.

The Rite of Service
In order to become an adult, a Karnasaur must show they are caring enough to tend to a family and community. To demonstrate this proficiency, a Karnasaur youth must spend 100 hours total in service to their clan or community. This is usually done in the form of part-time jobs in public service, such as working as garbage collectors and secretaries. Proof of service is ascertained by way of employer testimony in the form of a signed slip detailing what the Karnasaur did and how long they served. Once a Karnasaur can prove they served 100 hours, they have passed the rite.

The Rite of Knowledge
In order to become an adult, a Karnasaur must show they are clever enough to be productive, knowledgable citizens. This is the simplest of the rites; All the Karnasaur has to do is pass a state-administered test. The test covers history, literature, mathematics, foreign culture, and technology. A Karnasaur is allowed to fail one test; Any more and they have failed the rite and must attempt again. However, failing a test looks poorly on a resume, and as such, most youths study into ungodly hours to pass all five tests.

The Rite of Reverance
In order to become an adult, a Karnasaur must be blessed by Yetu. As covered above, this rite must be the final rite accomplished, and requires participation in the ceremony at the Shirne of Yetu on Karnas. Each year, millions of Karnasaurs flood the massive Shrine, and sing the song in perfect unison, with the sound of the chorus extending all across Sauris and miles away. Only after they have completed this rite can they be considered adults.

Sports
Karnasaur sports are typically as tactical as they are athletic. One of the most popular Sauren sports is called Dominatus, a game which resembles a mix of the human sports of American football, king of the hill, paintball, and capture the flag. In Dominatus, two teams of twelve go head to head in an arena which contains two small 'bases', one for each team to store supplies and coordinate, a single central point, and several points of cover participants can use. Each team is split into a total of three groups; An offensive team of 6, a defensive team of 5, and a commanding officer. The CO remains in the team base to coordinate the team as a whole. The defensive team outfits itself with 'defensive' weapons, and is not allowed to move past the central line. DOing so constitutes a foul. The offensive team outfits itself with 'offensive' weapons and may move freely. In each base, there is a package that must be brought to the other base for one team to score. However, in order to score, not only must the scoring team have their own package safe in thier base, but they must have control of the central platform as well. If a player is hit by a rubber round, they are removed from the game until control of the central platform shifts, at which point, they are allowed to return to play. A Dominatus stadium is about the size of an American football stadium, and the game is broken into three sets; A set ends when one team scores. A typical game of Dominatus lasts about one and a half hour. The Imperial Dominatus League, or IDL, controls every professional Dominatus team. Professional Dominatus teams represent their colonies of origin, and pick recruits from local city teams. Dominatus season sees hundreds of games a day, thousands a week, and millions across the season. The IDL hosts a 'Galactic Cup' on Karnas at the end of the season; similar to the American 'Super Bowl' or the FIFA 'World Cup'. The winners are awarded the Galactic Cup itself, and crowned Dominatus Champions by the Emperor himself. Winning the Galactic Cup is considered one of the greatest achievements attainable by a planet; It is akin to a gold medal in the human Olympic Games. Dominatus has been played, under different rules and organization, for thousands of years, and is thought to have originated as a form of gladitorial entertainment, where the weapons weren't quite as nonlethal.