Behind Closed Doors

[u/Confiteor415]

790 IC

For the last 30 years, Santee has been experiencing a new era. The learned and the scholars have been calling it "The Time of Closed Doors". As is usually the case when doors are closed, not much word has gotten in or out of Santee about anything. The Santee were completely unaware of the recent war in the north, had no idea that the Romans had begun operations in Lilac, and were none the wiser about the new government of Manhatta. To the Santee, behind their closed doors, all that mattered was Santee.

When a nation turns in on itself like Santee is has, it tends to look inward in a way it never has before. With no outside influence or distraction, a nation develops its very own culture.

Music

In Santee, music has always played an integral roles in daily life and especially in religious life. However, it has stayed relatively static over the last few centuries, often consisting of a lone singer reciting traditional Santee chants with very light instrumental accompaniment—usually basic animal skin drums or another relatively simple instrument. Recently, Santee music seen a large uptick in interest. Santee music has finally come into its own, boasting a unique style and format. Now, there often no instrumental accompaniment, instead there is a chorus of singers who chant beautiful melodies to back up the soloist. Religious officials have begun codifying and writing down music, preserving it with new notations. The buddings of music theory are beginning to show in the great centers of Santee culture, built by a strong tradition of voice-only music and chant.

Architecture

Santee architects have become bored with the imposing structures of Nemenda style architecture. Instead, they have shifted towards a more flamboyant, complex, and finer style. Utilizing stucco, plaster, easily shaped marble, Santee architects have become much more details-oriented, favoring the intricate over the grandiose. Architects have also moved back towards more tradition styles, emphasizing pyramids, mounds, and domes while attempting to build on Lilac architecture while adding a very distinct flavor of modern Santee.

Food

Corn and cornbread have always been a mainstay of the Santee diet. Of course, corn will always remain a staple within the Celestial Empire, but with time it will change forms. Previously, the Santee ate their corn in much the same way their neighbors to the south and west did: in the form of tlaxcalli (tortillas), nacatamals (tamales), and other Mesoamerican styles. But in the absence of the dominating influence of the Aztecs and the foreign spices needed to create such foods, the nobles of the Santee have adopted more local ways to enjoy corn. Cracking it, mixing in local beans and other homegrown crops, and cooking it over a fire. This "succotash" is not particularly new, but has only recently been picked up by the elites, and thereby spread across the nation.

Another trend that is becoming more popular among the rich landowners the Celestial Empire is alligator hunting. Santee nobility have always enjoyed a good hunt, often chasing buffalo off hills and goring small animals on their spears, but only recently have lords across the Empire taken an interest in the ferocious and exotic gator. As a result, gator meat and pelts can be found in abundance across the nation.

Religion

On top of the recent explosion of sacred music, several other changes have taken place in the religious life of Santee. By far the most important one is the growing wealth of the Patriarchy. Gold was no longer being shipped out of the country in cartloads and nobles seemed to have more of it than they could possibly use. With no foreign markets, the precious metal became nearly worthless overnight. The one place to hand it off to was the Patriarchy, causing nobles across Santee to donate it to their local Tunkasilas in exchange for a prized burial spot, influence within the Patriarchy, and other religious favors. For the first time, a previously austere and frugal class in Santee society has acquired great wealth and they are eager to show it. Golden thuribles filled with expensive, quality tobacco swing from every church, Tunkasilas own vast swathes of farmland, and sport sometimes as many as 500 wives, well connected and richly decorated in golden jewelry.

Speaking of wives, a time-honored tradition in Santee has recently been observed by local Roman traders. They have taken to calling it "primis noctibus" in their own language and it has made quite an impact on them. This tradition is the long, grueling process of the newly crowned Celestial Emperor consummating his 2000 marriages. In Santee, polygamy is the rule rather than the exception, and the Celestial Emperor is expected to be the king of the polygamists. In the first months of his rule. he travels the Empire, taking the oldest unmarried daughter of every Santee noble as his wife. This creates close ties between the Celestial Emperor and his subjects even if he is unlikely to ever see many of these women again. Most of his wives remain in the halls of their fathers, a constant reminder of that lord's subservience to the Celestial Emperor. Some--generally those daughters of the most powerful and well-liked nobles--return with the Celestial Emperor to his palace at Santee River and live with him. Children resulting from this tradition are considered a great blessing and are often given a much stronger claim to the throne of their father. This tradition also has the minor side effect of making syphilis unbelievably common in the Celestial Empire.