The “Monsters” In Our Midst

Information

Class: Sociology, Report
Wc: 902

Publishing

Aut: Kaniovac ‘Andyda
Dt: 991 A.T.
Ogn: N/A

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• Xiruen

In the few hundred years of history since the Golden Age of Piracy has ended we historians, biographers, sociologists, ethnologists, and other academics debate whether or not to view the Xiruen Ekhood as pirates, though the consensus is that the species as a whole are unruly, unorganized, and generally best avoided. However, in this text I want to look at the conditions that create individuals who collectively are viewed in this manner. The species’ continued presence across Omneutta in cultures not their own as muscle for hire, mercenaries, and a small number of pirate association does little to dissuade these views. In truth, most available literature on their culture is at best largely speculative in nature, stemming from few facts or at worst uninformed. The lack of abundant information is due to the longstanding and well-documented history of cultural insularity, going as far as excluding other xiruen that are considered to have “left” The Outcropping.

Xiruen are grouped into Realms. If the reader is familiar with Reigns and Remnants of Sha’an culture, the Realms of The Outcropping are similar. Realms seek to control territory across The Outcropping and rarely expanding into Omneutta (this is the disagreement over whether Ekhood should be considered pirates when they sought to expand their territory beyond Xiruen-Space). As an example, the only recorded use of a Xiruen under the title of Rux (a rank above Ekh) was the Realm of Xusdem, controlling all of what is now Sentii, Xusoigar, parts of Astran-Space, the closest portions of Vale Reef between The Outcropping and Golden Deep, and expanding far enough to repeatedly attempt to siege settlements on Elon-Hlasarl. This Realm expanded furthest near the beginning of what is known as the Golden Age of Piracy, and no longer holds this territory.

To start, all Realms are a ruled over by a Xiruen known as an Ekh (aeh-kwh). This is explicitly where the similarities between all Realms, though some other vague generalizations can be made. At the top of almost all realms as previously mentioned is an Ekh. Most of the Ekhood organize their Realms in a similar fashion, so the following descriptions are the generalizations previously alluded to. Underneath the Ekh or Rux is a collection referred to as Khacood, which can be used to describe accomplished warriors of various statures. In some Realms, the Khacood are allegedly organized military ranks, while in others they are warriors who are deemed successful in unknown ways. Below this rank are the practitioners of trade, though in some records from the Golden Age of Piracy, the rank-and-file pirates were likely at this status.

Below the tradesman and pirates are the citizenry, though it is unclear who actually fits this description. Based on information we have from both the organized and militarized Realm of Xusdem and more contemporaneous interviews, it would appear that modern Realms – that is those that are not large and well organized – have no “citizens” who do not practice a trade and are not warriors. All accounts aside from the Realm of Xusdem’s records indicate that Realms do not have the luxury to afford specialized roles and that all are expected to serve in some sort of combat or combat-adjacent roles as needed. Below the citizenry are what would be referred to as second-class citizens in other cultures, and explains why it is difficult to get clear understandings of xiruen culture. These ranks are known and confirmed by reports on the Realm of Xusdem and modern realms as well.

Highest among the second-class are the scholars. Understandably this alarms many of my colleagues that scholars are treated as lesser than the citizenry and other trades specifically, but we do not know the cause of this view; some scholars speculate that seeking knowledge for its own value is seen as shunning the culture’s embrace of combat for survival’s sake. However we do know that the culture sees this role as necessary with it having its own place in the hierarchy. Below scholars are those who have failed at least once in challenging the Ekh for control of the Realm. There is no way to proceed up from this place in culture other than challenging the Ekh again successfully. A failed challenger cannot learn a new trade, or win many battles for the Realm and be redeemed. Lower still are those who have broken the law, and outsiders below them. To be clear, outsiders are non-xiruen who did not grow up in xiruen culture within The Outcropping.

At the bottom of the xiruen culture are those who have voluntarily left The Outcropping to live elsewhere. This is not confirmed by our reports of the Realm of Xusdem’s organization, but is alleged by the handful of xiruen consulted and and interviewed for the research this text is based on. However, if this is true it must be considered what biases would come from knowingly leaving a culture that would ostracize you for that action. Much of the knowledge on the structure of Realms we have come from these sources and the biases may inform how they view the culture. We must remain open to the possibility that viewing the culture allegedly from the bottom rung may influence how they choose to describe the cultures to outsiders. It needs to be further reiterated that any knowledge on the culture not discussed in this text should be considered an extrapolation, a guess, or fabrication.