Sepcans
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The Sepcans were a Monic-speaking people that inhabited West Borea beginning in the 20th century BCE, and spread across much of the region in the process of establishing two empires bearing their name, the Ancient Sepcan Empire and the Neo-Sepcan Empire.
Etymology
The name 'Sepcan' is derived from Argilian sepikoi, used to refer to the civilization by early Argilian states and later the Lysandrene Empire. This in turn has been established to be a derivative of the Sepcan term Sebuk, a term used to refer to the mythological White Sun the Sepcans claimed descent from, and can be traced to sa bok, literally meaning 'white sun', of which cognates can be found in modern Sepcan languages.
The Vitrians refer to the Sepcans as Vesdovians (for example, visdovska in Razarian}, derived from an entirely Vitrian term of *vysõkъ 'high' + *dvõrъ 'court, yard', meaning roughly 'high court' or 'high palace', likely referring to large cities and palaces built by the Sepcans. A derivative of Sebuk was also used by the Vitrians in the form of sedŭbyska, another designation for the Sepcans, and sometimes transcribed as Sedbians.
History
- conquest of west borea
- ancient empire
- empire's collapse, reversion to herding/assimilation/establishing sepcan principalities in zesmynia
- neo-sepcan state established by nomadic remnant branch
- status as elite before culture displaced by Argilian and later Vitrian influences
- elite status largely lost by 6th century, political relevance ends here
- dispersion and linguistic divergence
Society
Culture
The Sepcans spoke a Monic language, which is most likely the common ancestor of the modern Sepcanic family. The Sepcan language was written in Sepcan hieroglyphs, one of the earliest writing systems of the world, which was initially used in divination and history before being simplified and expanded to wide administrative use. The Sepcan script was mainly engraved on stone. Prior to its use in general administration, tally tokens made of metal shaped in the form of numerous animals each representing a different order, named udeses, was given out by the King to command subjects and instruct governors. The udeses were first mainly in the shape of tigers and solely used for military purposes but later diversified as the empire consolidated.
The main literature of Sepcans were mythological epics inscribed upon clay tablets, bamboo and wooden slips, or pieces of bone. Paintings were mainly used to decorate tombs but later were displayed in palaces and admired solely for their artistic value too. There were numerous fine decorated pottery and also elaborate metalwork.
As nomads, Sepcan housing was mostly composed of yurts at first. Later, trees were harvested from forests in Razaria and Slovunia, and palaces as well as nobles' dwellings would be constructed from wood, and decorated with elaborate carpentry and also leather and wool that can still be seen in some Sepcanic peoples' dwellings today. Rammed earth and quarried stone became used for city walls and later even larger palaces. There is evidence of ceramic tiles and even glazed tiles being used. Gable roofs were common as were enclosures inside larger houses, which bear similarity to Monic architecture in East Borea.
Religion
The Sepcans did not worship any deity but observed and revered a doctrine known as Alari, an universal order similar to dharma and asha. Compliance with Alari was maintained throughout one's life. The Sepcans believed that the world experienced cyclical epochs known as the Sanma (literally 'big days'), identified by the color and shape of the Sun. At the end of each epoch, the sun that characterized the Sanma would disperse onto the world, wiping out life from its surface while the fallen sun seeded the planet anew and developed into new life, while a new sun forms for the cycle to repeat. Aurorum was also destroyed at the end of each epoch and replaced too by fragments of the sun. The Sepcans believe their race to be descended from the White Sun, central to the previous epoch.
Life also rose spontaneously from the earth, which according to the Sepcans created the Kuleti. The organisms of mud were inferior to organisms of the sun and this hierarchy was used to justify the caste system that disadvantaged West Borean natives, as well as the elite status of the Sepcans themselves.
Sepcans believed that the divine was in one's soul, which was to be cultivated and made as compliant with Alari as possible for one's health and happiness, as well as greater universal order. This idea has noted similarities with Kamism.
Sepcan religion had a complex divination system. It also had rich and complex mythology, mostly in the form of epic poetry.
Sepcan religious traditions have gave rise to the belief system and culture of Kurangper (literally 'stories'), the native faith of various modern Sepcanic peoples.
Archaeology
Sepcanic peoples
After the collapse of their civilization the Sepcans dispersed usually by their clans into small groups and communities isolated from other people, though the majority accepted subject status to new dominant forces that arose such as the Mesians. Most Sepcanic peoples migrated into the mountainous regions of West Borea, constructing various mountain forts where their communities resided in and could be protected against aggressors.
Around 3,000 years of dispersal has resulted in significant changes to Sepcanic language, culture and customs by group. Sepcanics today are primarily marked by their use of languages of the Sepcanic family as their native tongue. Sepcanic peoples make up significant portions of populations in West Borean states.