Codex Dominex 1: Wynnles’ Berserker Phase

Wynnles will enter a 'berserker' phase if they:

• draw blood from prey using teeth, claws, or a wielded weapon

• taste blood

• smell a significant amount of blood (a small cut or scrape will not trigger berserker phase)

All of the above conditions assume the blood belongs to someone they are not related to. A Wynnle will NEVER enter a berserker phase if the blood belongs to a close blood relative (parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren, siblings, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews, cousins.) Their 'prey' can be anything that bleeds, whether it's a sapienti person, an animal, or a demon.

During berserker phase, a Wynnle's mind becomes obsessed with one of two thoughts, depending on the source of the blood:

• killing and eating (prey)

• achieving orgasm (with a sexual partner)

A Wynnle can be difficult to reason with while they are in berserker phase. The intensity of their rage will determine how much they must consume of their prey before calming down again. If they are truly enraged against someone they despise, they may not be satisfied until they've eaten the whole body. If they kill an enemy they do not have any personal feelings for, such as a combatant in a war, a single bite can turn them back to normal. Often, when hunting or slaughtering animals, a Wynnle will take a single bite of raw meat to satisfy their craving, then take the rest home to cook or share with their family/community.

One of the most important caveats to remember is that Wynnles are, and always are, sapient. They never truly lose control of themselves. They can be reasoned with and calm down on their own if they see the logic in doing so.

A Wynnle's berserker phase ends if one of the following conditions are met:

• their prey is killed and at least one piece has been eaten.

• they achieve an orgasm. Obviously, only feasible for adults. In some communities, individuals are encouraged to masturbate if they go berserk on accident.

• they bite (lightly, non-fatal) a relative. This can still cause damage to the bitten individual, thus Wynnle families will rarely use children or smaller members except in an emergency. Due to a lack of alternative options for children who go berserk, children are instructed by their parents to bite them.

• they ingest certain drugs or are afflicted by mind-altering magic.

• they fight the urges through sheer willpower.

Note: the term 'berserker' comes from a word meaning 'bear shirt' which, in Pentagonal Dominionist etymology, originated in the Kreuz Dominion alternate timeline, then went to the Nureshian and Slevan Dominions. There are no bears in the Pentagonal Dominion timeline. Present-day Wynnles sometimes invent myths about what they think bears are.

Codex Dominex 2: The Gods’ Blessings

Soon after conquering the dominion, the Gods came together to think of ways to encourage people to worship and obey them. The Blessing System was one such idea.

All ten Gods contribute some of their energy into upkeeping the All-Elemental Blessing System. ALL souls, whether belonging to a sapient person or a near-sapient animal, are imbued with the blessings at the moment of the SOUL'S (not the body's) conception. All ten had the option of imparting a blessing, but some chose not to, while others were unable to assist even if they had the desire to do so.

The All-Elemental Blessing System is a 'package' of four blessings, one from four capable Gods:

·       Flamboil's Blessing: protects the blessed from intense heat such as from fire, lava, extreme temperature, boiling water, and even spiciness (an aftereffect of combining with Cherribell's Blessing)

·       Lucognidus's Blessing: protects the blessed from nightmares. This only work for 'natural' nightmares. It prevents a person's mind from conjuring disturbing thoughts while asleep. A person can still experience nightmares if they are brought on by an outside force e.g. mind-altering magic or a Demon Lord's curse.

·       Windesoar's Blessing: protects the blessed from inhaling toxic air. This does not create air where none exists, so people should still take care not to suffocate.

·       Cherribell's Blessing: allows the blessed to experience more tasteful and enjoyable food and drink.

In exchange for contributing their energy to upkeep, all Gods are allowed to put conditions on the blessings. However, their conditions only apply to people of that God's element. For instance, a Lightning elemental who breaks the conditions of Sparkato, the Lightning God, will lose all four blessings. If a Mind elemental were to disobey Sparkato's commandments, there would be no change, because they are only beholden to Lucognidus. People born to an element without a God (Light, Darkness, Force, Sound) can never lose their blessings.

On his own, Sawyer also keeps a blessing. His is not tied to the All-Elemental System, though he does contribute some energy and power to that one, too. 

Sawyer's Blessing: Also called the Contract of Souls, this prevents anyone, sapient or animal, who has a soul, from having their soul destroyed or consumed by demons. This ensures that all souled people and animals go to the afterlife. There are no conditions for this blessing, and it is impossible to lose it (except by personally asking Sawyer to break their contract)

Sawyer does contribute to the All-Elemental Blessing system, as well, with a condition to all Death elementals. He now regrets the condition, and wishes he had never made it, but changing the system now would break all blessings and all people would lose them. His separate blessing does not have this condition. E.g. a Death elemental who breaks his condition will lose their package blessing, but not the Contract of Souls.

Codex Dominex 3: Aloutian Economics

Aloutia entered an era of anti-capitalist policy following the Greed Wars (300-310) when royals, nobles, landlords, and elite business owners were killed by the poor, starving, overworked, oppressed masses. In the year 561, most of Aloutia follows the Imperial Economic Standard (IES), in which vassal-level governments set limits to income on its people and collect taxes, with Imperial-level supervision ensuring money is not hoarded or misused. Eight communes of Aloutia have done away with money entirely and are self-sufficient, but trade with outsiders for luxury goods. The Church of the Mind God requires companies to trade with the communes under threat of annihilation. His Holiness, Lucognidus, does not suffer greed in Aloutia.

Under the IES, all citizens of Aloutia are entitled to a job that pays enough money to afford enough food and supplies to support three members of the individual's species (the Aloutian 'minimum wage', thus is meant to be enough for a single working parent to support themself, one partner, and one child). All Aloutians are entitled to free housing. Because housing is controlled on the vassal level, some people may be entitled to 'better' houses if there are class hierarchies, but the Imperial government ensures all people have a sufficiently warm and spacious house.

Aloutia also implements a concept called the 'maxima', a practice like a 'maximum wage' for individuals and companies. The maxima is calculated by Imperial officials for each individual based on their species' needs, local cost of living, and how many spouses and dependents the individual cares for. They may be capped monthly or annually, depending on company policies and vassal-level laws.

Companies are also capped to a maxima which is supervised by a board of Mind elementals who have passed rigorous ethics tests and sworn to eschew money in their personal lives. After all individuals working within a company have been paid, excess money is put in a 'project fund' which can only be used for board-approved improvements or construction projects. When companies do not have an ongoing project, or if they acquire more money than their project fund can hold, the remainder is put toward charity projects. Such 'forced charity' may include projects to improve cities, infrastructure, churches, or to rescue enslaved men on Ophidia.

Mind elementals are forbidden by the God Lucognidus from using money personally, but they are permitted to manage it on behalf of others. Most assessors are Mind elementals since they are often trusted to act within their religion's ethics.

While loopholes and tricks certainly exist for people to keep more money than allowed, fraud is easily discovered by Mind Godbloods. Some are tasked to perform regular rituals to find people who have hoarded significant money in secret. Punishment for the crime of hoarding money usually involves time on Hydra Island, Aloutia's prison island.

Inheritance is managed by assessors, usually Mind elementals. All of a person's money and belongings go to the state when they pass away. They may leave a will requesting certain things, such as sentimental objects, go to their loved ones. The assessors will agree as long as it is reasonable. Investigations may be ordered by the court if there is suspicion that a deceased person tried to circumvent the inheritance tax by gifting their money/belongings prior to death.

Aloutian schools teach children to be altruistic and do what is good for society. They are not raised to think of money as a reward or goal. The idea of a person becoming a doctor to make money is obscene to Aloutians. Even in businesses, guildmasters and executive administrators are selected based on their desire and ability to better their community and get goods and services where they need to be. Greedy people have no chance of ascending a corporate hierarchy.

Codex Dominex 4: The Merchants of Light Guild

Guilds in Aloutia provide job security for people who share a trade or who provide similar goods and services. The merchants of light deal primarily in four kinds of light:

·       crystalights

·       glowlight lotuses

·       candles

·       oil lamps

A 'merchant of light' is anyone who works in the guild, regardless of what their job entails. Whether they are an actual merchant dealing with sales, a sculptor of crystalights, a chandler, a lamp-maker, or an administrator, they all have have the title 'merchant of light.'

The guildmaster during the year 561 was a Domovoi named Thousand-Diamonds. Beneath him are thirty 'upper administrators' who perform various executive tasks. Below them are about two hundred 'lower administrators' who deal with day-to-day paperwork, finances, and management. Then there are about one hundred Domovoi miners who extract crystalights and a few thousand manufacturers who produce or craft the various sources of light.

Laborers and artisans are commissioned by the upper administrators who purchase the materials and sell it to their merchants, then buy it back for an increased price, and sell it to the customer for the final price. To use an example, take a business administrator (B) and a crystalight sculptor (C):

B purchased a crystalight deposit for the price of five years of the guild's maximum project fund allowance. This is the equivalent of about 500,000,000 lime coins, but came out of the guild's allowed profits within the Aloutian Imperial Economic Standard.

·       B sold a five-square-inch block of crystalight to C for 10,000 lime coins.

·       C sculpted and dyed the crystal the desired shape and color.

·       C sold the crystal back to B for 50,000 lime coins

·       B sold the crystal to the intended customer for 100,000 lime coins.

In the above example, C made a profit of 40,000. If his maxima is capped at 200,000 in a year, he can only make five crystalights of the same value before he might as well stop (which is encouraged so people can go on vacations and spend time with their families). B made 60,000, but only keeps 20,000 for his own personal use per crystalight sold. The remaining 40,000 goes into the project fund or, if that has reached its cap, into the guild's charity service fund.

Codex Dominex 5: Those Who Use Magic

All magic in the Pentagonal Dominion comes from the cores, and those cores are under the control of their masters, the Gods. In addition to the Gods, there are a few ways other people can acquire magical powers over an element, though each case involves a God's blood.

·       Godbloods: direct descendants of Gods (to a maximum of three generations), who acquired their magic through blood inheritance. Their magic is restricted to their element.

·       Drinkers: people who acquired magical blood by drinking the blood of a God. Their magic is restricted to the element of the God who graced them with their blood.

·       Demons: entities who may have acquired magic through the Evil element channeling other elements. Their magic is varied and unpredictable. Not all demons have magical powers. For those who do, it is bestowed upon them at creation. The Hierarchical powers given to demons who ascend to the rank of Demon Lord are channeled through the Evil element. Since any corpse, including that of a Godblood or drinker can be put in the Crucible, there can be Godblood or drinker demons who retain their powers from their mortal lives. However, the instances of Godbloods or drinkers becoming demons are quite rare.

Although the Gods are immortals dwelling in the afterlife plane, Spiritua, they must have their children on the mortal planes. Deceased people in the afterlife lose the ability to reproduce, but the Gods' ghostly forms were revitalized so they and their sexual partners are capable of reproduction. Even still, due to the nature of Spiritua, any baby whose egg is laid there will not survive. Godblood eggs are left in the care of mortal parents. 

Since Godbloods are the offspring of Gods, their numbers depend on the proclivity of their respective God to reproduce. As of the year 561, only seven of the ten Gods have an interest/capability in having children: Sawyer, Cherribell, Entomothy, Flamboil, Sparkato, Lucognidus, and Liqua. Out of them, Cherribell is quite reserved and only has two living children. Sawyer has a child with his wife every ten years, and when they are unable to conceive, he will select a drinker from amongst the mortals instead. Lucognidus always has eight living children (not counting grandchildren or great-grandchildren Godbloods), so when one passes away, he will produce a new one. Entomothy is exceptionally virile and prone to impregnating the many women of his harem, thus it is common for the world to have hundreds of Life Godbloods at any given time.

Demigods (demis) are people, either Godbloods or drinkers, who have been selected by a God to serve them in a specific capacity. All demis have a title, job, and at least one ritual or prayer mortals can perform to request their services. Because the status of being a demigod is based on a job, they can retire or otherwise be forced to quit.  It is not a permanent station, though as of the year 561, there are some demis who have served their God since the Conquering. In Aloutian-English, demi(god/dess) is traditionally uncapitalized unless referring to a specific one by title. Supposedly, this is to represent their subservience to the Gods (always capitalized).

Codex Dominex 6: Aloutian Courts

The Aloutian legal and court systems are based on the philosophy of Sione, Demigod of Justice and Priest of the Purple Flame. Sione was a Viemeno who took control of the Cosmonite city of Nine Fires in the year 300. At the time, Nine Fires was plagued with crime, weak leaders, and corrupt lawkeepers. Sione reformed the city's legal code, removed people who were in the way, and established codes of ethics that were taught in mandatory classes to all Viemen children. In the year 312, St. L'tsok, the Hierophant of Lucognidus received detailed instructions from the God about how he was to invite Sione to Aloutia and implement his legal and court system into Aloutia. This reformation is called the Sionese Reformation. After Sione's death in 327 and the declaration that he was the Demigod of Justice, the Aloutian courts also implemented his iconography into courtroom aesthetics.

In a courtroom, there are nine 'souls' (other than the defendants, witnesses, and relevant experts) who must be present for a trial to occur. All nine traditionally wear a fox-tail ornament somewhere visible on their person. The ninth soul is Sione himself, symbolized by his statue being present in a courtroom, and his upright tail represents himself.

The other eight souls are:

·       Mind judge dextra

·       Mind judge sinistra

·       Non-Mind judge centrum

·       Court volkhv, always a volkhv of the God of the primary defendant (or a volkhv of a patron God)

·       Bailiff, who in cases involving Godbloods is always a member of the Godblood Brigade

·       Court stenographer, who may be accompanied by clerks, junior clerks, and experts

·       Advocate-barrister, who defends and argues on behalf of the defendant

·       Prosecuting-barrister, who argues on behalf of the plaintiff or similar prosecuting entity

Aloutian courts do not use juries, though the concept exists from previous systems used before the Sionese Reformation. Two of the three judges must agree on a judgment for it to pass, and the non-Mind judge must be one of them. If the two Mind judges agree and the non-Mind judge disagrees, and no resolution can be made, they will take the trial to a higher court. For high-profile cases, if no judgment can be made, it will eventually be decided upon by Emperor Ivan.

In important cases where the truth must be ascertained, such as in murder, rape, or terrorism charges, it is common for either telepathic Godbloods or Neri's Ritual to be used. During the ritual, a person is asked eight questions. If they lie, the questioner will know it is a lie. A person cannot be forced to perform Neri's Ritual, however, and there are loopholes in answering which wise judges must consider. Neri's Ritual is a game of wordplay and trickery more often than not. Telepathic Godbloods will lend their services as they see fit, but because of their small number, they tend to reserve their powers for high-profile cases.

Aloutian courts are far more likely than any other court system in the Pentagonal Dominion to utilize character study in reaching judgments, though the flaws are well-known and attested. Some judges will refuse to hear character study-based testimony on principle, though this is rare. Community members who know the defendant will frequently be interviewed prior to any trial.

Aloutia is not fond of setting precedents quickly. Generally for a particular ruling to become precedent, it must happen hundreds of times. The Aloutians would rather take trials on a literal case-by-case basis than make policy based on the decision of one triad of judges.