Tang Mo

[Cogidubnus]

Place all lore concerning the Tang Mo here.

[Ysne]

I know i am making up words left right and centre, but here is a list of how it works.

All titles, names, and places are strung together using apostrophes. These act as gaps between words. When spoken, a small gap is included.
Most words are one syllable.
Adding an "n" makes them plural.

i.e Jo = mountain.
Jon = mountain range.
Mo = Monkey (referring to the Tang Mo themselves; they would not use this word for another kind of monkey).
Mon = monkeys.

Therefore Jo'Mon are "mountain monkeys".

Wen = forest
Ra/Re = Sea/River
Do = Code or Lore
Dai = fungus
Ja = count, noble
We = tree
Gra = Dragon
Moor = A word inherited from the Ka'Po'Tun meaning massive
In - insect
Po/Pa = city
Sai = vine
Bu = flat
_________

Please note that Grimdeath has already created a Tang Mo race in two colors. His work is fantastic.

[DarkAsmodeous]

If you use sounds for words you wil run out fast. Try using some sort of etymology with prefixes, suffixes, and roots.

[Ysne]

That was his first stab at language and one of his last posts before he disappeared. He is one of the missing admins. Whether it even gets used in the final mod remains to be seen.

[Kodama]

COMBAT.

Combat, for the Tang Mo, revolves around the code of Sa'Do. It represents the peak of poise, balance and physical fitness. The monkey-folk treat war as an art-form, with all the respect that implies. Their armies comprise of ground-troops, mainly, drawn from across the empire. Several battalions of insect cavalry are maintained, and as heavy support giant beasts of the plains, the Fun'Bu, are used as weapons platforms and seige towers. On a more personal level, Sa'Do is divided into six arts,

Lu - art of the fist
Ba - art of the sword
Du - art of the bow
Wei - art of the monk
En - art of the axe
Gon - art of the spear

All of these arts are self-explanatory. Each soldier, from an early age, specialises in one art. it would be like a kid taking up piano. Given their fatalistic approach to life, some children die in accidents; for the Tang Mo, this is learning the hard way! They are then entered into the militia for five years. After this, they can stay for promotion, or move into another River Code. The way of the monk is more complex; it is considered the most noble of arts. Traditionally, sons of aristocrats usually from Bu'Po would retreat to the wildnerness to live and asthetic existence. They would focus their mind and body, and the result is a mix of spiritual and physical disciplines. A fully trained monk can use their fists, weapons or their mind to overcome most situations. They are frequently commanders in the armies, though grudgingly. They mostly want to be left alone.

Of course, the different regions diversify and specialise themselves. The Ra'Mon are masters of the spear, the javelin, and the harpoon. The Jo'Mon are axe-wielders, and superb ones at that, and the Wen'Mon are archery specialists in their jungle fortresses. When a national crisis strikes, all nations come together in the Grand Bad Army to move out against any threat. The Sky-Emperor frequently leads from the front.


RELIGION.

The Tang Mo, given their practical, off-beat approach to life, do not have a centralised religion. The attempts to invade have perhaps failed because of their difference, in this respect, from the other races of Akavir.


The Tang Mo take pride in everything they do, and so, in place of religion, have a long and ancient tradition of so-called "river codes". They see life as a river, and themselves as driftwood upon that river (an image popularized by the ancient Tang Mo Poet Er'Dan). This is called, literally "Ren'Do" in their language, and a different code applies to each part of life. These are a harmonization within the universe; all that they do tugs the strands of fate, and the Life River , the Ren'Mo. This is the concept of an astral order, that they can neither understand nor deify, yet try to live in harmony with. They are no laws, or set in stone; rather they are guidelines that each Tang'Mo must aspire to. There are no classes in the Tang'Mo empire; every village and city has a democratic council, though the Sky-Emperor, at his ancestral seat in the sprawling coastal city of Bu'Po , has the final say. In aesthetics, art, business and war, these codes are applied to every aspect of their lives. Instead of an organised sturcture to this code, there are masters of each discipline spread throughout the isles, and the people visit them in order to gain enlightenment and wisdom.


The disciplines are:
Sa'Do - the code of war
Qi'Do - the code of the arts
Da'Do - the code of law
Ping'Do - the code of merchants

The disciplines mix to fit any instance in life, and there are numerous smaller disciplines set up by cults and organizations throughout the isles. The disciplines can be thought of as gods, but only if it is helpful. They are certainly not this.