Ai-Naidar

Vaguely-feline aliens, with a caste-based society. Their empire is known as Kherishdar, and is overseen by their emperor, Thirukedi.

Appearance
Very tall, very delicate-limbed humanoids, bipedal, five-fingered and five-toed, with vaguely-feline attributes: pointed ears, with tufts; tufted tails; small claw-like nails (not retractable). Most Ai-Naidar have a very short pelt, like velvet or felt; there are furless individuals, but it's more common to have patches of furlessness than to be entirely without a pelt.

In color, Ai-Naidari pelts/skin tend toward paler colors: creams, whites, grays, light browns, caramel. They can be darker colors (black, dark gray, dark brown, etc), but that's much rarer. Patterns are even rarer than that, though you see the occasional spotted/patchwork Ai-Naidari.

Eye colors also tend toward light colors: lilac, green, blue, light brown, amber, light orange, etc. More intense colors are possible, but rare.

Language

 * Main Article: Ai-Naidari Grammar


 * Main Article: Ai-Naidari Vocabulary


 * Main Article: Ai-Naidari Writing
 * Related Articles: Calligraphy

Spoken
The Ai-Naidari language is an agglutinating, variable-stress (with phonemic stress) language. Four pronoun genders: male; female; unknown; not-Ai-Naidari (aliens, machines, animals, etc).

The habit of squishing two nouns together without declining any of them to get a compound word is antiquated, and I think the grammatical term means something like "quick and dirty word-making."

Social Structure
All Ai-Naidar are assigned to castes. They are born into the caste of their parents, and evaluated twice in childhood in order to ensure the ishas of the child matches the caste they are eventually assigned to. This evaluation is mandatory, and the duty of the Ai-Naidari above the Wall of Birth who is responsible for that Ai-Naidari's district.

The caste system is ancient, and has had some additions, subtractions and changes throughout history. It came about as a way to give displaced people a surrogate family.


 * Main article: Ai-Naidari Castes.
 * Related articles: Ai-Naidari Etiquette.

Relationships and Family
add stuff here from comments on recent entry about relationships.

Known Ai-Naidari Houses

 * House Athurizin
 * House Elikim
 * House Eredaeth
 * House Errithikta
 * House Nerishithen
 * House Neriethen
 * House Qenain
 * House Wakedzen

Important Philosophical Concepts

 * Related Topics: Ai-Naidari Quotes, Kirana (Ai-Naidari religion), Ai-Naidari Philosophy

Crime and Punishment

 * Main Article: Correction, Transgression

Holidays

 * Main Article: Ai-Naidari Holidays

Flowers are also an important part of everyday life in Kherishdar.
 * Main Article: Ai-Naidari Flowers

Naming Conventions
Only those above the Wall of Birth have "secret" names.

Heads of Households: "ij" or "ije" (before a consonant) So: ij Eredaeth Jelaen-masirkedi

Heirs to Heads of Household: "su" or "sul" (before a vowel) So: Jelaen sul'Eredaeth-masirkedi

Commoner Heads of Household (has allegiance addition): {C}Name of Household first, then personal name, caste and allegiance prefixed by "a". {C}So, Raed of House Wasanil, a land-worker beneath House Errithikta: {C}Wasanil Raed-darikkedi a'Errithikta

Family-Members Within the Household: PersonalName Nai'Housename-Housecaste {C}So: {C}Tanith Nai'Errithikta-rithkedi

Winter-sons and -daughters Within a Household: "kulin" (literally, 'gift from the gods') and then the full name. So: kulin Mishraih Nai'Eredaeth-masirkedi

People permanently employed by a Household, but not head-of-household: {C}Name Nai'HouseName a'AlliegianceHouse-caste of person. {C}So: {C}Shasi Nai'Wasanil a'Errithikta-darikkedi

Extraneous or extra titles: {C}Primary Guardian in a noble House {C}"ran" {C}So: {C}ran Eredaeth Mishraih-enukedi

Normal guardians: {C}As with those permanently employed by a House, but with Guardian caste-suffix, but without House names. {C}So: {C}Kurudet a'Eredaeth-enukedi.

The Books of Civilization
The Ai-Naidar have a set of books which contain the rules of civilization, which they call as a group the Books of Civilization. These include the Book of Precedents, the Book of Exceptions, and the multi-volume Book of Castes, which begin with a volume on all castes, followed by a volume devoted to each caste-rank.

History
Timeline
 * Serean and the Fall of Houses
 * Ardith and the Colonization
 * The Twinned Exception
 * The Aphorisms and Admonishments
 * Black Blossom

Notable Characters

 * Thirukedi, Emperor of the Ai-Naidar, god of Civilization
 * Farren Nai'Sheviet-osulkedi, the Calligrapher
 * Kor Nai'Nerillin-osulkedi, the priest of Shame (or simply Shame)
 * The Exception
 * The Decoration of House Qenain
 * Ajan nai'Shuvulnin-penokedi, Shame's Guardian
 * Tsevet, the First Servant of Shame
 * Serean
 * Ardith
 * Related Topics: Ai-Naidari Historical Figures

Related Fiction

 * The Aphorisms of Kherishdar (completed serial, short story collection, Ai-Naidar book 1)
 * The Admonishments of Kherishdar (completed serial, short story collection, Ai-Naidar book 2)
 * Black Blossom (completed serial, novel, Ai-Naidar book 3)
 * Kerishdar's Exception (forthcoming serial, novel, Ai-Nadar book 4)

Meta-Conversations

 * Obedience 7.26.2008 (Archive.org)
 * Penance for Theatrics 12.20.2008 (Archive.org)
 * Torture 12.27.2008 (Archive.org)
 * Over It 1.7.2009 (Archive.org)
 * Class 3.1.2009 (Archive.org)
 * The Visitor 6.9.2009 (Archive.org)
 * Names 6.29.2009 (Archive.org)
 * The Lost Will Be Found 12.9.2009 (Archive.org)
 * False Starts 12.10.2009 (Archive.org)
 * Communal Stories 7.26.2010 (Archive.org)
 * Compensation and Vocabulary 6.30.2011 (Archive.org)
 * Responsibility (a Black Blossom Extra) 7.23.2011 (Archive.org)
 * Beware the Gentle Ones 8.21.2011 (Archive.org)
 * Spoilers 9.7.2011 (Archive.org)
 * The Decoration 9.23.2011 (Archive.org)
 * The Decoration Retires 9.23.2011 (Archive.org)
 * Beauty 9.30.2011 (Archive.org)
 * Ajan 10.28.2011 (Archive.org)
 * The Architect of Civilization 1.6.2012 (Archive.org)
 * Black Blossom Extra: A Visit from the Physician 1.27.2012 (Archive.org)