Elvastu

Elvastu (IPA: /el'vas.tu/) is a city state on the island of Elesturav.

Religion
Elvastua religion has generally centered upon the worship of a single god called Zestone (IPA: /zesˈton.e/). Zestone is known not as a benevolent force, but as a great evil thought to haunt the heavens and, at times, the earth. He is worshiped out of fear, and it is generally believed that anyone who offends the god will be brutally murdered by Zestone's spirit. The force of humanity is seen as an absolute good in contrast to the evil of the god, and this leads the Elvastua people to be very humanitarian aside from their attempts to placate the deity they worship.

Rituals
It is traditional for every family to give up some food in honor of the God at ever meal. Every full moon, a ritual takes place in the honor of Zestone. The key event is the sacrifice of 6 people to the god, 3 male and 3 female.

Priesthood
The priests of Zestone, Zestonea Ustilgu (Zestone's Guard), are known to be brutal and merciless to those who don't show proper respect to Zestone. They are avoided by the public except for during rituals honoring Zestone that require them to intermingle, and are often at odds with the leadership of the city because the city's leaders pledge to serve the public over all else, including the god.

Culture
The Elvastua people are collectivist, and although they don't tend to have much discrimination based on race or sex, they have a rigid class system.

Ethnicity and Gender
People are generally treated with respect in Elvastua culture, which means that one race or sex is generally not placed above another in terms of usefulness. This does not imply, however, that the sexes and races are viewed as equal in every way. Women are generally viewed as less physically apt then men, and are often assigned administrative tasks while men are assigned labor such as hunting or metalworking. The races have a much more complicated relationship. The Elvastua leadership officially states that each race is equal; however, the Zeldorisva dominate the ruling class, so the other race the Unvaknerva tend to be assigned worse jobs.