[Meme] things that didn't make it into stories

[edenfalling]

I am home and bored and "Secrets" is being frustrating, so... meme time!

Via askerian: Comment with a story I've written, and I will tell you one thing I knew, learned, or wondered about while writing the story that didn't make it onto the page.

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[edenfalling]

The University is an institution unique to Firsthome -- a sort of religion of knowledge. It began in Vinaeo, one of the great city-states of northern Ohiyesa, and was fostered and spread by the Estarin Empire. It also plays a major role in Ekanu's life.

The University evolved somewhat organically in my understanding of Firsthome, along with Ekanu. Here's some of what I was thinking back in high school:

---Vinaeo was a great city in Ohiyesa. It never conquered anything, but gained power by marriage, treaty and trade until it dominated its land. The Vinaeans controlled trade routes in their territory, giving rise to their legendary wealth. Their power lasted only 300 years, but their wealth and luxury clung longer. They supported education, and for over two thousand years, Vinaean scholars were the most learned in the world.

---Vinaeo is an ancient city-state in northern Ohiyesa, very close to Arina. For centuries, it was regarded as the center of culture and learning, even after the Estarin Empire spread southward and conquered much of Ohiyesa. Eventually, many Vinaean scholars helped found the University of Estara, which soon surpassed the ancient Academy in Vinaeo.

---Estara is one of the world's first true representative democracies. The city is governed by the Council of Nine, whose members are elected by anyone, male or female, over the age of 21, who has passed the test for citizenship -- this requires a fairly thorough knowledge of the city's constitution, laws, history, and current political situation. Citizens must retake the test every decade, but the city offers free citizenship classes so as not to discriminate too much against the poor; for those who have little time, the public libraries keep books with the latest tests and explanations. Estarans are big believers in education; along with citizenship tests, they maintain public schools through the child's thirteenth year, public libraries in every town and city district, and three universities in addition to the Trinitarian church schools and seminaries.

And Ekanu originally went south to become a bard and possibly learn magic, or maybe to bring magic back to Estara, since it had been lost since the end of Soro Sura's reign and the beginning of the Empire. But I was never very happy with that notion (though I do love the idea of a female ruler being the legendary hero who sleeps and will awaken to defend her people in their hour of direst need, a la King Arthur!), so while the music stayed, bards went out the window, I radically reconceived the nature of magic in this world, and the University gradually wove itself together to give Ekanu a new place to meet Denifar.

Anyway, while a lot of my early exploratory thoughts are now invalid, it's useful to see where ideas come from, and I didn't change the bones of the beast too much. The University was founded in Vinaeo during the height of its power and prosperity. As Vinaeo declined, the University began to establish chapterhouses in other Ohiyesan cities. When the Estarin Empire conquered Vinaeo, the University spread to Estaria, supported by the Church of Three; the Star and the Serpent are, after all, deities of knowledge.