Education
Children are not formally educated in Concordia, most work the family trade until they reach maturity. A farmer's son learns about crop-rotation and weather patterns, a merchant's children about numbers and people skills, ect. At this point, the majority begin their training as soldiers, afterwards serving their perscribed term. Others (either those not fit for war or have a special calling) are sent to the church to be come acolytes, where they are trained in church policy, educated, and instructed in the doctrines of the particular deity. Many of these are the children of the wealth, who can afford to have their offspring educated and freed from the responsibility of the soldier lifestyle. Of course, many priesthoods still play an important role in warfare (Especially Baaehemious), and the duties of their organizations are not so different from that of a soldiers'. There are still others that show exceptional intellectual capacity and are thus trained to be mages for the province. Unfortunately for some others, they are too weak or handicapped to be soldiers, and don't come from a rich household, and aren't especially gifted intellectually- these individuals have no where to go, these people are deemed unfit by the primary faith of the province, and are sentenced to a ritualistic death at the hands of the priesthood. This procedure is seen in the eyes of the traditionalist Concordians as natural selection, with god watching and condoning the church's actions. In some areas, this killing takes the part of a grand ceremony in the guise of a sacrifice to appease their deity. In other places this behavior is abhored, with many publically or privately voicing their complaints. Beside church education, Oathtakers are also instructed in various subjects. Depending upon the particular province, the Oathtaker organization can have either a greater or lesser degree of intellectual study than that of the church. This largely depends upon the primary faith and their area of influence. Provinces devoted to Baaehemious would likely spend more of their time training for combat, yet they must also learn tactics, reading and writing, and certain aspects of history. This is one reason why military journals, manuals, technical books, and books on the phylosophy of war are highly treasured and often quite valuable. Many of these are horded by the Oathtaker organization, and the possession of one of these books constitutes a crime of no small order. |
