Commissioned from Rikkoshaye
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Sekuemeh (singular. Sekuetl)
Physical Description
The Sekuemeh are an all-female species of anthropomorphic frill-necked lizards and tend to be tall, with an average height of 7 feet (2.13m).
Like most other species on Mahwali, the Sekuemeh are quite long-lived and individuals have been known to reach over 300 years of age. They retain their youthful looks throughout their adult life, even Sekuemeh who die of old age do not look a day older than 25 years. Death by old age is caused by internal organ failure, typically the heart.

The Sekuemeh reproduce through parthenogenesis, but a Sekuetl daughter is not clone of her mother and has only half the mother's genetic material.

The Sekuetl digestive system is extremely efficient to the point where it leaves no waste-matter. Not only that, but even the womb can serve as a stomach.
Due to this efficient digestive system, Sekuemeh gain much more calories and nutrition from their meals.

Sekuemeh are physiologically and neurologically wired to experience sexual stimulation by swallowing prey alive. Because of this, the Sekuetl body has several adaptations to make up for this species feeding behavior. Their internal organs are very strong and resistant to damage, unfortunately this also causes them to fail after a few centuries. In addition, it is easy for Sekuemeh to maintain their milk production and their milk is rich with nutrients, which enables a group of Sekuemeh to be fed even if only one of them is able to find prey.

The frill of a Sekuetl is usually folded back behind her head, but it spreads out when she feels excited, ecstatic, surprised, startled, afraid, and angry. Of course, she can also spread it out at will to show off.

Reproduction and Sexuality
The reproduction process is triggered by an intense and prolonged desire to have children, this releases biochemicals which cause one or more egg cells to be released into the uterus where they begin prenatal development.

Because of their reproduction method, no stigma exist regarding incest as there is no risk of inbreeding. The Sekuemeh also tend to be polyamorous and they view sex as recreation.

The Sekuemeh have two basic concepts of sex: nahan and nachue.
Nahan is the type of sex which expresses affection such as between friends and family. Nahan is usually used to seal political alliances as it is seen as a symbol of friendship between both parties. Nahan is also used to refer to casual sex that is devoid of affection, besides the word's actual meaning.
Nachue on the other hand is the type of sex in which someone is taken advantage of. Nachue doesn't just cover rape, for instance it also covers consensual sex in which one party ends up being eaten.

Pimecho
The vast majority of Sekuemeh live in Pimecho, which consists of their native home, the archipelago of Jiwe-enehan and in the colony of Ohinenan.
The shores of Jiwe-enehan are rich with fish and molluscs which, along with livestock and slaves, provides food for its population. But aside from that, Jiwe-enehan has very few natural resources which have prompted the Sekuemeh to look beyond the extent of their archipelago home.
Ohinenan has fertile soil and a significant obsidian deposit. Though, when the Sekuemeh first settled the island it had no trees and little to no animals. Since then, Ohinenan has become a center for obsidian trade.

Pimechoan Society
The society of Pimecho are incredibly centralized and is ruled by a single mesotl who wields absolute power.
Pimecho is divided into several regions; each region has an alikihaleh (singular. alikihalatl) which serves as the local center of government, administrative office, temple, workshop, and storage space; and each region is ruled by a jateliahtl (plural. jateliahmeh).
The mesotl is the one who appoints the jateliahmeh and their successors, and she can dismiss and replace them at any time.

As the local ruler, a jateliahtl is tasked with the collection, control, and redistribution of food and economic produce. To help with this matter, the jateliahtl has several teliahmeh (singular. teliahtl) at her disposal; these teliahmeh function as administrators and live in the alikihalatl along with the jateliahtl.

There are eight social classes, and the distribution of food and goods is based on one's class.

At the bottom are the lahnameh (singular. lahnatl), who are mainly the ones who provide Pimechoan society with food, and do so through fishing, hunting, animal husbandry, and aquaculture. A lahnatl gives most of her produce to her local alikihalatl and is in return given a share of its stock, in the form of food and various goods.
Compared to the other commoners of Mahwali, the lahnameh of Pimecho live in relative wealth.

The alehmeh (singular. alehtl) are people who provide services or goods for money. These can range from artists, entertainers, craftsmen, workers, to merchants. An alehtl must pay most of her income to her local alikihalatl and is in return given twice as much as the lahnameh.
Artists and craftsmen typically work at their local alikihalatl where they have easier access to resources.

The kotsuameh (singular. kotsuatl) are the warrior class in Pimechoan society, who serve the state as guards and soldiers. A kotsuatl receive her income directly from her local alikihalatl in the form of a share three times larger than that of a lahnatl.

Next, the jisihmeh (singular. jisihtl) are people who serve state-functions, such as teliahmeh, engineers, priestesses, army officers, and lakikahmameh (singular. lakikahmatl). A jisihtl receive her income directly from her local alikihalatl in the form of a share four times larger than that of a lahnatl.
Jisihmeh typically live in their local alikihalatl.

The next social class is occupied by the juarameh (singular. juaratl) and the janualameh (singular. janualatl). The juarameh are the nobility, while the janualameh are the high-priestesses.
There are usually several juarameh in every region, while there is only one janualatl for every alikihalatl who is drawn from the priestess-population by the mesotl.
Both juarameh and janualameh receive their income from their local alikihalatl in the form of a share five times larger than that given to a lahnatl.

Then there's the jateliahmeh, the regional rulers, who are drawn from the juarameh-population by the mesotl. They receive their income from the alikihalatl they rule, in the form of a share six times larger than that given to a lahnatl.

Next is the royal family, aside from the mesotl. Members of the royal family serve a judicial function by upholding the mesotl's law by acting as judges. Each member of the royal family receive a share from their local alikihalatl that is six times larger than that of a lahnatl.

Finally, at the top there is the mesotl, the absolute ruler and religious figurehead of Pimecho. The mesotl receive a lahnatl-size share from each and every alikihalatl, which amount to 14 times the size of what a lahnatl receives.

It is the duty of the teliahmeh, and by extension the jateliahmeh, to calculate and distribute the amount that everyone is entitled to, and any mistake or theft is punished severely.

Because of this economic system, bringing wealth to one's community is immensely prestigious, while draining one's community's resources is incredibly shameful.

The Sekuemeh of Pimecho are very concerned with beauty; everyone dress in imported linen and wear expensive jewelry; and even the "poor" live in two story, multi-room houses, while the homes of the wealthy can almost be described as being palaces.

While slaves are technically a social class, Pimechoan society do not consider them as such. Instead they are seen as property. Slaves are typically prisoners of war or slaves imported from abroad. Slaves can be bought and sold in slave markets. Many slaves are freed by their masters for fine services rendered; some slaves can even save money to buy their freedom.
According to Pimechoan law, it is forbidden to harm a slave for any other reason than to eat them. In addition, it is required by law that the owner ensures that the slave is provided for.
Many slaves are eaten by their masters, but there are also several who are thought too fond of to be killed.

The people of Pimecho never enslave their own, and Sekuemeh slaves make them uncomfortable. As such, extremely few Sekuemeh slaves can be found in the world of Mahwali.

Pimechoan Education
There are three forms of education in Pimecho: parental education, mentorship, or formal education.

Parental educations are the most common and simply entails that mothers pass on their knowledge and skills to their daughters. This education typically results in the children remaining illiterate and inheriting the jobs of their parents.

A mentorship on the other hand is an arrangement in which a child is sent to live with and learn the job of someone who is not her parent. Mentorships are somewhat common and is an effective way to improve the social status of one's children.
Particularly lucky children have literate mentors who teach them to read and write.

Finally, formal education is for the wealthy children whose parents can afford teachers. Students are taught to read and write at an early age, and once they reach their teens they are sent to learn a number of academic skills at the Great Library of Intuanah.

The Great Library of Intuanah is the single most largest repository of knowledge in all of Mahwali. Not only are the children of the wealthy sent to the library to study, but so are some princesses from distant lands.
The Great Library owe most of its collection to the lakikahmameh of Pimecho who, during their voyages of exploration and trade, go great lengths to write down their experiences, copy any written materials and images they find, and to bring back artifacts.
The library also produce much new knowledge as well, thanks to some of the juarameh who have devoted themselves to the Great Library. Not only have they advanced geometry, cartography, and astronomy, but they have also observed that Mahwali is spherical and have even used trigonometry to estimate its circumference.

Pimechoan Trade and Commerce
The wealth of Pimecho comes from one thing and one thing only: maritime trade.
Mahwali's ocean is very dangerous: storms and powerful waves are a common occurence, and it is the home of cunning predators. Because of this, seafarers are limited to certain sea lanes that are relatively safe. Veering off from these lanes does more often than not lead to the ship's and its crew's end.
The lands of Pimecho are tiny and have few valuable resources, but they sit on the intersection of several of these lanes, and because of their homelands' lack of resources the people of Pimecho are bold enough to fully utilize the lanes of the sea.

The lakikahmameh are the brave women who traverse the sea. While a lakikahmatl's primary role is that of a maritime trader, she is also an explorer and a diplomat.
The Pimechoan lakikahmameh are romanticized by their own people and legendary to everyone else. A common saying in Pimecho is "a lakikahmatl receive less pay than the juarameh and the royal family, not because they are less important, but to keep the juarameh and the royal family at home". And in the other lands of Mahwali, the lakikahmameh of Pimecho are seen as the bringers of wealth, exotic goods, wild tales, and adventure.

While most lakikahmameh travel on previously established trade routes, some are commissioned by their jateliahmeh, or even by the mesotl herself, to undertake a trade mission or a mission of exploration.

During their voyages, Pimechoan lakikahmameh typically recruit locals for a number of reasons. They recruit guides when in unfamiliar territory, warriors when they need security, and sailors when they loose some of the crew. This is what have given them a reputation as the heralds of adventure.

The lakikahmameh of Pimecho are the greatest navigators in all of Mahwali, using nothing but their own senses. In order to locate directions at various times of day and year, they memorize important facts: the motion of the stars; weather and the seasons of travel; wildlife species (which gather at particular positions); the direction, size, and speed of ocean waves; and the colors of the sea and sky.

The people of Pimecho have a commodity money system based on the weight of shells. The lowest unit in this system is the juitl (plural. juimeh), which is equal to 11 grams of shells.
The juitl unit is not limited to shells, however, as several other commodities are valued as money in this system. For instance, 1 pearl juitl has the same weight as 1 shell juitl, but 1 pearl juitl is worth 100 shell juimeh.

Regional, land-bound merchants, known as kahmameh (plural. kahmatl), tend to trade slaves, utilitarian items, and food, which include precious stones, cloth, animal skins, wild game, fish, and woodwork.

Pimechoan Military
The people of Pimecho are generally pacifists; they have no interest in conquest and view war as a potential disruption of trade. Because of this, they have little military experience compared to the rest of the world.

To make up for this, the warrior class of Pimecho consists entirely of foreign volunteers and their descendants. This gives the Pimecho military an incredible variety and flexibility, and more importantly: combat experience.

The way Pimecho acquires its volunteers is as follows: while a lakikahmatl trades with foreign lands, she'll recruit one or more local warriors to tend to the security of her ship. While the warriors work for her, the lakikahmatl provides them with any necessities they may need. Once the lakikahmatl returns to Pimecho, if the warriors have served well she'll offer to put in a good word for them with the military, and if they agree they will become part of Pimecho's warrior class.

A member of the military of Pimecho who shows outstanding leadership and skill is usually promoted to an officer, who becomes part of the jisimeh class with all the privilege that follows.

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