Of noble natures, of the gloomy days,
Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkn'd waysLeo-that-was was a beautiful, thriving civilization that enjoyed the finest aspects of a life of luxury. The denizens of the many asteroids that made up the civilization were largely occupied with lucrative jobs that favored beauty and aesthetics over manual labor and mundane activities; jewelers, architects, painters, tailors, musicians and the like populated the asteroids, selling their wares to neighboring communities for high prices. Many beautiful, precious metals were mined and transformed into glittering jewels and smithed into fantastic pieces, and some of the most alluring garments were dreamt of in Leo's communities. They were beautiful people, lovers above fighters, but as passionate in war as they were in love.
Beautiful and fierce, the people of Leo manufactured gorgeously encrusted weapons and there was a small but elite portion of the civilization that devoted their lives to wielding them. Unfortunately, this was not enough to save them; when calamity struck, those who managed to survive were ushered to Mars, though the toll of loss was high for both life and artifact. Most disturbing to the survivors of Leo was, perhaps, not the sheer number of those who perished, but all of their rich and beautiful culture that went to rubble on the asteroids they abandoned.
Leonian ArchetypesLeo's civilization was best known for its passion, vibrance, beauty, and power. An active, masculine fire sign, its people were generally categorized according to their deep love for extravagance and their intense devotion to the development of their inner selves. Though this can easily be seen as ego and overconfidence, the population of Leo was made of many personality types, as can be found in any civilization; as a whole, the people's pride was in the image of themselves and their civilization, as set apart from even the stars in their own constellation.
Leonian TraditionsLeo's society, as has been mentioned, was largely built upon the foundations of beauty and power. Leonian citizens did not believe they were mutually exclusive; to be beautiful also mean to be powerful, and vice-versa. There were many decorative coming-of-age ceremonies that different slightly depending on which asteroid in the civilization a person resided on, but they were all elaborate and ceremonial. Often there was a particular gilded weapon that was passed through family lines and used to, in essence, "knight" a young man or woman when they came of age.
Many citizens were trained in a form of art, though whether that was sculpture, jeweling, fine arts or combat was up to the family and the individual.
Much focus was put on the individual in Leonian society, to the point where a period of every citizen's youth was devoted to mastery in a specific skill and coming to know one's self better. This period generally started around the age of fifteen and lasted until they proved mature and accomplished, at which point they were free to roam society as an adult and pursue amorous intent.
Fire was an important part of Leonian society, and it was considered the giver of all life. Fires were constantly burning in all Leonian temples, and the fire pits in the cities were carefully maintained.
Romance and courtship were very important parts of Leonian society. Without a proper courtship involving public declarations of intention and at least three significant outings in society, a marriage would not be sanctioned and those who eloped would be fairly well ostracized from proper society. Bearing this in mind, even the shyest of Leonian citizens generally sucked it up long enough to speed through a courtship and marry, upon which point they were free to grandstand in their personal lives -- or not -- as they saw fit.
It was considered a mark of elegance as well as worldiness for a young lady to have spurned at least one lover in her lifetime, and so men rarely went after the true object of their heart's desire until she'd established herself in society as both an available woman and one who had specific standards. Still, if a young woman turned down more than four suitors, she began to be branded as a jilt -- there was a careful balance to be struck, and as can be expected, courtship and its vagaries took up much of the time of young peoples' lives on Leo's asteroids.
The small but elite group of warriors on Leo's asteroids often served as military guard for their homes, and though they were far from leading celibate lives, they almost never married. To protect their people and advance themselves in the study of war was considered the epitome of greatness that a Leonian warrior could achieve, and as a result they often had children out of wedlock due to their many admirers, but rarely settled, as Leonian family units were very important. Men and women both could be recognized as warriors, though if a female warrior got pregnant she was turned from the guard in shame, and so
they were often celibate.
Children born out of wedlock were considered great sources of shame
except in the case where the unwed mother identified the child as belonging to a warrior. If she could get a warrior to agree that he had bedded her, implicating himself as the potential father of the child, the child would be raised as a member of society and treated precisely the same as any other. This in mind, it was virtually unheard of for a child to be born and ostracized from society, because whether it was true or not, mothers would often claim their children belonged to warriors, and chances were they'd slept with
someone who could provide reasonable doubt as to the child's parentage. Extra-marital affairs also took place, as within any society, but a child born inside of a marriage was legally the child of the mother's husband, whether or not he had actually fathered it.
Senshi were exclusively discovered inside the warrior class. The explanation and lore of Leo claimed that, even prior to awakening, Soldier Leo's soul knew that it would one day ascend to become the guardian and protector of the people, and so it was naturally drawn toward the path of a warrior over an artist. There was a specific test that every warrior undertook to determine whether magic was alive inside of them, unawakened, at the age of ten.
When the future senshi was discovered, they were given an elaborate ceremony to celebrate their status. There were festivals and feasts that spanned for five days and fight nights, as Leo is the fifth sign of the zodiac; they culminated in the funeral procession for the new senshi and they were sent away as a warrior and hero, their likeness carved into statues that decorated the temples of Leo. Eerily, these statues are exclusively of children; once they left their home asteroids, senshi never returned again. Leo's duties were at the outpost and castles, and so the senshi was expected to sever all ties with their former life, to the point of abandoning their birth name and never speaking again of which asteroid they hailed from.
Funerals, like everything else for a Leonian citizen, were elaborate and lively occasions. Generations of family gathered, as well as friends and neighbors; it wasn't uncommon for an entire town to be present in the evening time for the funeral of a member of their community. While people were free to wander in and out of the funeral proceedings, the family often spent the entire day preparing endless amounts of food and providing entertainment for those who came to see off the person who had passed away. The recently deceased was dressed in their finest clothes and placed in a prominent position inside the house so that they could be viewed at the leisure of those who passed through.
At the end of the day, the body was brought out to one of the fire pits and set on a stylish wooden chair and set aflame. The ashes were collected by the family and put in an urn to be displayed in the home of the nearest relative; the skeletons were taken to secret burial grounds where none but those who laid them in the ground could walk, as it was considered shameful to be placed in the earth where you would be walked over.
The funeral procession of a senshi was different from a regular citizen only in a few minor ways. Still dressed in their finest, the child-senshi would say goodbye to everyone that they had known, hopefully remaining proud and stoic in the face of their impending departure. If a senshi were overcome by emotion, they were expected to excuse themselves until they were under control again. At the end of the night, rather than their body being burned, their entire wardrobe was instead, and no ashes were preserved.
Leonian FestivalsLeonians always seemed to be celebrating some sort of festival, be they music, art, food, or gladiating. At the turn of the seasons especially there was always a day set aside where no work was done at all; four times a year, the entire collection of Leonian people would celebrate and spend the day entertaining and enjoying life.
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