Ninjas
The Ninja's are one of two dominant powers in The Antelope Books(In this case, the term "Ninja" refers to a culture, rather than a profession).
Contents
Culture
The ninjas value space-efficiency. Their homes, particularly middle and lower-class homes, are often very cramped, and making best-use of available space is always a priority. Beds are typically very high, bunk-beds are common, as are beds with cabinets and drawers underneath for storage.
This particular trend in space-usage has led to a number of curious results. Specifically, the height of one's bed off the floor denotes their social status; the higher the bed, the lower the sleeper. The poor often have to sleep very close to their rafters or even in lofts, while the very wealthy actually have their beds placed in depressions in the floor. These are not strict rules with adherence, but a general fad. Most ninjas prefer their bed be exactly halfway between the floor and the ceiling.
Festivals
Every holiday on the ninja calendar calls for a celebration. Every month on the night of the full moon they celebrate the Light's Day Festival, and there are around five or six other major holidays throughout the year(thus an average of two festivals a month). Some regions also celebrate the night of the new moon, or Dark's Day.
Festivals are always held after sunset, lit by torches, lanterns, and bonfires(though most ninjas also have excellent night-vision). Whenever one of the major dated holidays coincides with Light's Day, it is cause for an even greater celebration.
The festivals are held along the processional leading up to the local temple. In major cities such as Ninpou, local neighborhoods might hold smaller festivals around their own shrines.
The festivals are all largely the same: booths offering food, goods, wine, or games. Lots of music, prizes, dancing, and everyone dressed in their very best. The men always wear their blackest clothes, while women don festive kimono-style outfits filled with bright colors. The festivals are heavily steeped in tradition, and each one includes hundreds of small, unwritten rules that must be followed.
Each festival is also completed with offerings at the local temple or shrine.
Religion
The ninja religion can best be described as "complicated". The whole thing is based around a set of stories called "sacred texts" from which various parables are derived. The religion has grown with age, as the deeds of living heroes are included.
The Sacred Texts themselves can never be printed(though Ninja culture has nearly always possessed moveable type printing presses). The texts must always be hand-copied, and are so numerous that no temple(let alone a solitary individual) has ever owned a complete set.
By and large, the religion focuses around ancestor-worship and honor. The afterlife is described as a great journey which has no end.
The ninja god is described as a great and terrifying warrior, dressed in black armor and wielding two massive swords. The religion can be described as monotheistic in the sense that the ninja god is the only true god, while hundreds of historical and mythical figures have been raised to god-like status.
