Khinhatt

Time Perception

The Khanwis view time as flowing up Kac, the tallest mountain in Khinhatt. Time begins each morning at the bottom of the mountain, flows up until night, and then rolls all the way back down like a boulder.

Naming System

People in Khinhatt are given a personal name, typically chosen by their mother and often disyllabic. They also carry a matronymic surname, derived from their mother's name and marked with a gendered suffix:

• Masculine suffix: -wokh
• Feminine suffix: -sin

For example, the son of someone named Denkhan would have the surname Denkhanwokh, while her daughter would be Denwkhansin.

Linguistic Constraints and Exceptions

Due to the structure of Khikhow, the language spoken in Khinhatt, standard matronymics occasionally conflict with phonological rules, particularly when the mother's name ends in a sound that doesn't accommodate the gendered suffix cleanly (For example, Khenwes + -sin). To resolve this, the mother's matronymic is used with a suffix, instead of her given name. To avoid excessively long or linguistically awkward names due to suffix stacking or repetition, the following simplifications apply:

• Three instances of “sin” (after the first) compress to wekh
• Three instances of “wekh” compress to khow
• Three instances of “khow” compress to khew

There is one notable irregularity:

• If khow would be followed by the suffix -wokh, it becomes wokhwokh instead of khowwokh.

These transformations help keep names structurally sound within Khikhow's strict syllable rules while maintaining the cultural lineage encoded in naming.

Military

Generally, in Khinhatt's military, women are leaders and typically don't go out and physically fight, while men do fight but often don't lead. This is mainly caused by a belief that women are smarter and more strategically focused, while men are stronger and more willing to risk their lives. Khinhatt's military has been extremely successful over its long time in action.

Signatures

To sign documents, people stamp their fingerprints. Often, different fingers are used for different levels of security and formality.

Prostitution

⚠️ Content Warning: This page discusses cultural views on sex work, including reproductive expectations, intergenerational transmission of sex work, and societal norms where sexual activity is not hidden. While the text is fictional and does not depict abuse, it includes topics that some readers may find uncomfortable or upsetting. Reader discretion is advised.

In Khinhatt, prostitution is a legal and culturally normalized profession. While not considered prestigious, it is viewed with relative neutrality compared to other occupations. The majority of sex workers are men, due in part to gendered social norms. Men in Khinhatt face fewer restrictions in their sexual behavior, whereas women are more socially regulated.

Both male and female prostitutes are common, and their work is often intertwined with cultural expectations around fertility. Women are encouraged to have many children, and in some cases, sex work is seen as a method of pursuing this goal. Clients may specifically seek partners for impregnation, especially in situations where women wish to have children outside of traditional relationships. The practice is sometimes referred to as an art form, and sex workers often use magic to enhance their appearance.

Discretion is highly valued in the profession. Confidentiality is seen as essential, and sex workers who violate their clients' privacy are typically avoided.

Prostitution plays a unique role for those in Khinhatt's LGBTQ+ community. Social restrictions often prevent open same-sex relationships, so sex work can be one of the few avenues for safe expression of same-sex intimacy.

⚠️ This is reflective of societal norms in this fictional setting, not a generalization of LGBTQ+ realities.

In families where sex work is a generational tradition, mothers may pass on both practical knowledge and magical techniques to their children, viewed less as exploitation and more as apprenticeship. Khinhatt culture does not emphasize modesty in the same way as many other societies do, and domestic life is often shared communally. What might be considered inappropriate exposure in one culture is not necessarily viewed the same way in another.

⚠️ This is not an endorsement of such behavior. It is a documentation of the culture of a fictional society. Societies can differ dramatically in values and practices, and some may hold norms that are objectively harmful, including forms of discrimination or exploitation. Including them does not condone them, but reflects how diverse and often troubling cultural logics can be.

Because of the integrated nature of home and work life, it is not uncommon for children of sex workers to be exposed to their profession early on. Cultural norms around privacy and modesty differ significantly from many modern real-world societies, and sexual activity may occur in shared living spaces without the same taboos.

⚠️ This is not an endorsement of such behavior. It is a documentation of the culture of a fictional society. Societies can differ dramatically in values and practices, and some may hold norms that are objectively harmful, including forms of discrimination or exploitation. Including them does not condone them, but reflects how diverse and often troubling cultural logics can be.

In Khinhatt, sex work is one of the few professions where physical beauty is a professional asset. It is not uncommon for children raised in this environment to grow up with both the skills and the expectations to follow in their parents' footsteps, particularly when economic survival or upward mobility is tied to appearance.