they live in a densely wooded forest that is bordered by mountains. a spring and multiple streams that stem from the mountain all connect in the forest to create a river, which runs through the entirety of the territory. due to its stemming from the spring, the water is very fresh and perfect for drinking. as their forest is so dense, the majority of the territory is quite shaded, however there are a few breaks in the trees and some small clearings dotted throughout the territory.

CAMP

their central camp and meeting place is a massive fortress built into the side of a mountain - the mountain is the northern border. there are dozens of rooms of varying sizes that function mostly as living spaces, however some of the larger rooms have been converted into things such as a meeting place for high positions, a medicine area for healers and a library. meetings are held in the entrance hall of the fortress, at the top of a flight of stairs that leads to the rest of the building.

BORDERS

the southern border is marked by the thinning of the trees, as the forest turns to fields. this is the direction that most visitors and newcomers seem to come from, as it is the most accessible and nearest to other groups. the western border is marked by an ancient fallen tree. it's giant, its stump more than twice the height of a large dog and stretching nearly 100 feet down the border. to fill in the parts of the western border that are not marked by the tree, members of the citadel have lined up rocks spaced about fifteen feet apart down the entirety of the western boulder. the eastern border is also part of the mountains that line the territory, almost entirely rock and steep mountain. not many visitors come from this direction.

this is something i haven't entirely worked out yet, however there is a religion of sorts that the majority of the citadel follows. it is not necessary for one to believe in said religion or gods, though most members do and many of the events and traditions followed are based off of their religion.

one of the citadel's many traditions is their coming of age ceremony
though many individuals and groups consider around six months the time an individual is transitioning from a child to an adult, the citadel performs no celebration until an individual reaches the age of (approximately) twelve months. every couple of months, when more than one individual has reached the age of twelve months, the clan comes together and essentially has a huge party. the leader (considering calling them the monarch?) of the citadel makes a ceremonial speech, there is a food sacrifice to the gods, and then they basically just throw a party in the coming of age individuals' names. from this point forward, they are considered and treated as adults, meaning punishments for rule-breaks are more severe and they are expected to be more responsible and help look after and teach the young of the clan.

the next tradition is referred to as dies lustricus, which means "day of purification". in the citadel, this is a rather short process in contrast to the weeklong ceremony performed by the romans. there is a food sacrifice and the parent(s) choose a name for the child. members of the family often swear to protect the child and then it is given an amulet called a bulla, which is said to ward off evil, which is worn for the rest of its time in the clan.

bullas are also granted to new members after they (if considered an adult) make an oath to serve and protect the clan. if they are not considered an adult, they don't have to go through any oath and are not allowed to be turned away at the borders, and are also given bullas.

when a member of the citadel is promoted to deputy, assistant deputy, or a healer, they must make a new oath to the clan, one that puts their life before the others of the clan and swears to defend it and its people no matter what horrors lie before them.

GODS

i'm only gonna explain ares right now because they're (still havent figured out what gender i want to represent them with ??) the primary god in the citadel's religion and i'm still working out the rest of the gods

ARES
ares is primarily the god of love and war. unlike in roman mythology, where mars rules war and venus love (or ares and aphrodite in greek), i chose to have this god rule both, for the citadel believes that in order to achieve peace and love, one must be willing to fight for it. thus, ares is the "king"/leader of the gods, as they represent the citadel's core beliefs.

though very strict about the rules they have, the citadel does not have many (i may add more/adjust them, but these are a few that i definitely know there will be)

• physical fights with/attacks on allies and neutrals are strictly forbidden. a physical fight with or attack on an ally/person of neutral standing will result in whatever injuries inflicted on the victim being inflicted on the attacker.

• physical fights with/attacks on other members of the citadel that are not monitored are strictly forbidden and will result in the attacker having the same injuries they inflicted on the victim, inflicted on themself. however, if there is a serious disagreement between two or more members of the citadel, they may physically fight it out with a group of witnesses and an unbiased judge to watch and end it before anyone is fatally injured.

• the monarch's final word is law. blatant disobedience is punishable as they see fit.

• members of the citadel are expected to respect and obey their high positions; failure to do so will result in whatever punishment the high position deems as fit. (if the offender finds the punishment unfit, they may take it up with someone with more authority)

• rape of a clanmate, ally, or enemy is punishable by a public beating, branding, and exile. rape of a child is punishable by torture and subsequent execution.

• capture of enemies is permitted in the circumstance of war, however, torture is unlawful and punishable by the same torture inflicted upon the victim inflicted on the offender unless stated otherwise by the monarch.