The Astynomia

"Law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice." THE ASTYNOMIA (Αστυνομία or Police in English) are an elite team composed of cats that all belong to the City of Knossos. These cats live very luxurious lives and are pampered by humans, but they are deadly. They have been taught from early adolescence the ways of murder and righteousness. Their main job used to be based around going into the maze to search for living felines within and killing them while also policing the general cities to ensure that the law is enforced.

Joining The Ranks
To become a member of the Astynomia, a feline must pass a series of tests, including fighting in the arena's lower tiered training battles. The top felines in those battles often are passed onto a Gymnaste who then evaluates their capabilities before returning the feline in question to the council for final judgement before the King of Knossos or his Council of Felines. The fighting Circuit opens up mass fights where prospective members for the Army and Astynomia are pitted against seasoned Olympians who have fought in the arena most of their lives for the glory of Zeus. These large battles only occur twice a year, allowing new blood to potentially show their worth before the council and the King. Winners are then taken to their respective leaders to evaluate whether their performances matched the expectations of their respective faction since these prospects are for both the Army and Astynomia.

Proving Yourself
Right before the Autumnal and Vernal Equinoxes, the great Olympians prepare themselves for the biggest fights of the year; Placement Qualifications. In order to join in on the fights, prospective members for the Astynomia must complete a set of tasks set before them by the Council of Felines. First, the feline looking to join must have won three separate fights on three separate days against three separate opponents before a Gymnaste who will confirm whether or not they fought in accordance to the guidelines given to them for each fight. Then, the feline must have proven themselves as knowledgeable of the laws and expectations of the Astynomia before either the Archon or his Dekarchos. Finally, they have to complete another performance for the Gymnaste, either besting the Gymnaste or a chosen champion in battle. Once these requirements are completed, the feline in question will be given the date of battle and assigned to work under a Gymnaste until that date.

It should be obvious, but felines who complete their requirements earlier tend to have a better chance at preparing for the fights.

However, there are other ways to become an Astynomia. Some felines impress the Archon so greatly that they bypass qualifications altogether and are asked to join without question. These such cases, while not common, are not unheard of and are completely acceptable to use for a character's backstory.

Staff Note: The next in-game qualification period is set to occur in an unknown time period, as we are still in June of 72 BCE. If you're looking to set a character up on this path, please message the staff so that we are aware and can either allow your character to take part (if you're okay with waiting) or discuss options on how your character would stand out to the Archon to allow you to join sooner. Since TMS works in a slower time-frame, we want to find a good balance between both options to work to your needs.

Current Player Characters Up For Autumnal Qualification
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Lifestyle
Astynomia live in their own quarters within the palace of Knossos, within kennels nearby the palace, or in places of worship. It's mostly up to the feline's preference. These felines still fight in the arena for money and/or training, though both generally go hand in hand.

The Astynomia are taught from the first days of their training that loyalty is to their duties, to their humans, and to their mentors. They work as a team in the Maze, but selflessness is the key to the Astynomia. The idea is that their sole purpose is to their job and dealing with the threats within the maze. Dying in the line of duty is expected, especially for those that work as Hunters, as the Maze is, above all, a dangerous place to be. Trainees are taught by felines who no longer go into the maze and are dedicated solely to training to ensure that they remember attachment is only for work, and that their own life is more important to their position than anything else, even their own kind. If strong bonds do develop, as it is possible for fellow Astynomia to fall in love with each other and mate, it is still important for these felines to remember... duty comes before everything, even family.

The choice to become an Astynomia is a choice that will follow you for life. The code is simple: survive the maze, don't try to be a hero for your brethren, and most importantly, follow the curfew and the paths set before you in the maze. All else follows the common laws of the city. If you lose somebody within the maze, they can be replaced, as the worst has probably come to pass for those inside. If a feline gets lost within the maze, insanity and death are likely to follow. The value of sacrifice does not go unnoticed, and those that die within the maze are often remembered with pride.

Unless, of course, they tried to be a hero.

Culture
Arranged pairs are common within the Astynomia; normally meaning that a character's master or family chooses their mate for them (not required)

The night before a union between felines, the felines will go to the temple of Poseidon (males) or Artemis (females) in the city and bathe. The idea behind this is that they are "washing their old life away" and preparing them both for their joined life ahead.

No items are exchanged between the two felines, as it was Roman tradition that started with the giving of rings (on the maid's middle finger, as it was believed there was a vein that ran to the heart from there). The idea of exchanging rings for unity originated from Christianity which is currently not a religion in this group because it didn't exist at this time.

Much like the other city factions, members of the Astynomia often take part in the Greek tradition of the symposium. The symposium in ancient times was basically a large party that gathered to drink and eat in merriment with exchanges of wit and words being the main form of entertainment... aside from the actual entertainers -who may have been more like courtesans in some cases- that would dance, sing, juggle, or do other acts to accompany the discussion. In Greece, males were the ones who took part in this... In TMS, we're going to go with the fact that cats view gender differently than humans do. Cool? Cool.

When not taking part in sparring with the Olympians (which normally happens to get into the position of the Army/Astynomia), members of the Astynomia are more than welcome to watch the felines spar, wrestle, or compete in other ways for entertainment, especially in the evenings when they're coming back from the Maze.

Unlike the Knossos Army, which enjoys company within their own faction and will actively seek out other members of their faction in the evenings or when they're not away at battle, the Astynomia don't always spend time with one another outside of work. Instead, they prefer to build connections with the felines of the city itself. Work / life balance is a big key to their livelihoods, as most felines have family that are not within the faction itself.

Greece was known for it's small time festivals, and because of that, the Astynomia are known to have their own small faction festivals throughout the year... but because the Greeks were crazy and had around 60 festivals a year (according to some of the books the staff has in their possession), we're not listing those out until we officially build a calendar of events for the group (which may not be until we're actually open)

Unlike most Greeks, the Astynomia are not able to bury most of their dead in grand ceremonies, as they are told from day one that they are not family and are not meant to create close ties to other felines within the faction. (That and, let's be real, dragging a corpse through the maze is not a good idea). Because of this, most felines partake in going to the Temple of Hades when a feline has been lost or died within the maze, often bringing something with them to guide them down the River Styx. This is not done out of care, but instead done to try to make an already unorthodox way of handling death a little more orthodox... Think of it as more of a formality than that of something done out of care.

If a member of the Astynomia are lucky enough to die within the city, it is their family's job to bury them and send them off to Hades properly. Births are seen as a private affair within the Astynomia, which means that when a feline gives birth to a little of cubs, they tend to follow the traditions of the city and keep it as a familial ceremony.

Vernacular
'Maze-bound:' Being lost in the maze forever, unable to return home Army dog: A member of the astynomia that sympathizes and even hangs out with the Knossos Army in their free time. Any term relating to dogs is seen as offensive, as they're seen as lesser animals than that of cats. Night crawler: A feline who has a tendency to spend too much time near curfew in the maze, either just barely making it home before dark, or returning just after the sun has set every night. Wolf crew: A group of felines that are in the Astynomia that treat each other more like a very close band of brothers; derogatory

Law & Order
Since the Astynomia are technically the law themselves, they often do not have to hold themselves to the same expectations that the rest of society has to follow. They have simple rules that must be followed, and while they can still get into trouble for not following the general rule of law, as felines who are trained in the way of death, it is unsurprising that murder is viewed differently under the lens of the law for these cats.

Anybody who has not been sentenced to the maze should not be killed unless they are found guilty of the following:


 * Harming a human or killing a human
 * Harming or killing a member of the astynomia
 * Killing another feline without good reason
 * Conspiring against the Astynomia
 * Conspiring against the King & his council

Foundations
Before the Maze State was created, the council had whispered of a potential way to deal with the maze, which was considered to be an ever present threat to the cities of Crete.

Current Timeline
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Education and Training
The city has always held a "whoever can prove themselves may join" view of both the Army and the Astynomia, and because of this, a wide variety of felines may work together. Families who have been in the city's upper crust of nobility can work alongside street urchins who come from very little. You just have to prove yourself in combat.

TBA
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Religious Structure Edit
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Leadership
The Archon

Dekarchos

Gymnastēs

General Ranks
Tereos

Thireftis

Apaxio

Training Ranks
Paídes

Prospects

Notable Figures & NPCs
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Locations
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Maze Felines
"We need to kill you else we're out of a job"

The Knossos Army
"We get along with you but we hate doing your job."

The City Factions
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The Roman Army
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