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	THE SIX VIRTUES

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In historic Lendosa, much of society revolved around a set of six Virtues that people were expected to live their lives according to. It is from these six Virtues that the drinisi (the hexagonal symbol of Lendosa) originated. Today, the Virtues are considerably less important than they once were, but their influence is still noticable. While the Virtues may not necessarily be thought of anymore, they form the basis for the attitudes and values of many Lendosans.

Thee six Virtues are Vigilancia, Gravitaso, Diligencia, Merecedato, Patiencia, and Discrisano. Translation of these names is sometimes problematic, as accurate renditions are not always possible. The most common translations, however, are Vigilance, Seriousness, Diligence, Justice, Patience, and Discretion.

Vigilancia
The Virtudeo da Vigilancia, best translated as the Virtue of Vigilance, calls for constant preparedness and watchfulness. At no time must people be caught unawares, and at no time must they be surprised or startled. They must always be aware of what is going on around them, and must always be aware of how what is going on could affect them.

Gravitaso
The Virtudeo do Gravitaso does not have a perfect Ingallish translation. The term comes from the Liliani word gravitas, and essentially refers to dignity, restraint, and seriousness. One who has gravitas does not fool around, and does not make light of serious situations. Similarly, one with gravitas will be well grounded in reality and not given to unproductive dreaming when there are more important things to be done. It does not preclude humour and emotion, but merely allows them to be easily restrained when need be.

Diligencia
The Virtudeo da Diligencia essentially translates as the Virtue of Diligence. One who is truely committed to the Virtue of Diligence will always be focused upon the task at hand, never distracted by the unimportant or the trivial. Diligence is single-mindedness and directness of approach, and the ability to continue towards the required goal regardless of cost or effort needed to achieve this.

Merecedato
The Virtudeo do Merecedato has no Ingallish equivalent which adequately conveys the point of the Virtue. This virtue essentially requires that people are given what they deserve. This includes both positive and negative things. That is, merecedato requires that people receive just reward for something well done, but also requires that those guilty of crime receive their punishment without any mercy or sympathy being shown.

Patiencia
The Virtudeo da Paciencia is translated as the Virtue of Patience. Those committed to the Virtue of Patience are able to remain dedicated to a goal over long periods, and are able to wait as long as required in order to get what they want. They do not become reckless when forced to wait, and they do not become angry at delays and setbacks, persevering against the circumstances.

Discrisano
The Virtudeo do Discrisano is generally translated as the Virtue of Discretion. This is the Virtue of knowing what to reveal and what to retain in order to best serve a cause. It is not lying, but merely controlling information that could be damaging if known, and is the Virtue that enables people to trust each other with important information knowing that it will not be spread around the world out of misguided idealism.

However, along with these Virtues is usually a note of caution. In the tale which details the establishment of the six Virtues, the sucessor to the King who founded them was, while a good man and a follower of the Virtues, misguided by his scheming advisors into misinterpreting the six. By applying them all without moderation, a system designed to provide a stable and reasonable social order produced a tyrrany. Vigilance was not moderated and grew into paranoia, with the state seeing danger and treachery everywhere, and it became the excuse behind the establishment of secret police with almost unlimited power, and behind torturous inquisitions into loyalty. Diligence, when put into practice without moderation, soon transformed into ruthlessness, with nothing whatsoever able to sway the state from its course - including concerns of ethics and morality. Gravitas without moderation grew into intolerance of anything outside the serious and composed state, with art, culture, and music all suppressed as frivolous wastes of time. Merecedato and justice, when applied without necessary moderation, turned into apathy, and lack of care for the feelings, thoughts, and concerns held by anyone at all. Patience without moderation became inactivity, and inactivity changed gradually into inflexibility and rigidness - why change when things aren't all that bad as they are? Things would inevitably get better in time. Discretion, when taken to extremes, resulted in secrecy and exclusion, with nobody told anything more than what they absolutely needed to know, and nobody willing to trust another with information.

As such, these Virtues were supposed to be followed, but not followed as absolute codes that must be obeyed at all costs.