Phelimar's Society is simple was, above all, militaristic. The Societies emphasis on military fitness begins virtually at birth. Shortly after birth, the mother of a child is baths it in wine to see whether the child was strong. If the child survived it was brought before the elders of the area by the child's father. The elders then decided whether it was to be kept or not. If found defective or weak, the baby is left on the wild slopes of Mt. Costo to die. Phelimarian boys leave home for military boarding school at the age of 7 and are required to serve in the army until age thirty. Then they pass into the active reserve, where they remained until the age of sixty. Phelimarian education from the ages of seven to thirty emphasize physical toughness , steadfastness in military ranks, and absolute obedience to orders. The ordinary Phelimarian is a citizen-warrior, or hoplite, trained to obey and endure; he becomes a politician only if chosen to for a single year at a time. He can be elected a life member of the council after his sixtieth year, in which he would be free from military service. Men are encouraged to marry at the age of twenty but can not live with their families until they leave their active military service at age thirty. The Phelimarans perfect the craft of hoplite warfare. They call themselves equals, pointing to their common lifestyle and the discipline of the phalanx, which demands that no soldier be superior to his comrades. The leaders of Phelimar is King Leonidas and the council rule with absolute control although the council votes on issues King Leonidas truly rules Phelimar.
