Dascea
Dascean Territory
Capital: Vertel, City of Kings.
Language: Anglo-Saxon, Arthurian Legend, Dutch, English, German, Teutonic.
Naming Conventions: Given Name, Family Name (often an occupation or place name)
Ex: Aidan Stille (the silent).
Government: None established. Former monarchy no longer represented.
Current Ruler: None.
Politics: Noble houses vying for support to claim the vacant throne and establish a new dynasty.
Exports: Wine, fruit, some game animals, some simple cloth.
Imports: Fine cloth.
Currency: Precious metal coins with different houses minting their own coins based on old world standard weights.
Geography: Temperate forests transitioning to plains in the south.
Climate: Warm in the summer, cold in the winter.
Physical Appearance: Light to medium skin tone, widely varied hair and eye color.
Clothing Styles: Mostly functional tunics and trousers. Some upper class dress ostentatiously, often in foreign fabrics, so show off their wealth.
Personal Hygiene: Better for the upper class, though the "dirty peasants" aren't that dirty...
Diet: Fish and beer is more common for the lower classes, red meat and wine more common for the upper class, though the more inland homesteads regularly supplement their diet with hunting and gathering.
Cultural Taboos: Not maintaining eye contact when greeting someone, having a serious discussion, or toasting is seen as a sign the person cannot be trusted.
Proper Greeting: A strong handshake, clasping just below the elbow while maintaining eye contact.
Recreational Activities: Amongst the lower class recreational activities tend to be productive, such as wood carving, weaving, etc. Upper class activities include painting, fencing, and games.
Arts/Architecture: Art often used to show off family's wealth or history, most construction local hardwoods, some stonework used for religious temples and statuary.
Family Structure: Several generations living in the same home is common, the elders usually watching and teaching the youngsters.
Social Structure: Nobles on top, peasants on the bottom. That is the way of things.
Marriage: The nobility of the larger cities, especially Vertel, are very focused on arranged marriages in an attempt the strengthen their position in the social hierarchy. As for the peasantry, who cares who they marry amongst themselves.
Sexuality: Homosexuality is not spoken of in polite society. Neither is prostitution, though it is a common enough pastime. What one does with a prostitute, though, is between them and the walls.
Education: Mostly at home, unless a child shows a particular interest or aptitude for a different trade, in which case they may be apprenticed.
Common Methods of Transport: On foot, horseback, horse drawn wagons.
Legal System and Punishments: At the discretion of the offended party, usually upper class nobility, though town constable dictates punishment for most common offenses. Punishments may include incarceration, though public shaming has become somewhat more common of late.
Military: House guard for the landed nobles, town militia for the common villager. weapon preferences vary, though bows and crossbows are common. Armor is largely a matter of means, with poorer warriors suffering padded or leather, escalation to scale and chain for the better off. Plate armor is often relegated to family heirlooms, given the expense.
Religion: In the beginning there were two sisters, Earth and Moon. To these sisters came a great man, Sun. Though both sisters desired this man, he chose one to be his bride. Their love would lead to the birth of their many children, the inhabitants of this world. Over time, the parents would raise the greatest of their children up to help them look after the world and its inhabitants.
Sister Moon was jealous of Earth and sought to corrupt that which her sister had created. She gave her favor to those who sought to overthrow her sister's children. During the Long Dark, a series of conflicts between the gods resulted in several of the gods and their clergies being nearly or completely wiped out. See ‘Gods’ War’ Tale.
Burial Rituals: Commoners are buried in family plots, usually with a small headstone. nobles often pay for more elaborate rites, such as a stone sarcophagus.
Animals of Significance: Several animals have been taken as symbols on family crests.
Practice of Divination: Divination is looked upon as the purview of the dark gods, and anyone caught participating in such is likely to find themselves in a bad way. Now, that does not stop many people from going to non-Dasceans for answers to their deepest questions, they just have to be circumspect about it.
View of Magic: Evil! They brought the Long Dark on us! The best way to purge it from a witch is through fire!
View of other cultures:
Skenden: Frozen barbarians. You have to be impressed by a people who can live in such a wasteland, even if you question their sanity.
Minzoku: A proper people, if a bit odd. The most civil of cultures, though their reverence for "spirits" is suspect.
Oami: Isn't it strange how they can travel so far so quickly? Still, best not offend them. They make the best salves and ointments, if you can trust them.
Ta Atoua: Now here is a people who knows the order of the world. Some people are just naturally better than others. Now if they would just relax sometimes, everyone could get along with them a little easier.
Ash-Sh'b: They worship the fae, shows how much you can trust them. Still, they are the best sailors on the sea.
Free Isles: Pirates all! Hang them high and long.
Other Notes:
The Dasceans were particularly bad off during the Long Dark, as when they colonized they basically set up a lot of little villages and homesteads all over the place. They actually started exploring pretty deep inland, but when the sky went dark, most of those villages were cut off.
Language: Anglo-Saxon, Arthurian Legend, Dutch, English, German, Teutonic.
Naming Conventions: Given Name, Family Name (often an occupation or place name)
Ex: Aidan Stille (the silent).
Government: None established. Former monarchy no longer represented.
Current Ruler: None.
Politics: Noble houses vying for support to claim the vacant throne and establish a new dynasty.
Exports: Wine, fruit, some game animals, some simple cloth.
Imports: Fine cloth.
Currency: Precious metal coins with different houses minting their own coins based on old world standard weights.
Geography: Temperate forests transitioning to plains in the south.
Climate: Warm in the summer, cold in the winter.
Physical Appearance: Light to medium skin tone, widely varied hair and eye color.
Clothing Styles: Mostly functional tunics and trousers. Some upper class dress ostentatiously, often in foreign fabrics, so show off their wealth.
Personal Hygiene: Better for the upper class, though the "dirty peasants" aren't that dirty...
Diet: Fish and beer is more common for the lower classes, red meat and wine more common for the upper class, though the more inland homesteads regularly supplement their diet with hunting and gathering.
Cultural Taboos: Not maintaining eye contact when greeting someone, having a serious discussion, or toasting is seen as a sign the person cannot be trusted.
Proper Greeting: A strong handshake, clasping just below the elbow while maintaining eye contact.
Recreational Activities: Amongst the lower class recreational activities tend to be productive, such as wood carving, weaving, etc. Upper class activities include painting, fencing, and games.
Arts/Architecture: Art often used to show off family's wealth or history, most construction local hardwoods, some stonework used for religious temples and statuary.
Family Structure: Several generations living in the same home is common, the elders usually watching and teaching the youngsters.
Social Structure: Nobles on top, peasants on the bottom. That is the way of things.
Marriage: The nobility of the larger cities, especially Vertel, are very focused on arranged marriages in an attempt the strengthen their position in the social hierarchy. As for the peasantry, who cares who they marry amongst themselves.
Sexuality: Homosexuality is not spoken of in polite society. Neither is prostitution, though it is a common enough pastime. What one does with a prostitute, though, is between them and the walls.
Education: Mostly at home, unless a child shows a particular interest or aptitude for a different trade, in which case they may be apprenticed.
Common Methods of Transport: On foot, horseback, horse drawn wagons.
Legal System and Punishments: At the discretion of the offended party, usually upper class nobility, though town constable dictates punishment for most common offenses. Punishments may include incarceration, though public shaming has become somewhat more common of late.
Military: House guard for the landed nobles, town militia for the common villager. weapon preferences vary, though bows and crossbows are common. Armor is largely a matter of means, with poorer warriors suffering padded or leather, escalation to scale and chain for the better off. Plate armor is often relegated to family heirlooms, given the expense.
Religion: In the beginning there were two sisters, Earth and Moon. To these sisters came a great man, Sun. Though both sisters desired this man, he chose one to be his bride. Their love would lead to the birth of their many children, the inhabitants of this world. Over time, the parents would raise the greatest of their children up to help them look after the world and its inhabitants.
Sister Moon was jealous of Earth and sought to corrupt that which her sister had created. She gave her favor to those who sought to overthrow her sister's children. During the Long Dark, a series of conflicts between the gods resulted in several of the gods and their clergies being nearly or completely wiped out. See ‘Gods’ War’ Tale.
Burial Rituals: Commoners are buried in family plots, usually with a small headstone. nobles often pay for more elaborate rites, such as a stone sarcophagus.
Animals of Significance: Several animals have been taken as symbols on family crests.
Practice of Divination: Divination is looked upon as the purview of the dark gods, and anyone caught participating in such is likely to find themselves in a bad way. Now, that does not stop many people from going to non-Dasceans for answers to their deepest questions, they just have to be circumspect about it.
View of Magic: Evil! They brought the Long Dark on us! The best way to purge it from a witch is through fire!
View of other cultures:
Skenden: Frozen barbarians. You have to be impressed by a people who can live in such a wasteland, even if you question their sanity.
Minzoku: A proper people, if a bit odd. The most civil of cultures, though their reverence for "spirits" is suspect.
Oami: Isn't it strange how they can travel so far so quickly? Still, best not offend them. They make the best salves and ointments, if you can trust them.
Ta Atoua: Now here is a people who knows the order of the world. Some people are just naturally better than others. Now if they would just relax sometimes, everyone could get along with them a little easier.
Ash-Sh'b: They worship the fae, shows how much you can trust them. Still, they are the best sailors on the sea.
Free Isles: Pirates all! Hang them high and long.
Other Notes:
The Dasceans were particularly bad off during the Long Dark, as when they colonized they basically set up a lot of little villages and homesteads all over the place. They actually started exploring pretty deep inland, but when the sky went dark, most of those villages were cut off.