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Bright Spirit Bud
92a0df
So over spring break, I had a lot of time to dick around but no internet to dick with. I decided to do some world building for this setting, and post it here so I can remember it all when I eventually edit the wiki. Most of it's only half done but yeah. Here we go.
Culture
There are two groups of Rezan cultures that dominate the majority of Rezan society: the Rezruton, and the Resilkem
However, the Rezruton hold their larger majority, and hence their language is the adopted standard for naming all the other peoples.
There are several subcultures that exist in Rezo however that cling to their old lifestyle despite the incursion of Rezruton.
The most notable cultures on Rezo are as follows:
The Rezruton("Us, the People): The largest ethnic group/culture on Rezo. The originated around the southern plains, where plentiful food and warm climates saw them reproduce exponentially. They quickly began to outgrow their home, and thus expanded outwards. Being Rezans, they expanded with military force, subjugating other clans and groups and absorbing them into their own. This however ensured their population would continuously be too large for their current territory to support, and fueled numerous campaigns to take even more land. This is basically the same as the Rezilkem, but the notable difference between them and the Rezruton is ingenuity. Rezruton leaders were constantly looking for new ideas and inventions that would give them an edge. Many of these new inventions they stumbled upon by accident when trying to find a solution for something else. When magic started appearing with more abundance among Rezans, the Rezruton sought new ways to calm these violent minds. What they got instead was Glyph Karving. Gouging these magic sensitive glyphs on the heads of captured slaves dulled specific parts of the mind, making them more docile and easy to control while still allowing the slaves to have control of other mental faculties. This system allowed Rezruton to support a massive slave population without the risk of rebellion and revolt. This in turn made them an economic powerhouse in early Rezan society, that accepted slaves as an alternative to coin. When the Pariah ended the continuous conflicts between the clans, it was the Rezruton that emerged dominant at the end, and they lead at the front of the allied clans to unite all of Rezo through military might. Though many clans have since adopted this culture, the ruling families of Makag and Gamin trace their lineage back to the original Rezruton clan.
Rezruton are 'average', about as tall as the average human, with a frame about the same as an average human. Maybe it was the heat of their native home, or maybe it was their ancestors' reverence of the Breeder, but Rezruton are very frisky. They relieve stress with sex as often as fighting or bloodletting, which has led to a very open clan regarding relationships. It is no surprise that the Makag and Gamin families are so large when compared to the others. Not just through client families, but the main house has many more members than other families; and Makag and Gamin maintain VERY friendly relations with each other. Their casual wear can be anywhere from 'revealing' to 'promiscuous' and all their art
at some point or another involves something erotic. However that isn't to say Rezruton are totally hedonistic. They are also brilliant. Dangerously brilliant. They have fewer inhibitions about science and math, always looking for something to improve their life at home or their soldiers on the battlefield. It also leads to those who pursue more violent careers (slavers, soldiers, mercenaries) to train more in exotic weaponry, for the dramatic flair, and it makes it harder for the enemy to anticipate their movements.
The Resilkem("We, People"): The second most dominant culture. Their home is located around the rocky cliffs of the southeastern coast, what they lacked in farming they made up with hunting and fishing. This wouldn't be enough to sustain them however and they moved outward. The Resilkem have earned a treacherous reputation thanks to their more underhanded tactics. Such as attacking allies when they are weakened, launching raids during the agreed truce during the winter season, and generally doing whatever it took to ensure their clans' survival. However, they were honor-bound to look after those they conquered. Over time, other clans that were absorbed and their traditions became incorporated into a giant amalgamation of rites, and customs and hypocrisy.
The Resilkem emerged from the Pariah's Intervention on par with the Rezruton, and for the longest time they were set to simply hold half of Rezo. The decline began when the allied clans united the remaining factions. Many of the smaller clans chose the safety and open attitude of the Rezruton, not quite as many found comfort in the very reserved Resilkem. Today the original clan is survived by most notably, Rokof family, and they still maintain the combined traditions of all the clans their family absorbed.
The most notable aspect of the Resilkem is their body mutilation. Tattoos, piercings, and scarring are commonplace amongst its people as a sign of maturity, or certificates for specific responsibilities. A man without even a single ear piercing will not even be perceived as an adult to the Resilkem; and other clans interpret this attitude as stuck up and haughty. This results in the Resilkem looking down on other clans. How can you trust someone to be competent enough to run a nation if they aren't without the tattoo that says they can?
The Rezmodla(Coastal Clans): These are people that live predominantly on the water. Be it a river, or the sea, the Rezmodla are most comfortable where its wet. Rezans as a whole are naturally war like and aggressive, which is why most of its history is just a stream of skirmishes, wars, and assassinations. Because being near a source of fresh water is vital for a clan to grow(and thus be strong enough to fight other clans) the Rezmodla often found themselves ousted from lakes and rivers, and forced to flee to the Rezan coastlines. Here they rebuilt their lives as fishermen and traders. Their ability at all things boat related made them valuable assets to those who were able to ally with them. It didn't stop them from being targeted by others however and they were still hunted. The Rezmodla eventually scattered into smaller families that found their way to other parts of Rezo. It isn't clear when it happened, but the Rezmodla as a people started becoming more androgynous. Males began to look like females, and females started to lose their
more defining features but still maintaining a feminine figure. This worked both to their advantage and disadvantage. On the one hand, they were sought out even more, not just to hire their services as navigators, but for marriage proposals and alliances. This also led to more aggressive clans that couldn't secure either to enslave even more of them, keeping them as trophies for others to gawk at. However the Rezmodla also used this as a way to infiltrate other clans. The slaves would work their way around clan leaders, seducing them with honeyed words and taking over the clan when said leaders mysteriously die. The Gamin family, while originally and still following Rezruton customs, is now predominantly Rezmodla all tracing back to the first slave that seduced the clan's patriarch.
Rezmodla are very mirthful, and this nature is expressed in their culture. Their dialect is almost poetic, even musical. Words softly meld into the next and sentences are spoken like pouring water. They have different slang that they can say cheerfully to each other despite its morbid translation. Where most Rezans may ask "How are you?" Rezmodla ask "You are still alive?", a reflection of their dark history. They are quick to trust despite being the chew toy of more powerful clans, and are very optimistic. To the point it is nauseating.
One of the more notable fashion of the Rezmodla is the throat scarf. Because in the past Rezmodla were vastly separated by their boats, shouting was a requirement for communication. It is believed that to ensure communication, the throat needs to stay warm and safe. The scarf emerged as a form of extra protection against all ailments of the throat, allowing the person to have a perfect voice. The nobility have mostly discarded this tradition, but the Rezmodla who still play their trade on the open water all still wear their colorful throat scarfs.
The Rezkongol (North Mountain Home): These clans live on the windward side of the northern Stormtrap Mountains. An apt name as the snowstorms that would normally pelt Rezo are spent all along the northern side of these mountains. It is here that the Rezkongol make their home. Their history is a mystery as they kept few written records and few clans bothered to seek them out. Even now they are something of an enigma to the rest of Rezo. Their clans are predominately matriarchal, and women fill the roles of hunters, fishers, scouts, and guides. Their small frames allow them to move through narrow passages with ease and their diminutive size keep them from disturbing the thinner portions of ice. The men usually stay at home and fulfill domestic roles cooking, caring for the children, and acting as midwife(or midhusband?) to expecting mothers.
Despite their outward gentile appearance, they are quite blunt and very no-nonsense, coming across as rude to others, but this simply a fact of their life. Talk is cheap, get it out of the way as fast as possible. This is also reflected in their child rearing. Rezkongol mothers are notoriously strict, brooking no error, and treating even slight mistakes as horrible failure. They are slow to reward, and quick to punish, determined to have children that are self reliant at a very early stage. These children often bear several scars as reminders to not make mistakes. None of the major families have direct lineage to Rezkongol culture, but the Makag family has a few members. Such as Venian's mother.
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