Peoples

Academia

There is a major university system in the city-states, mostly the imperial and neutral cities, that is limited to the wealthy and powerful. It is rare for someone not of privilege and rank to join academia. The culture there is one of protectiveness of the knowledge they have, of seeking obscure or arcane lore, and of valuing a mystical version of science that is intentionally obfuscated from outsiders.

Andatis

Andato is the westernmost Talunese city, close to the Galdish Westlands and the Terreblantan Empire, and thus, it has a mix of Terreblantian (and thus imperial), Galdish, and Talunese culture. People there see themselves as more free and emotionally intelligent, and they view other Talunese and Galdish people as uncultured. The pleasant climate means it is a popular location for vacationing nobles, and the wealthy and powerful often have homes there no matter where they are from.

Brightfire family

The Brightfire family is an international criminal organization with ancient roots that are said to be older than the world itself. The leaders of the Brightfires are said to be semi-Divine. There are many mysteries and legends about them, but it is known that their center of power is in the islands, and their connections run deep. They are a very powerful crime syndicate.

Charioteers and chariot fans

The chariot racers of Lupposto are a subculture all their own, and their fans are a major part of it. Imagine medieval football hooligans and the incredibly arrogant celebrity athletes they worship, and add in a bit more wrecklessness.

The enslaved

The enslaved come from all over the world. Many are taken from colonized lands or from uncolonized places where imperials have raided. Many come from the poor and destitute in imperial lands. Slavery is illegal in Santamaria and the elemental cities, tolerated in neutral cities, and a thriving business in imperial cities. In Santamaria, any enslaved person who sets foot there is legally considered free. In the elemental cities, they are not, but if they remain a certain time, they may sue for freedom.

There is no singular culture for the enslaved, but some commonalities arise, such as intentionally sewn divisions, a constant level of fear, and various dreams of freedom and how to get there. Oftentimes, secret patois languages and codes develop among them, blended cultural traditions arise, and a certain savviness on how to survive.

Faerie immigrants

Immigrants from the realm of Faerie often have a drastically different outlook from any other group. They believe in stories instead of reality, know things they shouldn’t, fear the Wild Hunt, and have many superstitions. They are seen as exotic, powerful, and scary, and they have a privileged place among the oppressed. They often have trouble adjusting to changing seasons, laws instead of Lore and Tradition, and having to work for a living.

Fortebiancans

Fortebiancans are fey, and thus, their culture is a blend of Talunese and Faerie. Most are spirits based on local legends, myths, and stories, and thus, they keep the Talunese culture, but they often operate on Lore and Tradition much as those of Faerie do.

Freed folk

The ex-enslaved and former serfs are an extremely varied group. Some come from all over the world, some are local, but they all share the fact that they are no longer bound or owned. This leads to small pocket communities in cities where they live a step up from their former lives, but still oppressed and poor. They share their cultures, have shared spaces where traditions blend, and their own patois languages developing. Some cluster in shared cultures from the past, however, and more resemble immigrant communities than mixed ones.

Gladiators

Gladiators exist only in Lupposto and Nuoposto, as the sport that defines them only exists there. They are a mix of enslaved or imprisoned (damnati), captured soldiers (munus) and free warriors (gladiators) who fight in the colosseums of their respective cities, and they have developed a stratified but unique subculture of belligerence, dominance rituals, popularity contests, toxic competitiveness, sexual liberty, blood sacrifice, vulgarity, stupid dares, openly corrupt gambling, and disdain for non-gladiators.

Immigrant communities

There are many immigrant communities in the Talunese area. The region is closer to the southern continents than most parts of Ansulym, bringing it into contact with others more frequently, and trade has been a major part of its history. It also has an imperial past wherein it had conquered parts of the southern continents instead of merely colonizing them. This created a cultural exchange that has led to there being many immigrant communities, especially in the cities, and mixed cultures. There are neighborhoods of the cities where traditions from other continents are prominent and thriving.

Imperial culture

While Talune has its own imperial past, “imperial culture” here refers to the culture of the White Crown Concordance. Talune’s initial refusal to join the White Crown Concordance and subsequent dissolution of its empire means that there has been less assimilation into the imperial culture, but those city-states who have allied with it since then are seeing more and more imperial culture creep in, especially from Urayme (which has shared roots with Talune) and Furich Amol (which appropriated heavily from Talune), creating a feedback loop of emphasizing values of dominance, conquest, and racial purity. The Imperial Church is a major part of their culture, and they are very proud of their faith in a way that derides the faiths of others.

Island culture

The southern islands of the Talunese region have always had a separate culture from the mainland. They have a slightly different cuisine and art, a connection with the volcanoes, and more engagement with people from other continents. The islands are more of a crossroads, and save for the volcanic religion that is dominant in some communities there, it is very cosmopolitan in its cities while being provincial in the rural areas inland. They all share an understanding of fire, earth, and ash, however.

Lautian resistance

As referenced in the Religion section, Lautianism is a pre-messianic religion based on a past rebellion and the belief that those who died in it were deified. There are also those who revere Lauti culturally and not as a deity, and they seek to carry on the legacy of resistance to tyranny, forming a loose network of people, often descended of the formerly enslaved or amongst the most oppressed, who hold onto values such as liberty, equality, and justice not just as beliefs but as part of their music, cuisine, and practices.

Madralists

Often referred to erroneously as a “witch cult”, the madralists are a loosely connected set of cultures who remember back before the Fall and try to emulate the pre-patriarchal values of their foremothers. These crop up in every culture in the region and are usually more isolated families or fringe communities who have better resisted assimilation. Their culture tends to be based on older variations of the culture they are part of and have some more sustainable elements, a mixture of popular and elemental alignments.

Mercantilists

“Forward-thinking” urban communities who are focused on industrial progress, exploration, colonization, and business as opposed to the old nobility, land-based ways or the imperial order being thrust upon them, they mix Talunese urbanist elitism, imperial ambition, and outright greed with a belief in technological revolution. They are rich, cruel, and impulsive, living in small communities in port cities, usually made up of younger folks, who want to be on the cutting edge. Medieval fucking yuppies.

Montane folk

In the northern mountains, the Talunese people there have mixed deeply with the tribes and cultures who once threatened and raided them, giving a blended culture that combines the Talunese traditions with the Kerupene, Barausian, and Jorgendish attitudes. The Talunese culture is deeply influenced by their northern neighbors, leading to a similar outlook on conflict, time, and family to the northern, montane tribes, and a valuing of lore, music, cuisine, and politics from the Talunese.

The nobility

Most Talunese nobility are holding onto the old ways. Their power rested in their control of the land, and those who still own it hold onto it, keeping serfs and owning slaves, cherishing the luxuries and culture that came with it, and believing themselves inherently superior. Those who no longer own land or who were descended of lesser nobility seek to gain power through the old system or move on to new systems. But the lust for power and wealth remains.

The old cultures

In remote places, the oldest cultures of the region survive not in full, but in half-remembered customs, words with obscure usages, and ancient rites still practiced. These are usually a mix of fey (due to the old stories) and elemental, a blend of a belief in legends with no remembered origin and practices meant to appease elemental spirits or help live with nature. There are a dozen or so of these throughout the region whose names are forgotten but whose traditions live on in fragmentary form.

Peasants

Peasants are self-sustaining farmers who do not fully own their land but work for a lord. They give a small amount to the lords, have greater independence, and are not bound legally to the land. They are part of the old feudal order, and they are a significant part of the agricultural economy of the area. Peasants have varying cultures depending on region, but they all share a simplified view of life and tradition that comes from living with less.

Piappertans

Piappertans live in the swampy city of Piapperto, ruled by the black dragon Venutomartio. The thick swamp around their city reflects their isolationism. They tend to not trust outsiders, working with them only for trade. The city relies on the rice farms, fishing, fur trapping, and wood harvesting of the swamp-folk nearby, who view themselves as the true servants of the dragon. The city-dwellers view themselves as better than the swamp-dwelling Piappertans. But they all draw their identity from their city, the swamp, and their devotion to the dragon. They value rigid discipline and routines.

Piedmonters

The people of the foothills are superstitious and skeptical of outsiders, clannish and closed off, and they tend to keep a mix of unaligned, elemental, and fey magicks and lore. They are Talunese through and through, but they have their own folk spin. They are viewed by citydwellers as rustic and crude, but they have complex political and social norms that even the most complex academics have a hard time understanding.

Santamarians

The free-city of Santamaria is first and foremost still a Talunese city with Talunese culture, but their radical shift in politics, economy, and social structure has meant their culture has evolved to be more communally focused, intentional, and defensive. Specifically, they are wary of influence from the imperial cities and White Crown Concordance and intentionally attempt to divorce themselves from those influences in their culture. Their trade is more directed to non-imperial lands, meaning they have a different variety of goods coming in, and their arts and industry are focused on finding new ways or connecting with old ones from before the imperial period.

Seafarers

The seafarers are the elemental and unaligned communities along the coasts who live off the sea - sailing, trading, fishing, diving, and so on. They worship the seas, have tales from around the world, let others into their culture as they come through their ports, and have a distinct cuisine from the daily catch. There are traditions among them for leaving their home ports and seeing the world, but they always come back.

Serfs

Serfs are oppressed people bound to the land in the feudal system. They are barely more free than slaves - if the land is sold, so are they, so to speak. They work the land on behalf of the lords and barely get anything back for it. They have no uniform culture, but there is always a common theme among them of being generations of land-bound farmers.

Star-watchers

The star-watchers are the elementally aligned peoples whose culture and religion are focused on the stars, the cosmos, and the solar system. Observatories and astrology are major parts of their culture, and use of the stars to understand the universe and the world is their main interest. They have a complicated history and belief system about the planets, the stars, and constellations, and every constellation represents a story of the cosmos that is central to their folklore.

Talunese traditionalists

Talunese traditionalists are the nobles who want to bring back the old Talunese Empire. Mostly centered in Lupposto and Nuoposto, they have allied with the White Crown Concordance, but some of them believe their ambitions should be to take it over rather than work with them. Regardless, they are united in their glorification of the worst parts of the past - colonization, slavery, patriarchy, and racial purity are their values. War and conquest are the heart of their ambitions.

Viridianists

The viridianists are the various and varied cultures of the people who are still connected to nature, still worship the elemental spirits and deities, and still try to live in harmony with nature. They wield elemental magic and live mostly in rural areas, but there are a few cities as well. The most notable of their cities is Rotondo. Their cultures do vary by region, but Rotondo is a good representation of their commonalities: making art out of natural materials but without intentionally killing anything, mirroring the animals, plants, and fungi of the area, refusing to make technology that hurts nature and instead using magic to make up for it. They are losing ground to the imperials.

Wandering Troupers

The actors, puppeteers, musicians, bards, sideshows, and other performers who wander the region have a long tradition to pull from. They mix their theatrical culture with historical knowledge and popular art. They are often well known regionally or in specific cities. They are often run out of town during plagues, but they are beloved by the common folk. The powers-that-be often think of them as pests.