Races and Ethnicities of the Taijitu RP

[Khem]

like the title says.
Khems:
EDIT: out of date and to be updated.


A young Ser'ev woman.


Da'Kavo General Hazzik

[Letonna]

The letonese:
Originally the decedents of Novmir traders and explorers, they settled on the of Continent of Pelera in the southern hemisphere. The letonese became mostly farmers and hunters until they officially banded to form their first government in the 1600’s.

The Letonese are a pale skinned, average height people. They have strong cultural values for status, wealth and power. They are often considered by outsiders to be snobby and classist. In more recent years(the past 100 years) this has become more apparent. A Letonese man(and more recently women) were born and bred to achieve a desirable social rank. These aristocratic ideals are slowly fading as they become a more progressive and democratic people, however the transition is a difficult one. These classist ideals were most prevalent when Letonna occupied and oppressed the Neustrians from the 1920’s to the 1960’s. It was only through a social revolution that Letonna became more equal for all.

The Letonese diet is largely tuberous plants, hearty vegetables and farm animals like Beef and chicken. Many meals are slow cooked with various animal fats and local herbs; and soups and stews are very common.
Many famous composers, philosophers, writers and artists have come from letonna, all contributing to its rich cultural history. The average Letonese can enjoy unique music, art, and writings from within its own borders; all be it Letonna is also importer of the arts as well.



Emperor Titus, 1942

[Myroria]

The Physical Anthropology, Craniometry, and Innate Superiority of the Myrorian People
by Hlaren Vraertrith
published June 30, 1904

AS THE world is embroiled in the sixth year of this great and terrible war between its civilized nations, I feel compelled to publish this report of my findings on the physical measurements and craniometry of the Myrorian people, esp. as compared to the Eluvataran and Prydainian people, her allies, and the Neustrian, Haradrim, and Pelagian peoples, her timeless enemies. From my extensive research of these groups the only conclusion I can come to is that the Myrorian people are the most intelligent, most shapely, and in general the most successful of all human beings.

The Myrorian Body

The Myrorian body, like all bodies, could be seen as a reflection of its soul. Much as the Myrorian soul is a hardy one, well-adapted to the numerous hardships it has had to undergo such as the Exodus, the Myrorian body is a hardy one adapted to its often unforgiving environment.

The ideal Myrorian man is a tall, muscular and pale-skinned man, befitting his nation. His dark, thick, straight hair warms him during the harsh Myrorian winters and his imposing figure make a powerful logger, fisherman, or soldier. His height allows him to see over the dense grassy woodlands that characterize much of his nation, and also showcase his natural state of lordship over lesser races such as the Pelagian. His pale skin serves as a mark of good breeding - the whiter his skin, the higher he surely must be on the social ladder. Such a clear and visible marker allows those of lesser purity - Pelagians and Myrorians who interbreed with them - to constantly know who is in control. Though I have seen variations from this phenotype - short, stocky men or men with dark skin and curly hair - these are surely aberrations - likely a result of breeding with Pelagians or Neustrians.

The ideal Myrorian woman is likewise modeled to fit her position in society. Shorter than her husband, but still taller than lesser races, the Myrorian lady is likewise pale-skinned and dark-haired, with an hourglass figure and wide hips to aid in birthing the next generation of our great people.

The Myrorian Cranium

By using complex cranial measurements that I cannot describe in detail here, I have determined that the Myrorian cranium, with an average volume of 85 cubic inches, holds the largest brain in the world - slightly larger than the Eluvataran and Prydainian craniums (83.7 and 84 cubic inches, respectively). The Neustrian cranium is in fourth place, at 80 cubic inches - their smaller volume is almost positively the result of years of inbreeding with the Pelagian and Haradrim peoples. The Haradrim cranium has an average measurement of 79 cubic inches, and the Pelagian people come in last place globally at an average of 76 cubic inches.

From these results we can see why the Myrorian front has recently turned around - though the Neustrians and their cousins the Austrasians could invent an initial attack plan given enough time, their smaller brains are not able to plan mid-war, let alone mid-battle, and for these reasons we have begun to repulse their attacks. The Haradrim, with their even smaller brains, have quickly lost control of their entire dying empire and are being attacked on all sides by their enemies, retreating deeper and deeper into the desert. The Pelagians, with their almost miniscule brains, explains their state of constant subjugation since the Myrorian invasion - how they managed to hold an empire together for so long is beyond me; but my theories suggest it was likely the result of Pelagian leaders breeding with more intelligent peoples such as the Eluvatarans and Prydainians.

I also had the opportunity to investigate several Ozian skulls - they came in right above the Neustrians, with an average skull volume of 81 cubic inches. Their current state of subjugation to the almost imbecilic Haradrim is likely a result of their peculiar woman-first society; ruled by emotions and hysteria, the Ozian people likely have a subconscious need to be subjugated to powerful men, even if they are Haradrim.

Conclusion

From these brilliant sciences; the sciences of race theory and craniometry, we can derive our ultimate conclusion: the Myrorian people were designed, surely by God Almighty, to rule Taijitu. The Eluvatarans and Prydainians, who have extremely respectable intelligences, bodies, and skin colors themselves, were likely intended as back-ups. The rest of the world was either cursed by God directly for some Biblical transgression (Pelagians, Haradrim), or fell to sin and interbred with those so cursed (Neustrians, Ozians).

This abstract is merely a small part of my entire book, The Myrorian People and their Place in the World, a copy of which I have given to each Councillor on the Illustrious Council of Great Houses. It will be available in bookstores on July 27, 1904.

The Role of the Family in Myrorian Society: A Culture of Honor, Feuds, and the Rule of Law
By Vadeni Vrotrith, PhD
Imperial College at Fellowmoor
Published January 11, 1987

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Vraren, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
Rolis and Indroniet, Prologue, lines 1-4

IF YOU ASK any member of any family in Myroria over the age of seven, from the noblest Great House to the poorest rural household, they will all be able to name each of their great-great grandparents, and likely where they lived. There is perhaps no country in the entire world where kindred blood is of more import than in Myroria.
 For many, especially those living in the poor rural parts of the country, where one can go miles before seeing someone you don't know intimately, it's often the only thing there is. Outside of the cities, in these truly isolated parts of the nation, kin and familiar relationships - and honor - are just as important, and in many cases more important, than the rule of law.

A history of the House system

Modern Myroria is ruled, as it has been for hundreds of years, by an uneasy alliance between the elected Empeurer of Myroria and the Council of Great Houses, comprising representatives from (usually) three Great Houses. Great Houses were traditions based on ancient Myrorian clans and families, but now function mainly as political parties.

A Great House is an umbrella term; in the distant past, before the death of feudalism, Houses, or families, would pledge loyalty, or fealty, to a more powerful one. For example, House Alpha would pledge fealty to House Beta, and in doing so would combine their resources. These two houses would now become a Great House, a confederation of sorts and a way to pool political power. By the early 1600s, shortly before the Exodus, there were hundreds of Great Houses throughout Old Myroria, each with competing political ideals and each fighting the ostensibly absolute power of the king.

After the fall of Pelagia, the Great Houses assembled a formal council of the three largest such parties, written in law, to perform two duties: elect the king, usually from among themselves, and give advice and counsel to him. Though the king, or Empeurer, legally had unlimited power to rule the nation as he saw fit, in reality he was then, as now, constricted by the opinion of the Council. By the beginning of the 19th century a complex but unwritten constitution governed the administration of the nation and established strict procedures and traditions that were and are held sacrosanct.

Myrorian naming conventions

Before I continue in this examination of the House system, I would like to take some time to elaborate on the naming customs of Myroria, which can often be confusing to outlanders.

Surnames

Most Myrorians are related to each other, if distantly, and this can be easily seen by examining the last names of several Myrorians and seeing how similar they often are to each other. Even Myrorians often refer to each other by their first names, even if they know each other only distantly and formally, appending the surname as needed. The names Vrotrovth and Vrotroth can be easily confused in speech, leading to untold social embarassment. For this reason one will often see a Myrorian refer to another by their given name, which is usually more unique.

Surname structure

Myrorian surnames consist of a prefix, usually representing the family, and a suffix, usually representing a certain branch of the family; a suffix usually refers to where the family lives or what they do. For example, Vrotrovth and Vrotroth are more closely related than Vrotrovth and Quarrovth, even though those two names share a suffix. 

Common prefixes include Vro, Quar, Pril, Moomin, Vril, and Pril. Common suffixes include -roth, indicating that that particular branch of the family lives in a fertile area, -rith, indicating they live in the city, and -trith and -troth, both indicating they live near the ocean. In addition to these "place" suffixes there are also "job" suffixes, such as -rovth, indicating farmers, especially rich planters.

Using Great House Quarrovth as an example, we gleam the following: House Quarrovth, the leading house in the confederation, is the branch of the Quar family that made its money from planting. Sure enough, the lands outside the city of Quarrovth in County of Ivorheart are extensively cultivated and spattered with expensive country houses.

House Quarrith, sworn in fealty to House Quarrovth and belonging to the same confederation, is made up of the members of the Quar family that settled in the city.

Forenames and middle names

These names are often more unique and much simpler. Many Myrorian names are taken from folklore or mythology (Gothren, from Saint Gothren, fabled to drive back a Gaeanist invasion in Old Myroria), variations on place names (Resdayn, from Resdaynia, an archaic name for Old Myroria), or made up entirely out of thin air (Mehra, an extremely common woman's name not seen before the early 1900s)

House War and feuds

Not all things are always sunny in the nation of Myroria. Historically, Great Houses found themselves in almost constant arguments and struggling against each other for political power. Inevitably, these arguments would erupt in violence - and as the years wore on, this violence became more and more frequent. These feuds would eventually contribute to the decision of several large Myrorian families to flee Old Myroria in the great Exodus of 1650.

Upon the Myrorian's victory over the Pelagians, one of the new laws the new king and Council proposed was the Law of House War. House War is a peculiar institution designed to limit deaths as a result of feuds between Great Houses. Once House War is legally declared and recorded by the official Clerk of the Council, a noble of the offensive party's choosing is marked for death. Once a noble is marked for death, an assassin hired by the offensive House, usually at great expense, is allowed to murder the marked noble at no legal penalty. If the noble dies, the offensive House's honor is deemed satisfied and the matter must end. If, after six months of being marked, the marked noble lives, the offensive House must end all argument and consider the matter satisfied.

If the noble dies at the hands of anyone but a legally sanctioned assassin, the matter is treated like any other homicide and the prefecture is often particularly rabid in finding the killer, in order to make an example of those seen as disrespecting the ancient honorable traditions of the Great Houses. Though the implementation of House War did drastically reduce the number of deaths of nobles, it was outlawed in the 1940s by Fendryn Quarrovth - though as the Vrotrith poisoning scandal and subsequent impeachment of Peté Tar-Ilium shows, something resembling House War still happens outside the bounds of the law, even involving outlanders.

Despite efforts to restrict and codify inter-family violence, old-style feuds still continued between poorer, often rural families outside the reach of the law. By one account, between 1840 and 1863, over 2,500 murders were committed in the Taryn Valley of County Ivorheart, almost all a result of feuding between rural families. In rural Myroria, the grasp of the County Magistrate is often weak and the rule of law is hazy. Here, kinship and family are the main sources of authority.

Rolis and Indroniet, a Prydainian play taking place in rural Myroria depicting the tragic death of "star cross'd lovers" ending a decades-long feud, is optimistic to say the least. Very rarely do such feuds end with merely two deaths. Often starting with some real or perceived slight against one family, these feuds can quickly escalate and involve numerous allied Houses, often ending with dozens of deaths and no real solution other than an uneasy, unsteady truce.

Conclusion

Families in Myroria are a complex set of blood relation and tradition, and often arguments inevitably erupt into violence. This violence is becoming increasingly common in modern times and threatens to disrupt the rule of law in Myroria unless solved by the government. I strongly urge Her Majesty and the Illustrious Council to fund law enforcement agencies that can put a stop to these bloody feuds and bring a peace to Myroria not seen in hundreds, perhaps thousands of years.

[Myroria]

Interview at a Myrorian Logging Camp
by James Silas McKeon, M.S.
Imperial Academy of Serebursk
Published March 17, 2004

Last fall, while working on a paper about life in rural Myroria, I came across the opportunity to interview a Myrorian lumberjack, or "timberyack" as the profession is known in colloquial Myrorian Inglish. I jumped on this opportunity as soon as it became available; this was the first time a Myrorian actually approached me, an outlander, to participate in such an interview. Further, almost every previous interview I had given to a Myrorian was laconic, to say the least. I hoped that if this timberyack approached me, an interview with him might allow me to gleam more about the lives of people in rural Myroria than any previous one.

As I had already been in Myroria for a few months working on my paper, I did not have to fly all the way from my house outside Serebursk to meet the subject. I took a train from Thanelen, where I was staying, to Ivorheart, on the other side of the country. I took an overnight train - leaving the Thanelen station at 9:05 PM and arriving in Ivorheart the following morning, at about 11:30. From Ivorheart I rented a car adept at travelling on Myroria's often unpaved and drove east about five hours, to the small village of Hlaren's Plantation. I spent the evening at a farmer's residence, who gladly gave me room and board for payment but offered little in the way for conversation. The following morning, I departed Hlaren's Plantation and took a logging road off Ivorheart Route 14 towards the promised location of this logging camp.

After travel of about one more hour, I arrived at the camp at about 10:30 AM. Work had already been going on at the camp for about four hours by this point, but the subject, a man of about 65 named Mathyn Rariseth, seemed eager to take an early lunch in order to speak with me. We found a comfortable place to sit near an aluminum trailer that the timberyacks slept communally in.

McKEON: It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person, sera.¹
MATHYN: The same, outlander.
McKEON: May I record our interview for my studies, Mathyn?
MATHYN: Of course.

We exchanged some pleasantries before officially beginning the interview:

IAS Archives Tape Library, Sociology, No. 3098

McKEON: This is November the sixth, 2003, and I am in Delvi's Falls, County Ivorheart, Myroria, in a logging camp -
MATHYN: Daroder's Camp.
McKEON: Daroder's Camp, a logging camp. Mathyn here has spent the last 64 years of his life in this town, 50 of them working with Daroder on his tract of land. Mathyn has also spent his whole life as a hunter and outdoorsman in this part of the country, and knows many old stories and songs. And you were just telling me a story about Fadren...
MATHYN: Fadren Quarroth.
McKEON: Yes, that's it. Who was Fadren Quarroth, Mathyn?
MATHYN: Fadren Quarroth was a man born right near that old paper mill over... there. About 75 miles that way. And he lived right near there, too.
McKEON: What paper mill was that?
MATHYN: Fendros Mill.
McKEON: Oh.
MATHYN: That was the Fendros Mill, not the Delvilstown Mill. There was two mills right near each other. The Fendros Mill and the Delvilstown Mill was right near each other, yup.
McKEON: And you said that was how far from here?
MATHYN: About 75 miles, as the crow flies.
McKEON: Now how did you know Fadren Quarroth?
MATHYN: Now, let me see...
McKEON: How did you know Fadren Quarroth?
MATHYN: Well, I was tryin' to think. I was tryna get his name. The fellow who introduced us.
McKEON: A fellow at the mill introduced you?
MATHYN: Yup, it was a man who worked in the mill right there. I used to know him just as well as I know you, but y'know I forget names.
McKEON: Yes, well, what kind of man was Fadren Quarroth?
MATHYN: Oh, he was a fighter alright, yup. He got into a fight up there on Moose Hill and nearly got himself killed. Big man, Fadren, but the other man was bigger. He was a city man, I think. Quarrovth, maybe? He was a fighter too. Boxer.
McKEON: Fadren got into a fight with a boxer on Moose Hill?
MATHYN: That's right. I think he came out to join a timber crew and he and Fadren got into a tussle about something - Fadren was always picking fights. They got into an tussle and decided to come to blows on Moose Hill the next day at sunup, yup.
McKEON: Did you see the fight?
MATHYN: Yup, I did. It was a sight. Fadren punched him across the cheek and the other man - the boxer - he starts going in with all these punches to his gut. I never seen anyone fight like that but I guess that's why they say the city is so dan'grous. Fadren fell to his knees after a few punches like that and the boxer climbed on top and started hitting him, you know, on his face. Oh, I remember after that Fadren's face was puffed up like a bear's ass with hemorrhoids. Oh, beggin' your pardon.
McKEON: It's okay, Mathyn. So Fadren was pretty embarassed after that?
MATHYN: Oh, yeah. He started chopping trees down on his off-time with an axe instead of a chain saw. Now, Fadren was already a big man, and a real cut-up -
McKEON: Cut-up?
MATHYN: An awful critter to fight when he was drinking.
McKEON: Ah.
MATHYN: He was already a real cut-up, but when he started chopping trees down off the clock with just an axe - well, those arms must have swelled up - big as your body!
McKEON: Oh!
MATHYN: So after'n a few months of that, he challenged that old boxer from the city to a rematch back on Moose Hill and just about licked him. Fit to killed him. He ran back to Quarrovth after that.
McKEON: That's quite a story!
MATHYN: It's true, the whole thing. Yeah!


McKEON: Now, what are festivities like among your people? Do you celebrate much?
MATHYN: Oh, now there's much to be thankful for. My family came over during the Exodus, like just about everyone else's, and every year we celebrate Leaving Day. There's also the Catholic holidays, y'know - Easter and Christmas and the like. But as far as partying and drinking and carrying on fool, like you Novmir folks - beggin' your pardon. We just don't think it's right proper.
McKEON: What sort of professions are Myrorians involved in?
MATHYN: Well I'm a logger, just like my father and grandfather. Lots of folks up on the coasts are fishermen - inland people farm or work in the mills. I've never been to the city - I don't know what those folk do. If you're talking about gentlemen, educated-like - they work for the Great Houses. Retainers and politicians. To hell with them! They don't do nothing for us out here. But that's what foreigners think of when they hear Myroria - I reckon most Myrorians would rather jump into the sea than work for a Great House.
McKEON: So if Myrorians don't celebrate holidays, what do you do for fun?
MATHYN: Oh, we do plenty for fun. And I wasn't never saying we Myrorians never celebrate holidays - just that it ain't always proper. We like to dance - organize town dances where everyone and their cousin shows up and has a right good time. And we do love our drink - there must be hundreds of distilleries and vineyards inland making strawberry brandy and wine. We got a bit of a sweet tooth, we do.


After some more pleasantries, the foreman soon came over and called Mathyn back to work. It was a short interview, but it was worth it - though the Academy was footing my bill. I went back to Thanelen with some excellent material for my paper.

If you'd like to read my whole report, including Mathyn's full interview, you can buy my new book, Rural Life in Myroria, in a bookstore near you.

Footnotes
1: A term of respect, from the Old Myrorian serar, meaning "anointed", as in oil or holy water.

[St Oz]

Who are the Ozians? A guide on the people and places before taking a journey to the O Strait
by Dr. Percival Moominorith, Gaeanist Studies Thanelen University, 1979

This paper is part of the required reading list for Thanelen University Students before they leave for an exchange or study abroad trip to Ozia. Students have been mugged, injured, arrested, and/or killed on trips to Ozia due to ignorance of Ozian customs and culture.

The Ozian Ethnicity
Whenever I travel with Myrorian students on exchanges to Ozia, it always comes up. Unless you meet an Ozian who is part of a direship, I learned that it’s extremely rude to make any mention of genealogy, ethnicity, or family. Why is this so? It’s complicated. Not the explanation about culture I could give you, but any Ozian’s explanation would be too complicated. Several have no idea who their father is, mothers who can’t remember who the father was, and several relatives who just don’t know a whole half of their genealogy. Several exchange students from Ozia even have problems hearing about our ancestry. We love to prat about being half Letonese or a quarter Eirish and tell a tale about as many grandparents as we were told about. I myself have a great great great Uncle who once saved a fishing boat during a storm, and the village decided to make a statue in his honor. But what did these Ozians think of all these stories? They hate them, they think they’re boring, and they think we have nothing better to do with our time. The word for ethnicity in the Ozian language is even just the Inglish word, transliterated into O script, but it’s the exact same pronunciation. Ozian in general has only a few Inglish borrowed words, suggesting these Ozians hate the word ethnicity so much that they’ve even disconnected the word from their own language.

So asking the question, Who are the Ozians?, is actually a very daunting task. We only have our generalizations from experience to make a rough guess. In fact you can change into an Ozian whenever you want, just live in the country for eight years, convert to Gaeanism, and take a test in Ozian language proficiency. Women have an alternative route too to become Ozian, they simply give birth to a child in Ozia, said baby and the mother will both receive Ozian citizenship immediately. As far as racial demographics and a census, they’re non-existent in Ozia. Instead when they’re getting an ID, license, or passport, Ozian bureaucrats will submit what colored skin category the person has much like we list peoples eye color. Which is no easy thing to understand either. Most Myrorians would be labeled pink rather than brown here, and the majority of Ozians are labeled as “Olive Light Brown”, but there are a possible thirty colors of skin an ID can have. Some humorous examples are ghastly or very pale, transparent or the palest, and unnatural or a spray-on/golf tan.

These findings are unsurprising if you know Ozian history well. Before the advent of steam engines, Ozia was in its golden age of wind. Attributed to the luck of their location and wind patterns, the other powers of the Cefnor Sea and abroad found the quickest route was always through Ozia. Years of this movement of people through their home have rendered the idea of the Ozian ethnicity empty. Before their golden age they were a defined mix of desert nomads and ancient imperials, but now they’re a diverse group of people that can have any color of skin from the darkest black to transparent, eyes with every shade of the rainbow, and different facial characteristics that came from every part of Taijitu.

 However, there are peculiarities in this diverse mix that make Ozians Ozians. Shades of eyes are always a direct giveaway, the most popular being unheard of in the Northern world. The most common eye colors in Ozia are the dark red and dark blue shades, with a dark purple being third most common. The Purple eye, a growing genetic trait amongst Ozians, is the most fascinating aspect of Ozian culture. Through eye color rather than skin color, Ozians have found discrimination. The Divine Listener always has purple eyes, and Gaean leadership mostly only have purple eyes. The next giveaway is the height differences of males and females in Ozia. Ozian women are on average, four inches taller than the men. A trait unseen in any other culture. Anthropologists wonder if this is a result of ancient Ozian history, when Dunedain nobles enslaved most of the Ozian male population as soldiers, servants, and farmers. Also it’s theorized that mothers would discard stronger and heavier male babies to decrease their value amongst slavers when they came of age. These are however, all speculative and a matter of great debate amongst biologists and anthropologists.

The Ozian Culture
Ozian society is deeply rooted in Gaeanism, and anything from drinking a cup of coffee to smoking zuavka requires ritual. Books often are dedicated to Gaea for giving them the inspiration and dedication to write it. Temples, soothsayers, and shops claiming spiritual enhancement are on every busy street. The most religious people have rituals before cooking, sex, exercising, painting, writing, studying, or even just slipping off their shoes at home. Before entering an Ozian’s house you might be asked to pray at an urn at the front of the house full of ancestor’s ashes. There in Inglish or Ozian you must thank them for shelter and protection from harm. There’s a few household prayers you can memorize to get by acceptably with this. If you are in trouble with the law, your punishment might be hours of meditation at a temple. Once I had a student arrested for drunk and disorderly behavior have to sit and meditate for twelve hours with a priestess. The symbol of Gaea which is seen on the flag of Ozia, is everywhere. Keeping up with all the holidays and rituals will be your greatest challenge. Everything might be normal one day, and then one morning or night you suddenly hear all the streets erupting with singing and fireworks. The Day of Fire is definitely the one you should be most prepared for, though festivities last a week depending on where you are. Describing the whole holiday would take another day, but the day is most known for its copious amount of drinking, kissing, orgies, fireworks, and public chaos. What they’re celebrating might be unclear during the whole thing, but it’s a festival dedicated to the first Listener when she broke the Dunedain Siege of Ozi’pol.     

As for mannerisms, Ozians have always been by far the rudest people I’ve ever met. Why are Ozians so rude? I’ve been told it’s simple, because random kindness is viewed as patronizing (though for Ozia, perhaps we should say matronizing). Opening a door for an Ozian was the first mistake I’ve ever made in the country. The woman grabbed me by the neck and yelled at me with words I didn’t quite understand yet in Ozian. While most Ozians understand Inglish because of their rigorous school system, our shyer Myrorian students are given the cold shoulder if they try speaking any Inglish to them. Once an Ozian slum kid nipped my wallet, and a police officer was nearby watching the entire thing. I gave him a look and asked him if he was going to do anything, but the officer pointed to his watch and told me he was on break. Walking is even a shock to several of my students. In Myroria we enjoy great wide streets and hallways where we enjoy hanging out with friends in great wide lines and spaces. In Ozia this is impossible, because streets are designed for motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. Taking up too much space in Ozia isn’t illegal, but the locals will definitely shove you back into an acceptable space. Personal space is a foreign concept amongst Ozians. They don’t feel shame for touching anywhere, and I receive complaints from women in the exchange group talking about a cop that patted them down or an Ozian shoving them away at any part of the body. Ozian men and women only feel public shame for nudity below the waist, it’s common place during the hottest days to see several Ozians going shirtless, including the women. This is certainly the one thing many of our male students gawk at and pressure our female students into joining in on. I encourage the men to remain calm though, as they have ended up in the hospital for taking too many pictures of this occurrence.

The ideas of matriarchy are still alive and strong in Ozian culture, but the most annoying thing about it is the spitting. Spitting in Ozian culture is seen as a sign of endearment, sexual endearment. Walking on the street I’ve received many spits, and when I stop by the nearest restroom to clean up, another woman will spit in my face. Speaking of restrooms, all public toilets are unisex, and so I’ve been spat on there while cleaning myself off. Telling a police officer that you’re being harassed by the spitting will likely get you spat on by the officer with a dismissive, “Aren’t you a cutie?” Other examples are in Ozian law, which state men are speculative witnesses to crime. The word of a woman is often considered more than two men making the same witness statement. Ozian dinner parties have a peculiar event called the pre-dinner, where men must seat their partners or other women at the dinner table and bring out drinks for them. During this hour or two hour process the men are not allowed to sit at the table, but must begin preparing and plating food for everyone. They also bring out appetizers for these women. Every now and then a woman will call out for more drinks, and they are not expected to get up during this time. My wife tells me whenever we attend these that the women always talk about sports, politics, and sex. Speaking over women is an undesirable thing to do, especially heads of households, combat veterans, and doctorates. Often these days you find a combination of all three. I don’t even dare to speak to these women unless spoken to, and I always call them the equivalent of ma’am in Ozian. Disrespecting them is a good way to lose friendships.


Picture of a lightly skinned Ozian woman
continued on next post

[St Oz]

The Ozian Diet
According to Gaeanist law, when gathering food from any source, all parts must be utilized. Because of this law, traveling in an Ozian market still surprises me after thirty years of studying the culture. The staple food for any Ozian is rice. Through an initiative making it illegal to starve to death (the few hunger strikes I’ve heard about are suppressed by Ozian police shoving rice down their throats), every person is allowed to go to a Gaean temple to worship and receive a day’s ration of rice. A white banner over a temple means they have rice in stock, and a black banner means they’ve run out. Surprisingly though, it’s rare to ever see black banners at temples. Don’t dismiss their cooking as just rice though. Rice is prepared in several manners such as with a scrambled egg, boiled, seasoned, dried, and boiled again, and my favorite is a rice mixed with a goat milk and cheese cream. Your basic proteins are also easy to come by. Fish, chicken, tofu, and pork being the most common and cheap. The more expensive proteins come from rangeland animals including bison, horse, cattle, goat, sheep, and llama. Ozian cuisine usually feature prepared rice, with steamed or fried fruits and vegetables glazed over a meat or protein. Citrus fruit are a popular ingredient added to any food.

Ozians have a variety of alcohol to try, the most popular being from lower class Ozians. The drink is called oezhraki, and is a popular supplement during gambling games. It’s generally made from the pomace byproduct of grapes and fruits from winemakers. As mentioned before, the Gaean doctrine of making the most of whatever is taken from the earth is applied here. The pomace byproduct is often sold at markets in gigantic tubs for household brewing. There are major producers of oezhraki, but Ozians prefer household production and consumption as it’s much cheaper to do. The taste is harsh for most foreigners as some bottles of the household product border up to 120 proof. Adding to a fruit juice with raw sugar is called geshghesi, and is considered the national cocktail. There is a wide variety of alcohol to choose from thanks to the early influence of trading in the region. Alcohol is taxed normally amongst other products, and is generally really cheap. There are only a few national brands of alcohol, and the vast majority of alcohol is going to locally made.

In my opinion, the best thing about the Ozian diet is their coffee culture. Coffee is not something taken lightly in Ozia, and they have more preparations of coffee than I ever thought possible. There are degree programs at university devoted to coffee production, becoming a coffee sommelier, and coffee arts. There is a legend that is often featured on the logos of companies, that is of a woman named Ieter who begged Gaea to allow her to listen to her whispers. At that moment a coffee tree matured in front of her full of ripened berries, and then Gaea set it on fire until what was left were burnt coffee beans. The Ozians consider the coffee tree to be so sacred that removing coffee trees are met with harsh punishments including jail time. Even skyscrapers are put on hold if a coffee tree starts growing on the building site. Coffee shops are everywhere in Ozia, and one only had to walk the streets ten seconds before they see a group of Ozians smoking zuavka and drinking coffee outside. I highly recommend going to a coffee shop, but bring a friend who can show you around. Coffee shops often don’t have menus and any preparation of coffee is already assumed to be known by the locals. When visiting an Ozian at their home, the greatest kindness they can give you is a hand brewed method of coffee. I caution anybody who dislikes coffee to better start tolerating it, because refusing coffee from a host is the greatest insult one can give to an Ozian. Before drinking any coffee in the country, Ozians will say doish’ishi doenieir which means “For waking up to listen.” Not saying this before drinking coffee is an awkward thing to do, but even an attempt at this hard to pronounce phrase it is acceptable. 

Fashion
Ozian fashion have no logos, and a foreigner can be spotted and eyed miles away by muggers if they wear logo apparel. Typically women wear earthy and darker colors compared to much brighter and vibrant colors on men, though depending on the person they wear either. There's not a lot of style differences between men and women's clothing, but everyone wears jeans or pants, with men wearing more tight fitting ones than women. Shirts are typically collared button down shirts, especially in this breathable cotton that's typically dyed gray. They will often have a homemade keffiyeh loosely wrapped around the neck in the same breathable cotton. Tucked in shirts, business suits, and ties will receive awkward looks in Ozia as they are seen as 'too stiff' or 'too capitalist', and they're also prime targets for muggings. Women almost never wear makeup, and wearing makeup marks you as a foreigner ready to be mugged. Some men wear make up on a night out, but hardly during the day. The general rule seems to be, don't wear anything flashy or you'll get mugged.

[Myroria]

House Hlarith, a small family sworn in fealty to Great House Moomintroth, 1896



(left to right) Serjos Fothas, Ano, and Giles Quarrovth, 1910



A high school teacher, Ms. Darvala Rarytrith, and a student work on a farm in County Ivorheart, 1951.



Eyeing a chainsaw that won't start, County Novrith, 1984



Mivanu Indiotrith, a fisherwoman, County Ivorheart, 1999



Hlendrisa Quarrovth, Pelagis, 2007. Note on back of photograph says: "Saw subject leaving building rumored to house a clandestine House War service. When conversation turned to employment, subject said 'Oh, you know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.'"



Mondrar Prilroth, rural County Traval, 2010. Retired timberyack.

[Elara]

~ Elarans ~

Brief Ancient History of the Empire:
Hailing from the foreboding piney forests just west of Eluvatar and south of Zimmerwald the hordes of Elara were seemingly never at peace. Seven tribes carved bloody swathes through the fertile lands to the south when they weren't fighting one another. Petty blood feuds and ancient claims were common things to be settled. But, the Shai'Vurren, holy book of the Elaran people told of another time when the tribes would be united and the grand design could begin to take form. Holy furor filled the warrior hearts of many igniting long lasting tribal holy wars. Some of the less enlightened frequently stalked the shores of the ancient Cefnor coasts in their long wooden vessels, leaving a bitter history of their own. But then silence in the forests and coasts as Tulric Vaylen, first Asharr (Emperor) of Elara, finally managed to unite the tribes through the combined use of a silver tongue and an iron sword. A golden age of cultural growth and rejuvenation swept through under the guidance of the noble Houses.

Elaran People:
The fiercely proud people of Elara are a numerous and curious oddity in their region. With fair skin and hair of golden blonde, deep red or somewhere in the middle, and with haunting blue and green eyes, they are quite a sight. Men typically reach a height of at least 6 foot (typically 6'2"-6'4") and built for battle, while women average about 5'7" with graceful, soft features. They are very spiritual following their holy religion of Shai'a which teaches them to honor the values of the Gods but also to be fiercely loyal to their seven noble houses (including the Imperial Household) whom they believe hold divine blood. Elaran families are considered the foundation of their society and their typically large families are second only to the Gods and the Emperor. Much comes with a family name and dishonor from one person can be brought upon an entire family, thus affecting social status and opportunity.

Elaran Noble Houses & Gods:
Each noble house is said to be descended of one of the 7 Shai'an Gods. Also, each noble House maintain their own small force of fighters (with numbers not exceeding Imperial Decree), while the Imperial household maintains the much larger Imperial Army. History has seen a constant struggle between these Houses as they each vie for power, often culminating in large bloody conflicts, assassinations or more recently corporate takeovers. Though after the massive and costly battle of Tor'Serin in 1542, the Emperor (Asharr) Ty'sell, aided by the Imperial Army, ordered the noble Houses back to their strongholds, limiting forever their holdings and size of their armies, and making each Lord/Lady (Venarr / Venarri) regional Governors. Instigating conflict that interferes with the Grand Design was made punishable by death.

House Vaylen (Imperial Family) - Descended from Eltir, God of Light, the Guide
House Morrok - Descended from Zarr'Anin, God of Fire, the War God
House Zira - Descended from Aleera, Goddess of Earth (Plants, Animals), the Protector
House Nor'enn - Descedended from Naya, Goddess of Water, bringer of Life
House Revarr - Descended from Ostya, Goddess of Air, the Messenger and bringer of Wisdom
House Ulterr - Descended from Verron, God of Earth (Metals, Stone), the Smith (brother of Aleera)
House Sylas - Descended from Kirenn, Goddess of Darkness, bringer of dreams, the Great Judge

An Elaran woman from Kor'Valla:


Elaran business mogul, entrepreneur and visionary - Lestan Dur'onn:


~ The Miranese ~

The Miranese tribes were never a truly united people. Their small villages lived in relative harmony even trading with visiting Elaran merchants from across Cefnor. They are small in stature with almond eyes that are incredibly bright and beautiful with hues of blue and green. Deeply spiritual they believed their Gods had abandoned them when a plague in 1732 ravaged many of their villages and brought their people to the brink of extinction. Elaran traders had brought word of their plight back to Vel'Falas where somehow the idea that this was part of the Grand Design somehow entered the Imperial Court. Elaran clerics brought food and medicinal herbs across the sea in great lumbering wooden barges and with them the holy word of Shai'a. The Miranese tribes slowly began to convert until finally the plague subsided after villages were quarantined and burned by the Imperial Army. The healing of the land and the people was surely a sign from the true gods. Even though not Elaran by blood, and only making up roughly 9% of the Imperial population (most of which live in Miran), they are now some of the most devout adherents to Shai'a and known for their unfailing loyalty to the Empire. When the Elaran colony cities of Terr'Varen and Novira first rose up out of the jungle brush, the Miranese, utterly amazed by Elaran architecture and mighty ivory towers, began to mimic that architecture within their own communities. Their assimilation and dedication to the Empire, especially in the Great War has earned them unparalleled status in the Empire.

Ayanna Ontori, Imperial Advisor on Miranese Affairs, Elaran Imperial Court:


General Masura Zonn, commander of the 51st Armored "Reaver" Division of the Imperial Army:


Kiro Atawa, recently appointed Regional Governor of Mira and CEO of Atawa Industries:

[Delfos]

New Delfos, the unified country of the Delphic Bay of the Phoenixia continent suffers from being a focal point of the 3 main indo-Phoenixian mega ethnicities.


Early Kita people invading parts of the Delphic Bay


Ethnic distribution of Indo-Phoenixian cultures.


Beautiful carthography by Street Oz

Indo-Phoenixian Ethnicities

Northern Phoenixian ethnic group, the Kita people, resembles western Cefnor people, mostly Caucasian that have migrated from that area. There were more migrations from this area earlier and they add up to the Suna people. They can be related to Real Life Eastern European (Slavic and Greek) and Middle Eastern ethnicities.

Central Phoenixian ethnic group, the Suna people, are descendants from Novic and early Khemish people. Circa 2500 BCE, they have formed the first civilizations of the Phoenixian continent around what is now the Mahara Desert, with heavy cultural influence from early Khemish culture. They distinguished from the Seijin people and scarcely dominating most of the northern part of Phoenixia, until the later incursions set to the settlement of the Kita people. Suna are Caucasian of darker skin-tones than their Phoenician counterparts, resembling indo-Novmir people, with slightly slanted eyes. Their early ethnicity can be related to Real Life Canaanite and Phoenician ethnicities, nowadays resembling East Mediterranean / Middle Eastern people.

Southern Phoenixian ethnic group, the Seijin people, are descendants from Dunedain and Praemian cultures, and Novic people, that migrated from Northern Cefnor and Novmir to Phoenixia around 3000 BCE, over time they have developed a major culture around the Seijin Bay, in the Southwest part of the Phoenixian culture. There's evidence that Seijin culture has predominance of scattered settlements in most of the South part of Phoenixia including parts of the Delphic Bay during the development of the Suna culture. They have mostly very pale skin with slanted eyes and high cheek bones. They can be related to Real Life Eastern Asian Ethnicities, being mostly Nippon (Japanese) around the Delphic Bay.

New Delfos (Delphic Bay) Ethnicities:
Modern New Delfos is very multicultural, specially in Delfingrado where the ethnic diversity is embraced. Sbbasburg in the north counts with representative Letonese and Myrorian minorities, Kazjkien in the south has a large Khemish minority.


Seijin people in the Delphic Bay


Kita women

Kita men


Suna Women

Suna Men

[Hendrix]

Ethnic Diversity:
As TUFM was colonised late, its harsh weather conditions mean there were no indigenous people.
The majority of the TUFM population are Caucasian of Anglo-Russian Decent. There are guidelines regarding the concentration of a specific ethnicity within metropolitan areas, however communities have naturally sprung up particularly in the larger cities. These 'towns' are modeled in the same way as those in other westernised countries with shops, restaurants and religious buildings dependent on the heritage of the group. The only difference is legislation which forbids public signage being displayed in languages other than English. Most large towns and cities have a 'chinatown' 'littleitaly' and 'banglatown' but the majority of areas are openly Anglo in their look and output, with English shops, pubs, restaurants and such.

Other large ethnic communities.
-There is a large Maori Community on the North East outskirts of Armford Commune, with a population matching that of New Zealand.
-Gabrielograd is a town with over 60% claiming Dutch Heritage.
-Isiah Has a large Jamaican and West Indian population
-Nova Preatoria has a large South African population.

Reflected in this are three Divisions of Infantry in the Armed Forces each with brigades who's members hold specific heritage.

Physical Makeup:
Freemen are traditionally tall and bulky, with men being considered 'short' at anything under 5 Foot 9. Due to the harsh weather conditions most are relatively wide in appearance but muscular. Hair Colour is mixed, however Brown hair is most common, blue eyes are common, but so are Brown and Green eyes.
The height gap between men and women is slightly more pronounced in TUFM, with a one foot gap being very common.

[The general of the north]

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2379/2492842732_621841421e_o.jpg
http://themindunleashed.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/secondd.jpg
http://i332.photobucket.com/albums/m324/davetboy_19/72473_lumberjack_commandos.jpg

[Allama]

Jutensan ethnicity and culture is inspired by Aztecs and Mayans, which I've blended together (and subsequently warped beyond all RL recognition).

[Delfos]

Request pin, bump.

[Myroria]

Pinned!