In Titan's Shadow

Deadline for Culture Submission: Friday July 11, 2014 @ 11:59 PM

In Titan's Shadow is a NES, by yours truly. I am the Chief Executive Administrative Moderator-in-Chief (no one will tell me what to do, so don't try). If you are new here, and thus have no experience with NESing (the rather awkward name courtesy of teenagers from twelve years ago, with no bearing on real life) I point you to the NES Guide stickied at the top of our subforum. Otherwise, ask me questions either in thread or via Private Message (I prefer the latter so the thread is not spammed), for I am a genuinely nice guy and if my cellmate disagrees he knows what snitches get. This is a tolerant, story heavy environment, but don't be frightened away. New or old, all are welcome.

A note to players: I am heavily biased towards players who produce content for the NES (stories, images, music, languages, etc.). I will not hide this bias. I will not display this in the form of bonuses, as ye old NESes. The invisible hand shall judge, no other. You do not have to, and often won't notice the benefits if you do. Just know a bias exists in the system and you, too, can take advantage of trickle down Luckynomics.

This is what you would call a non-earth cradle fresh start NES. The point being to take humanity from the dawn of civilization forward in a realistic fashion on a non-earth setting, there are no fantasy elements.

Now to the nitty-gritty. This post will change to include finalized rules after the first update of this NES, which will be based solely on player contributed cultures and my own moderation moving us from the beginning of time to roughly 1500 BCE in development. Following the first update, the NES will include stats and orders are expected. Ergo, the first turn is as simple or complex as you wish it to be. Like a highschool relationship, there is no long term commitment required at this stage.

Our world is a strange beast unlike Earth in many ways. You will notice the given cradle map, the map in which you must develop your first turn yet-to-be-assimilated-into-the-world-empire groups on. On this map the eastern mountains climb to the skies and form a near impenetrable wall for the epic tropical cyclone seasons on the ocean beyond. Yearly, under the battering of these storms, slow moving tropical systems pass over and flood the rivers of the cradle with precious, life renewing waters. The world is wetter and warmer than our own. To the south a great bone-dry desert awaits, and few who venture forth ever return. To the west a shallow sea on a bed of coral, where most of its length the bottom is easily seen from the surface and the waters remain calm year round. Between these regions is primary, semi-arid grasslands and hardpan cut by clean rivers and shielded from the worst the world has to throw at you.

The most obvious differences in this world from our own are its sky. The planet is a moon of a gas giant, one of dozens, and our dear, warm star is not the largest object in the day sky. The gas giant is circled with golden rings, itself a warm greenish-blue. The closest nearby sibling moons appear to be white, grey, and yellow to the naked eye. The keenest eyes say the white moon carried streaks of blue-grey on its surface. Having a mother planet in a gas giant brings with it glorious side effects. The most startling are the eclipses. Twice a year in late spring and late autumn there are days where the titan shades the world completely from the giving light of the sun. Three to five days of darkness are typical. If you have any questions, ask someone who cares.

The following is the cultural template I expect you to fill out to claim your reserved spots.

Current Claims Map:


Climate Map:

Orange = Semi-arid
Tan = Arid
Dark Green = Temperate Rain Forest
Light Green = Continental
Blue = Mediterranean
Lightest Blue = Alpine


Base Map:

reserving

reserved for future use

reserved number five

final one

You may now post.

In like flin

Ibeba

Starting Location:

the best little island on the west coast

Society:

The Ibeban culture consists of all extant waves of exiles in the island of Anagatlay and a smattering of settlements that may or may not exist on the mainland coast. Ibeban is a name created over a few hundred years and is not necessarily adopted by newer exile groups who may try to maintain their identity in the face of the greater Ibeban population.

Politically, Ibeba and its one real center of population at Tabang are organized similarly to its sister cultures of Danginsang & [Shadowbound culture]. Political power is shared through a rotating monarchy that incorporates new clans as they intermarry and make themselves into proper Ibebans. This upper class of powerful clans intermingles with but is not coterminous with the priesthoods that will later be mentioned.

What is a proper Ibeban? To begin with, they are not boat-dwellers. Either they have chosen the land or been exiled to it, either way they are people of the earth. Gift-giving among immediate neighbors and clan members is a frequent practice. They also partake enthusiastically in religious festivals around the eclipses plus the rare festival for the ascension of a new ruler. Due to population pressures, the emphasis on regular human sacrifice has been manumitted over the years into sacrifice of exotic fish/animals and the occasional brigand/slave bloodletting. Actual sacrifice of human beings is considered a waste, if not barbarous. A few followers of various philosophizers find sacrifice in general abhorrent, at least until the question of human origin can be satisfyingly answered.

The island of Anugatlay has a dual persona as ritually polluting & holy, your viewpoint depending on your exile generation, your priestly caste, and even your occupation. Outsiders may avoid associating with Ibebans at all due to reputation.

Merchants are around in the guise of the Dang priesthood, but they are not Ibeban. They stay for a short time to make money through trade and depart. They are sometimes a necessity for peoples that will not associate with Ibebans due to spiritual pollution.

The pirates that dot the landscape in Anugatlay attempt to live as they believe the purest in the Danginsang did, as “ships unto themselves”, self-sufficient and paragons of moral leadership under the banner of the Sida priesthood. Most Ibebans see them as apart yet included in the wider Ibeban culture. The “apart” would be the alien indigenous tribes that have attached themselves to various piratical clans (mostly for their own survival). The “included” is the aforementioned fisherman-priest dynamic, though the more cynical view this as a cover for naked pursuit of plunder, often in the form of slaves that are then sold in markets throughout the western littoral (including Tabang itself).

Lineage:

Lineage often traced through the male line, though some clans differ. Polygamous relations not frowned upon but especially embraced by the upper clans as a way to integrate new populations. A powerful upper clan matriarch or patriarch might be corporate, in that they have 1 “true” spouse and a dozen others for the purposes of “building their brand” so to speak. It seems even the lowest commoner clans have some way to trace themselves to an upper clan and thus feel themselves involved or looked after.

Food:

Fish. Lots of fish. Every type of fish dish imaginable. Favorite dishes combine fish and fruit (pomegranates, mandarins, figs mostly), and the latter featured breakfast and festival treats. Fermented fruit for alcohol. Some domesticated small game I would imagine, but not a lot of diet variety in lean years.

Religion(s):

The aforementioned Naw & Sida priesthoods dominate the propagation of religious belief on the island of Anugatly among their respective populations. The Nugaosan priestesses are given their space for worship, but are no longer respected among most Ibebans due to their strict adherence to sacrificial rites.

The Naw priesthood lead festivals and sacrifices in the name of the storm god Odagi. This deity is rather angry and vengeful, though in what direction and what purpose is debated among the priesthood and the people. He is the premier god but not the only one.

Among the Naws lay the seeds of early philosophical “schools”, all claiming inspiration from the legendary Ibeban thinker Yandanuganan. She hypothesized man came from the sea, either directly from fish or some pre-human sea dweller and offered the Danginsang as proof. She also pioneered a more streamlined Ibeban script, pondered the questions of evil and soul with no great definitiveness, and wrote volumes on statecraft after serving several decades as a reluctant advisor to the several rulers. Her spiritual successors have branched off, some believing man’s origins to be from some other animal entirely.

The Sidas have always drawn in the piratical types as well as the indigenous inhabitants, with their eclectic ascetism, messianism, and devotion. Maybe it helps that they are often skilled brewers, since alcohol is not allowed among the Naws and helps with “visions”. Most living Sidas either become hermits somewhere on the island or attempt to gather a coterie of followers and spread their message far and wide through the pirates. Many pirate groups claim a particular Sidas as their patron though few have been led by one in the flesh.

Some more minor notes. Important gods from pre-exile sometimes retain their importance but warp in appearance or demeanor over time, others are lost to history. Some individuals (such as Yandanuganan in some circles) can be elevated into the deistic pantheon.

Origins:

According to the scrolls of Danginsang scribes the Ibebans have come to the island of Anugatlay in successive waves of exile, a release valve for troublesome human refuse.

That is not far from the truth. Anugatly has become a hotspot for the relocations of Nugaosan priestesses, outcasts and pioneers from the various [Shadowbound culture] priestly caste and criminal outfits. There also remains a small indigenous population in parts of the islands interior, often subsumed into the various pirate clans unbound by laws either from the mainland or Tabang.

Since many of these exile waves have come decades or even centuries apart, an origin mythos has developed that sees the exiles as willing migrants or even the rightful rulers of the mainland cultures.

Economic Base:

Trade. Namely in salt, pottery, weapons, exotic fish (delicacies in parts of the littoral), timber, dyes, and for slaves (though considered somewhat icky and handled mostly through pirate & merchant intermediaries), and precious gems.

Minimal room/potential for agriculture. Fairly solid manufacturing base as population grows (for what that’s worth in this time period).

Person Names:

Similar to Danginsang in that names typically go by the [Personal Name] [Clan Name]. In the Ibeba culture, there is also typically a last last name bestowed communally or by the King as a moniker either of great respect or loathing.

Pekmala
Ubrenuganada
Kindinuga
Paoising
Suchatisingnawa
Radree
Watlangon
Yaising

Place Names:

Island of residence = Anugatlay
Main population center = Tabang
Pirate Coves = Osanugasan
Middle Island = Gon
Smallest Island = Yon
Other potential polities = Letra, Oritlay, Tallatlay, Munbeba

The Deyei are here.

Deyei (Dey’s people)

Starting Location: Spoken for

Society: Day-to-day governance is generally the realm of noblemen, but due to society’s reverence for mother’s and motherhood, sons can fall under the influence of their mothers rather easily. Thus who rules in reality is dependent on the respective personalities of the mother and her son. Government is ostensibly monarchic, though nobles in each city often exert influence equal to or sometimes greater than the monarch, at least locally. All monarchs and nobles are supposed to be direct descendants of Dey, but whether or not this ideal is a reality is up for debate. The priesthood also enjoys fluctuating levels of influence in government, but they always present a powerful force in society. Mothers have a place of great respect in every family at every level of society.

Lineage: Inheritance is patrilineal, but there is an incredible reverence for mothers and motherhood. Descent can be traced by name both patrilineally and matrilineally, as names consist of Ver-[Father’s given name] [Given name] Mel-[Mother’s given name].

Food: Grains grow well near the river, further out pastoralism is more common with goats being the most common domesticate.

Religion(s): Ayi Meltatha (Faith of the Mother Goddess) holds that Meltatha (known also as Meli), the mother goddess who was equal parts light and darkness, died in childbirth, when she gave birth to the twins Ashi Mel-Meltatha and Ushri Mel-Meltatha. Ashi inherited the light half of Meltatha’s soul and became Edreyi-Ashi (Orb of Ashi – the sun), while Ushri inherited the dark half of Meltatha’s soul, becoming Edreyi-Ushri (Orb of Ushri – the gas giant). Jealous of Ashi’s life-giving light and warmth, Ushri attacks her and tries to eat her twice a year, causing the Darkness. Ashi gives light and warmth to humanity in order to empower them, and so that they might help her to slay Ushri one and for all. Children born under the Darkness have a special connection to Ushri, and so are taken to the priesthood so that they can use that connection to channel the people’s prayers against Ushri. Ayi Meltatha also claims that the Meli River is the blood that came from Meltatha’s afterbirth, and that after dying Meltatha turned to ash and became the stars of the night sky, though the three aspects of her soul, that is wisdom, boldness, and righteousness, became the three other moons, through which she helps humanity to combat Ushri. Some more eccentric priests claim that humanity must literally reach the heavens to slay Ushri, and so they commission the construction of great structures in an attempt to reach as high as possible.

Language(s): Deyei language is flowing and sing-songy, rushing along like the River Meli over its cascades.

Origins: Melei (Mother of the People) had twins, Dey Mel-Melei and Kal Mel-Melei, as Meltatha did at the Birthing of the World. As she was alone when she gave birth, however, Melei could not recall which boy came first. The twins were clever and quickly rose to the top of their tribe, though they each believed themselves to be the elder brother. Eventually they took those loyal to them and went their separate ways, with Dey being the founder of the Deyei.

Economic Base: Basic agriculture and primitive livestock-keeping, though merchants and masons form an almost statistically insignificant middle class.

Names: Adrin, Eterrin, Vedrin, Sheyrin, Neyrin, Sterrin (polities are usually named for the descendent/’descendant’ of Dey who founded them)

Person Names: General Structure: Ver-[Father’s given name] [Given name] Mel-[Mother’s given name]
Ex:
Father: Vel-Metrey Idarkeh Mel-Tinta
Mother: Vel-Sheldek Staka Mel-Etda
Child(son): Vel-Idarkeh Sastrey Mel-Staka
Child(daughter): Vel-Idarkeh Sasta Mel-Staka

Given names(Male):
Idrey
Metrey
Sheldek
Astak
Idarkeh
Ashardeh

(Female):
Tinta
Etda
Staka
Sasta
Utra
Mekdra

Place Names:
Shid-i-Meli (Holy River Meli, main river)
Shid-i-Ashili (Holy River Ashi, tributary)
Shid-i-Ushrili (Holy River Ushri, tributary)
Adiri Shu-Meli (Earth Blessed By Meli, the most fertile regions close to the rivers)

Kalei¹ (pr. "Ka-lay")

Starting Location: location demarcated by 'madviking'

Society: Paternalistic as its base but still holds reverence towards the maternal side; mother is the base of family; taking the mother's name in vain is highly derogatory; parents hide children born just before the Darkness to appear to be born during the Darkness period, so they are eligible for priesthood; buildings are built close to the ground to avoid being closer to the Dark Beings above, in the sky, especially during the darkness period (i.e. people avoid climbing and other acts that cause someone to increase in elevation); giving birth to twins is viewed as an evil omen as the evil second twin is trying to enter the world to spread evil and chaos; triplets are viewed as a direct threat to the government and the structure of society and often spark change among the ruling elite, although this is relatively rare and not well followed; since the men are still the heads of families, and since government is viewed as the family of all who live within the polity, men are the heads of state; the polity ostensibly runs as an oligarchy, with a number of families vying to become head of state; however, being included within the elite circle of families is far more prestigious than actually being head of state; in Kaleitis, the mother is less referential in terms of governance than in the Deyei, hence, the male has more leeway in terms of ruling by his own will.

Lineage: Same people, genetically, as the Deyei.

Food: Barley as the staple crop; hunting fauna for protein

Religion(s): Meli River faith, priesthood consists of all children, male or female, born during the Darkness Period, hold high degree of respect from all; during the darkness, all those who gave birth to twins have to cast one of the set of twins into the Meli River as a cleansing of their sins; differences arose whether the first or second child was evil between the Kalei and the Deyei.

Language(s): Meli River language, script, syllabary

Common words (and suffixes and such) in the Kalei dialect

Origins: the eternal goddess gave birth to twins, and kept them both, one of whom became the basis for humanity on the planet, whereas the other twin become the basis for evil; the practices during the Darkness are to ward off the evil influences of the evil twin; the eternal goddess became the stars

Economic Base: farming, hunting, woodworking [due to the close association with trees to the ground; trees are views are good due to their roots in the ground, and hence carving wood is viewing as beneficial to society to ward off evil spirits and chaos]

Names in the Kaleitis⁴:

Person Names: Patronymic/Given Name/Matronymic, e.g. Ver'Cain Keer Mel'Jala; polite form of the name would be given + matronymic, e.g. Keer Mel'Jala

Place Names: Kalas² (capital city, situated on the confluence of the Melaï³ [southern] and the Limi³ [eastern] rivers), Lotas (city), Lalas (city), Cainas (city), Lamelaöl (main temple in Kalas)

Footnotes:
¹ Kalei = Kal + ei = "people of Kal"
² Kalas = Kal + as = "city of Kal"
³ Melaï = Mela + i = "mother river", Limi = Lim + i = "east river"
⁴ Kaleitis = Kalei + tis = "land of the Kalei"

Using this space for future ultimate gasmoon culture

Adazh
Starting Location: On the second tributary to the cradle of civilization, just above the small island that splits the waters.
Society: Once, a long time ago, Adazh society lived primarily as a pastoralist people on the fringes of the more sedentary peoples of the cradle. But something -- legend has it as a superstorm that picked up the ashcloud from a particularly terrible eruption -- drove another people into the narrow river valley, and they arrived on the scene with terrible force, conquering the locals and reshaping society around their own ideals. The society that resulted is structured around about thirty different clans/castes, with members of each group bearing the same second name. These are not separated geographically, but they are socially and, to an extent, economically -- members of certain clans are expected to perform the given role of their clan (e.g. “magi”, “mendicants”, “warriors”, “cantors”, and so on) -- but this has been more or less flexible over time, as clan sizes far over- or undershot the numbers needed for a certain group. Men and women must marry outside of their own clan, and clan roles are passed, as most things are, along a gender specific ancestry (mothers to daughters, fathers to sons). This is indicative of another major feature of their society: as most stratification is between economic roles, the gender divide is noticeably absent. People added to the society, either by peaceful inclusion or conquest, are typically assimilated into the clan that most closely matches their current role in society. As such, the Adazh usually have little interest in overlordship of their conquests -- they tend to leave things more or less as they found them -- merely under new management.
Lineage: Traced through female ancestors for women and male ancestors for men. Property is passed more or less as the deceased intended, with it defaulting to a living spouse, then if none are alive, half to the eldest sibling, half that to the next eldest, and so on. Family descent is also tracked through the clan structure described above; names run thus: [first] [clan] [matro/patronymic].
Food: As an upland people, the Adazh tend to use barley and wheat as their main grains, supplemented by some tubers, as well as a huge variety of animal domesticates, owing to their long pastoral history. As a general note for cuisine, salt and smoke play very old roles indeed -- the nomadic segments of society preferred food that was light rather than palatable. But the fusion of old and new cuisines of conquest means quite a lot of tastier aspects, like spice sauces, are added at larger meals.
Religion(s): Here, too, we come across the ancient divide. For once, men and women worshiped the Maculated Many, a pantheon of unremittingly awful gods. Among their number were the capricious god of storms, the slothful god of the waters, the abrasive god of the deserts; the fairest of them was the sun, but even he merely passed overhead, smiling insipidly at a land he was too stupid to truly help. With the incursion of the second Adazh lineage came the introduction of the Immaculate One, a god who had no flaws -- the true lord of the universe.
Language(s): A language of round tones and mostly soft consonants. Notable as a Subject-Object-Verb language, and for liberal use of modifiers at the beginning of words. Writing will be likely stolen from whoever actually designs a nice-looking writing system, or, if people take too long, will arise indigenously. A small but steadily growing lexicon can be found here; I’ll add to it the further we go.
Origins: The Adazh are said to be descended from a number of peoples, some of them said to be old enough to have lived in the river valley since it began flowing, and others arriving only recently, including many of the dominant group. It is from this last movement of peoples that things such as the religious structure of the Adazh date.
Economic Base: The majority of the population are subsistence farmers or pastoralists, but the most prosperous and influential part of the population are merchants, particularly ones who dare to cross the harsh mountain passes to bring back the fruits of a trip across the mountains.

Names:
Adazh country names are usually utilitarian descriptions at this point:
Vikheva (ice land)
Sankheva (mountain land)
Khateva (red land)
Zheseva (green land)
Nuuseva (dust land)
Luuriva (dawn land)
Neidheva (dusk land)
Kuuvisieva (beautiful land)

Person Names: As noted above, the naming scheme goes [First] [Clan] [Patro/Matronymic]
First Names (usually gender neutral):
Äzhuu
Bithei
Kasu
Khuuvanu
Meikhi
Nala
Sazh
Tävodh
Zhatseina
(more will come)

Clan Names:
Äzhuuvei (lover)
Amu (mother)
Bänuu (father)
Dheivi (cantor)
Eluu (wanderer)
Ezhämerai (healer)
Neizhuu (mendicant)
Sainuu (singer)
Suuleikh (hunter)
Tiktuu (trickster)
Tseivuu (magi)
Tuumei (warrior)
Uzhuuni (dreamer)
(more will come; there are roughly 30 total; these are not necessarily the most important clans, just the ones I came up with first)

Matro/Patronyms:
Just stick an äi- (if it begins with a consonant) or äin- (if it begins with a vowel) at the start of their father/mother’s [first] name.

Place Names:
Sanenuukhu (the eastern mountains)
Sevuuäma (the river)
Sevuuzhämer (the series of waterfalls nearest the Adazh lands)
Azharakh Masuui (the desert in which they are located)



(Preferred color: RED, but failing that anything is fine.)

Zhunzh

Starting Location: South of North King, in the arid mountain foothills.
Society: The Zhunzhar lack a centralized power structure, instead existing as a large collection of independent tribes, or Ozhun. Each Ozhun contains a ruling family, or Ozhun-ta, a collection of satellite families, or Marrun, and a collection of individual hangers on, or Gunna. Ozhunar are secondarily subdivided into loosely-defined castes, although the degree to which caste boundaries are respected diminishes the further south one travels through Zhunzha. Each Ozhun controls a territory and grazing herd, and conflicts typically arise over grazing lands, foraging sites and the animal herds themselves.
Lineage: Descent is traced separately through the genders.
Food: Agriculture is severely limited by the aridity of the climate. Some Zhunzh farm grains around springs and oases, but most rely on tubers, either grown or foraged. Meat and milk come from their herds of cattle, and other hardy ungulates, and the meat is supplemented by hunting.
Religion(s): Zhunzh believe in many powerful, godlike beings, called Dozhun, although they do not worship them; they merely recognize them as powerful, unshakeable forces. For guidance, Zhunzh look to the lesser aspects of the physical world, and take guidance from various totems- the resilient tree, the bending sedge, the cunning raven, the trustworthy spring, and many others. It is these totems, or Azhunar, which the Zhunzh revere, hoping to gain their positive traits.
Language(s): Zhunzhar is laden with fricatives and simple vowels, and possesses a subject-object-verb sentence arrangement, as well as many modifying suffixes and prefixes. At the present, it lacks a written form.
Origins: We have lived in Zhunzha for longer than our legends tell. Whether the land is named for our people, or our people for the land, none know. We do, however, know that many of us have left in times of hardship. The Adazh, to the north, are our distant cousins.
Economic Base: Herding, Agriculture, Foraging
Names: Odunzh, Nzhunna, Zhuzhin, Runnan, Mamuan, Orzh
Person Names: Zhunzh names are typically [Given Name] [Patro/Matronymic] [Ozhun]. For lesser families in the north, one's caste typically precedes the Ozhun, while in the south, individual family names hold the same position. A few example names are below.
Danna Kidorot Bozh
Orzh Bordot Zhunjaran
Zhunnu Zhunnot Keb
Gazh Mazhinot Omun
Kunda Mogumot Sem Zhumnazhar
Marzhun Marzhum Ketazh
Place Names: Zhunzha (Our Land), Amantazh (The Mountains at the Edge), Narna (The Fertile North), Adazhno (The Northern River), Kuzhno (The Southern River)

Reserving a spot. I'll post my full application tomorrow.

Balmora
Starting Location:
Society: The Balmora society was formed with the merging of several tribes that inhabited the region. For a long time there was no centralized power in the region and was the barter that kept the people united. Lovers of the duel, for long the City-States in the region solved their confrontations putting their leaders in a duel, rather than a widespread bloodshed. Currently these duels occur only in some festivals or in trials. Balmora society has become quite flexible with the time, assimilating diverse cultures and traditions of neighboring city-States and that's what allowed her to become superior to close neighbors. The foundation works around the Family, managed by women while for the heavier tasks lies to the man. People are very proud of their origins and express that in their annual festivals, the so-called Iloer'wyl (lunar festival) that occur before the big ecplipses. And, socially speaking, Balmora is divided into four social layers: nobility, artisans, bishops and workers class.
Lineage: There is no difference between woman or man but it's role of women take care of the family.
Food: wheat, fish, milk and livestock.
Religion (s): same as Immaculate.
Language: Vox'Rus as it is called, is the language currently used by Balmora before and after becoming the used by other various City-States of the region.
Origins: The people of Balmora descended from nomadic cattle herders who inhabited arid plains of the South who settled on the shores of Aglawa'o Sathyll, which in Vox'Rus means River of Trout.
Economic Base: Most of the population lives from fishing, planting and livestock, a small part ventures in caravans and barter with other regions.
Names: Leiretai [High King]; Leirellă [High Queen]; Morswolaēth [Religious Person, means Deathbringer].
Person Names: The nomenclature works as follows: Saēda'o Isririalis (Sa-e-da-o-Isri-ria-lis). The word 'o means of and the structure is [First Name][of] [Family]
Male:
Hadai; Adaim; Yathē; Eriăphos; Philophos.
Female:
Iri; Aĭna; Haĕri; Ēodai; Sēodue.
Family: The family name is usually formed as a combination of the names of the families of their respective couples.
Ialistiphos; Yaduedil; Sisurnu; Iridru; Naenastip.
Place Names: Aglawa'o Sathyll [River of Trouts]; Gwar Nocae'o Stien [Great South Plains]; Balmora [Center of the culture]; Coesy'o Steas [Forest of North]; Eothenu;
Gwyridan; Vyridian; Iliaetus; Aderyn.

Kranaal

Starting Location: The large strait in the west, southwest of island of the Ibeba people (marked in OP)

Society: Though there are a few Kranaali settlements in-land, primarily for the purpose foraging and keeping livestock, the majority of the Kranaali live atop large rafts or structures in the sea, having sunk material into the shallow waters to create a stable base upon which to build their villages. These communities are scattered across the strait, and are each comprised of a number of families. Each community elects a chief from amongst their families, who rule their respective communities. The society as a whole is ruled by a High Chief, the position of which is rotated amongst the local chiefs every five years.

Lineage: Kranaali descent is traced based on gender, with women taking their mother's surname and men taking their father's.

Food: Given the proximity of the Kranaali to the calm, safe waters of the western sea, the Kranaali primarily consume fish and various seafoods, including shrimp and small crabs. Only the wealthiest of the Kranaali are able to afford to keep and feed cattle and livestock, making meats such as cows and chickens a rare delicacy. Meats aside, a large part of the Kranaali diet comprises of berries and fruits. Foods such as bread and corn are generally imported from the south, with Kranaali traders often interacting with the Argians.

Religion(s): The Kranaali have adopted a polytheistic world view, venerating a number of deities that include ancient ancestors, to more mundane things like the spirits of large ships. In ancient times, drawing on the traditions of their ancestors, the Kranaali made use of human sacrifice to appease the spirits and pray for favor. In one such case when the fleet had been stuck in and around the Island of the Ibeba for generations,, the Kranaali High Chief ordered the sacrifice of a number of small children in order to achieve favourable winds. Tradition holds that in anger, the gods struck down the High Chief, spirited the children away and cast a typhoon that scattered the fleet, which regrouped further south and continued their voyages. Since then, ritual sacrifice has been taboo, and to appease the deities, the Kranaali offer small portions of fruit, and fish. As well, worship and veneration takes place solely in the privacy of the home, and religion is generally not a matter that is mentioned in public. As such, there is no religious institution or authority.

Language(s): Being descendants of the Danginsing, the Kranaali share some similar vocabulary and essentially the same sentence structure, but with some minor variations. While words such as sun (tla), moon (mnma), and star (isa) remain the same, others have changed. For example, the word for home (osa) has its roots in the Danginsing word for ship (osan). As well, some vowels and tones have shifted in comparison to the Danginsing, the most notable of which can be seen in the pronunciation of the word "city". The Danginsing pronounce it "gueng", whereas the vowel sound has been truncated to "gong" in Kranaali. As well, some Argian sounds have found their way into the Kranaali language, though to a lesser extent.

Dictionary and more words to come when I get back to Canada and an actual computer (after the update) and am able to discuss more with Shadowbound, Masada and Azale

Origins: The Kranaali originated in the straits to the far north, and can be said to be descendants of the Danginsing. Over several generations, the Kranaali worked their way further and further down the coast, continuing on for one reason or another. A prolonged stay near the island of the Ibeba aside, the Kranaali continued south, not staying for long, until they reached their current position. Finding the straits and shallow waters comfortable and convenient, the people stayed, sinking some of their primitive ships gathered materials into the shallow sea, creating their first settlements.

Economic Base: The Kranaali economy is essentially dependent of fishing, and agriculture is minimal. The cultural focus on reciprocity, gift-giving, and exchange has led to the development of a bartering system, which most of the Kranaali follow. For some traders on the geographical outskirts of Kranaal, the currencies of foreign societies are used.

Polity Names: City and community names tend to be lengthy and descriptive, but are usually shortened for the sake of convenience. The names are almost always descriptive and relate to legends or famous historical events or people. Some more traditional examples of polity names, definitely used by the sea-based settlements include: Sanagong, Mawagong, Winnagong, Namagong (as the language is still under construction, I think the idea is clear that -gong is "something-city"). For settlements further south and closer to Argesh, one may begin to see less traditional polity names, dropping the -gong for more local sounds, examples including: Hamadreng, Seragawe, Araseba, and Tulabasa.

Person Names: Kranaali person names tend to be shorter in length, with first names being a simple word usually describing a positive virtue or something about nature, and the second name being just the family name, of which there aren't that many. Most Kranaali can trace their lineage back to the original migrants that left the Danginsing, so there is little deviation in surnames as a result of the migration. Some examples of people include: Isa Nawanga, Snmun Tallanga, Sala Salanga, and Yinda Nawanga.

Place Names: The strait that the Kranaali are situated in is called the Naadaisan, or "Great Sea". The sea to the north of the strait is called the Idanaam, or "Calm Water", and the sea to the south is called Ungaisaan, or "Fish Sea". (The Argian name, Gzadesh, also translates to "full of fish")

I'm in.

Argesh

Starting Location: (Already claimed in the early free for all in the New NESes thread)

Society: Argian society functions much like any basic ancient culture: Families own small plots of land and cultivate staple crops like wheat and corn, and the men of the family often have a craft which they work on so they can trade with others in the area. Crafts are always passed down from father to son, and most surnames are based off of what profession that family specializes in. All Argian territory is divided into small provinces and a Melces -a sort of a mayor- watches over his province. At the top of the society is the Majar who is the Argesh version of a King. The current leader of Argesh is Majar Jamanaghech

Lineage: In Argesh, the men bear the surname and it is passed down through generations. When a woman marries a man in Argian society, the surname of her spouse is attached as a second surname to indicate what family she has married into.

Food: Staple crops include bread and corn. Other minor crops that are in the Argian diet are sweet peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, cherries, oranges, and onions. Argians domesticate chickens and frequently go fishing since they live near the coast. Traditionally, four small meals are eaten per day: One in the early morning, usually of fruit, One right before noon, consisting of bread and corn products, One later in the day consisting of fruit and vegetables again (sort of a salad), and then soup for dinner after sunset.

Religion(s): With the gas giant being the most prominent thing in the sky, Argians see it as sort of a symbol of hope. Older Argians attribute the fertility of their fields to the Gas Giant, calling it the Dredesh, or the Grower. Once a month or so, wealthier Argians give to the disadvantages Argians as a gesture of kindness and a display of personal sacrifice to appease the Dredesh.

Language(s): Argian language is not like very many other languages. Ordinary words are usually short and only a syllable or two, and place names and person names tend to be longer and more distinct. Argian is spoken very slowly because of this, since only a few syllables are needed to describe something very complex.

Origins: Argians originally lived in the flood plains to the northeast, but as it became more crowded with other cultures, they migrated to a cooler, more coastal region, where they settled for good.

Economic Base: The unit of exchange in Argesh is small gold coins made from gold found in the nearby mountains. Exchanges are facilitated in marketplaces all over Argesh and some citizens even travel up the coasts in small rafts to trade goods with foreigners. Some of the braver traders even cross the desert to trade with the civilizations thriving along the banks of the river that the Argesh lived on long ago.

Person Names:
First Names: Ghrado, Majah, Tehue, Bajare, Mbalag, Trejan, Kuathres, Pash, Imjaner, Hadek, Numunus, Summakr, Prohi, Anjag, Arjan, Mosh, Evrek, Vinir, Solges, Bavesht
Last Names: Kalishedes, Manarkedeshes, Galandemusush, Nadathretik, Monombecheved, Angrabes, Maratevech, Givenaghebech, Prohubanech, Apathradech

Place Names:
Ctedenach (Capital City)
Buzala
Untebur-Balach
Malagnebal
Tregun
Barthevestesh
Ruskaduges
Elevdreng
Ailu Skeban
Elemurk
Maragard
Restabusethes
Jalumas Nevera
Grathi Golgethene
Pazaderech
Krashteh
Molkugo
Anthrebe
Drezakugolgan
Ctestede
Estetdan
Kalmu
Olukagar
Magare

The sea to the west of Argesh is called the Gzadesh Sea. (Gzadesh means "full of fish")

The color i was given was fine, maybe a few shades lighter would be better though, so Argesh doesn't blend in with the sea too much.

Alberneans
Starting Location: the mountains to the northwest of g1k (posting from my phone, so I can't mark the map)
Society: religion is very important to the Alberneans, see below. careers are passed down from father to son. women care for the home and children, who become adults at the age of 15. when at war, they prefer large weapons to match their large size.
Lineage: descent is traced patrilineally. each family name is based on that of a great ancestor, see below.
Food: the Alberneans have domesticated the donkey. the mountain goat and the quail, though the donkey is rarely used for food. staple crops include herbs, wheat and coffee.
Religion(s): the Alberneans are a tall people who believe they are descended from Titans who once lived in the mountains they call home. Their religion is basically a form of ancestor worship, both recent and ancient. the high priest, called a Slas, is believed to receive wisdom from the ancestors every morning. the dead are sent off to the afterlife on funeral pyres.
Language(s): the spoken language is very melodic with words flowing together seamlessly. no writing system yet.
Origins: The Alberneans believe that they are descended from Titans who once lived in the very same mountains they live in now, which is why they're so tall and accustomed to the mountains. This obviously makes them better than everybody else and outsiders will be told as such readily. The Slas's lineage is traced back to Albern himself, the king of the Titans.
Economic Base: the Alberneans are basically on the barter system, though they have recently discovered copper in their mountains.
Polity Names: right now, just Albernea
Person Names: The current Slas is named Rausi Albernsasi. Naming conventions are in the order of personal name, followed by surname, with the surname being the name of a great ancestor followed by the suffix -sasi. a few of ther current clergymen are named Alsus Faujissasi, Dorcus Punossasi and Cris Bahoannossasi.
Place Names: The main temple where people go to worship, which also houses the Slas, is called the Tipisi. It occupies much of the town square. The river that flows down from the mountains is called the Quilsi.

Bruseii

Starting Location:

Society:

The civil war (see below) effectively created a very centralized authority for the Bruseii who, prior to that, were much the opposite. Today, one king (the Leiretai) rules absolutely with the help of a professional bureaucracy, military force, and religious support. Towns and cities are governed by headsmen appointed by the Leiretai. Positions of power and influence are normally obtained by service in the Leiretai’s army or court.

The concept of land ownership (and of property generally) is well defined with ordered laws, adjudicated by literate jurists from the Leiretai’s court, outlining trade, inheritance, and of course taxation. While this system does not really lead to a noble class, there is none-the-less obvious economic stratification with the ‘rich’ owning larger fields or pasturage which they either work themselves or provide to others in exchange for some share of the wealth generated.

For the majority of the population home life is typically characterized by farming or herding, which falls primarily to the men while women will weave (cotton or flax fiber), work leather, and raise children.

Local trade is also an excuse for socializing and gossip mongering. Once per week (a 10 day cycle for the Bruseii) for two days, farmers, herdsmen and others will convene at local markets to trade and to visit with friends and court a potential wife or husband. These can be rambunctious affairs as the Bruseii are fond of sport and competitions of strength and skill, and hold their athletes in high regard. Also, they like to drink wine. More than one innocent has been killed by an arrow let fly from a drunken archer in these competitions.

Larger scale trade is typically conducted by professional travelling merchants who use ox-driven caravans or river barges. They travel in groups and may share resources to hire guards to protect their goods. Their activity is closely watched by the Leiretai and also carefully taxed.

Laws are recorded in the capital upon towering stele growing amidst a carefully cultivated plum orchard near the Leretai’s palace. Crime amongst the Lereitai is arbitrated by the same primitive judicial system which is employed to judge property and land disputes (see above) with punishment typically consisting of a fine, forced military service, or death. The Bruseii do not practice slavery, imprisonment, maiming, or torture.


Lineage:

The Bruseii trace their lineage through the parental side and when a man and women marry the women are typically ‘given away’ by their fathers and brothers to the new family.


Food:

The Bruseii farm wheat, barley, and several species of peas. They raise orchards of figs and plums. The grow grapes for wine and a weak form of wine is common at most meals. They herd cattle and horse and eat the meat of both.


Religion(s):

The Bruseii worship a wide pantheon of gods, some roughly human, others bestial and monstrous, and the majority some hybrid between beast and man. Each of the gods is dedicated to one facet of the human condition, hunger, the crops, the rain, the wind, fish, cattle, spears; each of these and over seventy more has a god dedicated to providing blessing and patronage to them. Individuals provide sacrifices in the hopes of gaining the favor of the gods. Despite this, the people know that the gods have individual personalities and are often capricious or cruel and their gifts are no sure way of gaining favor. Some of the gods are malevolent even and gifts are meant to turn their attention elsewhere.

Many individuals, families and even villages and towns dedicate themselves to the worship of a particular god in the hopes of pleasing them so greatly that in the next life, the god will nurture and protect their spirit from the cruel whims of the godly beasts and crueler gods themselves. This is because the Bruseii believe that beyond the gods there is the soul, the undying part of a man or woman that lasts beyond the death of his earthly shell. The priests say that for awhile the souls of men and women walk with us, everyday, beyond touch and sight and sound but there none-the-less. Spirits wander far and wide, some at peace and some haunted. And some chosen mortals, and not necessarily the priests, can speak with or hear their words but the gift is rare. On the day of the autumn eclipse, when the skies darken and the sun does not rise, the spirits of this world are free to leave the mortal realm and join the gods and the ancestors in the afterlife. The autumn eclipse is a holy time, when men and women do not work and worldly affairs are not attended to. It is a time of prayer but also of happiness and celebration for the souls of the dead will soon find their way to the gods. The spring eclipse, on the other hand, is an anxious and fearful affair for this is the time when those who have so wronged the gods that none will protect them in the next life will seek to escape the torment of the crueler gods and return to the spirit world parallel to our mortal realm. Here these pour souls, driven mad by the torments they have suffered in the death beyond the long night, will find a way to reach across the pale grey shroud and visit some portion of their torment and fear upon the living.

The Bruseii faith is a formal and organized affair with a dedicated priesthood. The priesthood is hierarchal with a shadowy group of high-priests governing the organization from their high temple at Wiskai, the site of the oracles. These priests serve at temples and shrines of varying size and complexity. Individual temples/shrines are dedicated to particular gods of the pantheon but the priests themselves are dedicated to the pantheon generally. Priests may own lands and raise crops and under the Horvei Leiretai are exempt from taxation. Despite these allowances, priests are not allowed to own lands they do not work themselves directly and so, because of their duties in the priesthood, are primarily maintained through the sacrifices offered to the gods by the faithful.

Temples and shrines vary widely not only in size and complexity but in their style and function based on the god to which they are dedicated. The four largest are to Leipa in Git, an open-air affair of white stone circled with white stele over 20 feet high, to Xuen in Krusreii, an enormous sandstone cave expanded with wide ornate tunnels large enough to ride two chariots apace through, and carved with frightening demonic frescos, to Keivors in Horvei, an open-air affair on a cliff overlooking the town, and based around an immense bronze sculpture of a stylized tree upon which hang slabs of meat offered in sacrifice, and finally the largest of all, a series of small shrines and temples all clustered together in the dedicated holy city, Wiskai, where the high-priests meet and the oracles breathe glimpses of the future.


Language(s):

Defacto and I will be sharing a language which he is developing.

The written form of the language was originally developed for carving into stone stele to tell the tales of the gods and so even when used to write with ink on papyrus or cloth, it is characterized by straight lines and sharp edges.



Origins (and some history):

Descended from nomadic cattle-herders from the dusty southern plains who settled in a pair of river valleys where once they would winter their herds, the Bruseii found the rich valleys suitable to not-only grazing but agriculture and stone-working as well. Here the Bruseii settled in the eastern shadow of the Kanaita mountains, along a series of smaller streams and mountain lakes that fed into the two major rivers, Serei and Pleteina.

Over time, as the herds grew and the fields greened these small herding and farming villages grew and the people came to associate families and even villages and the newly forming townlets with particular gods. But no two towns grew faster or as large as the rivals Krusreii and Git, who each bordered the major rivers and were dedicated in turn to Leipa, an anthromorphic grey herring-human hybrid who's, if the stele of Git are to believed, every feather is an arrow and blesses archers with vision and accuracy and Xuen, a cheetah-headed charioteer who's, if the stele of Krusreii are to believed, cloak allows him to transform into a great cat and who brings blessings to raisers and breeders of horses and to those who race behind them upon chariot.

The rivalry between the burgeoning proto-city-states eventually blossomed into the first great war of the Bruseii people. The soldiers of Krusreii, sped by Xuen, raided and conquered the smaller villages between the two rivers, uniting them in a way they hadn't truly been before. A great despotic king, calling himself the Leiretai- the first of the Bruseii, eventually came to rule over many of the villages and towns but had no claim to Git and its great wheat fields and plum orchards. When the Krusreii king eventually rode south and challenged the might of its southern rival, Git's archers, blessed by Leipa, turned back the spearmen and chariots of Krusreii. In the ensuing counter-attack it was Leipa who's spearmen and archer were able to repel the northerners all the way back to Krusreii. But here, the Krusreii invoked the blessings of Xuen and challenged the Git in open battle, turning them back.

Over the ensuing three year war, the villages of the center went back and forth and the soldiers and mines of the two proto-city states slowly depleted. It was into this confusion and chaos that a third actor arose, a smaller proto-city-state from the foothills of the central mountains. Perched upon the shores of a cool hillside lake just in the shadow of the Kanaita mountains, the rulers of Horvei saw weakness in its two greater rivals and knew if they were to seize their destiny they must act swifty. In Horvei the stele were dedicated to the tales and service of Keivors, a hybrid of baboon and hyena, who is known for his cunning but also his selfishness. In his name the Keivors forged spears of bronze and shields of cattle-hide and fell upon the weakened Git and Krusreii.

In two years the Horvei had conquered all of the Bruseii, uniting its people under a single unchallenged Leiretai who’s life-long rule was awarded, upon his death, to the chosen of the priesthood.

Today, hundreds of years later the Bruseii continue to be ruled by the Horvei Leiretai who’s military might, due to a professional army paid for by taxes upon all the Bruseii, has managed to put down all major rebellions and retain hegemony over the people of the shadow of the Kanaita.

Creation Myth:

Priests tell of how mortal man was created by the gods by accident after a debauched party during a spring eclipse, back in the times the gods could still mix without the feuds and calls for vengeance invariably leading to violence, as they do today. It was a time when the realms beyond the long night were cold and lonely but without the terrors that now fill it. During this gathering, the gods drank the herbalist Qasaritai's potions distilled from the nectar of the mushroom Koerniei and the sap of poppies, and shared a powerful and vivid dream. In this dream men walked the world to do their bidding and spread their ambition and would die and return to them and fill the realms of the long night and renew their service for all eternity. The dream was so vivid and the will of the combined gods so great, that then, during the time of the spring eclipse when what lies beyond can most easily slip into this moral land, their dream was made real and man was.

(it would be cool if Defacto's peeps shared this creation myth)


Economic Base:

The Bruseii make use of the position between two major river valleys and along several mountain-fed streams and cool highland lakes to grow a multitude of crops including wheat, barley, and several species of peas. They raise orchards of figs and plums. The grow grapes for wine and a weak form of wine is common at most meals. Additionally they grow flax and cotton which they weave and dye for clothes.

Like their ancestors the Bruseii are prolific cattle-herders and seasonal cattle-drives define the life of many villagers.

Throughout the territories, the Bruseii make extensive use of stone in construction and quarries are common near most larger villages or towns. Closer to the mountains the Bruseii mine some metals and they make tools of bronze (or do they? maybe its just hammered copper? or maybe its iron? or laser-cut unobtainium- i leave it to LM).

Their homes are made of stone and many villages have small stone walls to keep out wild animals while larger towns and the three major cities (Horvei, Git and Krusreii) have permanent well-made walls of mortared stone.

Although they mine gold, this is used primarily for its ornamental value in the temples. Trade continues to be dominated by barter. Inter-village trade takes place mostly on river barge or oxen-based caravans. Taxes raised by the Leiretai are typically collected in grain or ore.


Names:

Leiretai- the high king

otherwise use those from Defacto’s people


Person Names:

use those from Defacto’s people


Place Names:

Kanaita- the mountain range
Serei- southern river
Pleteina- northern river
Horvei- One of three great cities Horvei is the central capital (shadow of the mountains, on a mountain-stream-fed lake). Of the three Horvei is richest and its mines and workshops most productive.
Git- One of three great cities. Git is southern (on the river Serei). Of he three, it is largest with the largest grain fields and abundant plum orchards.
Krusreii- One of three great cities. Krusreii is northern (on the river Pleteina). Krusreii is known for its horse but also is most rich in cattle and pasturage.
Wiskai- Holy city of oracles


Military and War

The Bruseii fight primarily with spear but also make extensive use of the bow and the chariot. The core of this army is a (small?) force of professional dedicated soldiers who do nothing other than soldier. The elite of their number are the chariot-archers, who, operating in pairs, drive fast-running horses before a small two-wheeled armored chariot upon which ride a driver and an archer.

Reporting in, application soon.