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<blockquote data-quote="Isklexi" data-source="post: 6428818" data-attributes="member: 6684948"><p><strong>Cultural Tidbits</strong></p><p></p><p>[gm]The Panoply movement in Ber puts a lot of emphasis on cultural exchange. Given that theme, I decided to take the time to come up with a few things about the races of Ber for when/if my players asked about them. I based them off the rumors section at the start of the adventure. I tried to come up with social and cultural quirks that would lead to the general perceptions distilled in the (sometimes unflattering) rumors. I spent the most time developing backdrop for the Minotaur since the current Bruse is one as are the extra NPCs I added, so their culture is the one the PCs are most likely to be interested in. Here are the snapshots of Ber's culture that I came up with. Feel free to offer feedback.[/gm]</p><p></p><p>[sblock=“Minotaurs are lazy, take credit for what others do, and have sex with anything.”]</p><p>The lazy comment stems from the general publics dim view of Bruse Shantus. Currently, many people believe he isn’t doing enough to further Ber’s revolution and squanders Vairday Bruse’s legacy. The sex comment was a more attention-grabbing stereotype that I could build a fictitious culture around an explanation. </p><p></p><p>Minotaur culture places heavy emphasis on family bloodlines. This stems from a breeding program established by the dragon tyrants of western Ber over two thousand years ago. Back then, the Minotaur of Ber were similar to the gnolls, seminomadic clans of raiders. A warlord named Asterius the Conqueror united the disparate clans forcibly. The dragon tyrants of the west at first considered him a threat, but they saw an opportunity when they realized that the more organized Minotaur pushed back the territories of neighboring dragon tyrants. The dragons decided to implement an enforced breeding program to improve the quality of their humanoid subjects. The breeding program produced a safe and effective oral contraceptive called Azadirachta. Azadirachta is mass produced in the Minotaur cities and universally used by all adults. The ubiquity of this contraceptive and tight control of breeding led to the social acceptance of promiscuity. </p><p></p><p>The breeding program was enforced for so long that it became part of their cultural landscape. The Minotaur shaman, called Bloodkeepers, venerate the primal spirits alongside ancestral family heroes and keep meticulous genealogical records. Political power in Minotaur society is closely tied with genealogy. The closer a family can trace its lineage back to Asterius, the more influence it wields. Minotaur have three large city-states with smaller satellite towns and farmlands around them. The three city-states are ruled by one of the three great houses that are direct descendants of Asterius. The three city-states and their respective ruling family are: Ursalina and the Ursalius family, Shantre and the Shantus family, Medirus and the Medine family.[/sblock]</p><p></p><p>[sblock=“Goliaths are all homosexuals, not to mention spies for Risur.”]</p><p>The spy for Risur thing is another rumor that can easily be attributed to a general misperception. The Goliaths live in the Anthras Mountains on the border. The clannish nature of Ber cultures lends itself to mild paranoia of outsiders. The homosexual comment is similar to the sex comment on the Minotaur. It made for an interesting mental exercise in what kind of culture would cause outsiders to get such an unusual impression. </p><p></p><p>The Goliath tribes don’t have gender specific roles. Instead individuals choose for themselves at the onset of adulthood whether to become a warrior in the tribe or take on a domestic role (shamanism, farming, etc.). Typical clothing is likewise dictated by a person’s role in the tribe rather than whether they are male or female. To further muddy outside perception, the Goliaths practice polygamy with each family consisting of several male and female partners.[/sblock]</p><p></p><p>[sblock=“Orcs are drunkards who sing badly and are always trying to be clever and failing.”]</p><p>The comment on cleverness feels like another throwaway rumor that doesn’t provide for an interesting hook to develop. The drunkard and singing parts struck me as more interesting to work with. </p><p></p><p>The Orcs have a strong tradition of brewing beers and meads. The musical traditions of the Orcs are atonal in nature and tend to clash with the sensibilities of people used to more classical compositions from Danor and Crisillyir. The combination of social drinking and raucous drinking songs are typically the most memorable moments for visitors to Orcish settlements.[/sblock]</p><p></p><p>[sblock=“Lizardfolk are thieves and all look alike”]</p><p>The look alike comment is easily explained by the overwhelming majority of humanoid races being mammalian in nature. It would be more difficult to read facial expressions and subtle structural differences on a reptilian face for most humanoids.</p><p></p><p>The thief comment harkens back to the days of the dragon tyrants where the Lizardfolk were encouraged by their draconic masters to raid merchants plying the rivers and roads of inland Ber to line their hoards. Following the fall of the dragon tyrants, the Lizardfolk fell back on banditry to support their tribes. Bruse’s revolution has put them in a position where they no longer need to do this, but old prejudices take a long time to fade (as do family traditions).[/sblock]</p><p></p><p>[sblock=“Goblins have disgusting food that makes anyone else vomit, and they are confused by any technology more advanced than ropes”]</p><p>The party has already met a Goblin archaeologist, so the confused by technology rumor rings a bit false. Instead, I focused on the food comment. In the adventure, the tribal Goblins show a propensity for working with insects. I linked the two together from there. </p><p></p><p>Traditional Goblin food is heavily centered on insects and fungi. This causes their diets to contain significant quantities of chitin and toxins produced by the insects and fungi. As a result, Goblin stomachs are quite robust in in their ability to handle otherwise indigestible substances. Other races that have the misfortune of partaking in a traditional Goblin gumbo typically end up with terrible indigestion as a result.[/sblock]</p><p></p><p>[sblock=“Gnolls are superstitious, uncivilized criminals who can never lead themselves, which is why they all miss their dragon tyrants”]</p><p>This one is mostly covered in the later parts of the adventure. In general, the gnolls resist the civilizing influence of Ber society, believing the dragon tyrants will reward them for their faithfulness when they return someday. This is an extension of the religious cult of personality the dragon tyrants of the south cultivated to get their slaves to worship them.[/sblock]</p><p></p><p>[sblock=Dragonborn]</p><p>The Dragonborn didn’t get a rumor entry at all. I think this was a bit of an oversight given that a Dragonborn holds one of the chief political positions in Ber. I made up a bit of narrative for them myself. </p><p></p><p>The Dragonborn of Ber suffered a great deal of discrimination following the fall of the dragon tyrants. Once the Dragons were extinct, many of the races of Ber transferred their built up frustrations onto the physically similar Dragonborn. While the Dragonborn received no special treatment from the dragon tyrants, they were often accused of benefiting unfairly from the Dragons’ wealth and favor. In the face of prejudice bordering on hostility, the Dragonborn were forced to flee their homes and adopt a semi-nomadic lifestyle to avoid most major settlements. This trend has begun to reverse in recent years with Vairday Bruse’s revolution emphasizing treating people based on their merits rather than prejudices. [/sblock]</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Isklexi, post: 6428818, member: 6684948"] [b]Cultural Tidbits[/b] [gm]The Panoply movement in Ber puts a lot of emphasis on cultural exchange. Given that theme, I decided to take the time to come up with a few things about the races of Ber for when/if my players asked about them. I based them off the rumors section at the start of the adventure. I tried to come up with social and cultural quirks that would lead to the general perceptions distilled in the (sometimes unflattering) rumors. I spent the most time developing backdrop for the Minotaur since the current Bruse is one as are the extra NPCs I added, so their culture is the one the PCs are most likely to be interested in. Here are the snapshots of Ber's culture that I came up with. Feel free to offer feedback.[/gm] [sblock=“Minotaurs are lazy, take credit for what others do, and have sex with anything.”] The lazy comment stems from the general publics dim view of Bruse Shantus. Currently, many people believe he isn’t doing enough to further Ber’s revolution and squanders Vairday Bruse’s legacy. The sex comment was a more attention-grabbing stereotype that I could build a fictitious culture around an explanation. Minotaur culture places heavy emphasis on family bloodlines. This stems from a breeding program established by the dragon tyrants of western Ber over two thousand years ago. Back then, the Minotaur of Ber were similar to the gnolls, seminomadic clans of raiders. A warlord named Asterius the Conqueror united the disparate clans forcibly. The dragon tyrants of the west at first considered him a threat, but they saw an opportunity when they realized that the more organized Minotaur pushed back the territories of neighboring dragon tyrants. The dragons decided to implement an enforced breeding program to improve the quality of their humanoid subjects. The breeding program produced a safe and effective oral contraceptive called Azadirachta. Azadirachta is mass produced in the Minotaur cities and universally used by all adults. The ubiquity of this contraceptive and tight control of breeding led to the social acceptance of promiscuity. The breeding program was enforced for so long that it became part of their cultural landscape. The Minotaur shaman, called Bloodkeepers, venerate the primal spirits alongside ancestral family heroes and keep meticulous genealogical records. Political power in Minotaur society is closely tied with genealogy. The closer a family can trace its lineage back to Asterius, the more influence it wields. Minotaur have three large city-states with smaller satellite towns and farmlands around them. The three city-states are ruled by one of the three great houses that are direct descendants of Asterius. The three city-states and their respective ruling family are: Ursalina and the Ursalius family, Shantre and the Shantus family, Medirus and the Medine family.[/sblock] [sblock=“Goliaths are all homosexuals, not to mention spies for Risur.”] The spy for Risur thing is another rumor that can easily be attributed to a general misperception. The Goliaths live in the Anthras Mountains on the border. The clannish nature of Ber cultures lends itself to mild paranoia of outsiders. The homosexual comment is similar to the sex comment on the Minotaur. It made for an interesting mental exercise in what kind of culture would cause outsiders to get such an unusual impression. The Goliath tribes don’t have gender specific roles. Instead individuals choose for themselves at the onset of adulthood whether to become a warrior in the tribe or take on a domestic role (shamanism, farming, etc.). Typical clothing is likewise dictated by a person’s role in the tribe rather than whether they are male or female. To further muddy outside perception, the Goliaths practice polygamy with each family consisting of several male and female partners.[/sblock] [sblock=“Orcs are drunkards who sing badly and are always trying to be clever and failing.”] The comment on cleverness feels like another throwaway rumor that doesn’t provide for an interesting hook to develop. The drunkard and singing parts struck me as more interesting to work with. The Orcs have a strong tradition of brewing beers and meads. The musical traditions of the Orcs are atonal in nature and tend to clash with the sensibilities of people used to more classical compositions from Danor and Crisillyir. The combination of social drinking and raucous drinking songs are typically the most memorable moments for visitors to Orcish settlements.[/sblock] [sblock=“Lizardfolk are thieves and all look alike”] The look alike comment is easily explained by the overwhelming majority of humanoid races being mammalian in nature. It would be more difficult to read facial expressions and subtle structural differences on a reptilian face for most humanoids. The thief comment harkens back to the days of the dragon tyrants where the Lizardfolk were encouraged by their draconic masters to raid merchants plying the rivers and roads of inland Ber to line their hoards. Following the fall of the dragon tyrants, the Lizardfolk fell back on banditry to support their tribes. Bruse’s revolution has put them in a position where they no longer need to do this, but old prejudices take a long time to fade (as do family traditions).[/sblock] [sblock=“Goblins have disgusting food that makes anyone else vomit, and they are confused by any technology more advanced than ropes”] The party has already met a Goblin archaeologist, so the confused by technology rumor rings a bit false. Instead, I focused on the food comment. In the adventure, the tribal Goblins show a propensity for working with insects. I linked the two together from there. Traditional Goblin food is heavily centered on insects and fungi. This causes their diets to contain significant quantities of chitin and toxins produced by the insects and fungi. As a result, Goblin stomachs are quite robust in in their ability to handle otherwise indigestible substances. Other races that have the misfortune of partaking in a traditional Goblin gumbo typically end up with terrible indigestion as a result.[/sblock] [sblock=“Gnolls are superstitious, uncivilized criminals who can never lead themselves, which is why they all miss their dragon tyrants”] This one is mostly covered in the later parts of the adventure. In general, the gnolls resist the civilizing influence of Ber society, believing the dragon tyrants will reward them for their faithfulness when they return someday. This is an extension of the religious cult of personality the dragon tyrants of the south cultivated to get their slaves to worship them.[/sblock] [sblock=Dragonborn] The Dragonborn didn’t get a rumor entry at all. I think this was a bit of an oversight given that a Dragonborn holds one of the chief political positions in Ber. I made up a bit of narrative for them myself. The Dragonborn of Ber suffered a great deal of discrimination following the fall of the dragon tyrants. Once the Dragons were extinct, many of the races of Ber transferred their built up frustrations onto the physically similar Dragonborn. While the Dragonborn received no special treatment from the dragon tyrants, they were often accused of benefiting unfairly from the Dragons’ wealth and favor. In the face of prejudice bordering on hostility, the Dragonborn were forced to flee their homes and adopt a semi-nomadic lifestyle to avoid most major settlements. This trend has begun to reverse in recent years with Vairday Bruse’s revolution emphasizing treating people based on their merits rather than prejudices. [/sblock] [/QUOTE]
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