Auroronesia (“Islands of the Dawn”) is the name given by Leshy geographers to the island groups of the tropical seas near the eastern Terminator (the line of longitude past which Indarian is below the western horizon). It includes both Gehennum and the Blessed Isles (see below). Auroronesia is defined by the race that inhabits it (of which the Gehennese are members) and the culture they share (a stem of which Gehennese and Blessed Isles cultures are divergent offshoots).
The Auroronesian island include atolls, coral-fringed volcanoes, and the mountainous islands of Gehennum, which are the result of subduction of one tectonic plate below another. Most of the islands are fairly small. They are generally poor in minerals, except sometimes for obsidian.
Except in Gehennum, the economies of the Auroronesian islands are based on polyculture farming, of which the starch-staple is taro, the raising of pigs and hens, fishery, and (on the volcanic islands) forest hunting and gathering. Nature is bountiful, the life is easy, and populations are quite high.
The various Auroronesian cultures are all literate and sophisticated, with long traditions, complex music, and refined art. Except for the Gehennese, Auroronesians are excellent navigators and sailors, and undertake long voyages in outrigger sailing canoes.
Society & Government
Except in Gehennum and the Blessed Isles, Auroronesians live with extended families in vast long-houses, compounds, or mansions. Families are exogamous, and a man joins his wife’s family on marriage.
The families are led by chieftains, who are succeed on their deaths by their favourite sons-in-law. The chieftain’s wife and (widowed) mother-in-law, and his designated successor are also important officials of the family. The families are often grouped into clans, of which one family is the noble house. Some nations are ruled by councils of noble chiefs and their queens. Others have a royal clan of whom the chieftain is king of the nation.
The men of noble houses are aristocrats. They do little menial work, and concentrate their efforts on hunting and the practice of their martial skills. They act as retainers and bodyguards to the head of their house, and train their sons to follow in their footsteps.
The Auroronesians are pretty laid back about sex, and do not make a mystery of it. Even such priestesses as are sworn not to marry are rarely obliged to remain chaste. Marriage is not particularly important to the position of a woman, and the marriage of their parents is practically insignificant to children.
Men, on the other hand, have their very position in society defined by their marriage. There is a great deal of competition to marry the daughters and grand-daughters of queens, and so have a chance to become chieftain oneself. The women of noble and royal families are greatly courted, as their husbands will be entitled to lives of dignity and prestige. These women and their parents have a very wide choice of what men to allow into the family, and usually choose great and gallant warriors, daring hunters, and the like. The men of noble and royal houses tend therefore to be formidable. As a result of such sexual selection the children of nobles and royalty tend to be large and strong.
Heroes
Many young men of Auroronesia spend a time in adventure, displaying prowess and courage, in the hopes of an advantageous marriage. Such a period is usually expected of the sons of noblewomen. The prowess and courage are displayed by recklessness in hunting and big-game fishing, in sprightly play on the hurling-field, in vanquishing any handy monsters, in surfing and bungee-jumping, and, if all else fails, in raiding the neighbours. Gangs of Auroronesian heroes can be rather warlike.
The object of this exercise is to establish a reputation that will attract the fervour of an eligible maiden and the approval of her parents. This is usually easier for young noblemen, who have been trained to it by their fathers, but there is no actual prejudice against young men of humble origins. Their main obstacle is in acquiring the expensive weapons and armour of a hero.
Culture
The Auroronesians do some building in limestone and tuffs, but metal tools are scarce enough that timber, bamboo, matting, and thatch are the preferred building materials for common purposes. Deposits even of clay are not found on atolls, so pottery is widely traded. Being valuable, it attracts elaborate decoration, which is usually representational.
Auroronesian garments are simple and scanty, and often made of fine bark-cloth, brightly dyed. Sarongs and lava-lavas are the usual garments, and the nudity taboo is weak.
The Auroronesian island include atolls, coral-fringed volcanoes, and the mountainous islands of Gehennum, which are the result of subduction of one tectonic plate below another. Most of the islands are fairly small. They are generally poor in minerals, except sometimes for obsidian.
Except in Gehennum, the economies of the Auroronesian islands are based on polyculture farming, of which the starch-staple is taro, the raising of pigs and hens, fishery, and (on the volcanic islands) forest hunting and gathering. Nature is bountiful, the life is easy, and populations are quite high.
The various Auroronesian cultures are all literate and sophisticated, with long traditions, complex music, and refined art. Except for the Gehennese, Auroronesians are excellent navigators and sailors, and undertake long voyages in outrigger sailing canoes.
Society & Government
Except in Gehennum and the Blessed Isles, Auroronesians live with extended families in vast long-houses, compounds, or mansions. Families are exogamous, and a man joins his wife’s family on marriage.
The families are led by chieftains, who are succeed on their deaths by their favourite sons-in-law. The chieftain’s wife and (widowed) mother-in-law, and his designated successor are also important officials of the family. The families are often grouped into clans, of which one family is the noble house. Some nations are ruled by councils of noble chiefs and their queens. Others have a royal clan of whom the chieftain is king of the nation.
The men of noble houses are aristocrats. They do little menial work, and concentrate their efforts on hunting and the practice of their martial skills. They act as retainers and bodyguards to the head of their house, and train their sons to follow in their footsteps.
The Auroronesians are pretty laid back about sex, and do not make a mystery of it. Even such priestesses as are sworn not to marry are rarely obliged to remain chaste. Marriage is not particularly important to the position of a woman, and the marriage of their parents is practically insignificant to children.
Men, on the other hand, have their very position in society defined by their marriage. There is a great deal of competition to marry the daughters and grand-daughters of queens, and so have a chance to become chieftain oneself. The women of noble and royal families are greatly courted, as their husbands will be entitled to lives of dignity and prestige. These women and their parents have a very wide choice of what men to allow into the family, and usually choose great and gallant warriors, daring hunters, and the like. The men of noble and royal houses tend therefore to be formidable. As a result of such sexual selection the children of nobles and royalty tend to be large and strong.
Heroes
Many young men of Auroronesia spend a time in adventure, displaying prowess and courage, in the hopes of an advantageous marriage. Such a period is usually expected of the sons of noblewomen. The prowess and courage are displayed by recklessness in hunting and big-game fishing, in sprightly play on the hurling-field, in vanquishing any handy monsters, in surfing and bungee-jumping, and, if all else fails, in raiding the neighbours. Gangs of Auroronesian heroes can be rather warlike.
The object of this exercise is to establish a reputation that will attract the fervour of an eligible maiden and the approval of her parents. This is usually easier for young noblemen, who have been trained to it by their fathers, but there is no actual prejudice against young men of humble origins. Their main obstacle is in acquiring the expensive weapons and armour of a hero.
Culture
The Auroronesians do some building in limestone and tuffs, but metal tools are scarce enough that timber, bamboo, matting, and thatch are the preferred building materials for common purposes. Deposits even of clay are not found on atolls, so pottery is widely traded. Being valuable, it attracts elaborate decoration, which is usually representational.
Auroronesian garments are simple and scanty, and often made of fine bark-cloth, brightly dyed. Sarongs and lava-lavas are the usual garments, and the nudity taboo is weak.
