Baton

the People of Oberun

The Baton are Human natives of Oberun's Isle off the coast of Lhakamed, in Tobia's Gulf of Tinjir, part of the major continent of Ethae. Their ancestors are believed to have settled the unpopulated island sometime in the mid to late Kephic Age. While there has been doubt by historians over the ages, modern evidence shows that these people are surviving descendants of the Beneten culture of prehistory, as their legends claims.

The Baton of the modern day are a small population, living a simple life as shepherds of sheep and goats on their island. There are several towns on the island, such as Festine Fortress and Deluge, these towns are populated with far more Lhakamen and foreigners, as the Baton people prefer living in small cottages with their families away from population centers. Deluge may well be the only town with a large population of Baton because of its cultural and historical significance to the people.

For the Baton their island is their entire world. They do not involve themselves with the conflicts and politics of Tinjir or beyond. Of course this does not mean the world does not involve them. Oberun's Isle has always been a strategically import location off the coast of Lhakamed and most nations that control the region want to control Oberun as well. From the Elf of Zalpula all the way to modern Toemanshire, one outside force or another has claimed the island. For the Baton their allegiance is to themselves, but they have allied with most nations that have control Lhakamed through the ages. Today Oberun's Isle is under the jurisdiction of Toemanshire as the March of Festine, something the Baton seem to accept begrudgingly.

The Baton follow old traditions passed down through the generations. The genders comingle as children but are separated in their teen years, usually when puberty hits. It is expected that in these early childhood years a male and female will find a connection. When seen by the parents, arrangements are made for marriage. This arrangement usually means the boy's father trading a number of his sheep or goats equal to what he and the girl's father deem worthy of the daughter. This commonly consists of two or three animals but can sometimes reach up to ten if the girl is seen as worthy enough. Once the transaction is complete the girl goes to live with her new husband and his family.

Women in Baton society are expected to stay in the home and take care of matters there, while her husband tends to the world beyond the household. It is socially frowned on for men to talk to women that are not related to them by blood or marriage. The two sexes, if strangers, simply do not interact with each other. This is strictly withheld in the countryside, but there is some lenience in the cities, for example when a woman must shop for the family's dinner, she can engage a shopkeeper.

The Baton are of Ismon stock, often having softer tans for their skin tones. They have universally brown hair and eyes. This seems to be a dominant gene for the people, as even children of Baton and other ethnicities still show the browns of their Baton parent. Hair is kept longer in women, with long hair seen as a sign of wisdom and dignity that comes with age. Men have no preferred style. Beards, however, are seen with the same view as long hair in women, a sign of maturity and experience.

Baton do not bother with the fashions of the world. They were simple wool weaved clothing, loose fitting and thin in the summer months, and think and warm for the winter. Leather sands are worn year-round by both sexes.

Race: Human

Ethnicity: Ismon

Homeland: Oberun's Isle

Alignment: Baton are a stubbornly traditional people, meaning they are nearly always a lawful alignment.

Age: Baton live a longer than average life for humans, with 100 to 120 being the average age of death from natural causes.

Size: (Medium) Baton live an active life and are often in good shape and health, they stand on the tall side on average. 5 to 6 feet is common for women, with men often being a few inches taller.

Language: Though they would prefer a life alone on their island, the Baton understand the endless contact with the outside world means the the Common Tongue is a language everyone man, women, and child should know. A traditional people, the Baton hold on to their cultural heritage, keeping their ancient native language of Batee live, and spoken in the home.