Planetary Nomads

The planetary nomads are a group of people that find a way to live on the surface of Desolation's broken planet. They are seen as foolish by the rest of the population, and are widely regarded as entirely separate from those living in orbit of the planet. As such, they are free from the rule of the Council of Stars, and free to form their own modes of government.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The nomads speak a language known as Delterra. There are many different dialects of this language spread across the many nomadic tribes living on the planet, and not all are mutually intelligible. Their language combines spoken as well as signed elements, allowing for non-verbal communication in places where sound does not carry as well or as far.

Shared customary codes and values

The nomads are tightly-knit communities, living very close to one another, both physically and emotionally. The nomads rarely keep to themselves, and show a lot of physicall affection to one another. This norm is somewhat strange to those from the stars, who value personal space. Those becoming nomads after a life in the stars are often a bit taken aback by these customs, and it takse a while for them to get used to them.

Average technological level

The technology of the planetary nomads allows them to create bubbles of breatheable air around themselves, an invention they call minatmos. They are also able to extract water from deep within the planet's surface, and use this water to cultivate genetically-engineered plants for them to eat. They live in airtight homes, which are often connected to one another to avoid wasting air travelling between homes. These homes are also often mobile, either vehicles themselves or able to be easily moved by a vehicle.

Common Etiquette rules

It is common for planetary nomads to share everything with one another, from food, to belongings, to houses, to knowledge. There are rarely any secrets kept in nomadic communities, and it is considered common etiquette to share any extra food or belongings if others need them.
The nomads believe that honesty equates to common decency. To them, even if something is not what someone would want to hear, it is still better to tell them the truth rather than lying. The nomads loathe lying, and it is considered incredibly rude and immoral to lie about anything - even seemingly small "white lies".

Common Dress code

The nomads typically wear multiple layers of loose clothing, made from durable materials that can last a long time. They wear these layers as a defense against the weather, which can rapidly fluctuate between incredibly hot and incredibly cold, requiring the nomads to adapt to these changes as quickly and easily as they can. They use materials that will last a long time in order to reduce the amount of time spent making new clothing. To reduce waste of material, they will wear their clothing until they physically cannot any longer, either due to condition or size. If they are no longer able to wear something due to size, they will often give that item to younger members of the community as a hand-me-down. If an item of clothing is no longer wearable due to typical wear and tear over decades of wearing it, the material is then used for other things, such as bandages or agricultural uses.

Art & Architecture

The majority of the homes of the nomads are vehicles, with some that are just able to be packed up and transported to other locations. All of their houses have at least two "ports", side entrances that can connect to other buildings to form airtight corridors that allow for movement between vehicles while stationary. While moving, these ports are disconnected and the doors to them sealed shut, to prevent air from escaping the vehicles.

Foods & Cuisine

The nomads are very used to minimally appetising food. They will make food out of any edible materials they can find, and care little for the actual taste so long as they are obtaining nutrients. They have learned to instead scientificially evaluate the nutrients within a food, the risks with eating it, what the highest amount of it is that can be consumed without negative effects, and how easy it is to create more of. They use this method to evaluate their foods before eating them, allowing them to consume exactly what is required for them to survive and no more. Once rations to each of the community have been distrubited, people with a higher need for food, such as those still growing, may be given additional portions if they are available.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

The nomads, much like their name suggests, are a nomadic people. They never settle in the same spot for long, electing to move often. This travel serves a dual purpose: it allows them to appreciate the land and ground of the planet, exploring the landscape and discovering more of it - their form of worship to the now-gone celestials. The second purpose is to allow them new soil for farming. The nutrients in the soil are not enough to sustain long-term farming, and so the nomads are able to measure the levels of nutrients and water in the soil. They move whenever these levels become too low, allowing them to replenish as they find a new place to stay. They will measure the nutrient levels of the soil in the lands they travel across, only settling down at a certain threshold.

Coming of Age Rites

The planetary nomads construct their homes themselves. Children will live with their parents in these homes, learning the ins and outs of the mechanics that make them work. Then, the cildren will work to create their own homes, whenever they feel that they are ready to create and operate one and be independent from their parents. This process can take a long time, and is supervised by the rest of the community to ensure safety of the child and the home. Once a person is able to construct their home, they are considered an independent individual (not necessarily an adult) and are trusted with more responsibilities and the ability to live in their own home.

Funerary and Memorial customs

The nomads' funerary rites involve burial of the deceased in question. Deceased are not buried with any possessions or valuables, as such resources are needed first by the living members of the community. They believe that when a person passes, their soul remains to keep watch over the rest of the community, until they are reborn as a child in their community. This aligns with the nomads' belief of a cyclical nature of life, beliving in a cycle of life and death, of renewal of resources, and planetary orbits around the sun.

Common Taboos

The planetary nomads refuse to even acknowledge the people living in stations above the planet. It is considered taboo to comment on the presence of a station when it is visibile overhead, and it is considered a great betrayal of the nomadic lifestyle to express any sort of envy or desire to go to the stars.
In the rare occasion that a nomad has come into contact with a stardweller, tensions tend to be high - at least on the part of the nomad. They are welcoming to outsiders that want to adopt the nomadic way of life, but much less so to those who visit only in search of resources. They do not do trade with the stardwellers, as their own resources are very low, and they see any such requests as personal affronts to their people.

Common Myths and Legends

The nomads believe that the moon's collision with the planet was not to drive people off of the planet, but a punishment for them attempting to leave it in the first place. They believe that those continuing to make their homes in the stars are going against the wishes of the celestials, and believe that their way of living on the planet's surface is the correct way to live.
The believe in a personified version of the two moons, with each of them given a distinct personality, as well as wants and desires, in the nomad's tellings of the story of how the planet came to be ruined in the first place.