Coranian

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Uthalin, Eregin, Malin, Korin, Vexin

Masculine names

Uthalos, Eregos, Malos, Koros, Vexos

Unisex names

Uthalad, Eregad, Malad, Korad, Vexad

Family names

Uthalut, Eregut, Malut, Korut, Vexut

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Old Agrian was the language of the common people, however Elven and Thonian were the lingua franca of the rich and educated. The priesthood spoke and wrote in Celestial, and used it in their spells, whereas arcane spellcasting was mainly done in Infernal due to the lingering influence of Vrexil.

Culture and cultural heritage

The harp was the instrument of the nobility, with jazz and swing being the preferred genres. Classical music was not something that the Coranian people had previously encountered, with the musical heritage of the region tending to be improvised solos and verses over a repeating fugue. Other genres were previously more common, but as people focused more on survival in the wake of the apocalypse, complex musical theory fell by the wayside.
Guitars and woodwind instruments were more common amongst the poorer sections of the population due to the unwieldy size of the harp making it difficult to transport and set up. It was seen as the mark of a barbarian to not be able to play at least one instrument, and many of the bars in the city played host to “revol nights”, in which a few paid musicians would play fugues that customers could sing or play over. These often turned into improv comedy, as two customers riffed off of each other both musically and verbally until one admitted defeat.

Average technological level

Much of the theoretical knowledge of Blackmoor survived the cataclysm, however what took a week to build with Blackmoorian technology could be almost impossible to recreate without the dedicated industrial base that they had lost access to. As such, mass production was very rarely used, and most technology was of an early Victorian level, if not earlier.

Common Etiquette rules

If you knew the name of a person, it was considered rude to refer to them using pronouns. Second person was only ever used in imperatives.
It was considered uncouth to not seperate different aspects of your life, and two people might be at each other’s throats one moment, and then going out drinking together as soon as their shift was over.
In public life, manners were held in high import, and self-discipline during heated moments was almost as important as the actual arguments at play. In private however, revels often devolved into wanton chaos and impropriety, and at such times keeping impeccable manners was more a source of comedy than anything else, with much of Coranian humour stemming from this concept.

Common Dress code

Every Coranian had two wardrobes; one containing the practical and dour leathers and work clothes that were so common in the post-cataclysm world, and one containing the kaleidoscopic and ever-shifting fashions that were worn to social events in the city. Due to the chaotic nature of Coranian fashion, clothes were not particularly gendered, only changing in what assets they emphasised or hid. Metals and precious stones were often woven into clothes, or simply used entirely, and fabrics were brightly dyed with magic. Arcane spellcasters formed a surprisingly large percentage of the clothing industry, with many otherwise unremarkable workers knowing a spell or two to help with their work.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Coranian people valued agility and wit over other traits, and abhorred the concept of a musclebound brute. They would often use technomantic rituals to make themselves more lithe and flexible, or to change the colour of their skin to vibrant hues, seeking to stand out from the crowd. Androgyny was often sought out by the young and fashionable, while older generations tended not to worry as much, and simply follow their own style, whatever that may be.

Gender Ideals

Gender was seen as a minor but constant detail, with genderfluid people tending to always use neutral suffixes. After they recovered a selection of technomantic formulas from the ruins of old Coranis, it was generally assumed that a person’s gender matched their biological sex, due to the simplicity of changing the latter.
All pronouns were neutral, but were only used to discuss strangers (eg. “They bumped into me on the street”).
There was generally no great difference in how different genders were portrayed or expected to behave, or even dress, but it was not unusual for ideas from neighbouring cultures to seep into the city to form brief fads before fading.

Courtship Ideals

Courtship was seen as a requirement for a committed relationship, but one night stands and casual relationships were still common, and required no such process.
Courtship required that the suitor first presented the person they wished to court with a declaration gift. If they sent a gift in return, then the suitor had permission to begin courting them. It was seen as the height of impropriety to continue pursuing someone after they rejected one’s declaration gift, however accepting multiple declarations was perfectly accepted, forming a sort of competition between the suitors, which often led to duels or dramatic acts as they attempted to outdo each other.
After three chaperoned but private dates, the suitor could then either cease the courtship, or present an affirmation gift. If the second gift was accepted, the courtship could then be considered public.
Even at this stage, it was accepted to have competing suitors, and it soon became a race to see who could attend three public functions on the arm of the pursued, which would allow them to finally give them a betrothal gift. If this gift was accepted, then they would be wed, and become a couple.
While it was not unheard of to have multiple people married to each other, it was generally only if both suitors had put aside their differences and realised the other wasn’t so bad after all. It was not unusual for such arrangements to lead to the suitors initiating a courtship between themselves, and forming a fully triangular marriage. This was the only circumstance in which it was not socially frowned upon to initiate a courtship while already married, although this wasn’t to say that people didn’t do it.

Related Items

• Trick Weapon

Related Locations

• The Tower of Eyes
• The Vault of Chains