Dosjoryan

Overview

The descendants of the people who first landed in Dosjorya over two thousand years ago. They retain many of the same practices of their ancestors, the Iksen people, though isolation and a new home has led to changes in culture. They take the name of the land and themselves from a Gendirl Salimen name for the land, modified to be pronounceable.

Universal Cultural Aspects

Different regions within Dosjorya can hold different ideas, morals, and opinions, but all regions hold some of the same values.
Killing is unacceptable everywhere in Dosjorya. With few exceptions, the penalty is exile from settled Dosjorya or death. Anyone who is considered a murderer is seen as less than human, possibly influenced by the sacred pact among the Gendirlo stating that no species shall harm or hunt another species unless the one being killed has already broken the agreement.
If a man, woman, or child is suffering and faces little to no chance of surviving, it is then acceptable to hasten their death, but only if the sufferer or their kin agree to it. In many areas, such as the Sythen region, this value is disputed, though not outlawed.
While in Dosjorya's early history it was acceptable for a man to have multiple wives in order to repopulate their war torn forts and settlements, such a thing is forbidden now. No one may marry more than one person. No rule states that marriage is solely between a man and a woman, though most people look down on such unions, which are rare but not unheard of. Marriage within one own family is banned unless the degree of relation is very small.
Women in Dosjorya were given many more freedoms and rights than their counterparts among the Iksen people. Women are not forced to marry, and if they do they are not to be forced to bear children. They could own property and in the Order of Innena they are seen as equals to men, though that might perhaps be because of their Gendirlo. Most women lead largely domestic lives, maintaining a home, teaching and raising children, and managing finances. Few women received their father's inheritance as that normally passed from father to son. Daughters, however, did receive an inheritance from their mothers. No woman is allowed to join the military or to lead settlements.
Alcoholic consumption is universally accepted, and even necessary in many areas not able to access fresh water. A few settlements place limits on how much a person can drink in a day but most do not.
Dosjoryans take a hard stance on crime and criminals. It is not unusual for people imprisoned because of a crime to die in custody. Every settlement has a prison or jail of some sort, closed to the public, that also houses torture equipment. Bearing scars from a whipping prevents a person from ever being trusted again unless they can prove themselves in the service to the country, a rare, nearly unheard of feat. Mostly these former criminals work the most unfavorable jobs available to untrained laborers.

Region Specific Cultural Norms

Some areas hold different ideals or different interpretations of ideals as compared to the rest of Dosjorya:

• In the mountainous settlements, women are expected to dress more conservatively and are occasionally subject to arranged marriages. Young men too have no choice or say in the matter if they are chosen for an arranged marriage
• In the Sythen River Region there is more of a emphasis on morally righteous conduct to others, especially to family and women. Such standards are taught to children at an early age and it is believed by Sytheners that this is the reason their crime rates are lower than in the rest of Dosjorya.
• In the city of River's Edge, having two rivers meet at the city's outskirts allows them to have plenty of public baths, and because of this they place strict limits on the number of bathers allowed based on the size of the bath. Like in the rest of Dosjorya, men and women are not allowed to bathe in public together.