Artusian

Originating from the numerous tribes of humans roaming the plains of Artus, the first traces of a common Artusian culture can be traced to the Great Kingdom of Arnur following the unification of the tribes north of the Great Divide under the rule of Arnur Dustgrey. Even after the fall of the kingdom of Arnur, Artusian continued to spread across Artus, founding many of the cities that are today parts of the Kaladean Empire. Nowadays, Artusians alone represent roughly 70% of the population of the Kaladean Empire, and as such their culture dominates most aspects of the Kaladean society.

Description

Artusians are tall (average 185cm for males, 170 for females), with light olive skin, oval faces and straight noses. They usually have dark curly hair, although blond or even red hair can appear occasionally, especially in the northern part of the country. In the same way, their skin tone is noticeably lighter in the northern lands, but still subject to tanning rather than sunburns.

Clothing

Artusian clothes usually cling to the body as to show its curves without exposing flesh. Breeches, tunics, thick stockings, and jackets are worn by both genders, while dresses (whose length varied from ankle to below the knee) are the appanage of the women. Both genders also wear long, full-body outerwear such as capes and coats to cover their body when outside, both to protect themselves from the climate and out of modesty.

Most Artusians wear the same type of clothing regardless of their social status, with the quality of the cloth and the intricacy of the craftmanship being the main factor to differentiate between rich and poor. Colour also plays a major part in clothing, as it is intrinsically linked with both religion and politics. Going out of one's way to dye a piece of cloth a particular colour often indicates that one aligns with its corresponding deity and/or city. This varies depending on the cloth and the colour, with black, white, browns and greys being seen as more neutral due to being either the natural colours of the cloth or widely available dyes.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Female Artusian names often finish in -ia, and more rarely in -i and -ine:
Alexia, Kalliopi, Artemia, Ekaterinia, Julia, Klementia, Virgini, Evangeline, Maria, Leoni

Masculine names

Male Artusian names often finish in -us or -os, and more rarely in -is or -as:
Stavros, Stephanos, Adonis, Leonas, Artus, Nessus, Xanatos, Ogyas, Adrianos, Alexius, Kassius

Family names

Artusian surnames are mostly two to four syllable long without disconnection. Common suffixes are -rio and its derivative such as -ria, as well as -ina and its derivatives -ani and -oni:
Andrio, Axioni, Beleria, Dimerio, Florani, Kaloderia, Kristoni, Malikina, Notario, Panadria
Nobility was signaled with the particle "Est" placed before the family name.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Most modern Artusians speak the Common Kaladrian language, but local dialects exist in the northern part of the country and multiple groups such as guilds and religious entities possess their own cant or jargon.

Shared customary codes and values

At its core, the Artusian culture is characterized by the importance they give to magic, its adherence to matriarchal hierarchies as well as its ancestral veneration to the Kaladian Pantheon, from local roots to the present day state religion. They are generally open-minded and curious, valuing outside input and the community they are part of, which has led them to integrate many outside customs and explain their historical tendencies toward expansionism.

Common Etiquette rules

Punctuality is extremely important to Artusians, as is keeping their word. Someone late or failing to keep a promise will be seen as not to be trusted, lazy and bothersome.

Hiding one's hands (by putting them behind their back, or under a table) in the presence of someone else, especially someone of a higher status, is frowned upon as it can be associated with foul play and thievery.

Greeting a man before a woman, or a child before an adult is seen as disrespectful.

Artusian take a lot of pride in their hosting skills, and often invite people to their house on a first meeting, due to the belief that any guest could be a divinity in disguise. They will never refuse a gift from a guest (in fear of offending him) and will often try to match it in return.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Artusian customs are heavily linked with their religious traditions, both ancient and modern. Beyond the prayers and visit to the temples, Artusians' life was paced by their religion on a wider scale. From birth to their death, they go through different stages of life, each shift from one to another marked by religious celebrations.

The most widely known are penteocles. Artusians do not celebrate yearly birthdays, instead of having festivities every five years named penteocles. Especially important were the 5th, 10th and 15th years of a child marking important milestones, and those festivities are not celebrated on the day of the birth but rather either during the summer or winter solstice, depending on which one is closest to the child's actual birth date. The festivities often involve the whole local community and are supervised by the local church who both pays for most of it and offered traditional presents to the children to mark the event. Gift-giving in general was heavily encouraged during penteocles, and it was not rare for complete strangers to offer small presents to the celebrating children.

Outside the penteocles, other stages of life more intimately celebrated included the departure of a child from its parent's house, pregnancy which was seen as sacred and during which the women were often visited by other women wanting a child, marriage celebrated intimately and only revealed publicly a week later, and of course death. Notably, failing to accomplish any of the previous steps before death was seen as a failure and a sign of an unfulfilled life, but there were no consequences as to in which order they were accomplished, or even if they failed to last.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Though there is no traditional rite linked with the birth of a child, there is a baptismal-like ritual later in the life of a child, as part of his first penteocle. As part of the celebrations, the 5 years old children are brought to the head of the local church, who blesses them by drawing a sacred symbol on their forehead with ashes. Nowadays, the symbol most commonly used is the Sun of Menales, but other deities' symbols can be used too in special circumstances. These ashes then stay on the child's forehead for as long as possible, as the longer the ashes stay, the more the child is seen as promised a great fate.

This rite, named the First Ash marks the acknowledgment of the church and the society that the child is his own person, and no longer just an extension of his mother, gaining legal rights and, if eligible, full citizenship. The ashes, made from animals ritually slaughtered for the occasion, represent the renewal of life as the lifeforce of the animal is passed on to the child.

Coming of Age Rites

The transition from child to adult comes in two parts in Artusian culture.

Firstly at 10 years old, when the child is deemed mature enough to take on responsibility around the home and local community. He can legally enter an apprenticeship and earn money through work and is also deemed aware enough of gender roles that males and females are organized into gendered groups. This extends for example to some public amenities such as bathhouses and certain schools, and it is also at that age that the child is deemed eligible for betrothal, though they remain rare before the onset of puberty. To commemorate the occasion, the 10 years old children participate in a sacred ceremony as part of their second penteocle known as the First Commitment, during which they sign a registry alongside a sponsor to acknowledge their contribution to society. Each child has to have a sponsor, who pledges to help him on his way to adulthood. This sponsor, who cannot be one of the parents, is most often a professional under whom the child will undergo his internship, though there are exceptions, especially among the nobles. In the rare case a child has no sponsor, the church will act as one and take in the child among their ranks.

Secondly, at the age of 15, the child finishes his transition into adulthood. He gains the full rights and responsibilities of an adult, which include the right to marry, operate a business and join the military among others. During his third penteocle, the child and his sponsor from the second penteocle are once again brought to the church to participate in a rite of passage. The children are asked by the head of the church if they have fulfilled their First Commitment, and then ask their sponsors to confirm it. If both agree, then they are brought to the church's altar and given a small amount of liquor to drink to commemorate their transition into adulthood.

Funerary and Memorial customs

The final resting place of every soul in Artusian culture is the depths of the ocean, Orina's domain. As such, the most common way to take care of a deceased body is to place it in a loaded coffin and throw it into the sea. The ceremony accompanying this act is generallt private, with only a member of Orina's church and the direct family allowed to partake in it. This, however, does not mean that the dead is forgotten, as it is very common that people keep small altars dedicated to their dead loved ones in their homes. Notable individuals or families frequently build a cenotaph, an empty monument dedicated to their memories.

But while this funerary custom is by far the most common, some choose to treat their dead differently. Those alternate rites are often frowned upon as the soul is seen as robed of its place in Orina's domain, but those that practice often have other plans for either said soul or the dead body. In Othonessos for example, one of the rare places where necromancy can be practiced legally, some individuals are raised after their death for a period of time, but this is viewed as an intentional break of the natural order and is still a heavily scrutinized practice.

Another one of those exceptions is the fate of the dead Kaladean empresses, Unlike other mortals whose final destination is the domain of Orina, the empresses are destined to go to their divine consort's side after death. As such, when an Empress dies. She is embalmed, placed in a glass coffin enchanted to avoid decay and carried to catacombs under the White Palace where her body will rest alongside those of her ancestors.

Common Taboos

Artusians overall enjoy very few taboos outside of religious dogmas and mostly deal with gender roles or the shunning of perceived excess. For example, asking for more of something freely given, such as a refill of food or an unexpected gift, was seen as the epitome of rudeness.

Sexuality was also governed by this, as Artusian generally do not discriminate based on the choice of partner, but condemn excessive lust and hypersexuality. The only real limits as to what was deemed acceptable were the imperial laws that forbade any overt sexual act in public or in the presence of a child, as well as enforced contracts following marriage. Even then, those rules did not apply to certain populations, most notably slaves.

Ideals

Gender Ideals

Gender roles among Artusians were relatively lax, the social and professional position of the individual often taking precedence. But both men and women are nonetheless expected to lean toward societal archetypes. Men are traditionally seen as more physical and women more intellectual. Traditionally, men are depicted as more direct and emotional while women are often seen as more stoic. Men are also seen as casting a wider social net than women, concerned with camaraderie and friendships whereas the omen are more centered around their familial cell.
Those stereotypes shaped societal norms, with men often preferring physical and group-based activities such are warfare, sailing or even construction work, while the women tend to lean toward either scholarly occupation or political careers, and although not static, those that go noticeably against those norms are often the subject of fascination and curiosity.

Diverged ethnicities

• Northern Artusian
• Southern Artusian

Encompassed species

• Humans

Related Organizations

• Kaladean Empire

Related Locations

• Artus