Dunleode
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Shortly after birth, female children are taken to a trusted Blood Maje to have their future gleaned, and a name chosen in order to reflect that. These names specifically reflect on how the child will affect the world around them in the greater sense, such as 'Divine Protector' Osma, as the Blood Maje foresaw that she would ascend after dedicating her life to protecting her people. While most women do not receive such grand names, their names are incredibly important and often give other women an idea of who to watch out for.
Masculine names
Shortly after birth, male children and taken to a trusted Blood Maje to have their blood history read, and a name chosen in order to reflect their ancestry. While this process is often considered cruel and child-abuse, only a small amount of blood is taken from the child, with the wound healed quickly after the blood is extracted and the child calmed. These names reflect who the child's people are, what they have done, in order to attempt at divining their future, as the method used to read the female child's futures does not work on male children. Due to this method, many males inherit their father's or grandfather's names, usually the name that feels the closest to the child, according to the Maje.
Family names
Dunleode families are named after major events that shaped the family in the past, with them often changing after a few generations. For example, Osma Averille's family name mean's 'boar battle', which was in reference to the stubbornness with which they fought, often being likened to a boar. This impacted the family so much that they even took up the image of a boar as their standard, though only four generations previously their family was renowned for their diplomatic ability.
Culture
Common Dress code
For the common Dunleode, keeping their body covered at least to the elbow and knee is all that is required to be modest, anything shorter than that and unnecessary skin is being shown off. Due to the attraction to pale skin, face coverings and/or hoods are worn to keep their faces pale, as well as gloves and usually long sleeved shirts. For the nobility, outside of a building showing any skin is considered wasteful and mocking to the gods, whilst inside showing anything less than mid-thigh or at the shoulder is considered prudish. 'What is the point of having nice pale skin if it isn't shown off?' is most noble's thought processes, though some differ for a variety of reasons.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
For the Dunleode, beauty is mostly found in the face and hair, which is almost always been uncovered, save for when armour is donned. In both men & women, thin waists are preferred, as it is seen as a sign of activity and therefore a modicum of reliability, as an idle Dunleode is a dead Dunleode. Alongside this, defined jaw-lines are seen as incredibly attractive as it shows that the individual has little fat on their body, and therefore must be active. Lighter complexions are seen as attractive as it has a major place in Dunleode religion and mythology, marking those pale individuals as people 'chosen' by the gods.
Uniquely, due to the sheer volume of Blood Majes throughout their population, a new trait has begun to surface within the Dunleode peoples, simply called the Maje's Iris, an altered Iris which reacts to the presence of Majic. The specifics of the Maej's Iris depend on the individual, as each individual case reacts more strongly to different kinds of Majic, and even appear different, though if a familial bloodline has contained many Blood Majes, then it is more common for a Maje's Iris to develop. Majic saved the Dunleode from the Balian and continues to keep them connected despite their different realms, and as such the Maje's Iris is seen as a symbol of familial power and future greatness.
Uniquely, due to the sheer volume of Blood Majes throughout their population, a new trait has begun to surface within the Dunleode peoples, simply called the Maje's Iris, an altered Iris which reacts to the presence of Majic. The specifics of the Maej's Iris depend on the individual, as each individual case reacts more strongly to different kinds of Majic, and even appear different, though if a familial bloodline has contained many Blood Majes, then it is more common for a Maje's Iris to develop. Majic saved the Dunleode from the Balian and continues to keep them connected despite their different realms, and as such the Maje's Iris is seen as a symbol of familial power and future greatness.
In the case of hair, long smooth light hair is sought after, to the point where the Dunleode have developed more advanced hair-care routines with shampoo's, conditioner and more. Both red hair and blonde hair are considered to be the most attractive with brown being considered mundane and boring, as Red-heads and Blondes tend to stick-out more, and it works better with traditional Dunleode clothing.
Relationship Ideals
Due to the importance of blood lines to the Dunleode, during the wedding ceremony a small amount of blood is taken from each member of the new union, which is then mixed together and placed into two separate vials, each one given to one of the new partners.
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