Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Women's names are marked with a slight pause at the beginning of their name.
Masculine names
Men's names are marked with a pause at the end of their name.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Croaky
It is common for people on the coast to speak in a voice that is husky. Low and rough, in an attractive way; the sound is directed from the back of the throat area, above the chest.Average technological level
Marine Breeding Techniques
These people used a curious tradition of utilizing animals' natural abilities, or breeding in such abilities, to their own benefit. The dream fish, for example, was originally a small dull reed swimmer before careful pairings created the luminous fish that lights the nightway. Similar for medicine from coral or grafting from red weed.Common Dress code
Tiara
Coastal people prized skilled workmenship of soft metals into unlike jewelry. Crowns of gold and silver are worn by men as signifiers of marriage.Head Scarf
Causal wear worn by everyone to protect their (bald) head against the sun.Art & Architecture
Boat Towns
A small fleet of fishing canoes rowed in the open ocean and lashed together into a temporary platform for marine harvesting.Land Settings
Impermanent beach settlements or river docks to facilitate trade and bulk storage with the mud men.Birth & Baptismal Rites
Water Births
Naturally occurring saltwater pools, under the silver trench, are a sacred site for pregnant women to give birth. They travel by canoe, accompanied by singing priestesses and female family members in a two day trip. Once there, they walk, sit or dance in the shallow waters until contractions begin.Coming of Age Rites
Breath Holding
Before a fisherperson can take their first dive, they must subject themselves several difficult deep breathing exercises at the top of skinny poles on land.
The weight of your own body is the minimum factor in fighting against the weight of the ocean.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Burial at Sea
A boat takes a cloth-wrapped body out to sea and puts it into the water. This means the sea bed becomes someone's final resting place.
Whenever possible, if there was a spot of particular importance or favor, the mourners would aim to drop the corpse there.
The body will then break down and become part of the ocean.
Common Taboos
Ugliness
People who lived in the setting have a stronger-than-usual distaste for qualities they consider to be culturally untenable. This has included:It seems, more like, they had an aversion to aging?
Common Myths and Legends
Temples under the Sea
Phosphorescent terraced monuments covered in coral and salty residue are submerged far from shore. They are occasionally revealed every couple of decades with the tides. Some of the people tell tales of previously living in those ruins.It might be that they did- once upon a time. But the waters have since encroached onto that part of the world.
Historical figures
Gigantism
Once in a generation, there would be a set of people who grow unusually large. They hold significant religious power in the collective coastal cultures. Their presence regularly raise morale during major gatherings and hard times and are practically worshipped as representatives of their gods.Aic'thedho
A 9ft woman with grey skin who died at 44.Ovhigh'kri
A 7ft man with blueish skin who died at 23.Ez'iolla
A 8ft woman with grayish-green skin who died at 41.Yothaz'me
A 10ft man with tan skin who died at 22.Ideals
Beauty Ideals
The coastal people were a strong and tall folk. Irrespective of gender, good-looking traits are ubiquitous across the genders. These range from the understandable to the bizarre. Their most beautiful have big eyes, full lips, a narrow head and a long neck.
Strangely, hairlessness (up to and including baldness) as well as big feet and hands, are also preferable.
Courtship Ideals
Divine Dreams
Since the age of 10, children would report their nightly dreams to an interpreter until they reach puberty. At around 13 or 15, the interpreter would have compiled the dreams of all the maturing adults and made public announcements as to the future marriages based on this information. This tradition was not without its problems, however. As this iteration of the marriage maker can pair a person with someone outside the settlement and who no one knows. Or, though rarely, to a family member as close as a sibling.Relationship Ideals
Lifelong Partners
Couples gave a series of oaths to one another that involved keeping the other's secrets, loyalty to the home, to eventually marry, to sire and bare children. It is explicitly more contractual than other cultures, in order to secure the family unit in light of the drawbacks to the coupling ritual. As such, there are many unconventional familial relations composed of bastards of one parent, rearing mysterious children, unusual pets and adopting grown adults.
Encompassed species
Related Organizations
Related Items
Related Myths
Related Locations
| STR | (Choose the lowest roll as modifier) |
|---|---|
| CON | |
| DEX | |
| INT | |
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| CHA | |
| Armour | 2d6 |
| HP | 3d6+6 ([min+max]/2) |
| Speed | 2d10+10 ft |
Great article! Visually well-constructed, and I liked that there were so many links. The quote blocks occasionally threw me off, but it was a lot of really good details overall.
Thanks for the feedback. Do you think the quotes interrupted the text flow or was it aesthetic?