The Settled

The nomad essence thieves walk forever, and the Sohmies follow. But there is one human settlement in Zohmi.
It started as a small farm built in late Discovery Age by a mobe and his essence thieves relatives, because the weren't welcome to travel together in neither of the existent groups. Others followed their example and soon there were several farms and workshops close to Imoha river. Just like the travelling people of Zohmi, they live simple lives and expend as much time as possible with their families.

Conflicts among neighbors are common but so small that the rare huge fight were someone gets hurt it's never forgotten.

Culture

There is the actual truth, and the desired truth. You can only live one, but you can tell both.

— Kirobi Nirá

They care a lot about tradition and family history, but instead of singing on the road like their peers, they write their history in quilts, books, sculptures and paintings. And yes, many of them have a tendency to... adorn the truth. Often they like to explain the art pieces to clarify what happened and what should have happened, and for some families part of the tradition is to pass both the art and the explanatory text to their children or to a favorite relative.

Relationship Ideals

Just like any culture in Zohmi, The Settled love their families more than anything. But they don't make a distinction between the blood relatives and their chosen kindred, so each one of them has just one family.
That means that instead of several small families with some shared members, the Settled are huge families perpetually growing and merging.

Even if they don't live together or if they don't share any direct link, if two individuals share a loved one, they consider each other a relative too.
It's extremely unusual for a family to separate. If a member moves out, or even if they decide to travel with a group of Shomies or with The Wayfarers, the link with their family remains strong.
And, of course, the most valued way of showing affection is through art.

Choose wisely, too. If you love someone, you know which is their favorite language. Tell the story of your love using their favorite style, not yours. It's not about you.

— Nirá Chrem

Taboos

Each family has their own rules and limits they won't cross. Some are very strict and their taboos can become the only thing stopping two families from joining. Others will change easily with time, or with new family members.
There is only one rule that applies to the whole Settlement, a rule that has been there from the beginning and doesn't seem about to be forgotten:

Don't feed on sentient beings.

Said rule doesn't apply to their mobe relative, of course.

Naming Traditions

Every essence thief shares a Family name with the Mobe that feeds them. The Mobes use the last name before their individual one and the essence thieves use the family name at the end.

Family names
Nirá
Fadé

Unisex names
Fem
Nad

Feminine names
Bremide
Kirobi

Masculine names
Mirse
Chrem

World

Zohmi

Enlightened

No

Planet

Second

Plane

Fhade

Encompassed species

• Mobe

Exporting goods without knowing

The family and relationship records made by the settled are not always accurate. They can be ugly—probably on purpose—or indecipherable. But they are made and kept with love, and it shows. They have no problem giving copies of their different storytelling forms of art, even to those unknown strangers that visit them when every traveler should be on the other side of the world. They are puzzled by them, but never suspicious. They accept the offered payment for the copies, but they never give away an original. Unless the buyer is willing to take part in the creation of one with their own family history. For an unaware world Zohmi receives lots of alien visitors, the majority of them collectors or sellers of art. Once in a while, a person comes to The Settlement to ask help in the making of a wedding item or a family relic. The Settled help without questions other than those required to "tell the story in the right way".

Credits	Header designed by Escritora Novata, using this image found in pixabay.com