Culture
Though Laklorin is spoken throughout the country, some expressions and idioms from the old languages can be found in other regions. Speaking any remnant of the old languages is generally looked down upon and considered to be an indication of low breeding.
In an authority-based culture, competition, rather than originality, is valued. The original kingdom of Laklorin encompassed only a small region on the Laklorin peninsula, but was expanded through conquest. Today, the Empire spans four previously independent realms. Though the culture of each was eradicated, small differences remain in each region, for example, in artistic style, accents, or local fairy tales. During the early years of the Empire, measures were taken to assimilate the other cultures and replace them all with Laklorin ideals. Speaking any other tongue was outlawed, and books and stories remembering other kings and heroes were destroyed and replaced with songs and tales of the Laklorin Dynasty.
Etiquette is centered around hierarchy. One is expected to be subservient to those in a higher class.
Men wear a range of clothes, usually some sort of well-fitted pants, undershirt, vest, and coat. The quality of these items depends on status, while other clothes may indicate a man's profession. Workmen usually wear belts and thicker pants, while soldiers can wear their medals on a vest, indicating their rank.
Women wear dresses, often with layers of petticoats and stays. Higher-ranking women usually wear an hourglass silhouette, with an underbust corset and petticoats for volume during evening events and an overbust corset for day wear. Short-sleeve and low-cut gowns are worn by young ladies during evening events, along with long white gloves, necklaces, and earrings. Hair is worn in elaborate styles to demonstrate the skill of their attendants, and often jewels are pinned into the hair as well, although women often like to substitute this for flowers. During a ball, it is common for each lady to wear a different flower and give one to the man who has caught their attention that evening.
During the day, high-collared dresses are worn, often with a broach or pin at the neck or a cascade of lace at the collar. A head covering is always worn outdoors, and the style indicates the activity. A man’s beret-style hat indicates a jaunt into nature, such as a hunt. A bonnet indicates sunny weather, such as a picnic, walk, shopping expedition, boat ride, or even longer travel. A hat, decorated with a veil, flowers, or other adornments may indicate an event such as racing, a festival, or a wedding. Hats are often worn for riding as well, in addition to a riding coat. Black or gray gloves of a heavier material such as leather indicate strenuous activity. During summer, women like to wear lighter-colored gowns and a pale silk shawl, in addition to a hat, bonnet, or parasol. In winter, a fur cap, with a black veil attached in the back, is fashionable, along with fur gloves, a fur coat or cloak, and a heavy brocade overgown.
Silhouettes are less defined among lower classes, and the women usually prefer stays rather than corsets, which often go over the gown. Skirts are not separate from the shirt and can be added or removed using a button on the side. Heavy skirts can be added during winter and simply draped over the top or removed in good weather to reveal lighter-fabric skirts. A belt is worn over the skirts and stays, with pockets for carrying items and money. Among working-class women, the length of the skirt varies and, in come cases, is high enough to make pants necessary for some. Simple gray or white leggings are worn or, in cases of physical labor, pants much the same to menswear. If needed, the skirts can be pinned up and away, allowing freedom of movement. Above the waist, most women wear a simple white undershirt, much the same as a man’s attire, and a pair of stays over the top, with a shawl around the shoulders and tucked into the bust for warmth. For those with extra money, women's blouses are made with buttons up the front, and a high color, which can be worn over stays or even without any at all. These are popular among middle-class women not inclined to hard labor, but who cannot afford a full gown. For fancy events, they wear less structured dresses belted at the waist but, other than that, undefined. Some decorations trickle down to lower-class women, such as flowers in the hair and ribbons. During these events, it is appropriate for a woman to let her hair down completely in public. Beyond that, all women over the age of twelve must keep their hair up or covered.
For women in specific trades, they may wear a more feminine variation on the typical dress code. Female scribes like a white blouse and skirt combination. Business women often prefer the same and forego the usual frivolity, while women in the military wear an armor and tunic combination designed to blend in with the men while retaining feminine modesty.
Architectural styles vary over time, though most of the time, size and grandeur is the desired effect. Castles are designed with care to keep out mobs and riots, while palaces are less defensible and more comfortable. Large windows, large open rooms for entertaining company, and tall towers are all popular among wealthy homes. Among buildings for the working class, beauty is not considered. City restrictions and resource supply cause homes to be slotted in among one another, making use of each inch of space. Second stories are often larger than the first, causing a top-heavy look. In cities where this is common practice, navigation through the streets has become difficult. In some cases, houses were built before a paved road, so even after a road is paved with stones, the foundations of buildings cause frequent cracks and potholes and water often runs off the street into the houses. Stalls and shops are set on the street outside buildings, causing the street to become narrower for horse and cart traffic. If a house burns down or collapses, anything that can be salvaged from it is immediately taken by anyone who finds it. Though this is illegal, it is not punished. Fires often spread to neighboring houses due to the lack of space, and entire districts can be ruined. Instead of stone, houses are often made from a combination of clay and white plaster. Sometimes, builders like to use less pure clay in the mixture, causing the house to break down faster. Cracks form, and snow and ice widen them, and sometimes, the entire house is destabilized.
Wealthier homes are made of bricks and wood support. These houses tend to be sturdy and simple enough on the outside. They can be up to four stories tall and usually square. A large stone foundation elevates the house above the street, and restrictions ensure the streets are cleaned and kept open for horse traffic. Usually, every block has a community stable, where homeowners can pay to keep horses safe and fed. Inside the townhomes is a kitchen, indoor bathroom, dining room, withdrawing room, office, and the bedchambers are on the second floor. Rooms for servants are often on the third and fourth floors. These homes belong to businessmen, successful merchants, wealthy academics, well-off veterans, and are often the second home of noblemen when they visit the city.
Stores are often on the first story of most houses, though in better neighborhoods storehouses can be found, such as tailors, artist parlors, private clubs, bookmakers, and hotels. In southern towns, coffee houses are common and recognizable from their Ajjaren-style banners. Every few blocks, there is usually a private healer. If the neighborhood has several successful residents, there will be some of the more reputable schools.
In poor parts of town, items are sold in stalls on the street, and food is sold for a cheaper price if it isn't fresh. Women sit in dark Weaver's Dens making endless yards of cloth. People seek the services of apothecaries if ill and usually self-remedy. Schools are often converted from storehouses, and pawn shops can be found every block. In southern towns, this is often the home of immigrants, and takes on the appearance of their culture.
Most art is usually portrait-making, commissioned by wealthy families. A rich family may retain one or two artists in their household or support them in their own studios. The artist will paint the family, and do work the family commissions. In return, they are supplied with a means to live comfortably and resources to do their work. The most profitable path for an artist is to make portraits; however, some choose to try other things, sometimes working on a customer system or keeping a store or gallery.
When a child is born, it is taken to the local minister and placed in the service of the king. The child’s name is recorded by the minister, so that, if called upon, the child must serve their ruler. This is rarely done, except during war. Failure to register a child with the minister may result in the confiscation of the child, who is then placed in an orphanage. If the child is born out of wedlock, the minister may intervene, either taking the child if the mother is incapable of caring for it, arranging a marriage to save the reputation of the child, or even adopting the child themselves as a ward.
A name is then chosen by the parents and approved by the minister. Tradition dictates the child take the father's name, as well as the middle name of a royal ancestor to show their loyalty to the empire.
Later, should the child become isolated from family, they would need only to consult the local minister to find an account of their family.
When a child is sixteen, they are deemed an adult. For boys, this means that they can own money separate from their parents, buy land under their sole ownership, and join the army. They can also leave the country legally. For a female, sixteen is the age at which she can marry, though it is rare for that age. She may also hold a job in her own name.
When a Laklorin man or woman has died, they are brought to the healer. The Minister is contacted, and asked to identify the corpse, and he then contacts known family. If the minister is unable to identify them, then a notice is sent around the town that a man or woman has been found dead, and a breif description. If they are still not identified after two days, they are prepared for buriel in a community grave.
If identified, the circumstances of death are provided by the healer and marked down by the minister in his records. If the deceased has family within two days travel, they are asked to oversee the burial. They can purchase a grave in a cemetary, or they can ask to take the body with them to a plot of land they already own. If the person was well respected in their community, the burial can be a large affair, where gifts are presented to the bereaved, and the deceased's affairs are set in order.
In cities, where this method is inefficient, most of the dead are buried swiftly in public graveyards to avoid the spread of disease. A family member will be entrusted with organizing inheritence.
Among polite society, it is customary for a will to be written and kept for each person. Portraits of the deceased are covered for a year after their death, and direct family must go into mourning for six weeks. The widow must not appear in public for a year after her husband's death. For royalty, if it is the monarch that dies, the next ruler becomes king or queen instantly, but is not coronated until at least a month after. No one in the direct family of the dead can be wed during the six-week mourning period, and the entire family must abstain from large events.
Anything relating to magic or mage craft is strictly taboo. The ownership of fortune cards, rune stones, grimoires, crystal balls, ash compounds, etcetera result in confiscation and a fine. If repeated, the offender's name is placed on The List. The List contains the names of suspects and enemies of the Mage Hunters. The names of convicted witches, occultists, magic dabblers, or magic sympathizers are kept on The List. For each name, there is scroll containing all evidence gathered against that person. Once a Mage Hunter deems there is enough evidence, they can proceed with an arrest.
Posession of forbidden items can lead to a fine and confiscation, but if it has been proven that the items were used knowingly, and with intent to use magic, one can receive prision time or even execution. The typical death for a magic user is to be hung on the tree in the center of town. A black hood is placed over the magic user's head, and they are shrouded in black. They are then hung and left for 24 hours. The family of the guilty are not allowed to visit the condemned before death or collect their body, and most of their possessions are taken by the Mage Hunters. They are then buried in a separate graveyard filled with headstones simply labeled, "witch." Both the tree and the graveyard are taboo. When passing the tree one must never touch it or anyone hanging from it. One must never respond to any movement or sign of life from one condemned and avert one's eyes. It is beleived that to stare upon the hanging bodies for too long invites their restless spirits to follow you.
No one is allowed into the Witches' Yard, except the Mage Hunters and the grave diggers. It is overgrown and littered. Feral cats like to hide there, and dogs that wander onto that land or try to dig a grave must be put down. Iron gates surround it, and one must never stare too long through it, unless they want to awaken something inside. The Witches' Yard in the capital is the largest in the country, though there are twenty three offical Witches' Yards in the land.
The Myth of Marcell states that the young prince purged his people of evil magic in order to save them from the Hundred Years' War. The Majan were consumed by greed and bloodlust and fought amongst themselves for a hundred years, until Marcell, king of the Laklorin, purged magic from the blood of his people and saved them from warmongering. He saved Na'mainarn the same way, and they pledged themselves to him. The people of the Red Hills were suffering from savage war, so Marcell freed them also and helped them rebuild. Still, his work was incomplete when he died, so he appointed the Mage Hunters to continue his legacy. They must find the seeds of magic and pluck them away, leaving the healthy people to remain.
Enkiray was the first of the Laklorin Imperial Dynasty, and it was he who began the Hundred Years' War. It was a blatant grab at power, and he was disliked by his people who were forced to fight for him. His son Marcell took advantage of this, branding his father's magic as the root of his corruption and defeated him in a duel, to prove that magic could not save him.
Unknown to everyone, Marcell, too, was using magic to win. Marcell then crowned himself king and refused to release his occupation of Na'mainarn, which he claimed belonged to him due to his marriage to Miranor, the princess of that realm.
When Tairond, the king of Na'mainarn, tried to gain independence, he slew his brother-in-law and then marched south, taking the lands now called Greendale and Rotshire. To those who fought with him, he granted honor, titles, and land to govern in his name.
His wife, Miranor, tried to escape the country by fleeing north, hoping she could seek refuge with the Gae-Hirach, but she fell into the water and became a Siren. Marcell then led his army north through Druidswood, but he encountered strong resistance.
Thus began the years of the Cultural Purge and the Druidic Wars.
Ideals
Beauty ideals revolve around wealth. Fine clothes and expensive care are considered beautiful.
Men are expected to be strong and powerful. They are expected to strive for better, in their career and position, while remaining obedient to those who outrank them. To prove their strength, men often engage in competition and military exploits. The most honorable profession for a man is to serve in the military, as it demonstrates physical strength and patriotism.
Women are expected to be reliable and modest. They should not strive for better, but devote their energy to the care of others. They build homes for the men and children and provide support for those going into battle. They cannot hold rank independent of a male relation or own land by themselves. The honorable path for a woman is to bring status to her family through marriage and have many children.
A relationship is expected to be between a man and a woman. The man is the head of the family, while the woman is his support. He is expected to provide her with money to run a household and engage in society, while she provides him with support and children. Children are expected during the first three years of marriage; if not, then the reputation of the wife may be at stake. Divorce is not an option for the wealthy and is looked down upon for all, even the working class. If a couple realizes that they cannot continue romantically, the man may pursue other women of a discrete social class, while the woman continues as his wife and is entitled to his income.
The wives of military men are highly respected. However, they must adhere to a strict social code while their husband is away, taking care with whom they are seen in company. They are expected to be modest and not extravagant, until their husbands return. If they appear in the society of any man, they must wear modest clothes, usually in dark colors, save black, to indicate they are loyal to one who is not with them.
Among lower classes, these codes are not as commonly observed. As many wives must also work to support a household, the company they keep is not scrutinized. If infidelity on the part of the man occurs, a woman may retire to the home of her family for an extended period of time, but she may not speak of the event publicly lest she risk humiliation. If the woman is unfaithful, the man cannot desert her, but is permitted to seek justice on the man with whom she fraternized, by demanding a payment from him for sullying his family name and can sometimes sue him. The woman, however, must rarely be seen leaving the house unaccompanied after the event, and her friends may face a blow to their reputations by association.
Circumstances for divorce among the working class are limited to domestic abuse or criminal activity. If a man is found guilty of abusing his wife or his children, his wife may seek a legal separation from him and custody of their children if he is deemed dangerous. Once divorced, she may never remarry and must act as if in mourning. She will go into the care of her relatives and receive a pension from her husband to support her children. A man may divorce his wife if she is found guilty of a crime involving theft, indecent behavior, public riotious actions, or witchcraft. However, he will never expect to remarry a woman of any reputation after his divorce.
Widows must adhere to strict codes of mourning, though in some circumstances this places them in positions of respect and as the main owners of land. She may raise her children in whatever way she sees fit, but she can never remarry. A widower is permitted, and even expected, to remarry after a period of three years or more, especally if he is the father of children. It his duty to ensure that his children have a female caregiver, which, if he chooses never to marry again, could be a sister, aunt, mother, or governess.
The rules of marriage among royals is even stricter. It is expected, though never discussed, that a royal man will keep mistresses during his marriage. These women are to be provided for, yet never displayed publicly. A wife must never be seen as unfaithful, as it is judged as a form of treason. She would risk that all her children would be declared illegitimate and lose any right to power, and in some cases, she can face penalties such as "retirement," or a supervised retreat from society in which she is declared dead and moved to a remote estate, exile, or even death. This was the case of Theodore the First's first wife. Accused of adultery and sentenced to death, her two sons were disinherited and one chose exile, while the other remained in society attempting through various means to return to power.
Power is primarily held by the Royal Family, and by extent, the Duke of Rotshire, the Baron of Lakeshire, the Marquess of Westdale, the Viscount of Sorinath and the Baron of Greendale. Other nobility also command their own places, but these are the most established. In areas further from the capital, tradesmen built their empires. Such as the Metal Guild of Sorinath, the Nasilious Family, the Krys Family, and the Dravvion Family. Beyond that, illegal networks amass considerable wealth dealing in magical artifacts. The most famous network is called The Children of Anake, headed by the Rook Family.
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