Corithan/Imperial
The native people of the Corithan Peninsula began their civilization as a united kingdom but political infighting devolved their society into competitive city-states with shared language and culture but little else in common before the rise of the empire under Tarquinius and Vercentrix. Corithan culture has evolved into a cosmopolitan and accepting civilization open to most races and cultures. They have adopted many ideas from the civilizations they've encountered and conquered over the centuries. Imperials are said to love names nearly as much as gnomes and even the poorest imperial has a first, family, and last name.
Appearance
Imperials are usually of short or average stature and tend toward athletic builds. They typically have oblong heads with long faces, prominent brows and mouths, and thin, aquiline noses. Imperials often have square jaws and rounded chins that combine with their other facial features to give them a stern countenance. They have sandy, medium, or olive skin tones, and hazel or brown eyes- blue eyes rarely occur in Imperials and are hailed as a special omen. Imperial hair colors are black or brunette and rarely anything else while their hair tends to be thick and wavy or curled.Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Clodia, Epidia, Floridia, Julia, Opsia, Pompilia, Statilia, Tettidia, Vesnia
Masculine names
Augustus, Caeso, Lars, Marcus, Numerius, Quintus
Family names
Aburius, Fundanus, Galerius, Luquatious, Murrius, Pollius, Sertorius, Vorenius
Other names
Inspiration for Corithan names is taken from ancient Roman, Etruscan, and Greek. Imperial names follow the pattern of 'first name' 'family name' 'last name'.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
With Corithan being the common language imperials speak Common and one other language.
Culture and cultural heritage
Corithan cultural weapons are the Pilum and Tower Shield. The signature spells Guidance and Friends.
Shared customary codes and values
Stoicism is a valued trait among the upper ranks of Corithan culture and it's alleged that the most practiced stoics can maintain a calm veneer even under circumstances that would make a mountain dwarf visibly off put. Nobles and patricians alike, especially men, are expected to keep a cool and rational head even in times of emergency and distress and can lose face with their peers even by the mere rumor they let go of their stoic demeanor. In contrast to their 'betters' common Corithans are often passionate and animated people who wear their emotions like a badge of honor.
Art & Architecture
Modern Imperial architecture favors open spaces and makes liberal use of arches and domes to provide strength to their constructions. Columns are mostly used as decorations and accents in Imperial structures but structures dating back to the age of myth were constructed with columns supporting heavy beams to hold up large structures. Common structures like homes are often utilitarian in design with simple shapes and floor plans.
Clay bricks and concrete are preferred over wood as a building material with wood only being the material for the poorest of folk and animal pens. Wealthier families and civic buildings can afford stone facades; limestone whitewashed to appear more like marble or granite is most common, granite, and then marble are of course the more expensive and desirable.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
On the eighth day after birth a ceremony known as a lustration is performed for a newborn child where a priest of Vesta performs a purification ritual to protect the mother and child from any spirits that may have been attracted to the labor. The child is given his or her first name during the ceremony and before then is officially only known by their family name. Lustrations range from simple affairs to quite complex gatherings that could involve the sacrifice of animals.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
The Corithan people value symmetry and harmony in physical features and consider the ideal body to be balanced in proportion and shape. Both men and women are expected to have smooth and unblemished skin and use cosmetics to hide blemishes, wrinkles, and other imperfections in their pursuit of being attractive to the opposite sex. A thick head hair is also an attractive trait in both men and women while baldness or thinning hair is considered to be a sign of bad breeding, but body hair is unsightly and most imperials shave the majority of theirs off.
Women
The ideal female form is slim on top with small breasts and narrow shoulders, but pronounced hips and wide thighs below. Women with oval faces, sharp noses, and almond shaped eyes with thick brows and lashes are considered the most beautiful. Pale, almost white, skin is preferred for women and a variety of powders and treatments are used to keep skin as pale as possible with further cosmetics used to make cheeks appear to have a pinkish blush. For the common woman a simple hairstyle of parted along the center and tied to a bun in the back is sufficient for every day, but for the patricians and nobles hair is often put up in elaborate and unique styles and social circles often try to outdo each other; married women of all classes, as well as priestesses, and vestal virgins, wear their hair in six braids. Black hair is most common and nets and bonnets of golden colored fabrics and threads are worn to accent it - wealthier women may use actual gold and weave pearls or precious stones into them. Red hair is considered the most desirable color for a woman among the Corithan bachelors.Men
The male form is expected to be athletic and toned with muscular legs being especially attractive. Men should be tall but not overly so and many men below 5'7" use platforms in their shoes to appear taller while men above 6' often try to disguise their height. Tan skin, strong jaws, high broad foreheads, and prominent noses are considered handsome features for Imperial men. Thick and curly hair is the ideal and current trends see the upper class men dyeing their hair blond. Men shave their arms and legs and what few cultivate facial hair keep it trimmed and groomed close to the skin.
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