Merlandians

The human inhabitants of Merlandia are called "Merlandians," no matter whether they live in the Republic or not. They generally have a progressive and open culture, though they do tend to be quite blunt, certainly compared to other humans. Another thing that stands out, is their connection to water... A lot of people would say that the Merlandians "rage a war against the sea." They do this by creating "polders." First, they create a dike around a flooded area, after which they install windmills that drive the water out... Leaving fertile farm land behind. Though tragedies with flooding do occur, most notably the flooding of Flavelar. Merlandians these days are known to be tough as well: this due their time under vampire occupation. They will not give up easily and when facing a vampire, they will give everything they've got. Merlandians usually have brown or black hair, as well as brown or gray eyes. Though ginger hair is more common in this region as well.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Rosalie, Emilie, Emma, Julia, Mila, Eva, Sophie, Anna, Zoë, Evi, Lisa, Saar, Fleur, Maud, Nienke, Sarah... For a list of popular female Dutch names, click here!

Masculine names

Hugo, Abel, Cedrick, Frederick, Jonathan, Casper, Ruben, Fabian, Lars, Bram, Koen, Olivier, Maxiem, Luc, Willem, Maurits, Floris, Bart, Boris, Sander, Jan, Pim, Jens.

Family names

Family names tend to describe occupation, place or character traits. Generally, Dutch naming traditions are used. Though exceptions are always possible. Some examples of Dutch last names are below here: De Groot, De Ridder, De Jaager, Van Vliet, Timmermans, Van De Beek, Dijkstra, Van Der Heide, Pieck, Hendriksen, Jansen, Van Der Linden, De Meijer, Thysen Though if you want to make your own Dutch name, here are some translations you can take into account!

De = The
Van = Of
Van Der = Of The
Sen = placed on the end of a last name ("son of") as in Jansen.

Other names

For town and city names, I tend to "anglofy" Dutch words (for example, the city of "Oode-Markt" means "Old-Market" and normally would be written as "Oude-Markt" in Dutch) Though using Dutch names for your county is okay too. If you need advice, reach out to YourAveragePeasant#6370 on Discord.

Culture

Art & Architecture

In the past, Merlandians loved to paint landscapes and portraits. After the Blood Wars however, focus shifted to scenes of glory and battle. In general though, Merlandians are known to be very good artists. As for architecture? Tall brick houses are popular. The links below show some example. As well as some other Merlandian (Dutch) landscapes Picture 1 - Goes Picture 2 - Dordrecht Picture 3 - Dordrecht Again Picture 4 - Kinderdijk Polder Picture 5 - Leeuwaarden Picture 6 - Leeuwaarden again Picture 7 - Prinsenhof in Delft, where William of Orange was murdered Picture 8 - Friesland

Common Taboos

Magic is a big taboo among Merlandians right now. Humans born with magical powers are often shunned and treated as outcasts.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

For men: a short beard is considered trendy. This in combination with short hair. Long boots are considered fashion among men. The tricone head is popular as well. For women: mid-long hair is currently the fashion trend, though short coupes are in fashion as well. Braids are considered very pretty. Unlike most culture, it is acceptable for women to wear trousers, even when not at work. During these times, the general fashion trend is blue, white and red clothing: to show support for the new Republic.

Gender Ideals

When it comes to gender ideals, Merlandians tend to be one of the most progressive cultures. With both genders expected to look after a child and split the work. It is also completely acceptable for a woman to put the first steps in a relationship. Both men and women can be regarded as "gentlemen," oddly enough. Keeping one partner at home to look after the house is generally frowned upon. This is also the reason why Merlandians tend to have less children than other humans.

Relationship Ideals

A "perfect union" among Merlandians is one of equal respect, with both partners helping each other out where possible. Regarding another partner as "weaker" is generally frowned upon. Oddly enough, this means helping a lady to step out of a carriage, is considered inappropriate! Offering your jacket when your date/partner is cold however, is not. This is seen as a sign of selflessness.

Encompassed species