Shredlanders

The Shredlanders are a people who inhabit the western canyons of the Gouge, notorious for their high winds, and the common occurence of a phenomenon known as the "shredwind," in which razor-sharp volcanic glass is kicked up by the wind and channeled through canyons and valleys at speeds high enough to strip the skin from any unprepared creature caught in them. Their original name has been lost to history, and the massive casualties among their population in the years following the eruption of Naarvikl.

Naming Traditions

Unisex names

As Shredlanders do not really have a system of gender, all Shredlander names are viewed as unisex, even if they are seen as gendered by other Zaahatl speaking peoples.

Somewhat unusually, given names can change many times among Shredlanders, with each new significant achievement or acquired trait representing an opportunity for a new name. Though this has caused a great deal of confusion among outsiders, Shredlanders find it very intuitive, and believe that anyone who cares enough about a person should have no issue picking up and using their new name--especially given its related to something significant and memorable enough to preclude a name change.

There is a fair amount of stigma attached to having only ever borne one name, as it is taken as an indicator that that person have never done anything more noteworthy than exist. Consequently, Shredlanders tend to look down steeply on outsiders who have no nicknames or titles--not that this tends to be a common issue, with the Shredlanders propensity to give nicknames to damn near every outsider they interact with regularly.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Most shredlanders speak Zaahatl, though those living in the eastmost regions of the canyons may also be fluent in Kaatanvikl.

Common Dress code

Clothing is perhaps the most visible and important marker of shredlander culture, as it has become just as important to survival as food or water. Shredlanders can be easily identified, even far from the shredwinds of their homeland, by the full-coverage, many-layered garments they wear. The standard outfit of shredlanders consists of a cloth underlayer, fastened as the wrists and ankles with tight cloth wraps, a fitted cloth over-robe, and a long outer coat made of leather or waxed canvas. This is accompanied by leather boots and gloves (generally fastened under the cloth wraps unless very well fitted), a long, wide scarf wrapping around the head, neck and shoulders, sometimes extended into a cloak, a cloth veil, and goggles with lenses made either of glass or sheer cloth. Because none of the wearer's features are visible except in the most intimate settings where it is permissible to remove one's veil and scarf, ornamentation is valued highly, and shredlander jewelry and clothing are valued very highly among other peoples for their rich decoration.

Common Taboos

-Showing any skin--especially one's face--except in the most intimate settings or among immediate kin.
-Allowing a member of one's kin group to travel alone, and refusing a request to travel with one's kinsmen.
-Worship of Raantchlaan

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Shredlanders view the human body as fundamentally fragile and unclean, and view it as worthless in representing or reflecting the person possessing it--in many ways, Shredlanders view their bodies as separate from their sense of self--so Shredlander beauty ideals generally focus more on clothing and ornamentation, and the way a person carries themself than it does with innate physical characteristics of their bodies.

Gender Ideals

Shredlanders views of one's body as separate from one's self, combined with their strong emphasis on one's actions and life decisions as the primary determinant of a person's character, has lead them to possess a rather unusual system of gender. Though they do make distinctions between the sexes, a person's sex does not determine their social status in any meaningful way, and is viewed as no more reflective of who a person really is than other innate physical characteristics, like hair color, physique, or height.


Shredlanders have only one set of pronouns used for people: hak/hev/raa.