Nazeeran

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Claretta, Oihana, Itxaro, Paolina

Masculine names

Raffaele, Dionisio, Severo, Romano

Unisex names

Amets, Loreto, Zorion, Fiore

Family names

Marzia, Caterina, Amets, Maria

Nazeeran names take inspiration from Basque, Spanish, and Italian names.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

Huge family dinners of 30+ are common, and surprisingly fast - everyone has a role to play in preparing, cooking and cleaning up. These large group dinners are often the only times when travelers see Nazeerans let down their walls a bit - no one deserves to dine alone, even strangers. Lone travelers are sometimes invited to join these big family dinners and add what they can to the feast. Most foreigners in this situation find them experiencing some level of emotional whiplash going from taking part in this huge friendly family dinner, to being coldly treated as a stranger again the next day. Even Nazeerans who detest interacting with strangers take this custom in stride - it is simply what a decent person does.

Cuisine

Nazeeran foods generally consist of a main course of river fish, small game, and sweet side dishes. Candies and sweet baked goods are popular, thanks to the abundance of cheap sugar available from the sugarcane plants that grow throughout the Riverlands.

Sayings & Cultural Touchstones

Koh Ambushes - Roads are dangerous in Wejnazeer without a Nazeeran halfling guide. Without such a guide, travelers and caravans especially become ambush targets of the Koh. Nazeerans do little to prevent this - simply put, if you travel in Wejnazeer without their permission, there are no guarantees to your safety. The Koh remain welcome traders in towns, and more than one merchant has seen kobolds hawking the goods they stole directly in front of them. Generally, these guides sit atop wagons, a highly visible sign to any potential ambushers that the group is under their guidance.
Kicking Dirt - Kicking dirt in the direction of others is used by Nazeerans as an insult, much the same way one might spit on the ground after seeing someone you detest. The dirt does not need to reach the target - it simply has to appear intentional and directed. The origin of the act is not entirely known, with some scholars claiming it stems from the act of filling someone's stream with dirt at its source - killing their crops and causing them general misfortune.

Shared customary codes and values

by Brian Matyas

Most Nazeeran's are wary of strangers, and distrustful of foreign nations due to thousands of years of sporadic defensive wars to maintain control of the Riverlands. They are slow to trust, and jealously guard their valuables, but steadfast allies and friends. A Nazeeran's closest friends are treated like family, and family is held above all else.

Ideals

Relationship Ideals

Loyalty and trust is incredibly important in Nazeeran culture, and partners are expected to always take their partners side publicly. It is very common for couples to ask for a moment of privacy before any major decision or discussion in order to ensure they are on the same page. Similarly, a betrayal of trust is treated as a huge issue.
On the inverse, being able to trust your partner to know your preferences, desires, and goals and choose for you even if they would not choose the same is a great show of love. Nazeerans tend towards extremely close relationships, and many foreigners joke that they seem to be able to read each others minds.
Nazeerans are generally slow to marry, but have low divorce rates. Having children before marriage is more common than in other cultures.

Encompassed species

• Halfling
• Kobold

Related Organizations

• Wejnazeer

Related Items

• Jumbi Berry

Languages spoken

• Agdoni

Related Locations

• Riverlands