Stygians
Stygia remains as the only remnant of a once continent spanning empire. Its citizens remain prideful and safe behind its ancient city walls, but suffer from a stagnation of action and spirit. Surrounded on all sides by unpredictable nomadic tribes the Stygian government and people have given up any hope of reclaiming past glory and instead of simply seek to live out their days in comforts of a bygone era. They are the only people who regularly birth troglodyte children in an urban environment, and most see it as an unfortunate but not unexpected abnormality.
Culture
Shared customary codes and values
Most important of Stygian ideals is that of the dominar familias, the idea that a head of household is the absolute authority in their demesne. They are given final say in the life decisions of all who live under their roof, and it is seen as the height of impropriety to contradict someone in their own house. It is even legally allowed, though rarely practiced, for a dominar to kill anyone within their home for any reason. It is thus common form for all conflicts to be discussed in public forums, parks, or meeting halls.
Common Dress code
It is seen as obscene to leave ones home with a bare face in Sygian culture, akin to public nudity in other cultures. It is expected for all citizens to wear a tightly drawn hood, face mask, or both whenever outside their residence. Foreigners are provided with simple wooden masks upon entrance to the city.
Common Taboos
The lower reaches of Stygia have been long abandoned. Plague and war have left a city fit to house tens of millions to a population barely more than one hundred thousand. These abandoned locales have been sealed off and the otherworldly beings enslaved by Stygians of ages past have escaped their bonds to wander the silent halls of the Stygian underworld. This has led a condition wherein children of the city are taught to avoid any street or building whose owner they do not personally know, lest they end up wandering into an alley monster.
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