Argentian
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Female names often evoke the elegance, and mysticism that flows through the city. Other names reflect a connection to nature or invention. Names frequently have soft, flowing syllables. Such names include:
- Aurinda
- Lorena
- Araminta
- Evelynne
- Violetta
- Lunara
- Aetheris
- Rowena
- Jennie
- Amethyst
- Flora
- Almyra
Masculine names
Male names convey strength, invention, and tradition, and often reflect the progress and power of industry. These names will, more often than not, include harder consonants. Names here include:
- Nehemiah
- Horace
- Ninian
- Caldwell
- Darian
- Alaric
- Edwin
- Victor
- Ferrin
- Theron
- Marcellus
- Benedict
Unisex names
Some factions progressive nature has given rise to gender-neutral names. These factions include the revolutionaries and the Aetherian scholars. Names include:
- Ardyn
- Quinneth
- Rowan
- Ellion
- Brynox
- Cassiel
- Darien
- Ellisyn
- Rynwald
- Velric
- Sorren
- Auren
Family names
Family names vary. Many of the wealthy of Upper City take great pride in being able to trace their family tree back to the founding of Argenthold, even with some of the last names reflecting what they did before the foundation of city. While the middle and lower class from the Ironward and the Lower City family names reflect what they do for a living, if they have a family name at all.
Wealthy Family Names:
- Massey
- Barman (usually reflects the job of a bartender)
- Redsmith (usually reflects a brickmaker and/or a bricklayer)
- Winterman
- Lushington
- Atwater
- Wyndham
Middle & Lower Class Family Names:
- Hammerman
- Butcher
- Sixsmith
- Wheelwright
- Wickham
- Ambrose
- Fisher
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Argentian Common: The primary language spoken across Argenthold, blending Old Imperial roots with industrial jargon and arcane terminology.
Ironcant: A dialect unique to the Ironward and Lower City, featuring clipped phrases and slang developed for efficiency in noisy factories and among laborers.
Aetherian Tongue: A melodic, rune-based language originating from the Floating Cities. Spoken by mystics and scholars, it’s often used in spells and magical rites.
Trade Pidgin: A simplified mix of Argentian Common and various foreign tongues, used in airship docks and marketplaces.
Culture and cultural heritage
Industrial Pride: Celebrating Argenthold’s rise as a hub of innovation.
Arcane Traditions: Honoring the ley lines and the lost Arcanid civilization through festivals and rituals.
Revolutionary Spirit: In the Lower City, cultural identity is tied to the struggles for fairness and opportunity, often expressed through murals and music.
Shared customary codes and values
Innovation and Progress: Argentians take pride in blending tradition with innovation, seeing invention as a way to honor the past while building the future.
Community versus Individualism: In the Lower City, community is paramount, with neighbors helping each other survive harsh conditions. In the Upper City, individual achievement is celebrated, especially in science, magick, and commerce.
Respect for Expertise: Mastery of one’s craft—whether engineering, alchemy, or arcane study—is highly respected across all classes.
Reverence for Balance: Aether and industry must coexist; tipping the scales too far toward either is seen as destabilizing society.
Average technological level
Steam and Aether Fusion: Argenthold has mastered integrating steam power with Aether crystals, enabling inventions like airships, automatons, and advanced weaponry.
Mass Production: Factories produce goods at unprecedented rates, though often at the cost of worker well-being.
Aether-Driven Infrastructure: Streetlights, elevators, and water filtration systems powered by Aether reflect the city’s advanced urban engineering.
Common Etiquette rules
Greetings: A nod or slight bow is customary among acquaintances, while a handshake is reserved for formal introductions or agreements.
Addressing Elders or Superiors: Titles such as “Master,” “Mistress,” or “Scholar” are used, reflecting respect for expertise or status.
Tools and Machines: Never touch someone’s tools or inventions without permission; it’s seen as a grave offense.
Punctuality: Time is sacred in an industrial society. Being late is interpreted as disrespectful or disorganized.
Common Dress code
Upper City:
- Elegant attire to include waistcoats, corsets, and layered skirts.
- Aether-powered accessories, such as glowing pendants or small mechanical adornments, are symbols of status.
Lower City:
- Practical and durable clothing, often stained with soot or oil. Workers wear leather aprons, reinforced boots, and heavy gloves.
- Bandanas or masks are common to shield against smog.
Ironward:
- Uniform-like attire reflecting guild affiliations, often adorned with guild emblems and utility belts.
Art & Architecture
Art:
- A fusion of industrial and arcane themes. Metal sculptures often incorporate glowing Aether crystals, and paintings depict both the grandeur and struggle of life in Argenthold.
- Popular mediums include brass etchings, steam-powered automaton art, and enchanted holograms.
Architecture:
- A mix of towering iron spires, glowing ley line markers, and functional industrial designs. Upper City structures emphasize grandeur, while Lower City architecture is utilitarian and weathered.
Foods & Cuisine
Upper City Cuisine:
- Rich, elaborate dishes incorporating imported ingredients, such as spiced meats, cream-based sauces, and exotic fruits.
- Aether-infused desserts that glow faintly, like “Crystalberry Tart.”
Lower City Fare:
- Simple, hearty meals such as stews, flatbreads, and pickled vegetables. Smoked meats and potatoes are staples.
- Street vendors sell “Cogcakes” (savory pastries filled with meat or cheese).
Ironward Sustenance:
- High-calorie, portable foods designed for laborers, like dense loaves of bread and salted fish.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Founders’ Day: Celebrates the city’s founding with parades, airship flyovers, and exhibitions of new inventions.
The Aetherial Eclipse: Observed twice yearly when the twin suns align, believed to amplify magickal energies.
Guild Oaths: Ceremonies where new guild members pledge loyalty, often in front of symbolic machinery or glowing Aether crystals.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Newborns are blessed with a drop of purified water infused with a tiny fragment of Aether crystal, symbolizing the unity of magick and life.
Families in the Lower City often forge a small token or trinket for the child, representing resilience.
Coming of Age Rites
At age 15, children in guild families undergo an apprenticeship ceremony, where they are officially assigned to a trade or craft.
In mystical families, a “Leywalk” is performed, where the youth must meditate near a ley line to seek their magickal affinity.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Upper City: Elaborate ceremonies in Aether-lit halls, with the deceased placed in metal sarcophagi marked by runes.
Lower City: Cremation is common, with ashes scattered in community gardens or ley line intersections.
Ironward: Memorial plaques are often placed near factories where the deceased worked.
Common Taboos
Desecrating Ley Lines: Tampering with ley lines is forbidden, as it’s seen as a disruption of natural and mystical balance.
Theft of Tools: Taking another’s tools, inventions, or Aether crystals is considered dishonorable and invites retribution.
Forbidden Knowledge: Seeking out ancient, dangerous Arcanid technologies or magicks is viewed as reckless and sacrilegious.
Common Myths and Legends
The Whispering Fog: A tale of shadowy figures living within the Black Fog, said to be remnants of a failed experiment.
The Sky Forge: A myth about a floating forge where the Arcanid crafted the first Aether crystals.
The Clockwork Phoenix: A legend about an automaton bird said to rise from the ashes of destruction to rebuild the city.
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