Ruveran

"In Night most Pitch, and Day most Ivory, our blades remain honed, and our minds just as sharp. Blessed be the Free of Aldaria." - Ruveran Battle Hymns

Hailing from the eastern portion of the Assarian Empire, these Cre'tani endure much in the way of hardships. Battered from the north by the endless march of the Land of Eternal Night and all of its creatures poured forth from its black pits, assaulted by occassional invasion armies from Balvenya and the Velsarian Monarchy, and politically inclined by the Empire in the south, these people hold little qualms of peace. While there is much joy to be had in their hardy nature, many of them wish for simply a quieter tommorow. While most of their people live within the Assarian Empire now, they have a certain pride among their difference against the elves that control such, and hold proudly that they joined willingly, than allowed themselves to be conquered. Old notions still remain in some of the older generations.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Katerina, Elaina, Serena

Masculine names

Evanal, Vadim, Leden

Family names

Heivenov, Serkovsky, Romana

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Kvasian (Common)

Culture and cultural heritage

The culture of these people dates back into the expansionary period of the Cre'tani across the globe. Upon their creation, the Ruveran people migrated and settled in open lands between the two established Celes'tani groups. Their stories of travel, plight, and combat, have made these people value overcoming hardship, fighting against adversity, and welcoming those with a welcoming ear to their fires. Wisdom is often passed down through quite conversation either in a protected home, or a campfire on a war front.

Shared customary codes and values

Immediately family bonds. Maternal, paternal, and close bonds are the most important to these people. Strong family connections through siblings and cousins. Some of the strongest pair-bonded magic fighters have come from these lands historically. There is little room for else in most cases, aside from those with wealth, for larger close connections. 
The Ruveran people highly value the strength of one's physical frame, but also their mental acquity. The strongest fighters must also be tactful.

Common Etiquette rules

For the average citizen, most find comfort in more hearty settings without formal decorum. Beyond such, entertaining outside dignitaries and such will find good mannerisms and otherwise, when needed.

Common Dress code

Usually covered in long coats, fur-lined clothing, and drab colors. Clothes made for long winters and cold climates. Those without such can often be assumed as wealthy or foolish.

Art & Architecture

Long gothic constructions stretching upwards in spiraling towers. Portions of Runevale show this architecture en mass.

Foods & Cuisine

The Vartomyl, a starchy tuber similar to the potato, grows here in great abundance and forms the basis of their food web. Unlike the potato however, this tuber grows in large colonies, and sprouts flowers even in dark skies as it feeds off the radiation of heat, not light. The tuber itself is starchy, but the flowers and expansion of such makes the food items prepared with it have a bit of a fresher taste than a normal potato.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

With wealth being the main disparty among the people, a common tradition for all peoples to prove oneself in physical or mental prowess. Besting their mentor in some form of combat, or besting their teachers in some form of academic debate or structured argument. This process is often called 'Cahmys', or 'The Proof.'

Funerary and Memorial customs

Interred in cemeteries, usually in family groups.

Common Taboos

With proximity to Mosu'kelon, the Dead Desert Forest, anything necromantic is frowned upon. Associations with elves are also fairly strained given their proximity and combative history with either group from the north and south. Oddly, or perhaps not oddly, they are fans of dwarves and their craft. A good portion of their designs come from old dwarven crafting techniques that were passed down or found within nearby ruins where an old dwarven settlement used to be located.

Common Myths and Legends

The Plague of Pitch, Devils in Ivory

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Unlike most of their kin, these people are rather stuck in their rugged lifestyle. Being clean is often a sign of wealth, and being clean and not in armor is a sign of opulence. Many of their armors for those that do wear them however are often ornately crafted or lined.

Gender Ideals

Traditionally male led within governmental bodies, but female led within village and homestead groups. Neither are seen as lesser than the other.

Courtship Ideals

The blade of the other is often given freely as a sign of courtship. This of course, leads to many, somewhat humorous, confusions for those outside the culture as a submissive act.

Relationship Ideals

Both are expected to carry their weight, regardless of who goes off to battle or who stays home to tend to the homefront

Major organizations

Assarian Empire

Encompassed species

• Cre'tani

Related Locations

• Land of Eternal Night