Ruskev

From the cold and harsh lands of Norria is a people that live off the land and travel across it on their mighty steeds. The Ruskev are a semi-nomadic people who make their home on the great tundras of the continent. There they live a life that is harsh but offers freedom in exchange.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Olga, Annasta, Ingred, Daria, Eva, Gala

Masculine names

Sergi, Yuri, Obe, Kiril, Hedeon, Edmon

Unisex names

Ira, Nakita, Jeramy

Family names

Rustan, Milokov, Bormik, Privnos

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Gregovi: A language created by mixing other languages from peoples that joined their hosts to allow better communication rather than just learning several languages.

Culture and cultural heritage

Riders of the Tundra: The Ruskev are known for their exceptional skills in horsemanship, as they are considered some of the best in Norria. This is mainly due to horses being essential to their way of life and being trained at a young age to ride them. That and the harsh environment that they live in make it imperative for them to be fast and mobile in case of danger. This caused them to be more skilled in handling their horses while riding them as they could maneuver them with just their thighs and legs, along with standing up on them and other nimble maneuvers like they were nothing.
Resilient Warriors: Due to Norria being a dangerous continent to live on, the Ruskev have adopted a military lifestyle that all men and some women must uphold to ensure their survival. They as best known for their speed of attack in skirmishes that catch enemies by surprise, using stealth and horsemanship to overwhelm them. Once they achieve their goals, they quickly vanish before anyone can do anything. On horseback, they are challenging to defeat, and very few can rival them even on a mount of their own; their sabers make them more deadly as they easily cut down anyone in their way.
Semi Nomadic: Often migrating during the changing of the seasons, the Ruskev enjoy an independent lifestyle in that they are not bound to any one place like most cultures of the continent. But they have seasonal grounds where some official settlements exist that are considered sacred and are a means of trading with other hosts and outsiders.
Tight Knit Communites: While many hosts are scattered across the tundra, many of them share strong bonds of kinship with one another. Most hosts are made of large extended families that travel together and know everyone in it. Creating solid communities with each other as they share celebrations and feasts. It is often seen as one big family that would do what they could for one another in times of trouble.
Mix Ancestory: The Ruskev come from multiple cultures that fled the oppressive rule of the Warlock Dominions and putting aside their difference to remain free. From this, their culture was created. They chose to wander across the tundras as independent peoples and create their own identity, with many different beliefs and traditions being absorbed into their own.

Shared customary codes and values

Communal Dining: Meals are shared with the community, where they can chat and share company. All are welcomed to dine at their table so long as no weapons are drawn as it ruins the merriment
Dancing: Dancing is a part of daily life and is meant to bring joy to all. It is to express emotions and is significantly involved in many festivities throughout the year.

Average technological level

Living a nomadic lifestyle leaves little advancement for infrastructure to be developed by them. But some settlements were used as seasonal homes for specific times of the year. Many of them were made into fortified settlements and fortresses to defend them from attack and to grow crops when hunting was not an option. However, they are far more advanced culturally as most can read and write, having books about their history, information about other cultures, and skills to pass on to future generations. But their crowning achievement is their skills with horsemanship, as they have mastered at an early age, and very few can rival them when riding.

Common Etiquette rules

Greeting: If the members are a part of the same host, they will often greet each other and will often give each other hugs and backslaps. But when it involves our family, it will include kisses with a spouse getting one of the lips and kisses on the cheek no matter the gender or relation.

Common Dress code

Men : Men wear distinct trimmed furs to keep warm in the cold weather of the tundra. Often being made of animals that they kill themselves and design. Their clothing allows them to maintain enough body heat without sweating and covers all body parts to avoid frostbite, along with a distinct fur hat known as the Kubanka that is distinct to their culture. Their boots are also designed for piecing the cold, hardened ground to avoid slipping while walking on it.
Women: Women wear clothing that is a mix of cloth and fur for warmth, often wearing more colorful clothing. But they wear pants just like the men, as dresses are considered impractical while living on the tundra as they retain no warmth. Most of the cloth they wear have embellishments, being in patterns, and they will also wear Kubanka to keep their heads warm.

Art & Architecture

The Ruskev have most of their building made from fur, cloth, and wood with stone. Settlements are often made from wood and stone, reaching heights of four stories and with tall cylinder roofs. While smaller ones a long and rectangular with straw roofing. Tents are made of cloth and animal fur shaped into a circle to allow for more open living space for several people. Much of their decorative art is seen through their clothing and items with embroidery and engravings. Allowing them to express their culture with intricate designs. Clothing can be dyed as well to allow them to be more distinct.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Savupla: A common tradition to settle disputes between groups or individuals that cannot be solved. This is often through dancing or horse riding skills, sometimes a mix.
Gaboten: A military practice that trains warriors to skill with weapons, horsemanship, and martial art to make them into effective fighters when they go off into battle.
Northern Light Festival: A festival that takes place in winter when the northern light dances across the night's sky and is known as the time of comfort and family bonds that should be cherished.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Children born inside a camp or settlement are often given a community-wide celebration if they survive their first week after birth. During that time, no one was allowed to see the children besides their family, as a superstition that a creature known as a Grenkel would disguise itself as a stranger and snatch away the newborn. However, the Grenkel can not disguise themselves as a member newborn's family, as they can see through by how it acts. The Grenkel will give up on taking the child after a week, and they will be safe. Once the child passes their first week, the infant will bring them before the community, where they shall greet it by singing a song and saying, welcome our child, as all members consider all children in of the host as their own no matter if they are blood-related or not.

Coming of Age Rites

Children taught skills very young will often be considered adults before they reach their teens. Children often work with their parents to work when growing crops and herding animals by the time they are five. When a boy reaches eight, they will know how to ride a horse and fight with weapons. When they become nine, they often consider a man, have their hair cut into a traditional men's style, and are given a sword that belongs to their family to begin their right of passage to becoming a man. They will then cut their finger and smear it across the blade to claim it as theirs, and after that, their family will have a meal celebrating their manhood. The next day they will be sent off to join one of their host's fortresses and go through training to become an official warrior for at least six years before returning home. Girls are not considered women until they reach puberty when they are gifted with a new dress to wear as a woman and gifted a knife to use to defend their home from attackers. They will also have their hair tied and braided and never cut again. Once they are done, they shall perform the Luvsha, a dance that all women know, and perform it once they complete it, they become women. From here, they take on more duties as a woman, cooking alone for the first time for their family.

Funerary and Memorial customs

According to Ruskev's beliefs, it takes about three days for the deceased body's body to leave and go to the afterlife. The body is wrapped up in animal skin, and it is in a tent where friends and loved ones can give respect to them. Most of these three days are mornings for losing a loved one. But the body will be brought out at the end of the final day, all saying their final farewell to the dead. Once that is done, their body will be covered in a flammable substance, often animal far or alcohol, and be set on fire. While the body is burning, the spirit of the deceased will walk almost the leaving for the rest of the night and leave when the sun comes up. During that time, all will celebrate the life of the deceased by drinking and dancing, often telling stories to each other about them all through the night to allow the spirit to rest at ease and pass peacefully, knowing that their loved ones are at peace and can cross into the afterlife. Once the funeral is finally over, their ashes are gathered and placed into a burial mound where hosts bury the remains of their tend. Both genders are given the same treatment of equality in life.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Hair is different between men and women in a very distinct way. Men often have most of it off except for a small amount of hair as a sign of manliness and freedom. However, some will have short hair and tie it to other tundra regions. Facial hair comes in several different styles, ranging from mustaches to beards. While women never cut their hair and instead braided and wrapped it into a large bun. Mental traits are also looked for rather than

Gender Ideals

Men and women in a host have the same rights and are given the right to vote in the host's decisions. Men, of course, will often be away from home most of the time as they are either hunting or waging war with their neighbors. Many men will not marry at a young age as they often live independent lifestyles and become part of warbands or go through military training for several years while single. This meant that women in a host had much authority, took control of the family, and even fought to defend the home if attacked, But most of their duties were to grow crops when they settled in an area and do other tasks around their family's tent. But when patriarchs of a family were present, they were often in charge of what a family could do as a whole. Women were not allowed to join warriors, but some did anyway, often renouncing to be married and declaring themselves men, with some letting their hair flow freely.

Courtship Ideals

When a man seeks a wife, they will need permission from her family's Patriarch to marry them after they ask their wife to marry them and agree. The man and an older woman from the man's family will be present. Both sides will be haggling about a price to buy the woman from her family using goods, food, or money to see if she is wife material. Often being decided by what skills she knows and their personality. Women that are considered defiant and rebellious are not considered marriage material. Once a price is reached, the groom will place their coat around his bride to claim her as his wife, a symbol of protection and comfort. Giving the Patriarch a piece of silver or gold is also customary to symbolize good faith between the two families and become relatives.

Relationship Ideals

The husband controls much of the relationship as he supports the family by sheltering and feeding them. Their first duty is to build their tent to shelter their future family after marriage. But they gave their wife the respect they deserved, for they are the caregivers of their children and protect them from all harm. Men often are away from their tents to hunt or fight in battle, with their wives watching over the children. They were often in charge of the household and could make decisions when their husband was away for the family's good. But once a son reached the proper age to ride a horse, it was up to the husband to raise them and teach them how to be a man. Any daughters would be raised by their mother and learn to be proper women in adulthood.

Major organizations

Anten Roveni: The oldest of the Roveni that were once great and powerful. But since the Unification wars, their numbers have dropped significantly and are on the verge of collapse.
Rubenhov Roveni: A Roveni that was once known for their constant raiding and skilled riders, they have now been forced to adapt to a new order where warriors must accept and obey laws and peace.
Obersty Roveni: A Roveni is known for their skill at hunting the fantastic beasts that roam the tundra and using them to survive and make money from their remains.
Sevlok Roveni: The smallest of the Roveni, they are mostly peaceful as they trade and are known for their kind-hearted nature.

Storm Guard : Once a band of warriors that sought fame ad fortune, they know serve as personal guard of the High King of Norria.
Kingdom of Norria : The sole power that has unified the Continent of Norria after the Northern Wars of Unification with all bending the knee to High King Darius Harkon.

Values

Family: Family is highly important to them as it means warmth and love for each other in a harsh environment. Everyone does their part to help one another to survive and teach what truly matters most in life. They are willing to go to great lengths to protect them and go to war for them if they are kidnapped or killed to deliver justice.
Freedom: By living their lifestyle, they know what it is like to now be free from the yoke of rule and do whatever they want. Rather than having laws, they followed their customs and values to guide them in life. This allowed many to follow the path of their ancestors and know their limits on what they could and could not do.
Education: Education is essential to them as it allows them to teach skills that are needed to survive on the steps. But they also value reading and writing as it allows them to communicate with other cultures and learn from them and their own if they can understand them as they often speak more than one language.
Horsemanship: A horse is more than a means of travel but a part of its very being. They trained their horse to travel great distances and mobile on the rugged terrain of the tundra, allowing them to move at full speed without losing momentum. The skills they can achieve while on horseback also show their strong connection with their mounts.
Equality : All are considered equal within a Roveni, with no one being better than any other. All are considered one community, with no one having power over one another. In doing so, all who are a part of it have the same freedom and follow the same rules that most follow. Ensuring the community thrives does not fracture from the rank and status of those with privilege.
Intergation: It is a common tradition to allow outsiders into their culture, as all deserve the right to be free. It does not matter what culture they are from or their race, as the hosts accept all. They are allowed to continue their tradition and follow their belief as long as they follow the unspoken rules of the host that all must follow.
Militaristic: All men are trained to fight long before they reach adulthood. They must survive as conflict is common, and through their training and traditions, they have become skilled fighters and horsemen. Making them able to prepare for battle instantly, they always carry their weapons, and their horses come to them on command, making them highly mobile.

Taboos

Authority: The Ruskev were founded on the idea of freedom and away from the rulers that would take away from them with their authority. It is the reason that they are primarily democratic, with everyone having a say in their community.
Laziness : All must work to survive in the harsh wilderness of the tundra, and to avoid work is to mean certain death to oneself and those around them because of their carelessness.
Social Classes: There are no classes in Ruskev culture, and all hold the same amount of power and wealth as the others in the community. To have classes would mean creating division and gaps in the community that would see it fall apart slowly.
Greed: is extensively looked down upon for taking more than is needed to survive to them while others in the host are suffering. All is shared within the host, and whether it's food or spoils of war, the group will have it divided equally to share no matter what.