Vatian

Empires never fade

If there ever were people who thought their culture was the greatest in the world, the Vatians would be on top of that list. They only care for themselves and theirs alone and would rather die than give it up all. Their culture has since spread across the lands of men over the centuries, replacing many cultures with their own and bringing what true civilization looks like with them.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Gaia, Lavinia, Albia, Argentina, Aurelia, Livia

Masculine names

Atticus, Lucius, Julius, Crasis, Markus, Cato

Family names

Aquillius Armenius Arrius Betilienus Betucius Blandius Blossius Bruttius Bucculeius Burbuleius Burrienus Caecilius Caepasius Caerellius Calvisius Camilius Cantilius Cantius Canuleius Canutius Carfulenus Carisius Carius Caristanius Carpinatius Carteius Carvilius Cassius Castricius Castrinius Cicereius Cilnius Cincius Considius Coponius Cordius Corfidius Cornelius Cornificius Coruncanius Cosconius Cossinius Cossutius Cotius Cupiennius Curiatius Curius Curtilia Curtius Cuspius Decimius Decius Dellius Desticius Egnatuleius Ennius Epidius Eppius Equitius Erucius Fabius Favonius Festinius Fidiculanius Flaminius Flavius Flavinius Flavonius Floridius Florius Floronius Gessius Granius Gratius Gratidius Haterius Herminius Hirrius Hirtius Hirtuleius Lucius Lucretius Lurius Luscius Lusius Lutatius Macrinius Maecilius Maecius Maelius Maenius Maevius Magius Mallius Mamilius Mussidius Mustius Naevius Nasennius Nasidienus Nasidius Nautius Neratius Nerius Nymphidius

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Vasili : One of the largest used languages in the world as other cultures use it as Vatian influence rose in power and is used in many parts of the world.

Culture and cultural heritage

Legacy of Greatness: Vatains had had a long history of advancement in culture and dating back to when they were but a small city-state to a kingdom and then became one of the greatest empires ever to exist. This has led to their people is one of the most dominant powers in the lands of men, and they wish to keep it that way as they are inspired by their past achievements and seen to become greater than the last generation. This has also led to a xenophobic society and seeing those they conquered beneath them, considering they lost to them in war and brought civilization to their backwater lands.
Glory of the Past: War is something that no Vatian can ignore, but they have improved upon it to create one of the greatest militaries that the world has ever seen. They have conquered vast territories, and previous generations often look at their military exploits. In doing so, they're considered great pride in the military as it expanded their wealth and culture to many parts of the world.
Builders of Wonders: For thousands of years, Vatians have been renowned for their skill in masonry and building techniques across the world. Their designs are considered more advanced and have been improved with time, and many famous buildings and monuments across the empire were built with their skill. Along with highly suffocated roadways that are easy to travel and span thousands of miles for easier travel, many have yet to be repaired due to how well-designed they are, as they use a mixture of concrete and stone to strengthen them. This is also used in their build process as it is strong and reliable.
Green Eyes: Vatians are distinguishable by their green eyes, which are a common trait that is found within their bloodlines more than in any other culture in the west.

Average technological level

Vatain society is highly sophisticated and more advanced than most other cultures, with settlements and items built easily and highly organized, making daily life much easier. This is due to their skills in engineering and how to improve upon it to create buildings and such things as plumbing to create sewers and aqueducts, along with using it to create advanced roads to make travel easier even in the roughest of terrain. But with the rise of factories in recent decades, they have improved old designs to create stronger materials faster. Their military is also highly skilled and organized, making them a force to be reckoned with if met in the field, as their efficient supply lines and siege engines have allowed conquering many lands for them.

Common Etiquette rules

Greeting: When men greet one another, they clasp their hands on one another forearms as a sign of respect. Women are not allowed to touch the man unless they are their spouses and must curtsey instead. Women are allowed to hug one another as a sign of love for each other.

Common Dress code

Men: Men are allowed to wear loose clothing, often that of a tunic, and wear a symbol of faith to show their devotion.
Women: Women are only allowed to wear dresses that only reveal their arms, cover their dress, and the length is up supposed to end at their ankles. Most women tend to wear one piece of jewelry, at least to show their family's wealth.
Status: The wealthy and the nobility are meant to wear at least one piece of jewelry with a sigil that identifies which house they are in, along with wearing finer clothing than that of the lower classes.
Festivities: During celebrations and festivals, both genders are allowed to wear more revealing outfits along with masks to keep their identity hidden.

Art & Architecture

Much of Vatian architecture is made of stone and marble; clay is used for roofs. Houses in cities for the lower classes tend to be connected to create more space for other buildings. They are as tall as five to six stories of organized living space. Wealthier families and nobles usually live in large single-story estates that have a courtyard, bathhouse, kitchen, bathrooms, and living quarters for many people. Most government and public builds tend to have marble columns, making them much easier to find. Buildings outside of cities tend to be much smaller and only houses and small families. Paintings and sculptures are made to show historical events and honor historical figures. Poetry and builds often depict images; some sculptures and buildings are sculpted with religious decorations. Poetry and plays are often created with an artist's flair for entertainment.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Baths: Considering how important bathing is to a Vatian, bathhouses have been created to allow anyone to bathe after a long day and ensure that they can relax and socialize. Bathhouses have plumbing systems to allow for heated water to create hot baths to bathe in.
Social Parties: Parties are common in Vatian cultures ranging from weddings to homecomings, that allow neighbors and friends to socialize with one another with food and drink to enjoy themselves.
Gladiatorial Games : If this one enjoyable thing is a clash of steel between fighters for the appeasement of the crowd.
Chariot Races: Races are a thrilling way to pass the time as riders race their chariots and clash with one another to achieve victory.
Triumph : A military parade that celebrates the achievements of legions and their leaders from their victories from battle and the spoils of war.
Day of Fools : A day of humor that help everyone laugh and cheer up from all the gloom in the world.
Festival of Jenna : A festival that is dedicated to those who are in love and to show their devotion to one another.
Festival of Summer's Rise : A festival to celebrate the beginning of summer with food and merriment in the warm weather.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

When a child is born, they are taken away from the mother and given to a priest to be covered in the ashes of a fire to signify their acceptance of their faith, that of the Exalted, the only god they follow. They are then washed in water to clean them and returned to the mother to purify them into the faith. Then they conduct their ritual after several days after birth if they survive. The ritual differs for males and females. Boys are bathed in oils for masculine traits later in life, such as strength and independence, and the father names them. Girls are bathed in milk for feminine traits later in life, such as compassion and patience, and are named by the mother. Both are raised in the air by their respected gender and shown to family members who were attending.

Coming of Age Rites

When a child reaches the age of sixteen, a party is thrown to welcome them into adulthood. Gifts are given to them to help them with their new responsibilities. Men are given tools depending on what occupation they want, and women are given jewelry and clothing to attract a suitor as soon as possible. A feast is given to them in their honor, and they receive the blessings of their parents to live successful lives. The day after, they are expected to do the tasks that any adult would have

Funerary and Memorial customs

The dead are wrapped in cloth from head to toe, and the body is laid on an altar in front of friends and loved ones. If it is a male, the family's women weep as a sign of love for the departed, and the men leave an offering as a sign of respect. If it is a woman, the men remain emotionless to show no sign of weakness to the crowd, and the women wear yellow to represent their women's devotion. After a priest says the required rites to the dead, the body is cremated so they may pass to the afterlife, and the ashes are collected in a jar. A painting of the deceased is made for lower-class families, and higher-class families have a death mask molded from the deceased. If it were a child, the body would receive the rites, and then the body would burn with the ashes collected. The ashes would then be scattered to the wind so that their soul would ascend to the heavens, where they would find peace.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Vatian believes that hygiene is the most important part of society. They use oil and scented soaps to look and smell clean. Bathing is done once a day, and flower petals are placed in the bath, which is said to keep the skin nice and smooth. Young men must shave periodically and keep their hair short enough to look more civilized. Men usually tend to wear loose clothing to show masculinity. Women must wear tight long dresses and makeup to look even more beautiful. Some women even wear wigs and as much jewelry as possible to show beauty.

Gender Ideals

Men control most of the occupations of everyday society, along with military and government offices. They are also required to find a decent job to feed their family. The heads of a household are taught to show discipline if their family members are out of line. A women's duty is that of the household, and she is sworn to keep everything in order, along with taking of the financial situations that come with running a house. They are in charge of the house while the husband is away on business and away. The raising and nurturing of children are also given to the wife while the husband does his duties. In higher classes, men and women have a hand in politics to gain praise and raise their social status. Women can gain positions that men generally hold if they are allowed.

Courtship Ideals

When a man seeks a wife, they tend to shower women they fancy with jewelry, clothing, and other items to show they can support a family. Women often reject those who are not able to do so. Higher classes and the nobility tend to arrange marriages to increase their status and wealth. Sexual contact is forbidden until the marriage is completed due to the superstition that sexual desire will bring misfortune to both families if the man no longer wishes to marry the woman because he only wants to sleep with them.

Relationship Ideals

The husband is mostly in full control of the marriage, and the wife must obey. When the husband is in a difficult situation that he has trouble with, the wife tends to give him advice and counsel to help resolve the problem much easier. Most relationships are to be highly sexual to show love for one another. Other than that, they both do what is best for their family and ensure that they do what they can to live a good life.

Major organizations

Vatian Empire : A massive empire that spans over half of an entire continent and outlines territories. Along with having one of the greatest militaries the world has ever seen to crush all who oppose them.
Imperial Senate: The ruling body of the empire that makes everyday decisions that affect the way of life of the local citizenry.
House Aurelius: The ruling house of the emperor himself and his family, whose influence has shaped much of the history of the Vatian people.

Diverged ethnicities

• Veritas

Encompassed species

• Humans
• Vampires

Related Organizations

• 10th Legion, Lords of the Hunt
• 13th Legion, Death March
• 43rd Legion, Blood of the Exiled
• 52nd Legion, Iron Forged
• 9th Legion, Furious Bulls
• Alchemist’s Association
• Alrunus Mining Guild
• Citizen’s Alliance
• Custodes
• House Aurelius
• Imperial Legions
• Imperial Royalists
• Imperial Senate
• Imperious Oculus
• Luminarium of the Exalted
• Obumbratio Ortis
• Province of Ardania
• Vatian Empire

Related Items

• Crumb Chicken
• Imperial Crowns
• Imperial Standards
• Propter Iusiurandum

Related Myths

• The Red Court Murders

Languages spoken

• Cipher Code
• Vasili

Related Locations

• Vatia, The Empire's Heart

Values

Militaristic: Vatian history is that of war and conquest throughout their existence, and it has become etched into every part of society. This has led to those in the military often having the highest honor, with at least one member of every family having at least one family member being a part of the military to gain honor for themselves.
Industrial: Vatian engineering has always been highly advanced in many parts of society, allowing them to create great cities and mighty weapons of war. But in recent memory, they have begun to industrialize and create great factories to produce more materials greatly. They have slowly begun to look into other ventures to advance s themselves even further.
Strict Hierarchy: In their society, every person has their place in society, from the lowest slave to the wealthy noble. While there are ways to change one occupation or position in life, it is greatly accepted that a person should accept their place in society. Those that try to go against this will often be looked down upon and punished.
Superiority : Vatians consider themselves superior to other cultures and races because they have more power over most of them and are looked down upon. This has caused them to create mistreatment of those outside their culture and turn many of those they have conquered into slaves or servants to carry out their will, along with settling in many regions of the lands they have conquered and displaced their native peoples.
Family: The idea of family in Vatian culture is that of love and devotion to one another, creating strong bonds with one another. This creates a great sense of loyalty and duty to one family, with everyone doing their part to ensure it is protected and elevate its position in society.
Tradition: Traditions are greatly honored in Vatian society as they value their history and customs that it has barely changed in centuries. This has caused them to resent change when the world changes and distort themselves from outdated ways and customs.
Status: Vatian culture is very competitive when it comes to what position they have in society. If they can ascend the social ladder, they will often take it for the betterment of themselves and their family. This can be done in various ways through marriages, military service, and wealth, which are some of the most common ways to change their current status, even at the expense of others if they must.

Taboos

Cowardice: Those who flee in the face of danger rather than facing certain death are highly looked down upon and resulting in shame and dishonor to one's family and can lead to punishment or even disownment. Only courage should be found in the hearts of every Vatian, and their willingness to die for the greater is something to value.
Sexuality: Sexual relations with the same sex are down upon as they are seen as unnatural, which should not happen. This leads to those caught doing so being punished with death or forced to renounce their sexuality and marry the opposite sex to prove that they have changed. This can be said the same with people wearing clothing of the opposite sex due to how their culture is built, as men should never wear a dress nor a woman with men's clothing unless for theatrical humor and other exceptions.
Pagan Faiths: The Vatian have long since abandoned their old gods and have embraced the Exalted as their one true god. But with the rise of this faith, so has their intolerance to other faith that sees them only as false gods. This has led to these faiths being outlawed and the destruction of their followers to see them convert or die doing so.
Adultery: Once a Vatian is married, they are to be loyal to their spouse and refrain from sexual relations outside of their marriage. Doing so brings shame to the family-like; marriage vows are held very seriously and should never be broken. Those caught doing such an act will be severely punished depending on the escalation of the adulters reached. These can lead to public humiliation or even death if the conditions are met.
Tattoos: Tattoos are seen as barbaric as corrupting one's skin is impure as it is often seen as branding. Only criminals and slaves are given a tattoo to identify them and reveal to those around them what they are. It also considered some things that non-Vatian cultures do and are considered barbarians by them.