Wasterner

Wasterner is the term used to describe a person who calls the Wild Waste their home. While some of these people have lived in the Waste for many generations, a great deal of Wasterners are first generation, having fled to the land without gods in order to escape whatever haunts them in their original homes. Many Wasterners are criminals, heathens, unholy, and other such things that would ordinarily get them in trouble in the rest of the World.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The most common language in the Waste is Western Dwarvish, followed up by Common Human. While the majority of Wasterners are not dwarvish, only a large percentage of them, dwarves were among the first to spread throughout the Waste, and their language spread just as fast as they did. Orcish is decently common as well, but mostly among orcs. This is because High Orcish is nigh-impossible to speak for non-orcs, and Low Orcish is considered "juvenile," and any adult found speaking it would merely be made fun of.

Common Etiquette rules

The Wild Waste is a lawless place, but from this lack of law, a new law has emerged. The unspoken Code of the Waste. It is not written down anywhere, nor can it be described in a way that would do it justice, but the Code is known by every Wasterner with half a lick of sense. The Code is not as much a law preventing crime, as much as it is a guide for exactly how one should go about committing crimes in a well-mannered way. No one will blame a crew of pirates for stealing from a railtrain, nor will anyone blame those who hunt them down for it. But to steal a victim's hat while going about this pirating is simply inexcusable.

Common Myths and Legends

The Waste is home to more than a few legendary tales, to be told around the boiler late at night. Indeed, it seems as if the Sands are a breeding ground for powerful heroes and fearsome villains, legendary victories and crushing defeats. There is the story of the one-armed hunter and his great, white-furred quarry. The tale of the man exiled from his home, who returned to consume it and himself in the fires of Hell. The legend of the witch doctor who hid her face and combed the Sands, searching for her lost heart. These stories are uncountable, and are told by Wasterners everywhere.

Related Organizations

• Church of the Silent God