The Lamentari

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Feminine names are usually taken from the heroes of old, names from ancient queens and princesses. These names are often extracted from Lamentari mythology involving goddesses and other fantastical creatures deemed to be feminine, e.g. the Meredith or Nymphs. Feminine names often have very feminine meanings, the most common name Seta meaning simply 'woman'. This is a common name amongst the Mithra especially. Though first names which are considered to have extravegant meanings are known to be high up in the social ladder, the example of this would have to be a name like Valerie or Veera meaning fiery and little fire respectfully. Feminine names often are very simple and soft sounding, very rarely ever containing hard consanant sounds.

Masculine names

Masculine names are pretty much opposite to the above. Lamentari children are often named after warriors whether hero or villain. Lamentari males are given two names, one at birth and one at puberty. The name at birth will often have the lesser meaning of that to the name after puberty. For example the name 'Vanco' originates from the Lamentari word flame, it's older, much more powerful name where a boy would become a man could be 'Vulcan' meaning to erupt. Men are often named after Gods which handle what would be considered to them 'manly' affairs. For example, the God of war, the God of the sun but the God of Youth would not be considered as a suitable name. Masculine names are hard sounding, using harsh consanants, never ending with a vowel.

Unisex names

Unisex names are extremely rare and there are only a few ocasions which they do exist. Unisex names are more prevelant where a Women would share a name belonging to a masculine origin. A Lamentari will never choose to name their son with a name which has largely female origin. For this reason unisex names always end with a consanant, much like masculine names. An example of a Unisex name would be for the Gods which are unisex in their veneration like the God of Wisdom.

Family names

Family names are often divided into two, clan name and a surname. The clan names are of mainly three, three being Mithra residing in the north of Lament, Hunic settling in the centre and Lykos residing in the south.
Mithra: Mithra's believe that their family are decended from a long line of ancient fishermen living very often humble and innocent lives. They have a heavy fishing culture since they live in the north where rivers are abundant when the summer solctice occurs, melting the thick ice sheets. Now, unlike the other clans Mithra's are more likely to hold monotheistic values and usually only venerate one higher being, that which the other Lamentari will call Neriel a sea nymph, though many Mithra would disagree. For this they are often seen as the lesser, being least powerful among the Lamentari.
Hunic: Lamentari with the family name Hunic are largely respected by the majority of the Lamentari. This is because of their important services in Lamentari history. Hunic ancestry aligns itself with the warrior class. They make up majority of the soldiers fighting for the cause of their expansion in and outside the valley of Lament. Not only are they physically strong but they are also mentally capable, being the sole driving force for the introduction of the Lamentari banking system.Hunics are also known for their numeracy and business skills, being clearly the most progressive clan in the valley.

Lykos: The Lykos are thought to be the most distant and isolated family of the entire valley, despite making up around 30% of the population, the 2nd largest community in Lament. The Lykos mostly find work in manual labour, for example blacksmithing, carpenters but are also known to be merchants, selling valueable materials which are found in abundance in the south. For this reason though, the Lykos are nature driven. They take pride in their knowledge of plants and are said to take great care in respecting their lands. They also make excellent doctors and teachers for this reason. The Lykos tribe are extremely resourceful but practical people that if an apocolypse were to occur, the Lykos could be considered a great threat.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Standard Lamentari is spoken through the entire Valley of Lament, though children also are fluent in classical Lamentari. The difference between them are not very but classical is used in formal events, in prayer or in battle. There are however, dialects distinct to every region of the Valley, north, south and the centre. The southern region inhabited by the Lykos tribe have the most noticeable accent compared to that of the centre and north. The Lykos have been isolated for long periods as they reside in forested land, largely kept untouched by human hands. Their dialect have closely retained the most classical Lamentari vocabularly than it's counter parts. The north too has a slightly distinct dialect, even though closer to the Hunic dialect, the north is largely blocked off every winter as the harsh conditions in this region increase. As a result their dialect has strayed the most from classical Lamentari.

Shared customary codes and values

The Lamentari live by three basic pillars.
Hunger: Hunger drives many to do many things, we are animals in nature and in instinct, let us make use of this, for better or worse.
Liberty: A life in the hands of another is hardly ever honourable.
Wisdom: The silent battle in ones head is sometimes the more bitter than the battle with ones fist.

Common Etiquette rules

There are too many to explain but to give you an explanation on the the reasons behind their etiquette it would largely involve their gender ideals. For example it is considered unmanly for men to show emotion, in anger or in happiness.
Men must remain stoic creatures, keep a strong and level head at all times. Anger without a serious cause would be seen as a lack of control, saddness as a sign weakness and happiness as a sign of foolishness.
It is ungodly for a male to touch strangers whilst conversing, this includes for both genders. Touching, even the shaking of a hand would be considered highly disrespectful. One pillar of Lamentari values is Liberty, a man must have his personal space.
For women it is also lead by gender and beauty ideals. It should be common knowlegde for a women to converse in the creative arts. It is essential for night outs and events, consider it similar to small talk.
Women must be never talk about their age, wealth or family life to any man. It is immoral behaviour and Lamentari culture may make you seem a little sinful if you do so.

Common Dress code

Mithra: Clothing depends on each region because of the climate. The region of Mithra tends to have layered clothing, much more than any other clan in the valley as it has a colder climate. Clothes containing fur of wild beasts is in fact very common and is also very fashionable yet practical. In the summers the layers tend to lesson and they will often switch to importing cloth from Lykos for comfortable clothing. Men often wear thinner pieces of cloths than women do even in winter time as the men often work as fishermen, heaving in large creatures from the depths of the rivers or seas. It is a tiresome and sweaty job for most.

Women in the Mithra region are unlike the rest of the valley of Lament. Since the north has bitter harsh winters, wearing fancy dresses are certainly not desirable. Women wear similar clothes to the men in this period of the year and one could actually hardly tell the difference between them if you were to see them from a distance. They wear thick fur coats and leather trousers made with beast hide. In summer however the clothing is a lot more relaxed, women can be seen wearing thin, long dresses as they take advantage of the summer heat.

The hunic and the Lykos Since both of these regions have a similar mild climate they both have the same blessing of having similar dress codes. The men usually are attired depending on their profression. Though boys usually wear very plain clothing, despite upbringing. It consists of a tunic and some shorts. Usually the men will only have three sets of clothes, one for work and one for home and family life, and one for special occasions. Men who work for the army are often found walking across all regions in armour, the type of armour will often depend on your rank upon the heirarchy. Most other professions wear what they wish, providing the clothing does not expose anything unholy, this includes from their chest to their navel. This has origin in an old saying which arose from a period of strife. 'Eat what you will but the fuller the stomach the bigger the target.'
Women on the other hand have diverse dressing styles. There are many trends which go in and out of fashion almost every week and it is therefore impossible to keep up with it. Dress length tends to increase the older you get, until you hit puberty dresses are required to hit your ankle and below, a dress above ankle length on a women is considered very sleazy and inproper.

Art & Architecture

Art and architecture are hugely influenced by modern and ancient battles which the Lamentari had fought in and won. Since this is the case, the architecure for important buildings e.g. Castelle Obex is a strongly fortified castle tower block, almost impossible to seige. Lamentari architecture is known for its obsession with safety, 'a weak wall withers away it's dying fellows' as they say. Art in Lamentari culture often depict their heroes from war times long ago. A specific piece which artists love to present over and over again involves painting the battle of Akaash where the Lamentari army united against the bearers for the very first time. Folk tales and hymns are sung about this too.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

All children have to undergo specific events to welcome them into the world. Each tribe has their own customs and traditions largely based on the God and Goddess they venerate. However they do share key ceremonies, these include:

• The bathing ceremony, all babies must be washed by the nearest river or lake. The water must be kept fresh for purity in this life and the next.

• The naming ceremony, this is done exactly one week after birth. The mother names her daughter and the father to his son.

• The feast, the parents and close relatives organise a grand meal for their entire family. Something sweet is often fed to the baby, for example a small piece of fruit or honey. This is so that the child can taste the sweetness in this life and the hereafter.

Coming of Age Rites

Both boys and girls have specific coming of age rites, these events occur when they hit puberty.
Males: It is said that boys undergo puberty as soon as their voice begins to break.

• Boys have their hair grown out at least until it has reached under the ear.

• They are usually circumcised and are told to stay awake for two nights to test their mental and physical strength.

• If they pass this they are then taken in by the men of the family, signing a pact of allegience to the Lamentari brotherhood. If they fail with this task it is ordered for these boys to take up the profession of a priest or a monk.

• Finally the 2nd naming ceremony, the boy is told to throw a certain number of sticks (depending on age) which are each noted with a specific attribute. He is then told to pick one out of the lot and the towns/ village priest will then assign him a name.

Female: Females are said to undergo puberty as soon as they start menstruation.

• The girl must wash herself in fresh water and should be properly layered to hide the fact that she is on her monthlies.

• She must then be assisted by an aunt or an elder sister (cannot be her mother) to escort her to a 'sanctuary', a place which houses other girls in the same situation. (Note: This is only for her first experience).

• Once in this santuary, she is fed and dressed with new clothes. The priestess then addresses the code of conduct on which a women must act upon and answers any questions that the girls may have on becoming a fine young lady.

• Once this meeting is completed she is then escorted back to her home, where she may continue on with her studies if she wishes or a suitable bachelor may be introduced to her, ( not to marry right away of course, just courtly business) which tends to be the case in tradtional conservative families.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Like birth rites, this changes depending on what the religion and region you are from. Funeral rites would look very different if you were to live in a bed of snow rather than in lush green forests right? However there are some similarities to take note of which spans across the entire valley.

• The man or women is washed with fresh water, preferably by the nearest lake or river. This is for purity but also to reinstate that this body has lived and breathed the land in which he or she had walked.

• A wooden burial box is then made by the priest or priestess. The family also purchase a special piece of cloth known as Sessril, they sew on the name of the deceased and is then given to the priest or priestess ready for burial.

• The body is buried at least 6 feet deep into the soil and is then covered in plants and leaves that are native to the area which they have been buried in. Prayers are held during this time as well as public mourning.

• A thirty day mourning period is set for the immediate family and a banquet dinner is held as a gift by their tribe.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Beauty ideals are split according to ones gender.
Males: An Ideal male in the eyes for both Lamentari men and women would have to be very pale, so pale that it looks sort of sickly. This is a sad fact for men in the centre and south of the valley. Hunic and Lykos men often bleach their skin with certain creams and plants in order to look appealing. These regions in the valley are often mild in temperature so this type of skin tone comes very unnaturally to them. Living so high north for the Mithra however, they have this inherited. Much to their dismay as the Mithra pay no real attention to skin colour as they hardly ever leave their geographic region.
Males should also be very athletic,and thus being even slightly overweight will be considered undesirable ( for marriage anyway). The Lamentari have almost an inbuilt attraction for well abled bodies, this shows that they are capable for war and danger at all times so the honour of defending ones families should be of no burden to them.
Lamentari men often have hair let loose, they'd do anything to look like they have just appeared from a battle. Having slick back hair is seen as very cowdardly. (This is why Ezra was often bullied in class).
Females: An ideal female in the eyes for both Lamentari men and women consists of having again, fair skin. Fair skin like in our world in ancient history for women meant that you are not involved in manual labour. In fact the fairer you were, the more servants you were likely to own. Unlike the men, the woman often applies heavy make up to cover her impefections.
Women should keep to a slender figure but not as slender as you might think. Too slender would suggest poverty but being overweight would suggest overindulgence and greed, therefore the ideal weight would be considered to be slightly underweight.
Lamentari women should also have long hair and it is a norm for a women to put on extensions. The ideal hairstyle would be a tight bun, the taller the bun would suggest longer hair.

Gender Ideals

Male:

• Strong, well-built , ruthless in war and public life.
  Agressive and confident in their intellect.
  Emotional men are seen as weak and incompetant.

Female:

• Elegant, graceful, delicate in public and private.
  Smart, creative and a little manipulative.
  Failure to reach the beauty ideals above, it does not matter if you hit all of these gender ideals, it will not be enough. Beauty ranks higher than brains.