Villish
The Villish people are a race of humans that live in Vilstrung, the harsh north of Tregaron. Vilstrung is known for being exceptionally cold, with either tundra or boreal pine forests found throughout the frigid countryside. The Villish people are known for their jovial and welcoming nature; a surprisingly warm and stark contrast from the harsh world they live in.
After all, when everything around including the wild beasts wants to kill you, the best one can do is find friends to face hardship together.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Common Names: Agnes, Greta, Claudia, Thea, Alvina, Katrin, Sabina, Corina, Stella, Catherina
Masculine names
Common Names: Erlwan, Yannick, Kaleb, Markus, Albrecht, Alrick, Sven, Lennart
Unisex names
Michi, Ulli, Chris, Eike
Family names
The Villish do not have traditional last names. Instead, people often adopt a last name signifying their prior accomplishments. Those that feel that they have not committed a worthy enough accomplishment instead adopt a last name that honors their father or mother. Their last names are always in the Villish language.
E.G.: Henriksohn means 'Son of Henrik'
Henriktocht means 'Daughter of Henrik'
Moltastein means Stone Shaper; Molta being Shaper, Steinn being stone. It is very common for tradesmen to use their trade as their last name, as a means to advertise their services to other people.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Common: The 'Common Tongue' is the primary language of all humanity, and subsequently, now the common tongue of the Villish. Though Villish is still the preferred language in their homeland.
Villish: A language that's primarily known for adjectives often being placed after the nouns when describing things. It's also
Accents/Dialect: The Villish are known for having a bit of difficulty pronouncing th sounds, which can often come off as 'z' instead. Their w's are also either silent, or sound somewhat similar to a v instead.
Average technological level
Much like most of humanity, the Villish people have managed to attain the same level of technology as others, especially due to their constant support of the Church. They are still fond of wearing heavier armour and wield weapons to honour their heritage, but rural communities still find themselves quite fond of living a simpler life with longhouses, bows, and standard weapons that don't cause a 'racket' like rifles or pistols.
Common Etiquette rules
Trust, friendship, and camaraderie are an important part of Villish tradition. While 'earning' one's trust is also just as important, their people are often known for being rather trustworthy of their fellow man -- or any other sapient thing that hasn't managed to slight them. Friendship is built upon believing one another. To the Villish, they always take one's word seriously and are often obligated to never tell a lie.
Treachery, backstabbing, and lies are often seen as crimes on par with murder.
With a very 'do-onto-others' approach to life, the Villish seldom see a reason for people to be harmful unless they've proven themselves to act that way before. Their homeland, often one filled with all manner of dangerous beasts, lead to their people preferring to band together rather than cause conflict and strife. It is thus common etiquette to always help and offer assistance whenever somebody needs it, standing idle and stagnant whilst somebody is working or suffering is often seen as pigheaded, or even cowardly.
Common Dress code
They have a very 'battle-ready' preference to their apparel, with women at home often dressing in proper armour for when they're keeping or tending to the house. This ensures that any would-be-threats can be quickly dealt with. Children are also often outfitted with simple leather equipment when they reach the age of eight, trained to wear armour and use weapons in the rare circumstance that they're left endangered.
Dresses are often eschewed. However, the equivalent of a Villish 'dress' is a full suit of sturdy ceremonial armour. A suit of this armour is often kept for any important occasion, be it holidays, birthdays, or other festivities.
Art & Architecture
Architecture: Villish homes are often simply constructed of wood, with stone being reserved for holds, keeps, or other important buildings. Villish Longhouses make use of the sturdy wood that can be found throughout Vilstrung; they are simple constructions, massive homes that serve as a lodge for families of up to 20 men and women.
They are also known for their stone carving despite that. Men were known to carve their name in Villish runes over heavy stones, leaving a trail and explanation of what they're doing and where they're at. This mode of communication allowed isolated hunting parties to sometimes work close to each other, with threats or bountiful hunting grounds being communicated through heavy stone rocks.
Paintings were also somewhat important to the Villish people. Oil paintings were often made of families during gatherings, which were then used to decorate their halls
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Kingsday: Kingsday is a special day celebrated to honour the countless soldiers, men, and women that died in fighting for the Villish cause. It is a day to celebrate the veterans that served during war, and was established especially to commemorate the Ironclads that guarded over Hagensport during the pilgrimage. During this festival, the Lords of various estates amass a feast to share with the commoners. This is traditionally held within the castle, but is also sometimes held within town square, or other common meeting grounds within a city's populace.
Saint's Giving: Is a holiday that honours the less fortunate and the poor. It is a day where Villish people help aid in the destitute citizens of Vilstrung through any means necessary; be it finding a home, giving food, or helping them find a place in life. Saint's Giving is also commonly called 'Neighbourday', as it is a common practice for neighbours to exchange gifts to each other.
The Juulfest: An important holiday that's dedicated to the young children of the Villish. Parents encourage children to behave well for this time of the month, where they're given toys and trinkets for their good behavior. Bad children are said to be met by the Yule Man, a silly, bearded fellow that punishes bad children by giving them a switch for their present. The switch is used as a warning to discourage further misbehavior.
Coming of Age Rites
Though there is no actual coming of age rite for them, though the Villish people have a longstanding tradition of commissioning a special oil painting once they reach the age of 20. This oil painting is made specifically to mark their grave in the future, and is preserved with unique oils to ensure that it remains in tact for a long duration.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Painted Burials: Oil paintings are left at the grave of anyone that was deceased, serving as a commemoration.
Common Taboos
Standing Idle: Standing Idle, as they call it. Put simply, the Villish despise the idea of somebody that refuses to act, finding refusal to act to be just as detrimental as whatever crime they refuse to handle directly.
Lying: Lying is harsh enough to leave one without their tongue in some circumstances. While white lies or sarcasm is one thing, purposefully leading others astray is often grounds for a severe punishment.
Common Myths and Legends
The Ironwraiths: The Ironwraiths speak of the old Ironclads that once served Hagensport; they were once great knights, clad in armour said to be capable of stopping the stone of a catapult. While such claims are of course, myth, they were known for being walking tanks. Bullets can bounce off their massive, cumbersome armour, and their mighty weapons could crush all but the mightiest of foes. The Ironwraiths are a tragic tale, however.
During the Mordencrast Conspiracy, the Ironclads valiantly fought to protect and defend Hagensport from the crusaders. Alas, they were soundly defeated and burnt at the pyre for treachery, accused of serving a vampiric lord and being enthralled by his powers. It is said that the heavy clinking of and clamor of metal can be heard stomping their along the dockyard of Hagensport.
Yule Man: The Yule Man is a figure in folklore, often described as a scrawny, lanky bearded man that only visits children when they misbehave. The Yule Man brings switches wherever he goes, plucking them from trees and placing them beneath the Yule tree for parents to know that they were naughty, and need a spanking with the switch. The more the child misbehaves, the harsher the switch.
Historical figures
Alaric von Hagen: The First of his name, Alaric Von Hagen was the first 'true King' that unified the Villish people beneath one banner. In time, he and his sellswords amassed all the able bodied men and women within the north to join under one banner, becoming the massive kingdom of Vilstrung. Alaric was known for riding alongside his men through their escapades, happily joking, chortling, and cheering up soldiers that grew dismal through their unending march. He rallied his men and rode alongside them to battle, making him one of the few true 'Warrior Kings' of the feudal era.
To the Villish, King Alaric is revered as a legendary hero, and often named 'Redbeard' due to his bright, fiery red hair and matching temperament.
Alaric von Hagen III: The grandson of the first king, and often considered by many to be called the great 'Traitor King' for his vile acts as a vampiric lord. During his rule, Alaric was an aggressive expansionist, which lead to his kingdom furthering their expansion towards the far east, encroaching on the edge of Mordencrast's border. While this was often seen as a great thing for his people, Alaric soon fell to a vampiric curse after the Mordencrast Conspiracy.
Most horrific was his tendency to enthrall the strongest of his soldiers, forcing them into servitude whilst also empowering them. This lead to the enthrallment of the Ironclad knights, but the Church later caught wind of his actions, leading to his defeat at Hagensport.
Lachanon Von Lafrenz: One of the earliest members of the Slayer's Guild. Lachanon lead a group of niche fighters called the Aineskrieger; or 'Aine's Soldiers.'. This organization was primarily dedicated to witch hunts, routing any vampire or those infected with Lycanthropy until their inevitable discovery of the Ironclad's involvement with vampirism.
It was thanks to Lachanon that the Ironclads were persecuted, and while many resent him for torching the entire order rather than persecuting them separately, he is also credited with bringing the downfall of Alaric III.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Villish men and women alike are very fond of braids. Men often prefer shaving their head in certain places, leaving longer hair at the tops of their heads for proper braids to be made. They also often braid their beards with beads or decorations.
Women do the same, and in fact, it is common practice for man and woman alike to grow a special braid of hair that they then sever to hand to their significant other whenever they separate for a longer period of time.
Face paint was also very common in Villish tradition, with soldiers often covering their entire face with blue, white, or red dyes whenever they went to battle.
Gender Ideals
Men of a Villish household were typically travelers, sellswords, soldiers, or hunters that were expected to head out into the world to provide for the family.
Women, meanwhile, were often not just seen as the important managers of their home, but the dutiful sentinels that kept the home safe. The House is our Castle is a very common Villish saying, with women and children often being taught how to fight, arm themselves, and dress in full suits of armour in case of any would-be threat that would dare come in to harm their family or property.
While men were often soldiers; footman, bowmen, or hunters that went to the forefront to gather what they needed, women in Villish society are often the stoic guardians, dressed in full plates of armour and trained to utilize heavy weapons to both intimidate and bring down threats that endanger the family.
Relationship Ideals
The most important thing to a Villish person is protection, safety, and closeness. Family is an important thing to the Villish, and they're among the few human kingdoms that didn't use the practice of diplomatic marriages.
In terms of your average, every day relationship, the Villish people value camaraderie and friendship over all else. As a result, they can often be seen as a very jovial and happy bunch; it's rare for a Villish person to be crude, rude, or unwelcoming. They are much more fond of forging bonds than they are causing strife and conflict. They like to keep each other close, as a result. Villish people are quick to rally and unite beneath one banner if it means defending themselves from a single threat.
Romance often leads to the two people uniting each other's families as well. It's very common practice for Villish lovers to learn and understand each other's family life as fast as possible.
Related Organizations
Related Myths
Related Locations
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