Eustrorian
This is the subheading
The Eustrorian culture is the dominant cultural group in Eustrora. Their
cultural influence extends back many centuries and continues to direct the
development of the entire Wayward Isles culture.
The Eustrorian believe that most other cultures are overly primitive and not worth attention. They tend to pay very
little attention to events outside of Eustrora, much less outside of the Wayward Isles.
The culture of the Eustrorian has remained much the same for centuries. Their lives
center around magic and the pursuit of magical knowledge and power. The single
biggest cultural factor for the Eustrorian is the Radiant Magical Society, the ruling
body of the Eustrora.
Membership in the RMS is highly sought after. Children apply for mentorship as
soon as their first magically abilities manifest. Those with promise become
members of the RMS for life.
Those Eustrorian who have weak magical or latent magical ability take care of the day
to day life of the Eustrorian culture. They are the crafters, the farmers, the
merchants and the like.
Over the last few decades the influx of other island peoples
have created less of a need for Eustrorians to perform these tasks. Most Eustrorian,
however, have grown accustomed to this simple day to day life and still pursue
it.
The Eustrorians have ruled Eustrora for centuries. Due to their innate magical powers,
Eustrorian society naturally developed
with magic taking the central focus.
The Radiant Magical Society has existed for as long as Eustrora has existed, and some
speculate that Eustrora and the RMS were established by the Slarvs long before Eustrora
became an independent land.
A century or two ago, first contact was made with the
Narlander culture. These big, burly and tough men from across the sea seemed too
primitive to the Eustrorians for them to pay them any heed. Two decades later, the
Narlander attempted an invasion of Eustrora. Due to the Eustrorians great knowledge of
radiant energy, the Narlander were defeated, but not before they had a chance to
integrate themselves into parts of Eustrora and the Eustrorian culture.
As time passed, the Narlander became more and more integrated into Eustrorian culture. The
Narlander warrior culture found a permanent niche in Eustrorian society as Moon Gaurdians, personal body guards for the Eustrorian mages. Given the Narlander strong
code of honor and obligation, once an oath was sworn by a Moon Gaurdians to
protect a particular mage, nothing could make him break his vow.
Slowly, cross
breading began to produce "half-breeds", some of who inherited the Eustrorians natural
affinity for manipulating the radiance. Currently, the half-breeds are the most
populous race in Eustrora, but the Eustrorians still rule and the Eustrora culture is
still strongly Eustrorian in nature.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Eustrorians speak the common tongue of Eustrora, Eustrorian. The accent varies from
region to region, but is still quite understandable. Eustrorians have a fully
developed written language based on phonetic sounds that is most often used to
record magical knowledge. There is also an older written language, Ancient
Eustrorian, that is based on a strange runic alphabet, but its individual
characters do not represent phonetic sounds or letters. Only some Eustrorians know
their meaning. Most ancient magical knowledge is recorded in this runic
alphabet.
Culture and cultural heritage
Social status among the Eustrorian is based on their individual position within the
Radiant Magical Society.
Membership awards high social standing. Non-member Eustrorian still hold status above all other peoples, save the
Narlander Moon Gaurdians.
Narlander Moon Gaurdians are awarded social standing depending on the standing of
the RMS Mage for which they are responsible.
Family is important to the Eustrorian, but not as important as the Mentor to student
relationship. After a young Eustrorians magical abilities are determined, they are
usually taken to the nearest RMS academy in the hopes of receiving a Mentor. Some
families will travel far to have their child under the care of a famous mentor.
The bond that grows between student and teacher lasts a lifetime and is
regarded as stronger than any family bond. The RMS and the mentor always come
before family in Eustrorian society.
Common Dress code
Eustrorians normally wear garments constructed of light to medium weight cotton
and leathers. Many RMS members are fond of wearing brightly colored long
flowing robes. Most garments are decorated with embroidery and stitch patterns
and often accented with various gems and jewelry. The most prevalent form of
decoration are the moon pieces worn by member of the RMS. These are circular
pendants crafted of silver or gold and worn around the neck, outside of any
clothing so that all may know the rank of the member.
Art & Architecture
The most prevalent symbols in Eustrorian culture are the circle and the moon. There
is also a high occurrence of the numeral nine. It is believed that all radiant
energy originated from the moon and that it is the greatest source of raw
radiant energy. The moon in its various phases is used to denote a person's rank
among the Radiant Magical Society.
Color also plays a significant role in Eustrorian society. Each type of radiant
energy is associated with a particular color and it is believed that these
colors also hold power over the particular aspect covered by that form of
radiant energy. Members of the RMS often wear robes corresponding to the color
associated with the type of radiant energy that they can control.
The fine arts are highly respected and practiced in Eustrorian culture. The most
common materials used are silver and gold. Most RMS members create their own
moon pieces and many craft their own robes. Most crafting that is done by the
Eustrorian is aided by their magical nature.
The performing arts in Eustrorian society is not as prevalent as the fine arts. Eustrorians
derive greater joy from manipulating things and creating new than acting or
performing. What little performing art that exists is usually in the form or
oral histories and epic tales that are told by the elder Eustrorian to those of the
younger generations. These events usually draw large crowds of young Eustrorian eager
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Eustrorians are inherently magical, and all are sensitive to events that
occur through radiant energy. As a result, they are not overtly religious. The
reverence of radiant energy and its interaction with nature and reality
constitute the extent of most Eustrorian spirituality.
Eustrorians do not practice
organized religion, although Golden Moon mages are honored, respected, and
revered. Magic is a part of every Eustrorian and is universally accepted from other
cultures. All Eustrorian know something of the radiant energy that all things give off.
Most are able to manipulate it to at least a limited extend.
The use of overt
magic is highly regulated by the Radiant Magical Society. Powerful magical
effects are only taught to its members, and anyone using RMS magic without their
knowledge or consent can be punished by law. The RMS is the controlling body of
the Eustrorian culture and is as much a political organization as it is a magical
one.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Inheritance is usually divided as indicated by a will left by the deceased. If a
will is not documented, then the inheritance will pass to the oldest student, if
the deceased was a mentor, or to the oldest family member is the deceased was
not a mentor.
This is the footnotes.
