Duangmyians

The Duangmyian people are a minority ethnicity of the mortal realm of Venadeus. They are the displaced inhabitants and their descendants of the tribal kingdom of Duangmyia, before it was discovered and annexed by the more modernised and rapidly-growing kingdoms of Venadeus.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Female names are typically representative of beauty, virtue or flora, particularly flowers.

Masculine names

Male names are typically representative of strength, success or fauna.

Family names

The Duangmyian people do not use family names or surnames, as they see their people as a whole as one singluar family, despite their bloodline.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

The Duangmyain people belonged to the historical tribal kingdom of Duangmyai, which consisted of a small scattering of villages rather than a more modernised kingdom like the others that still populate the realm of Venadeus. These people were very much people of the land, living off the natural resources they could grow and utilise themselves, and they did not conduct trade with other kingdoms. The kingdom of Duangmai itself was very isolated from the other kingdoms of Venadeus and well hidden from them, tucked into a small pocket of viable land between a rugged mountain range and a long strip of coastline. However, once explorers from their neighbouring kingdoms began to navigate and chart the mountain range to deduce its resources and capacity for kingdom expansion, the kingdom of Duangmyai did not persist for much longer. Outnumbered and lacking in the technological advances of the other kingdoms, Duangmyai's neighbours quickly overwhelmed the smaller kingdom, placing many of the Dyuangmyains into slavery or forcing them to seek refuge in other kingdoms. Today, the remaining Duangmyains and their descendants are known by many as the "Lost Nomads of Duangmyai".

Art & Architecture

The Duangmyain people value family and unity above everything else and consider themselves one large family rather than individual groups or communities of people. Although the Duangmyains lived in a number of small villages, one village could not survive without every other village within the small tribal kingdom. Each village within Duangmyai played a particular role in the economy of the kingdom, with there being ten villages in total. While each village was responsible for their own agriculture, livestock, food and water situations, each village specialised in one of what was known by the Duangmyains as their sacred "arts of vitality". These arts are useful skills that benefit the construction and lifestyle of the kingdom as a whole, and include blacksmithing, goldsmithing, bronze casting, woodcarving/woodturning, stone masonry, painting, pottery/lacquerware, silk weaving, tapestry and dressmaking. These villages were often paired with a sister village or two, who had similar sacred arts or ones that relied on one another, for example, woodwork and stone masonry as "earthen arts", and painting and pottery/lacquerware. Blacksmithing, goldsmithing and bronze casting were a trio of sister village arts related to metalwork, as were silk weaving, dressmaking and tapestry with their reliance on fabric.

Foods & Cuisine

Duangmyain cuisine has a particular focus on foods that heat or cool in relation to their effects on one's body system. Much of their cuisine are simple rice, seafood or curry dishes that use natural fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices to add texture and flavour.

Common Myths and Legends

The Duangmyain people are the only ethnicity in the whole of Venadeus who do not worship the continent's sole deity, Augvidem. Instead, the Duangmyains worship the land, along with what they believe to be the spirits of the flora and fauna that grant them life and sustenance.