Dharan

The people of the coastal land of Dhara, full of free-thinkers and philosophers

Description

The people of Dharan have spread from their origins along the coast of the western edge of Zheng-Kitar across much of central and south-western Zheng-Kitar. They have spread from their homeland of Dhara across the surrounding lands, founding countless smaller tribes and other nations such as The Dharan Alliance, The Qushu League of Free Cities, and even contributing to the founding of the Ustanan Concord alongside the Ustanan people.

Appearance

As they are often found near the coasts or not far inland, Dharans tend towards tanned or fair-skin that is often weathered from extended exposure to coastal climates and the salty sea air - their hair is often darker though lighter colors such as blonde are common as well, and their eyes tend towards lighter colors. Dharans tend to favor loose fitting togas, wrappings, and other breathable garments to allow their bodies access to the cooling air in their otherwise warm and pleasant climates of their homelands. They tend to enjoy rich clothes or fanciful armor that allows them to show off their wealth and stature, but nothing so ludicrous as the fanciful garb of other peoples.

History

Dharans have traditionally been a people defined by their simple lifestyles, and have only recently formed nations of their own founded on the ideals of allowing every citizens to have a say in their government in response to the oppressive conquests of the Narixians and the other giga-empires to the east. Their history begins as a series of simple, tribal peoples that rallied together in the face of foreign oppression and conquest, intent on preserving their free and simple ways of life, and founded alliances, city-states, and nations that allowed them to fight back against their more imperialistic oppressors.

Culture

Dharans as a culture put great emphasis on intellectualism, democracy, and free-thinking. They are a people of burning curiosity who enjoy the finer intellectual things in life, and have developed many of the more recent novel concepts to grace the world - democracy included. The notion of allowing each citizen to have a say in their government traces its roots back to Dhara, where the great Dharan Philosophers created the notion of elections and people-driven government. Dharans enjoy the finer luxuries of life, and are a people not well inclined towards war - their expertise instead lies with crafting, brewing, and winemaking as well as shipbuilding - Dharan Grapes and Wineries produce the finest wines to ever grace the continent, and Dharan ships are some of the most desirable in the world.
Their culture, thusly, is one that prefers to work with its hands and create rather than war and destroy - and while they do maintain legions of warriors, they are not as inclined towards violence or conflict as others would be. They tend to be viewed as 'a thinking, refined people' and one not well-suited to the horrors of war, but they have endured well enough in the centuries since their founding. They instead prefer to prepare themselves for conflict and ready themselves for it rather than seek it out, and Dharans in both the Dharan Alliance and the Qushu League and beyond tend to prefer building up their defenses and navies and armies - after all, the great Dharan Philosophers first coined the phrase 'Work towards peace, but plan for war', as well as the Dharan Motto of 'One voice speaking for many is a tyranny; Many voices speaking for themselves is freedom'.

Naming Conventions

Dharans tend to have the naming conventions of ancient greece, and tend to have one name, with surnames typically replaced with short descriptors, such as "Son of", "Daughter of", "Wife Of", "Husband Of", or simply "Of", referring to their homeland or birthplace.

Male Names

Lykon, Charon, Kallinos, Narkissos, Pylartes, Aclepiades

Female Names

Psamathe, Perialla, Pythias, Amathea, Achradina, Dianeme

Encompassed species

• Cyclops
• Forest Elf
• Kobold
• Lamia
• Sanctor
• Sea Elf
• Tortle
• Urqet

Related Organizations

• Dharan Alliance

Related Myths

• Shining Serah
• The Bagbeasts

Curses/Expletives

"Tow take them...!" - "Fuck them" or "Screw them" or even "Goddammit" equivalent.
"Devil's Dockyards" - "Son of a bitch", "Damn", "Fuck" equivalent.

Compliments

"Toxic" - Compliment used to refer to a bold person, or someone whose words might hurt but ring true.
"Cut" - Compliment used to refer to the impressiveness of one's physique or height. Also a compliment of one's beauty depending on context - could be taken as an insult by those think 'delicate' is more beautiful.
"Bright" - Compliment used to refer to the impressive breadth of one's knowledge. Those who are very smart.
"Gnarled" - Compliment given to those who wear their experience on their skin. Those who are senior, have experience, and/or wisdom. Typically given to old people, or masters of a craft such as smiths, carvers, or shipbuilders.
"Bespeckled" - Compliment given to those who seem well-traveled, with good taste and a cultured soul. A person of refined taste and class.

Insults

"Windy/Windbag" - Insult used to refer to someone who talks too much, who never shuts up, a constant naysayer, etc.
"Splinterer" - Insult used to refer to someone who's fat. Specifically someone so fat you insinuate they'd break through wooden floors.
"Atlas" - Insulting Moniker given to those who refuse to accept help from others. An 'atlas' is someone who does everything themself and shoulders all the burden alone. A lone wolf.
"Snaketugger" - An insult that literally comes to mean someone who masturbates excessively. Colloquially refers to an asshole, and is the most flexible Dharan insult. Can be used a compliment in the right context, when used jokingly to friends.
"Stiff" - An insult used to refer to a tyrant, stuck-up person, aristocrat, or more generally an enemy of the free-thinking people and democracy itself. Another common insult thrown around that can kind of mean alot of things, from "jackass", "jerkoff", or "Stick in the mud".

Turns of Phrase

"He's all lips" - Dharan turn of phrase used to refer to someone who's all talk, and who can't back up what they say.
"Gonna need extra sheets for this guy" - Dharan phrase that originally was used to refer to those who were fat, but has colloquially come to refer to those with an enormous ego.
"Fear the heel dressed in gold" - Dharan phrase used as a warning to be wary of offers too good to be true, or as a warning to avoid extreme authoritarians or tyrants even if they make big promises.
"The faceless wind" - Phrase referring to the collective voice of a people, the voice of the masses, the unspoken will of a country's people, etc.
"Here we remain, while far you stray. How we miss you, so far away." - Dharan phrase spoken commonly at funerals, and in reference to the dead. A phrase used by Dharans to wish the dead well on their journey to the afterlife, even if they were foreigners or other races.
"He couldn't find wine if he fell onto a grapevine" - Dharan phrase commonly used to call someone a moron.