Raoulish

The deeply cultured people of Raoulin, full of food culture and art

Description

As the cultured and sophisticated citizens of the Kingdom of Raoulin, the Raoulish people are one deeply rooted in the culinary arts and in culture itself, as well as love - they are a people that embody romance and passion, and under the rule of the Lamia God-Queen that leads their nation, they have become one of the foremost nations on Zheng-Kitar. They are romantic, equality-driven, and open with their desires and passions, and are often extremely patriotic - they take immense and great pride in their nation and government, and are typically quite offended by any negative comments about their country. Visitors often interpret their attitude towards foreigners as rude.

Appearance

Outside of perhaps the Ustanan people, the Raoulish people are deeply fashionable - but where the Ustanan fashion is famous for its elaborate and sometimes over-designed outfits fit for kings and queens, with ruffles and folds galore, Raoulish fashion is sophisticated, professional, and fashionable - but not overly fussy like Ustanan fashion. Typical outfits for the Raoulish are generally nice and sleek dresses and suits, long coats, scarves, and berets - their fashion is typically made to order and handmade as well, which is an immense point of pride and a thing zealously upheld and protected by the Raoulin Government.
The Raoulish people are thusly often well-dressed and groomed, and are rarely slovenly - their faces are elegant and sleek as well, with a lack of extremely prominent facial features like sharp chins or jutting eyebrow ridges. They are typically fair or light skinned.

History

A country with a long and storied, history, the Kingdom of Raoulin and the Raoulish people trace their roots back to the Age of Apostasy, when the tyrant Cao Lu ruled the entire continent of Zheng-Kitar and the churches of all six Spirit Kings - during his reign he tricked and welcomed envoys of the ancient Aenorian Empire from far across the seas onto the continent, welcoming a legion of ancient High Lamia - ancestors to the modern lamia, and much more powerful - to his side as his enforcers. Chiefmost among these ancient Lamia was one of the legendary Aenorian Princesses, godlike beings who had devoured untold millions and ascended into semi-divinity - an existance so powerful as to be commonly considered unstoppable. And while his trickery worked for a time, Cao Lu soon found himself betrayed by his own people and the Aenorian Princess who realized she had been used by the wily tyrant - and after he was overthrown, the God-Queen ruled for a time in a similar cruelty.
It was not until the failed rebellion against her when she devoured the adventurers sent to slay her that she saw the truth of the Spirit Kings - sifting through the memories of the heroes she had eaten, the God-Queen had a change of heart and betrayed her empire, leading her people to throw off the shackles of cruelty and lead a crusade against those of her people unwilling to follow her into redemption. At the end of this long crusade, she founded the Kingdom of Raoulin as a home for her people and any who would seek to join them in peace. The country has endured ever since thanks to her overwhelming power that persists even to this day, and its culture and history are founded on the legacy of peace and desire for a better, more cultured life the ancient Lamia God-Queen sought and yet seeks to this day.

Culture

Raoulish culture is one that often tries to abstain from violence - while not neccesarily a nation of pacifists, Raoulin nor its people take quickly to violence. They are a cultured and peaceful people who would prefer a nice meal and a partner for the night as opposed to violence or war. Their culture is one of the mind, intellect, knowledge, learning, and creative faculties - free thinking is key here, and many revolutionary thinkers have emerged from the halls of Raoulin's schools which, while not as legendary as the Ustanan High College and Academy, are still notable in their own right.
Raoulish embrace style and sophistication, and take pride in the fact that even their public spaces and simplest forms of dress and mannerisms strike a regal tone - they also believe in equality, as is their country's motto: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity". They have a very open attitude about love and romance even outside of marriage or relationships, and it is not uncommon for top government officials to be engaged in extramarital affairs without making an effort to conceal them. Marriage in Raoulin can be done quite simply with unique unions designed to have the same benefits of marriage that can be dissolved at a moment's notice. They are also incredibly passionate about food and cuisine - their food is some of the best in the world, and they often grow annoyed at attempts to replicate their dishes elsewhere, and with poor cuisine in general - for good reason are they mockingly called 'Food snobs'.
And while in ages past their society placed a HUGE emphasis on aristocracy and some elements of this yet remain, after some key revolutions and gory public executions, the power of the aristocracy has waned in recent years - though it has not vanished completely. Many Raoulish still treasure these notions of aristocratic rule and live their lives accordingly, though many have left these notions behind in favor of the more free-thinking centric ideals of the present, one's standing and 'face' or 'respect' still permeate Raoulish society.
Finally, the Raoulish people hold unique ideals about crime and punishment - though many joking refer to them as 'Execution-happy' or 'Rebellion-Obsessed', there is some truth to this, as the Raoulish as a people believe in openly airing their grievances loudly and plainly, for all to hear. They are not likely to hold back their issues, and believe in making examples of offenders - crime thus has an unusually heavy punishment in Raoulin and many Raoulish believe in this, that dealing heavy punishments to those who commit crimes dissuades future criminals. They thus often take hardline stances on punishment and tend to prefer injury, execution, maiming, or some other physical punishment over simple imprisonment. As the saying goes, "The Raoulish love executions so much they invented the Guillotine to speed up the process.".

Naming Conventions

Raoulish names pretty strictly follow french naming conventions, specifically older french renaissance conventions(though modern french names also fit). They tend to be long, elaborate, and difficult to pronounce - sometimes overly so to others.

Male Names

Hugo, Benoît, Jaquinot, Symmonet, Mathé, Jean-Baptiste,

Female Names

Marlène, Rosalie, Dionisia, Anne-Marie, Geneviève, Éléonore

Surnames

Saint-Pierre, Bruneau, LaRue, Cordonnier, Devereaux, Dufresne

Encompassed species

• Cloud Elf
• High Lamia
• Lamia

Related Organizations

• Kingdom of Raoulin

Related Myths

• The Bagbeasts

Curses/Expletives

"Garreau!" - An exclamation that can double as an insult, used to refer to someone who's just being a huge asshole. Incredibly flexible depending on context - can mean anything from "You bastard" to "Motherfucker" to "Damn it", etc. Native speakers will make likely fun of those who do not roll the 'rr's. Not spoken lightly - offensive and insulting.
"Queen's Guillotine!" - A curse or expletive meaning "Holy shit" or "Oh my god".
"Nine's Scabbards..." - An expletive meaning "Seriously?", "You have got to be kidding me.". A weary curse of tiredness or exhaustion.

Compliments

"Silverscale(d)" - A compliment used to affectionately refer to the elderly, either people or places. Can also be a compliment when given to non-elderly, as it implies one has the wisdom and extreme skill or talent that comes with old age.
"Hornhound" - A compliment used to refer to a real smooth-talker, a ladykiller, or a very suave or charismatic person.
"Plump" - A compliment used to refer to a very beautiful person. Insinuates one has eaten well, and/or taken good care of themselves.
"Scintillating" - A compliment used to refer to someone with a very beautiful mind, an intellectual, or someone who is impressively smart or intellectually charming.
"Millhound" - A compliment used for very endearing, dedicated, or loyal people.
"Rosy" - A compliment used to refer to someone or some place that smells nice. Can also refer to place or people who are a delight to one's senses other than sight.
"Haute(HOOT)" - A flexible compliment that can be used in many scenarios. The closest meaning is simply "Impressive", but is has countless more specific meanings depending on context.

Insults

"Knothead" - Enormously rude insult. Similar to "Dickhead", but much ruder.
"Sausage" - Insult used to refer to someone who is ugly. Can also refer to a prositute. Mostly used for women.
"Ocréte(O-CRATE)" - Insult used to call someone unsophisticated. Similar to calling someone a hick, or a bumpkin. Someone who is simple, naive, and/or easily deceived.
"Tailwarmer" - An insult used to refer to someone who is weak-willed and/or lazy. A huge pushover, or a waste of space.
"Highhiker" - An insult used to refer to someone who is excessively lustful or lascivious. Someone who is too horny or "in the mood" all the time.
"Pucknose" - An insult used to refer to someone who's very haughty, cocky, or arrogant. Used to insinuate that someone's head is raised so high their nose is up their own(or someone else's) ass.
"Yellowneck" - A hugely rude insult used to refer to someone with awful fashion sense, or someone who overdresses. Someone who looks ridiculous, or too fancy.
"Garreau" - An exclamation that can double as an insult, used to refer to someone who's just being a huge asshole. Incredibly flexible depending on context - can mean anything from "You bastard" to "Motherfucker" to "Damn it", etc. Native speakers will make likely fun of those who do not roll the 'rr's. Not spoken lightly - offensive and insulting.
"Trimmings" - An insult used to refer to someone who's destined to be lonely or single. Can also mean an unwanted or unneeded person. A poor, pathetic, probably ugly but definitely unwanted person. Colloquially has come to refer to those who are unwise, and are destined to end up as a meal for a stronger creature. Commonly used by the haughty nobility. A high-handed insult.

Turns of Phrase

"You speak like an Osneian Cow." - An insulting phrase used to refer to someone who doesnt speak Raoulish well, or someone trying too hard to sound authentic. Calling someone an "Osneian Cow" is an insult that means the same.
"Go cook yourself an egg." - Phrase that means "Get Lost!". A colorful and rude way of telling someone to go away.
"You have the mind of an Oyster." - Common Raoulish saying used to call someone an idiot. Fairly offensive.
"Your tongue's on your chest." - Common Raoulish saying meaning that someone is staring too much, or they're lost in thought or too preoccupied.
"Go take a long trip down a short tunnel." - A saying that means you're telling someone to go kill themselves, go get themselves killed, etc. When spoken about yourself, you're referring to going to kill yourself. When sarcastically used, can be used to mean "Go away".
"A few courses short of a meal" - A Raoulish way of calling someone a moron. A mostly light-hearted insult.
"An honest-to-gods Shao-zouan dignitary" - A Raoulish saying used as an insult disguised as a compliment. A saying used to mean someone is a horrible, lying, cheating, backstabbing piece of shit.
"Snug rug" - A comfy bed. Colloquially refers to comfortable accomodations, housing, lodgings, etc. Also can simply mean a pleasant experience.
"Sleeping soundly in a snug rug" - A very tongue-in-cheek or cheeky way of saying someone is dead, dying, or going to be either. Can also be used to refer to someone in jail, imprisoned, or otherwise captured or indisposed against their will.