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 Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 1:50 pm
INTRO
This thread is meant to inform of the most popular cultural, linguistic and religious trends in Axiom. Be aware that these are not ironclad. If your character is a human living in Fraxen, that does not mean you worship the angels and that "common" is your de facto language. However, it is just extremely likely. There are exceptions to all of these trends. Considering many RPCs in Axiom are migrants from other nations, they can often end up with cultures conflicting their city and its demographics.
This addition is meant to expand the development and depth of all characters, not restrict your creativity. So, please make sure to not feel limited by it. Pick and choose what you want for your character.
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 2:26 pm
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXC U L T U R E
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The culture of the people is truly defined by their mannerisms, their traditions, and is largely influenced by their religion. However, while religion often builds culture, it is not necessary to sustain it. Many people who believe in conflicting gods or no god at all retain the culture of their family and peers, all throughout their life. This is possibly the least changeable aspect of your character, as they will always tend to fall back into these habits. Culture is also often related to work ethic and leadership. I will go through the five most prominent cultures in Axiom. Sub-cultures and smaller cultures may be listed if requested.
#1. Most Common Culture -- South Fraxonite
This is the most wide-spread culture of the world. Considering Fronta was not always a unified Empire, it was split into the Northern and Southern Kingdoms, this culture was born in the southern half of the country, within the courts of Fraxen City. The humans there developed the most intricate system of leadership and court intrigue we know today, which has been adapted by all lesser nations. More than that, this culture revels off of elegance and refinement. It is a very rich culture of gentlemen and lovely ladies, who are taught that contributing to the community is what creates a strong home and a strong nation. As for traditions, they are one of the more free cultures. They can get married when they please and to whom they love, they are more widely suited to the multiple professions; they're agricultural, trade-oriented, and noble. They also firmly believe in loyalty to their nation and their royalty, as well as praise of their soldiers and scientists.
The types of fashion within this culture: noble fashion (tuxedos, dresses), simple fashion (biff hats, suspenders, button-up coats), and they do not really socially accept the more sexually-oriented fashions.
The nations where this culture is considered dominant and de facto: Fronta, Aramil
The nations that are largely South Fraxonite, though not de facto: Yuran
The races that are considered to be South Fraxonite as a majority: Humans, Valkyrie, Nephilim, Incubi, Succubi
The common religion of South Fraxonites: Vangelism
#2. Most Common Culture -- Lumirian
A culture often considered the fount of evil. This culture is detested by all others, and yet it is a culture with a firm grip over the great nation of Nocturne. It was born of the vampires and their King, Azazel. They bathed themselves in debauchery; lust, gambling, all sorts of strange games. It's a culture of cutthroats and backstabbers, who prefer to fight in the shadows rather than out in the open. This culture also abhors the poor, working classes, with the vampires (usually the nobility) avoiding them, finding disgust in them, and very often using and abusing them. They usually view their military with high regard, but only because the tradition of Luimira has always been for the King or Queen to be the commander-in-chief. When it comes to their loyalty to the King/Queen, it really varies on them. They are quick to judge a person based on their race, culture and religion. The vampires will often despise werewolf leaders, and vice-verse. Their traditions are not family-oriented, but self-oriented. Usually, they do not get married, at least not within the span of a single lifetime. They very often abandon their children as well, leaving them orphaned or dead on the side of the road.
These people tend to believe they are extremely smart, moreso than the other cultures and nations. Usually, that is actually true. Most Lumirians come from races with long lifespans, so they collect vast knowledge and often live as great scholars. As for science, they don't really care for it, believing that the physical and magical side of the world is far less mundane. They tend to forget about agriculture, more often focusing on trade and mercenary opportunities to expand their wealth. The Lumirians are often a culture of entrepreneurs; they hate to work as farmhands and cleaners, they'd rather be at the top.
The types of fashion within this culture: voyeuristic fashion (revealed clothing; chests showing, cleavage, usually silk dresses, fishnet), grunge fashion (leather jackets, ripped jeans, tattoos, etc). They sometimes wear noble outfits for grand occasions, but usually they prefer to look more... natural.
The nations where this culture is considered dominant and de facto: Nocturne
The nations that are largely Lumirian, though not de facto: Aramil
The races that are considered to be Lumirian as a majority: Vampires, Werewolves, Diabolus, Dreadnoughts
The common religion of Lumiria: Vaet Nocturnum
#3. Most Common Culture -- Elvhanan
This culture runs rampant throughout the elves and the beast-folk, and was once the leading culture of the world. This culture adores nature, and holds a great love towards the magical side of the world. They enjoy the night sky, the buzzing of the bees, and the swaying of the leaves in the wind. They are a culture of practical people who want to connect with the mother earth, and revel in her beauty. However, they also have many social norms of their own. They expect people to marry when they are fertile, and produce children. They expect everyone to pull their own weight, and people who have become too frail and useless are often disregarded entirely. Because they are practical, they are often seem as primitive. Their opinion of civil rights and entitlement is basically that they don't exist. Anyone who can't contribute is therefore only a plague on the nation, and they often live domineered over by others.
They are a culture that focuses more on small communities and people within their own direct family. They tend to dislike outsiders, as they are often judged by them. They can be seen as a culture of cultists, because they often perform strange pagan rituals in the middle of the night. If you enter a village of Elvhanan in the middle of the night, you can expect to hear chanting from the windows and in the square. They're quite bizarre for the most part. When it comes to their outlook on science, technology and economy; they despise science and technology, as it often results in the destruction of the earth. They are agricultural in their entirety, and raise a large portion of the livestock that exist in the world.
The types of fashion within this culture: practical (wool and hide clothing, they don't have any social norms regarding being too revealed or too clothed), revered (for the elders and the strongest within the communities, silk clothing, etc)
The nations where this culture is considered dominant and de facto: Kranila
The nations that are largely Elvhanan, though not de facto: Yuran
The races that are considered to be Elvhanan as a majority: Dark Elves, Dawn Elves, Kiranu, Shapeshifters, Centaur
The common religion of Elvhanan: Justoastrianism
#4. Most Common Culture -- Volana
A culture largely found in Yuran. This is perhaps the most well-diverse of all cultures, although it has one main focus: military. They don't really give a damn about nobility, politics, or any of that. They're a culture of soldiers, mercenaries and gladiators, who value physical strength above all. Their culture is, because of this, very unique in their own way. The military essentially has complete authority over the nation, and the movement of the country's social reforms are decided by the military. They also have traditions within the military that other nations don't have. For example, people often find their romantic partners in the military, who they then designate as their shield brother/sister. You will then be assigned to a squad together for the rest of your days in the army, and it will be a fate similar to marriage. Children are raised in military academies and armories, with the parents largely detached from their children.
The greatest difference between the Volana and the other cultures is their disregard of most societal norms. They really don't care about fashion, hobbies, music, or any of that. They take bits and pieces from every culture, and put it into one great mix pot. Their economy is mostly powered by mercenary jobs, usually regarding killing hostile monster forces. They are also the only nation known to trade with Val'Ghast.
The types of fashion within this culture: extremely well-diverse; pretty much any type of fashion is acceptable
The nations where this culture is considered dominant and de facto: Yuran
The nations that are largely Volana, though not de facto: Fronta
The races that are considered to be Volana as a majority: Djinn, Draconian, Phoenix
The common religion of Volana: Vangelism
#5. Most Common Culture -- Anthosii
This is the most elusive culture of all. It is extremely rare in the surface world of Axiom, but has a complete iron grip on Los Anthos. All Mer are Anthosii, make no mistake. It is something that they cannot avoid, for it is in their blood. They did not develop this culture, it developed them. The culture surrounds itself with nature and peace, like with the Elvhanan. However, a part of them is also similar to the Lumirians. They are a sexual and wild people, believing that pleasure and entertainment is far more important than anything else. Considering this culture was founded by a race that is literally never under threat, they have no need to conform; they don't care about marriage and increasing their population, or working, since if they have a slump they can just build it back up through time. Since they never have to worry about outsiders and other cultures or religions, they're well unified and really don't care much about national or global politics.
Their leaders are chosen by bloodlines, descendants of Kaminae. Their economy focuses on bartering, equal exchange for equal exchange. They don't really use money, as it is only a way to create a gap between the rich and poor. The different sections of the ocean are all led by their own chiefs, all also chosen by Kaminae. Their sons and daughters will then become the chiefs as well.
They are community-driven people, but only for their own survival. The Anthosii tend to be fairly selfish, as they all believe they don't really need each other, and can find their own entertainment. They are loyal to Kaminae, but almost entirely because of fear. If she pleased, they believe she could destroy the entire nation of Los Anthos at a whim, which is probably true. As for accepting other races, they have been known to do so on rare occasions, simply out of interest in them and their ways. However, it is difficult for a non-Mer to live in Los Anthos, so you can imagine most died or were sent away for their own good.
The types of fashion within this culture: completely natural
Mer have "clothing" they're born with, their scales. They can cover the lower parts of their bodies with these as well as their breasts for women, and so usually they won't be wearing any clothes. There's no point really, since they'll just get drenched and dissolved quickly.
Mer who live on the surface usually wear outfits you'd expect from surfing bums -- the guys wear board shorts, sharktooth necklaces, the girls bikinis, etc
The nations where this culture is considered dominant and de facto: Los Anthos
The nations that are largely Anthosii, though not de facto: Aramil
The races that are considered to be Anthosii as a majority: Mer, Siren
The common religion of Anthosii: Mazdakism
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 4:00 pm
RELIGION
Religion is often considered as the source of all great change; conflict, culture, nationality, language, and the change within ones inner self. It is with religion that the greatest nations were unified, the lesser nations were destroyed, and the indecisive burned at the stake. Religion, for some, can be a blessing. For others, it can be a curse. These are the five major religions of Axiom, and their founding stories.
#1. Vangelism
At the beginning of the universe, there was nothing. There was not life, death, or even time itself. There was only one thing: God. This god's name was Michael, and he was the first piece of existence. Even he was unsure of the bounds of the universe, and he could not possibly travel to see the fullest extent. With his infinite power, he created the heavens, he created the Reapers, who guarded death and time, and creatures like him, the angels. He created Selaphiel, who was his greatest general, and the one to keep the reapers in check. He created many lesser angels, though they were still a powerful and united force. However, all of them and their brilliant minds could not answer for Michael just what exactly the universe was, or what it had in store. So he decided to create his own tale and shape the universe as he pleased, so he could answer that question for himself.
He began to make planets, and stars, and moons. He filled the universe with many great curiosities, and then moved to bring these grounds to life. He created the planet Axiom beneath the star nearest to heaven, and gave it life: all began with a man and a woman, and they then populated the world with more and more. The animals were their property, and everything was theirs to have. Eventually, however, they grew destructive with their power. They were at the peak of civilization, with technology that could surpass the angels, and magic that could rip through stars. It was then that, in his foresight, Michael saw that a group of humans with too much power had planned to destroy the world. They wished to see it all erased, as they were the victims of other humans, and were bitter.
He then saw another group like this come about, and another. He sent his angels to Axiom to hunt them all down, but they continued to rise in number, and eventually he realized the world was doomed to be destroyed. In order to preserve what was left, he wiped them all out, with the oceans rising and rising and destroying all life. In the instant of their complete destruction, a new world began. He created multiple races of supernaturals and humans, and made sure to not give them too much power. He kept them away from the greatest minerals and magics, and would then slowly preside over them all. Selaphiel became their caretaker, who would then come to instruct them on peace, virtue, and community. And so began their tenets.
De Facto Races: Human, Nephilim, Valkyrie
Word For Followers: Vangelist
#2. Vaet Nocturnum
Deep in the center of the earth, there is a sea of fire known as hell. In the darkest depths of hell, there lives a great shadow that stretches beyond the fabric of time and creates a universe within itself. This universe is the source of all magic, and is the true great Goddess; mother nature. It is known as Kala, a shroud of night, and it is from her womb that Nocturne was made. She is the Goddess of all darkness, with her son, Makath, the God of horror and chaos. Seated on the throne of hell is this great divine beast, an invincible monster beyond all man, and all demon. He presides over the affairs of Axiom, and slowly spreads the curse of night, eventually to expand it to the four corners of the earth.
It is said that monsters were born from the souls of men; that they would conceal their true nature, and from their blindness, great evils would develop inside of them. It is the one true tenet of this religion that all who walk the earth remain honest to themselves, that they do not hide their intentions or seek out goodness and other pretentious things.
One who is true to their inner self will become a demon when they die, and join Makath; they will revel in darkness for all eternity, and enjoy every single bit of it.
De Facto Races: Vampire, Fairhair, Vaet Diabolos, Dreadnought, Lich
Word For Followers: Vaetian
#3. Justoastrianism
The moon was the first thing to exist. It was a tiny spec surrounded by complete blackness in all directions. From this tiny spec, however, all power has originated. It is the source of all mana, which has created worlds, stars, and seas. It is from the mana of the moon that Justor was born, and later Solonor, his lover and companion. Following the moon came the sun, a great ball of flame. It is from the sun that all fire magic was created, which helped to form the mountains and continents of Axiom. The moon is the source of all water magic, which flooded the world with great seas to separate people from each other. The planets were the source of earth magic, and their skies the source of wind. The mana that came from the moon, the center of all the universe, radiated onto Axiom and granted its people magic.
The first people to embrace the mana were the elves, who crafted great spells of their own, and used these spells to defend against monsters and human tribes. Recognizing these people, who had made themselves known as great mages, Justor descended to the planet and taught them of his tenets. He amazed them with his immense power, which was used to destroy a great mountain in an instant, and cause the moon to glow. Following him was Solonor, who was said to be able to make the sun dance, its fire reaching across space. These two then lived with the elves and taught them how to be at peace with nature, and this persisted for a hundred years. Finally, though, feeling their people were secure, they disappeared, and were never seen again. It is the belief of the elves that they will one day live in the heavens within the sun and moon, and reside with either Justor or Solonor forever.
De Facto Races: Dark Elf, Dawn Elf, Kiranu
Word For Followers: Solona
#4. Mazdakism
Mazdakism is a religion founded initially by the three Gods Raphael, Lilith and Alistair, and joined almost immediately after its foundation by Maria, then Nathaniel, Calahan, Dominus, and Kor'Vah. It is a new religion, and it comes with a clause: all of its Gods and its ideals are mortal-born. The individual beliefs of those within the pantheon are mixed, so you may pick and choose who you worship based on your own belief system. What matters most is the belief that mortal-born people, those born on Axiom, should ultimately rule Axiom without the constant meddling and intervention of the Gods of Old. It is for this reason that a great deal of these Gods live primarily on Axiom itself, with temples and sites with which you may receive their blessings and wisdom. This religion has many facets.
Alistair is a God of power; he focuses on improving the self. Raphael is a God of prestige; he focuses on the self controlling the many, bringing them order. Lilith is a God of debauchery; she focuses on the dark and lustful side of the self. Maria is a God of merciless wrath; she believes in kill or be killed, revenge.
The weaker Gods reign over smaller fields of being, Nathaniel over knowledge, Calahan over justice, Kor'vah over madness, Dominus over Destruction. The pantheon only continues to expand, as do its followers.
De Facto Races: Incubus - Raphael and Lilith, Warden - mainly Raphael, Succubus - mainly Lilith, Mer - mainly Maria, Sirens - mainly Maria, Shades - mainly Alistair, Phoenixes - mainly Alistair
Word For Followers: Mazdakii
#5. Valghanst
The religion of Val'Ghast, which has only recently formed. This is sort of a mess of a religion, as even the most intelligent of monsters possess little creativity, and are too unstable to even write solid tenets for a belief. Basically, the tale of Valghanst is as follows:
In the beginning of time, there was Techno Queen. Don't ask how, she was just there. Her will was made into life, and she created endless cords that fueled the universe. It was her will that created Axiom, and all else. She then went on to create monsters, who were once the most beautiful and clever of all. It was the humans and their supernatural ilk that stole their beauty and power, with trickery and magic. Now, the monsters must steal it back in order to regain their former selves.
It's not exactly the most ingenious of stories, but considering she's crafted an Empire off of this religion, the Valghanistic belief is at least enough to convince monsters of a r'aison d'etre.
De Facto Races: All monster races residing within Val'Ghast
Word For Followers: Valghandar
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Posted: Fri Dec 20, 2013 7:02 pm
LANGUAGE
Obviously, without language, we cannot communicate but in the most base, primitive ways. It's not known how exactly languages were successfully developed, but it likely involved millennial of tedium and pure creative genius. You can presume there are more languages, ancient, dead and rarely used, but these are the five major languages of Axiom.
Note, regardless of what is said in this post, all of your character's interactions are to be typed in English. If you are speaking a specific language, clarify in your post.
#1. Common
This is the common tongue. It's elegant, refined, simple. Honestly you could say that if common really was a real life language, it would sound similar to English. It's a language of class, wit, and has been widely adapted by all races. All Kings and Queens are required to speak common, as are most people of high positions.
De Facto Races: Any and all
#2. Elvish
A tongue adopted by many of the beast races, and even by some monsters. It is a relaxed and soothing language, with many beautiful words. You could compare it to real life Latin, with vowels holding great importance in the tongue. The masculine and feminine is quite different, though. "So" and "vo" = masculine and feminine. For example, dreaso alak Vontik. My name is Vontik, in a masculine way. Dreavo alak Vontia, my name is Vontia, in a feminine way.
They enjoy strong letters and sounds, like K, S, continuous letters to emphasize the sound (aa, oo, uu), etc.
De Facto Races: Dawn Elf, Dark Elf, Kiranu, Waktu, Draconian, Shapeshifter, Various monster races
Some Elvish Phrases: Aa' lasser en lle coia orn n' omenta gurtha. "May the leaves of your life tree never turn brown." Cormlle naa tanya tel'raa. "Your heart is like a lion's."
#3. Meritia
Spoken by many coastal races, as well as coastal tribes of monsters, this language was developed by the Mer. It is a language that is very beautiful and relaxing, with little to no strong sounds and a relaxation on vowels. They tend to soften most letters. For example, O would be softened to "oh", a less powerful way of making the sound. You would say Los Anthos as Lohs Anthohs, softening the end of the pronunciation. S is often decreased in volume, to remove the slithering effect and move quickly onto the next letter. Their masculine and feminine are ria and rios. So, an example of a feminine name would be Aleria and a masculine name Gadrios.
When spoken by Mer and especially by Sirens, the beauty of this tongue truly comes to life. It is the beauty of this language that truly makes the Sirens and their songs glow, and that exalts the Mer as a truly exotic race of people.
De Facto Races: Mer, Siren, Various monster races
Some Meritian Phrases: Lavos enehava sira mekton jenor. "Let your burdens wash away." Anamas vos nuisia plea antha. "Live for yourself; die for a cause." Seramythaas. "Nice to meet you."
#4. Demonica
A language known well by many of the demonic races. This tongue is extremely masculine, guttural and harsh. They emphasize strong letters, and are privy to violent and crude words. Their language is littered with profanity; they have a swear for everything, and ten different versions of that swear. Ks, Us, Vs, and Ts, are some of their most common letters, and their most emphasized ones. This language, however, can be spoken in many different ways; there is a more classy version of it, often spoken by Incubi and Dreadnoughts, then a barbaric version by Diabolus and other practitioners. It's sort of like the Queen's English and then slang English in that regard.
De Facto Races: All demons, Incubus, Dreadnought, Diabolus, Vampire
Some Demonica Phrases: Vakk antha. <******** you." Vemarrh aku plejanak vosa Makath. "I pledge myself to Makath."
#5. Angelica
Surprisingly not the most beautiful of languages. It's a language that is supposed to be spoken with an air of pride, superiority, and self-discipline. They are often fast with their words, and quick to raise their voice. The language itself is fairly basic. It is actually rumored to be the basis of the common tongue, which wouldn't be surprising considering they're quite similar. They have no swear words, though they do have insults, especially when it comes to demons and whatnot. This language is spoken by all angels, and it is said to be a language literally imbued with power; the angels have been known to kill people with their voice.
De Facto Races: All angels, Nephilim (they learn this language over time; words come to them as they grow), Various Vangelistic worshiping races
Some Angelica Phrases: Tiberisi ana no Vys. "The world is of God." Tiberisi nan alsum prihepas. "The world is not of human sin."
RULES REGARDING LANGUAGES
Not many rules here, but there are a few.
1. All RPCs must be at least fluent in common. De facto is fine too. This is to make sure no character is unable to communicate with another.
2. You start off with one de facto language (you are completely well-versed in it; your grammar is excellent, as well as your accent),
one fluent language (you can hold a long conversation and understand all general words),
and one basic language (you can understand how to hold a short conversation; you can give your name, age, talk about the weather, food, sports, etc.; you can also read their alphabet and may know what some symbols stand for).
3. If someone specifies they are speaking in a language you don't know, or only know basic of, you will not understand what they are saying, or will only barely understand. The only way to understand at this point would be to use the mage ability to understand other languages.
4. It is possible to become fluent in all languages, and de facto in a second language. However, this requires immersing yourself in that culture. If you wish to learn Meritian for example, you would legitimately have to live in either a village of Sirens, Mer, or somehow move to Los Anthos. Once doing this, you can request for a crew/VC to give you a mission in which you can learn the language. This will be a literary mission where you'll search for books, try and take lessons, and can meet NPCs who will help you learn. The first mission will only teach you basic, then the second fluent.
Becoming de facto in a second language can only be done by having a long-term, close relationship with someone who is de facto in that language. This must be an RPC. This relationship can be romantic, friendly, or business related. You can PM a VC if you think that you are applicable for a second de facto language, and must recite the relationship of the two characters.
5. When it comes to communicating with monsters, there's no real way to secure communication with them all unless you're a mage. Some of them speak Meritia, some Demonica, and some Common. However, the large majority speak rare languages within their own race.
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