Teremian

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Christina, Ingrid, Petra, Monika, Gudrun, Susanne, Ursula, Gisela

Masculine names

Karl, Stefan, Walter, Hans, Klaus, Gunter, Jurgen, Wolfgang

Family names

The Ash Elves of Teremia have defined the naming customs of Teremia greatly with many surnames taking butchering's of Elven pronunciation and Teremian accent quirks of titles and jobs. 
Some common peasant surnames are: Muller, Schmidt, Meyer, Fischer, Weber, Wagner, Becker, Schulz, Schafer, Koch, Bauer, Richter, Wolf, Neumann
Kings of Teremia are defined by the addition of the prefix von to their surname that hails from an Ash Elf term of respect. An example of this is von Zarovich which was taken by the family of the famed vampire Strahd von Zarovich.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Teremian accents are influence greatly by the former predominance of Ash Elves and the centuries of war.
Noblemen in Teremia often speak a butchered form of Elvish and mimic the dialectic styles of Ash Elves in their pronunciation of common. This comes out most notably with the pronunciation of the letter w and s both of which are slurred due to the absence of these letters in Elvish. Nobles also tend to speak with a greater distinction of the words pronouncing the start of each clearly to make sentences more clearly a selection of words then a consistent flow. 
Commoners tend to speak with what is known as the 'Teremian Lisp' where hard consonants are often softened and words slur together. This comes from the common absence of teeth or use of wooden teeth among the common folk leading to variations in pronunciation. With many wounded then teaching younglings to speak the slurs became a common part of everyday speech.

Shared customary codes and values

Teremia is a land that has oft been at war and near every county can boast a great warlord or hero of past that they recall the teachings of in their practice. Often a court will choose one such ancestor to venerate as a symbol of their nation to unify the divide between the nobility and peasantry. The legend of these heroes defines a great deal of the local customs with archery, swordplay, axecraft or horse-mastery being favored dependent on what the hero used.
This martial custom has also led to the emergence of the Krieger who are lowborn warriors of great renown. These Krieger are not granted knighthood and title but often enjoy similar levels of respect and admiration in court. Krieger are sought after and often given great rewards for fighting alongside armies. Many of these go on to form mercenary companies which are employed liberally across the nation.
A similar honour can be found in Reis who are civilians honoured as honourary members of a noble house. While they cannot own land and inherit as a noble might they are granted equal standing to nobles in court visits and often act as emissaries for their lords. 
The legacy of war has also led to a great reverence and significance of being the right bloodline. For this reason the ability of lowborn to rise to noble ranks is near impossible without significant fabrication and coercion of nobles to suggest the lowborn is in fact of a pre-existing line. Teremian nobles keep their families pedigree close and well protected knowing that challenges to their rule will often take place in its legitimacy. Any Teremian that can prove their bloodline is noble is afforded rights in any court including that to bed and board. Many Teremian states pride themselves on the size of their court as a sign of their greatness but also of the ease of organizing future marriages as no family wishes to weaken their bloodline with lowborn blood.

Art & Architecture

Teremian homes are usually thatched in roof but often include a small 'arms closet' built into the side of the structure where the families store their armour and weapons safely before the next war. Villages are often designed around a tavern and a blacksmiths which serve as the center of Teremain life and are commonly the only two story structures in a town.
Each village connected through large central roads to the capitol. Most of Teremia is connected by relatively advanced infrastructure due to various Warlords seeking to connect their domains leading to Teremia with roads favoring large stone slabs with 'way stones' every 20 miles that give directions and often note nearby sources of water, food or security.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

The Kamfmeister is a key role in Teremian communities that is taken usually by an older veteran of the community who is no longer able to fight. They are responsible for the training of the communities youth and having a Krieger for the role is considered a significant honour. The appointment of the Kamfmeister is formally by appointment by the Reeve that oversees the area but in practice is usually by community agreement with the Reeve only rejecting an applicant if they are evidently unable to fulfill the role at which point they are required to find a suitable replacement. 
Keeper of the DeadKeeper of the Dead buried

Coming of Age Rites

Teremian coming of age ceremonies happen at two occasions. The first is at the first day of summer in the year they reach the age of eight when children begin their teaching in how to fight by the village Kamfmeister this focusses on hand to hand and continues until their twelfth name day when the children are given their first weapon. Depending on the wealth of their parents this is either a family heirloom, a freshly purchased or forged weapon or, often among peasants, a wooden spear. In any case the child is taught to use the weapon by the Kamfmeister until they are able to defeat the Kamfmeister in battle or otherwise prove their ability at which point they are named a full adult. 
Teremians who never go to war are often viewed strangely by their peers towards the end of their lives and while going to war is not considered an essential part of their coming of age rights it is considered a cultural mark. Teremians regularly share war stories around the fire and often say it is where they are 'born anew' and 'really grow up'.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Teremians are traditionally burned on a pyre after their passing the wood of which is harvested from nearby woods by the community and the burning of which is traditionally by the Reeve or a former captain that led them in battle. Armour and weapons are not burned with the Teremian and are instead taken and given to the family for the next generation. 
Notable Teremians are afforded a burial in the crypts beneath the castles of the land. Such an honour can only be bestowed by the local lord and not requested and involves the corpse being burred in a stone sarcophagus bearing their impression. These sarcophagi are honoured and maintained by the Keeper of the Dead which is considered a prestigious position in a Teremian court.

Ideals

Relationship Ideals

Teremia has been divided more often than many of its neighbors who began to unify and centralize into a small group of duchies or a strong Kingdom hundreds of years before. As a result of this Teremians have often kept the peace solely through marriage alliances and the exchange of hostages waiting to be 'betrothed'. This has led to a significant cultural taboo surrounding eloping and marrying without the consent of the families even among the peasantry. Where a married couple emerge without a writ from their reeve allowing their departure they are often shunned and ushered to return home to fulfill their duties.

Diverged ethnicities

• Solsteiner