Arolend Sea Culture
Rooted in elvish love of art, beauty and magic. Most cities have an elvish as a common tongue, writing and even cities that are not majority elvish may copy their architecture and styles. These cities are very compact, centralized and walled. Entry is often not obvious. Once inside though they blend ecology and architecture together to have very naturalistic way, and the line between inside and outside is blended. Elves innate magic is sorcery driven, and only the influence of Atlantean magic brought wizardry. Most cities are monarchies with lesser nobles and aristocrats running the day-to-day operations.
Arolend Culture
Soki Culture
Lizardfolk cultures has some influence across the jungle and even other races copy their stylings. Lizardfolk morphology does not lend itself to using other languages, and vice versa so common is the language used by other races other than the Lizardfolk. The
Soki Culture is designed for jungle living, so only their temples, palaces and important structures are made of stone, the rest is made from wood, including their defensive walls. The military rely on using the jungle as a weapon. Most cities are run by an oligarchy of made up of noble and aristocratic families that chose a ruling family, and in times of trouble there will be formal challenges and duels to establish a new leader. Included in this oligarchy is a council of philosophers who study the stars and will make pronouncements of omens that favor a course of action or not.
Ayorhah culture.
A common cosmopolitan culture with influences from many races common along the South Meridian Sea and the Long Sea area. Adapted to the dry savanna conditions, clothing is light colors to reflect the sun, and breathable. Architecture is open and high to draw breezes, this culture is matriarchal and most city states draw from women to lead. The arts and crafts are pragmatic and functional. Ancestry and lineage are important to honor in literature and art. Common is the language that hold this culture together.
Ayorhah Culture cities will have the most diverse kinds of leadership. Some have queens and nobles, philosopher princesses who are chosen by omen or argument, democratically elected leaders, oligarchies, magocracies, and even tyrants are known.
Uthash Culture
A common culture of the Northern west coast of the Meridian Sea. Much further away from the interactions of the Ayorhah culture there are detectable influences, but the climate and land are more forgiving, punctuated by powerful sea storms.
Uthash Culture is bonded to natural rhythms and the sea. They have a strong family center and tend toward hero mythology. Architecture is sturdy and shows a heavy weight. Their art tends toward the fanciful and mythological. This area uses dwarven as the language, with common being the second most spoken. Uthash cities are ruled by kings with an oligarchy of nobles, wealthy elite and accomplished warriors.
Goblinoid Culture
Goblinoids have a common mythological past and common language, goblin. Over the centuries on Alterra they have begun to see themselves as the true masters of Alterra, so they can colonize and raid so long as it leads to glory. This puts them at odds with other city states and groups that want peace. Hobgoblins are the cultural elites for goblinoid races, outside of these races few other races adopt goblinoid culture. The majority of
Goblinoid Culture aligned cities are run by Hobgoblins, they are a strictly military run, with every aspect of life revolving around the military. Industry guilds, crafts, study, and philosophy are all militarily driven. Goblins and Bug bears are “conscripts” there for the city’s greater duty and “owe” their time in service to the hobgoblin generals. Hobgoblins have a myth that they were left in charge of the planet’s defense from the Star Walker’s enemies, and they see all other peoples as weak and not doing their duty to defend the planet. They have a myth that one day The Enemy will come and lay waste to the decadent races, and they will by shear military might drive them off the world, and the rest of the world will owe them subservient allegiance. Many believe they already do.
Draconic Culture
Dragonborn and Kobolds only share they mythology that they are related to the great dragons of Perndragon. Dragons are highly intelligent, but shun technology, and because of their alien mental makeup transfer their memories into their offspring. Dragonborn and Kobolds have a mortal mental structure so they require education and learning. All three of these races speak Draconic, only the Dragonborn and the Kobolds write it. It is not clear what role Dragons had in Star Walker culture, but they found it important to send them along in the Arc Ship in hibernation.
Dragonborn Culture cities are run by a shifting hierarchy of clans, most who specialize in an industry, craft, service, or produce warriors, philosophers, or mages. Depending on the fortunes of the city one clan may take the opportunity take the lead.
Atlantean Culture
Humans have a lot of cultural influence across the planet, the primary root is the
Atlantian Culture. The architecture is graceful but plain, based on perceived cosmic order these cities are usually mappings of philosophical and mystical understandings. It is believed the Atlanteans developed wizardry and magic only a few centuries after Arrival. The culture is one of ambition and order, but also sacrifice to the greater good. The Atlantean cultural center is the Isthmus between the Sea of Ur and the Getyten Ocean. It has influence on most of the cities around the Sea of Ur and as far East as the Mende Sea. Most Atlantean cities are run by Mage-kings who answer to both a council of mages and a council of elders and follow the Edicts of Solomon, a sort of constitution that is lays out how to run a kingdom, rights of citizens, how resolve disputes, and 15 natural laws kings and commoner must obey for a successful city.
Gith Cultures
The Gith race has two cultures, both at war with each other and everyone else on the planet. The
Githyanki are raiders who target coastal cities around the world.
Githzerai are cultists bent on manipulating everyone else to their own ends to destroy the Githyanki.
Locations of the major cultures
There are thousands of other ethnicity across the cities of Alterra, but they are small and specific to their city state, and have little influence culturally across the world. Some of this is borne by trade and colonies, others because of little used languages outside of the region. These could have any kind of leadership and government. They might even have a monstrous tyrant as their leader, such as a dragon, some kind of cypher laden construct, or some other kind of creature.
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