Vutazon

The Vutazon brag that the sun and the storm are both in their blood. Well organized, loyal, fierce and tough, the Vutazon tribe refuses to back down.
The Vutazon crest is a Blue Dragon.

Suggested Parentages

Category	Parentages
Dominant	Draconic
Minority	Kobold
Enclaves	Dwarf, Human
Groups	Elemental, Goblinoid
Individuals	Elven
Singular	Sphinx

Suggested Upbringings

Category	Upbringings
Dominant	Draconic, Hardy, Laborer, Skilled Labor
Minority	Combative, Defender, Labor Soldier
Enclaves	Athletic, Fierce, Specialist
Groups	Banker, Pack, Stalwart, Stoneworker
Individuals	Caravaneer, Strong-And-Silent
Singular	Tempest

Suggested Backgrounds

Category	Backgrounds
Dominant	Farmer, Homebringer, Soldier
Minority	Guild Artisan, Guild Merchant
Enclaves	Clan Crafter
Groups	Acolyte, Desert Runner, Rider
Individuals	Animal Breeder, Inheritor, Noble, Sage
Singular	Anthropologist, Archaeologist

Suggested Classes & Subclasses

Class	Subclasses
Artificer	Architect, Armorer, Artillerist, Battle Smith, Draconic Tinkerer, Kobold Engineer, War Weaver
Barbarian	Path of the Dragon, Path of the Dragon's Roar, Path of the Dragonheart, Path of the Storm Herald, Path of the Storm Wielder
Bard	College of Leadership, College of Lore, College of Swords, College of Tactics, College of Valor
Cleric	Chromatic Tyrant Domain, Community Domain, Defender Domain, Dragon Domain, Tempest Domain
Craftsman	Bladeworker's Guild, Thunderlords Guild
Dragon Rider	Dragon Knight, Dragon Outrider
Druid	Circle of Sand, Circle of Storms, Circle of the Dragonfriend
Fighter	Battle Master, Bodyguard, Champion, Edjet, Legionary
Monk	Way of Steel, Way of the Ascendant Dragon, Way of the Dragon, Way of the Kensei
Noble	Path of the Tactician
Paladin	Oath of Destruction, Oath of Draconic Might, Oath of the Crown, Oath of the Guardian, Oath of Thunder
Ranger	Archer, Skirmisher
Sorcerer	Draconic Bloodline, Storm Sorcery
Warden	Storm Sentinel
Warlock	Ancient Dragons Patron, Pact of the Dragon God
Warmage	House of Bishops, House of Kings
Wizard	School of Evocation, War Magic

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Draconic (Vutazon)

Culture and cultural heritage

In the first days, the dragon god Vutazon came to the eastern deserts in a mighty flash of lightning, bringing storms and rain with her. She cowed the scattered people with her glory and commanded them to heed her instructions, teaching them how to carve fields, build homes, make fire, and wield the powers of magic. All those who wished to live in the safety of Vutazon's wings were sworn to obedience and given specific tasks. Vutazon mixed with the people she ruled over, and each of her offspring was placed in charge of their own tribe. 
Thus, the legacy of hierarchy and community are heavily ingrained into the Vutazon people. Tribal leaders can mostly trace their lineage back to the Dragon God herself. The Vutazon prefer to build than wander, and when they leave their lands they often travel in groups. Disaffected Vutazoni who don't like their place in the social order will leave home as individuals and explore or mingle with other cultures.

Shared customary codes and values

Loyalty, Order, Endurance and Strength are all Vutazon core values. Every member of a Vutazon clan knows where they rank within that clan and who has the authority to command them, from household chores to life and death battles. Ostensibly, a good Vutazon tribesperson embraces their role in the clan, striving to fulfill it incredibly well for the good of the rest of the family. If you want to advance, you need to prove yourself. This does lead to a hierarchical social structure, but social movement can be based on accomplishments.
This of course does not preclude ambitious Vutazoni making political schemes, especially as one progresses higher up through the various clans.

Common Etiquette rules

• Do not sit at the table until permitted
• A customary bow places three fingers just above the forehead while folding the other arm across the torso. It is reserved for those seen as higher rank.
• Wait for the highest rank to start eating before you eat or drink
• When meeting a stranger, declare your name, tribe, and Suzerain in that order.

Common Dress code

Flax linen is the normal cloth of Vutazon clothing. In their settlements, Vutazoni wear loincloths or short kilts along with a long tunic with a sash at the waist. Others wear full-length wraparound gowns and cloth fitting sheaths
Wealthier Vutazoni wear knee-length shirts along with loincloths or kilts, and adorn themselves with jewelry. Favored articles include beads, armlets, and bracelets, featuring lapis lazuli, turquois or sapphire when possible. Blue gemstones are the most beautiful and signifiers of wealth and purity. Makeup, earrings, bracelets and necklaces are also common.
Typically, Vutazoni wear handwoven shoes or sandals made from the same flax, or go barefoot. Wealthy or important Vutazoni may wear Ukefic (draconic for "Shoes"), which are elaborate handwoven shoes featuring dyed linen in specific patterns.
Distinctive to the Vutazoni is the Tharm, or circlet. All adult Vutazoni wear a headband of one kind or another. If one is familiar with the construction of the Tharm, one can determine on sight whether a given Vutazoni is married or unmarried, has mastered a trade, or killed in battle.

Art & Architecture

Jewelry and weaponry are the hallmarks of Vutazon crafting. Vutazon smiths make beautiful shining blades and armor, often composed of plates tied together with cords. On masterwork armor, these plates are engraved or inlaid with gemstones depicting scenes or symbols of draconic power, thunder and lightning devastating enemies, or the might of Vutazon armies. Their shields are also renowned. With access to mines in their western hills, Vutazon metalwork and beadwork flourish.
For architecture, lacking ample wood the Vutazoni build primarily from unbaked mud bricks and stone. Stone is used for temples, tombs, walls and fortifications, while mud bricks are used for almost all other structures and internal walls.
Vutazon masonry focuses more on defense and practicality than ornamentation, but statues carved from sandstone, granite and marble showing towering draconic figures feature heavily in Vutazon settlements.

Foods & Cuisine

Meat is heavily emphasized in Vutazon cuisine. Where most cultures subsist primarily on grain based products, the Vutazoni raise cattle, sheep, goats and pigs in great numbers. "Eternal Stew" is a mainstay of Vutazon households--a pot kept at a constant temperature, with green shooted onions, garlic, lettuce, celery and some other vegetables added over time, along with cuts of meat that can slow cook for ease of eating.
This is supplemented with beer and bread, fresh vegetables, and the occasional fish or game bird.
The Vutazon like spices and roasting, preferring a hearty char on their cuts regardless of the final doneness.
For desserts, they use honey, dates and carob as sweeteners. Finely ground flour is made into sweet breads and cakes. Tiger nuts ground into a paste with roots and tubers then cooked at high heat becomes nhee aeit, a sweet crumble that can be fried into small cakes or added to fruits or breads.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

All children must be presented to the tribal leader, or Suzerain, to be officially inducted into the tribe. This ceremony involves anointing with a sacred oil, invocation of Vutazon, and a commitment by the parent(s) to raise their child as a strong and loyal member of the tribe.

Coming of Age Rites

Adulthood is marked either by marriage or by mastery of a trade. In either case, adults are permitted to wear headbands and wield weapons larger than knives. A headband is the traditional marriage gift. For those who master a trade, their instructor gifts them with a headband when they decide their training is complete.
Adulthood can also be granted in war and marked not only with a headband, but with a weapon.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Vutazon dead are buried, either in the sand or (preferably) in tombs. Either way they are wrapped in cloth and buried with things that were precious to them in life, as well as food and a blade--at the very least, a small knife. All these are given back to the world in the hope that the world will return to the tribe strength, prosperity, wellbeing and more strong and noble Vutazon spirits.
Wealthy Vutazoni as well as mighty warriors, sorcerers, priests or Suzerains are usually laid to rest in a tomb with more elaborate ceremony. While the sentiment is the same--we are losing something rare and precious, and hope to have rare and precious lives born to us next--the context shifts slightly. In this case, it is the hope that this person's specific strength and characteristics will not disperse throughout the rest of the world, but return specifically to the Vutazon tribe. Tombs are built as beacons and anchors for the qualities and essence of the departed, to guide those elements back to the tribe.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Cleanliness and hygiene are extremely important to the Vutazon clan. Being poorly groomed is a disgrace.

Courtship Ideals

Elaborate courtship rituals set the Vutazon tribe apart from their cultural neighbors. There is a ladder of gifts, each one with its own ceremonial meaning, and the courtship can be ended at any point on that ladder if the one being courted rejects a gift. The Gifts start with food--from a simple gift of water, to fresh fruit, to a delicious meat-focused meal. Then, if the courtship continues, gifts of beauty and treasure are next. First a simple hand made object, often carved from stone, bone or--more rarely--wood. Then, a necklace of semiprecious stones and metals. To actually ask for a lifelong bond requires a precious item, often a headband, centered with a blue gemstone--the more clear and valuable the gemstone, the better.
Permission and notification also form important parts of the courtship ritual. Once a suitor reaches the Fresh Meal gift, it is expected that they invite the parents (or guardians) of the one they court to said meal. The parents may choose to forbid the courtship from proceeding any further. If they do not, then the family announces to their immediate clan that the Courting Meal has been served between the involved parties.
To present the "Noble Gift" of proposal, the suitor must first obtain permission from the head of their beloved's clan. If accepted, then the engagement is announced to everyone in both clans in a formal pronouncement.
Vutazon traditionally mate for life, though one marriage may include more than two individuals.

Relationship Ideals

The chief virtue of relationship is Loyalty. Every different type of bond is important, from familial to clan to military. In romantic relationships, both partners are expected to be loyal for life. Infidelity is relatively rare and treated very harshly, but loyalty extends also to one's duty and support. A partner who neglects their spouse--emotionally, physically, economically or otherwise--is similarly seen as disloyal. This leads to Vutazon clans either being very transparent with relationships and feelings, or very closed off to avoid being judged by their extended family.