Ostoyan
Ostoyans are a hardy folk, having long accepted the likelihood of a short life thanks to the ever-present threats of war, sickness, the cold, and the roaming undead. They value the simple
life—a hot meal at the end of a long day’s work and a mug of mead is reward enough for the lower classes.
Even tho the Ostoyans are mainly human the appearance, regardless of race, they are often very pale because of the constantly dark sky. Nobility is often recognisable as their skin is completely white because of their undead state.
The majority of Ostoyans have black or generally dark hair and sharp features.
The names of towns and people are related to the slavic culture heavily relating to russia and romania.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Adrijana, Agnieszka, Anastasia, Anica, Bogdana, Bojana, Branka, Dominika, Eleanora, Elizabeta, Gordana, Ivanka, Jasna, Kata, Krystyna, Lelia, Ludmila, Magdalena, Maryana, Melania, Milena, Monika, Nadia, Oksana, Olga, Roza, Slavica, Stanislava, Svetlana, Tanja, Velika, Vesna, Violeta, Yelena, Zlata, Željka
Masculine names
Alexei, Anton, Antonijo, Bogdan, Boris, Danil, Darko, Demyan, Dragan, Evgeny, Franjo, Gedeon, Goran, Gustav, Igor, Jakov, Josef, Konstantin, Mikhail, Mirko, Natan, Ondrej, Pavel, Petar, Radomir, Sava, Sergei, Simeon, Slavko, Zlatko
Family names
Adamovich, Aksamit, Bilyk, Chumak, Ivanova, Gutnik, Kalashnik, Polishchuk, Shevchenko, Soroka, Barno, Chernenko, Ganus, Ivanov, Kozlov, Putin, Rosya, Smirnov, Vinogradov, Volkov, Archaki, Bartos, Bosko, Dvorak, Hajek, Kaminski, Kudela, Kowalski, Ryba, Zbirak, Antic, Franic, Horvat, Jankovic, Jovanovic, Nikolic, Novak, Stepanov, Popovik, Zoric
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
Most Ostoyans are clannish, putting familial honour and bonds above life itself. The people
suffered much under the Bürach Empire, now many of them consider the Soman nobility heroes for driving out the invaders. They follow the nobility without question, with only the secessionist Raevans as an exception.
Shared customary codes and values
A plethora of Seraphs have retained a foothold across the Etharis, but in truth, Ostoyans have
faith in only one idol: Solyma, the Lady of Vengeance. Revenge is the only true religion
in Ostoya. No Ostoyan believes in turning the other cheek. Indeed, forswearing vengeance is
considered a weakness of character, bringing shame and a loss of face before society. An overly
forgiving Ostoyan would surely be driven out of town by their own family.
Visitors from other lands would do well to acquaint themselves with local customs, and to keep wandering eyes and hands far from the peasants’ daughters, lest they make an enemy for life. Even the vampiric nobility, who hold absolute sway over the lives of the peasants, take pains not to make their cruelty personal. For once wronged,Ostoyans pursue retribution single-mindedly.Folk tales and sagas abound of entire families wiped out by disputes over land and grazing rights. To this day, long-standing family feuds occasionally require intercession from the nobles themselves, to prevent further loss of warm bodies.
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