Traditions

Laws of Hospitality

Both a guest and a host are bound by the traditions of hospitality, called the Laws of Hosting. These ancient traditions are deeply ingrained in every culture in Rassilon, so much so that even the savage Orcs, and the monstrous Giants observe them.
It begins with the giving of gifts. The host provides a piece of food, traditionally some salted meat, salted bread, or some other such thing. The host and guest then both partake of the same piece of food. Once that’s complete, the guest gives a gift to their host, usually, something that holds a high personal value. This worth doesn’t need to be monetarily great but must have some significance to the guest. In this way, a traveler who has almost nothing may give some tinder to the host, which while not worth anything monetarily, is very valuable to the guest seeking hospitality.
Once the ritual is complete, both the host and the guest are bound by certain laws. These are traditions and the breaking of Guest Rites from either party is a grievous form of oath-breaking and can lead to a person being outlawed. The guest is bound to obey their host, to defend their house in the event of an attack, to graciously receive whatever food and lodging is available, to give at least one night’s entertainment through song, story, or poem, and to behave in an honorable and sober manner.
They are not to abuse their position and overindulge in the best of the host’s food, drink, shelter, gifts, or thralls.
The host also has several rights and responsibilities, for they are to provide for the guest the best of their household and, if lacking in anything, to make good the discrepancy even at great personal loss or risk.
They are to defend and protect their guest, treat them as an honored member of the household, and to provide for their entertainment. Guests are allowed to stay for, at most, six weeks or the length of one winter, after which they are quickly overstaying their welcome and thus negate the Laws of Hosting.
This is a really central tenet to Rassilon. This ancient law of hospitality is held sacred by everyone, and it can lead to very interesting situations. A messenger from an enemy jarl, a wandering berserker, a strange one-eyed old man - any and all of these may arrive at your door and expect guest rites.

The Peace Branch

The Laws of Hospitality bleed into many facets of Rassilon’s culture, but one of the most well known and universally accepted is the branch of peace. Enemies can meet and speak freely beneath the branch. Ideally, it will be a leafy branch from an ash tree, but in practice, it is often any leafy branch that can be found. In Valiland, it is the branch of an oak that is used, while in Gunnland the needles of a fir branch signify peace. Whatever the branch may be, the effect is the same.
Two parties approach the middle ground between them. The parties must be of equal size, and cannot approach with weapons drawn. Once they meet in the center, everyone who attends the parley is entitled to speak freely, but bound to commit no violence while at the meeting.
Often these parleys are simple; sometimes terms of surrender are given, other times a holmgang, a ritualized duel, is offered so that warriors’ lives might be spared, and sometimes it is simply a way for enemies to trade insults.
The breaking of peace beneath a branch is considered a terrible form of oathbreaking, and it is said that the gods curse those who would break such a peace. It is said that in the time of Gunnar Gunnarsson, the first king, he once broke such a peace and attacked an unsuspecting enemy. In response, Tyr the god of law and war, withdrew his blessing from Gunnar for the rest of his days.
As a player, the peace branch allows you to interact with your worst enemies, to speak with them and get to know them, to try and pry some information from them, or to simply sling insults.
It’s a great opportunity to roleplay how your character interacts with their enemies, beyond simply chopping them up with an ax.

Oathkeeping

To keep one’s word is the cornerstone of Rassilon tradition. The glue that holds almost all of the continent together - oath keeping - is perhaps the most important factor that exists in most Rassilon's societies.
An oath is either a statement of fact or a promise, with wording relating to something considered sacred as a sign of verity and truth. Most oaths are sworn to a god, and oaths related to the law are most often sworn to Tyr.
An oath is a sacred bond, and to break one’s oath is to destroy the power of one’s word. In a society in which so much is based on the sanctity of keeping your word, an oathbreaker is one of the worst kinds of criminal.
Society is held together by oaths. Bondi swear oaths to karls, karls swear oaths to thegns, and thegns swear oaths to jarls. In this way, everyone is bonded to someone. It keeps order, and because each oath is sworn personally it tends to have significant meaning to the person who swears it.
Oathbreakers are despised, even when they have a just cause. Likewise, lying especially to one’s companions, jarl, or during a Thing - is seen as an abomination. Being honest in all of your dealings, and sticking to your word, are vital qualities of an honorable person.

The Nine Virtues

The Asatru moral code can be summed up by the Nine Noble Virtues, these make a character Honorable and represent the summation of the ancient lore contained in the Poetic Edda.
They are:
1. Courage
2. Truth
3. Honor
4. Loyalty
5. Discipline
6. Hospitality
7. Industriousness
8. Self-reliance
9. Perseverance