Mauskin Culture

Way of Life for the Gentile Folk

Tucked away in the Little Greenwood surrounded by the stout foliage and the giant creatures, one may find tiny huts and homes carved out of trees and mushrooms, entrances barely hidden from view by vines and flowering plants. These bustling villages appear almost silent amongst the natural din of the forest, full of various creature sounds and the movement of the branches against each other. Far from silent, the villages are full of custom and tradition, of love and flowers, of the gentile folk known as the Mauskin Culture.
Mauskin culture is heavily steeped in nature and tradition. As one of the Animal Kingdom, these people tend more towards nature, carving out their space in the existing landscape, making their homes blend with the natural environment around them. Even so, this tendency towards nature does not stop them from developing their own technologies and ways that allow them to keep up with the civilizations of the Humans and the Halflings.
Flowers, plants, and the various creatures of the Little Greenwood define the culture and its traditions. An outsider will understand very little about the Mauskin without first understanding their ties to specific flowers and their perchance for incorporating those flowers into everything they do. Even the exports of this culture encompass this near worship of flowers, displaying the forest in a positive, brilliant way that even the Halflings have not accomplished.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

Mauskin culture is considered exotic by many in Vóreios due to the relatively secret nature of the race. While Mauskin can be found throughout much of the Northern Continent, the largest concentration of the people is in the northern fringes of the Little Greenwood. That being said, the Mauskin greatly enjoy sharing their customs and traditions with others, especially in the way of foodstuffs.

Beliefs

All races in Isekai have a set of beliefs that they consider their law. Mauskin are stalwart in their beliefs, rarely wavering from what they consider their core beliefs.

1. In everything we desire to learn, to become wise, and to live out our lives as we wish.
2. We do not fear the many things that are larger than us but we are wise. In being wise we shall know when we can hide, when we should flee, and when we can band together against our enemy.
3. In all things, we desire to be clever. We have not been allotted strength by the world but we have been allotted a nimble foot and a quick wit. Bravery that would endanger the group for the glory of the individual will always be shunned and punished swiftly.
4. Our aim is peace. When possible, we will live in friendship with those around us but those that counsel war and seek trouble will be expelled from our midst with great sadness to fulfill their selfish desires.

These beliefs drive the Mauskin in their decisions as they try to survive as a group. While some Mauskin harbor different beliefs, a large majority of the culture strives for wisdom and peace.

Family

For Mauskin, family is extremely important. It is not uncommon to find some households consisting of multiple generations under one roof as the large size of trees in the forest and the small stature of Mauskin allow for a great number of people to live in a single house.
Elder relatives are seen as the wisest of the family, especially since Mauskin often only live for forty years. Those that are grandparents or great-grandparents are considered wise beyond measure and should be asked for advice in many things.

Property & Ownership

Mauskin, as a culture, own very little property, often viewing buildings and resources as communal property. Each individual may have items that have great value to them, such as trinkets or clothing, but other items are created by the group, for the group.

Taboos & Insults

Very few things are considered taboo in Mauskin culture as they are, as a whole, a very peaceful race that strives for wisdom. Those that go against the group are easily removed but even these sentiments are not forbidden by any means.
The greatest insult to a Mauskin is to put unwarranted blame on them concerning the deaths of their companions.

Mauskin Culinary Arts

Mauskin make a variety of foodstuffs that they export throughout the Northern Continent with the help of the Halflings and Fire & Gold, Inc.. Oftentimes, these foodstuffs are created with ingredients that can only be found in the Little Greenwood.

Dewdrop Tea

Dewdrop Tea is a specialty drink of the Mauskin. Made from the dewdrops of the Giant Camellia, this tea is a drink known to "tickle the belly and wiggle the whiskers." Culturally, this drink is considered a great source of pride for the Mauskin as very few that enter the Little Greenwood dare to wander through the undersides of the Giant Camellia, yet the Mauskin do this daily.

Greenwood Honey

Greenwood Honey is a specialty of the Little Greenwood and the Greenwood Bumbles tended by the Mauskin. Considered to be sweeter than the clover honey of the Elven Forest, Greenwood Honey is a delicacy that is highly sought after in places outside of the Little Greenwood. Some Mauskin dedicated their lives to the keeping of the bees and the jarring of the honey.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Many traditions of the Mauskin are inspired from the nature around them. As technology, as known by other races, does not exist to the same level in the northern fringes of the Little Greenwood, Mauskin practice more traditional ways of crafting and creating, which in turn inspires different and new traditions.

Clothings & Textiles

Clothing is one of the few items seen as an individual's property in Mauskin culture and these people take great pride in the fabrics and patterns that they wear. Because of the abundance of flowering and other plants around them, dying fabrics and weaving using a plant or insect-based yarn or string is common.

Dying

Using the buds and flowers of flowering plants found throughout the Little Greenwood, Mauskin create their own dyes in a variety of colors. Most commonly, the Giant Camellia is used, allowing for white, pink, and red dyes. Other dyes are often created from flowers, insects, or other things that can be found throughout the forest, although none are as plentiful as the Giant Camellia.

Weaving

Common Mauskin clothes are often woven from a variety of grasses and other plants that can be found throughout the Little Greenwood. In their weaving, images such as flowers, buds, insects, and the common creatures are often seen in the weavings, denoting an item of clothing as one made by Mauskin.

Flower Traditions

Flowers are an important part of the Mauskin culture and are heavily represented in the various traditions the culture keeps. From the day of their birth, Mauskin are associated with flowers and that will follow them throughout their life.

Flowerday

Flowerday is akin to birthday celebrations for the Mauskin. As per the flower zodiac, Mauskin are born in the year of a specific flower and that flower will be an integral part of their lives and how they celebrate their birthdays.

Language of Flowers

The Language of Flowers is something that only the Mauskin use, a way of communication that uses strictly flowers in the place of words. Because of the importance of flowers and this language to the culture, some Mauskin serve as magical botanists, magically perserving flowers to be used in instances of this language or for other celebrations.

Mauskin Zodiac by Edronheem Script Font by ChildofGod, Zodiac by RiverFang

Encompassed species

• Mauskin
• Rodenta

Related Organizations

• Butternut Bandits
• Coastland
• Society for the Preservation of Historic Vóreios

Related Items

• Dewdrop Tea
• Greenwood Honey

Languages spoken

• Squeakan

Related Locations

• Little Greenwood

Significant Holidays

Flowerday

Significant Cultural Aspects

Language of Flowers

Birth Rites & Traditions

Mauskin Birth Rites

Culinary Arts

Mauskin Culinary Arts

Naming Traditions

Mauskin are not particular in the names they use, often using types of cheeses, flowers, and other prominent objects as names. Many in the culture are also partial to Human or Halfling names due to the proximity of the culture.

Name Generator Coming Soon!

Relations with Other Races

Mauskin get along best with Halflings and Leaf Giants, both are peace-loving creatures that they love to include in their circle of friendships and will often seek to settle nearby as a small village or a community if these races are present. They seem to have a particular attachment to Lutrines as well, often seeing them as close friends.
Mauskin have no love of Felines but their dislike of Gnolls is stronger, they will actively avoid Gnolls in any way that they can and it is one of the few creatures that Mauskin will kill without question if given the chance. Reptilians are also a race that the Mauskin will never ally themselves with, they see them as dangerous monsters that should not be considered civilized people in any capacity. Mauskin are said to be at odds with Avians as well but this has been overcome in many notable cases around the world.

Religious Observance

The Pantheons of Isekai are of extreme importance to all races and cultures, no matter their differences or difficulties. Each culture worships one of the gods as this belief is what allows them to be judged fairly upon their deaths. Those that hail from the Animal Kingdom also have great belief in an Animal Lord, one of their kind that was blessed by the god they follow.
As those that believe in great wisdom and peace, the Mauskin follow the teachings of Riona, the goddess of balance. Their Animal Lord is known as Fous, the great monk.