Calibani
Caliban was a large semi-arid country on the southern coast of Thrask.
It was one of the oldest nations of Thrask, governed by a Magistocracy. The Magesterium was a senate comprised of elected Magisters, who had to be magic users and traditionally were members of one of the Okuuls. The Okuuls were ancient fraternal orders of magi associated with a specific Okuul.
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
The Calabanite peoples were very politically active, and most had a strong affiliation with one of the Okuuls. Calibanite culture prided itself in its ease of social mobility and its benevolence towards the poor and ill. Caliban was tolerant to most species and most religions. A significant majority of Calibanites that actively worshiped chose to follow the primordial deity of magic, Eterel. Calibani culture leaned noticeably secular, and clerics and paladins were less common than in many other places.
Shared customary codes and values
Calabanites prized magical knowledge, rhetorical skills, and education. There was a rich history of education infused in Calibani cultural institution of the Okuuls, and this colored many other aspects of the culture.
Calibani culture heavily valued the written word, and even the smallest agreements and contracts were made in writing. Giving someone other than a close family member or intimate friend a verbal agreement was looked upon as disingenuous or untrustworthy.
Common Dress code
Caliban was a hot region, tropical in some areas and arid in others. Robes were the prominent form of dress, often belted with a wide decorative belt called an Okelesh, which served as an easy way to communicate social and political affiliation.
Art & Architecture
Many of the buildings in central Caliban were constructed from the rich, pinkish red clay endemic to the region. When fired into a brick it created a warm dusty rose colored ceramic that was used extensively in buildings. Calibani architecture favored natural light and air circulation
Calibani art tended heavily towards mosaic and frescoes, but sculpture was not uncommon. Fiber arts were rarer, and tended to be large scale pieces such as tapestries.
Funerary and Memorial customs
It was common for the living to bequeath their mortal body to an organization, either for use in magical experimentation, being raised as a undead thrall, or another use. The body was merely a vessel for the soul, and it was seen as gauche to entomb or glorify dead flesh. When not put to other use, cremation was the norm.
Zombies were a common source of labor and Cannon fodder in Caliban's military, and this often caused friction with visitors from cultures that abhored necromancy.
Common Myths and Legends
It is said the pinkish-red clay so predominant in the region was the result of a dying god bleeding their lifeblood out into the soil of the land.
Historical figures
Star Magus Alpara Erepi was a world renowned wizard, and the ceremonial leader of the Magesterium for several decades.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Calibani beauty ideals tended to be focused on cleanliness and grooming, and less on base physical attributes.
Gender Ideals
While gender was a nebulous concept that most Calibani largely ignored. The ability to reproduce was much more important culturally, especially amongst the Blooded Magi, where it was commonly believed that arcane aptitude was influenced by genetics.
Courtship Ideals
Courtship in Caliban was a process of negotiation. Once interest was found between two potential partners, it was traditional to write to each other extensively, even if the suitors were geographically proximate. "Marriage" was negotiated over time as a living document. It was common for the suitors families to be taken into account during the process, but the final document was traditionally kept at a temple of the deity of the intended's choosing.
Relationship Ideals
Relationship ideals in Calibani culture were much less rigid than many. The expectation was that the members of the relationship will establish the boundaries of the relationship as part of the courtship process.
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