Dacci
Naming Traditions
Unisex names
All names in the Calpian laguage are unisex. The affixes -us or -a are appended depending on the gender of the wearer.
Family names
Each person in Daccii culture belongs to a denoba, or tribe. Members of the aristocratic class also have a family name called an ibabiwivum. The two elements are put together, denoba ibabiwivum to form the name that serves as a surname. For example, Cuccinr̂ius comes from denoba Poab and the family Heisanum. His surname, then is Poabus Heisanus. When addressed by his full name, you would call him Cuccinr̂ius Poabus Heisanus.
Like all nouns in the Calpian language, proper names are modified according to the gender of the the person to whom they belong. Livium becomes Livius for a male or Livia for a female, and so on.
Denoba
There are eight acknowledged denoba in the Dacci culture. They are:- Avopum
- Ir̂emum
- Pibemvulum
- Boepum
- R̂ilgigum
- Quicum
- Uilbenum
- Appilcimum
ibabivwum
There are hundreds of ibabiwivum in use. They are often derivatives of adjectives that described the head of the family in the past.
Other names
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The Dacci speak the Calpian language. Their dialect is very clipped, and they tend to speak very rapid-fire. This gives their speech a harsh, staccato character.
Shared customary codes and values
The Dacci enjoy a vibrant religious life. They venerate the following gods (Calpian names in parenthesis, if different):
- War: Kiseswa (Quisesus)
- Eroticism: Wearnch (Uvearnica)
- Brotherhood: Proim (Provimius)
- Music: Serens
- Poetry: Prunged (Prundicus)
- Sky: Strubed (Strubidicus)
- Sun: Strone (Stronus)
- Moon: Wists (Uvistum)
- Storms: Kearsped (Quiarspa)
- Rash Action: Ulsofyoi (Ulsopia)
- Magic: Corrm (Cror̂m)
- Knowledge: Oors (Ora)
- Seasons: Seled
- Harvest: Plange (Plancus)
- Fertility: Fermed (Bermedicus)
- Craftspeople: Ayay (Aius)
- Medicine and Health: Gloi (Glovia)
- Nature: Turstay (Tursteius)
- Death: Rigilists (Rigelia)
Average technological level
Common Etiquette rules
Greeting Blessing
It is customary, when seeing a person for the first time in a given day, to say, "May the many gods shine their gazes upon you and prosper your day."
Benediction
When parting for an extended period of time, it is customary to say, "May Rigelia find it difficult to take you." The appropriate response is, "And may Glovia attend your every step."
Common Dress code
Textiles
The temperatures in the lands of the Dacci are temperate, but the winters can be cool. As a result, they lean more heavily into woolen textiles than linen, though they produce linen in smaller quantities.
Common Attire
Common attire for men and women tends toward the practical. There are no separations of "men's clothing" or "women's clothing." Breeches are common. Tunics are often worn, either alone or overhanging breeches.
Art & Architecture
Architecture
Building Materials
The Dacci primarily build in fired clay bricks and in timber. Stone is reserved for temples and government buildings, and even they are often only partially stone. Common roofs are thatched, while wealthier people will have plank or wood shingle roofs.
Building Design
Homes are built on a two story plan. The lower floor is the kitchen and common area. The upper floor is dedicated to sleeping areas. Government buildings are similarly two-story affairs, with meeting rooms and audience chambers on the lower floor and offices, libraries, etc., on the upper floor. Temples are single story, though their vaulted ceilings will sometimes cause them to be the tallest buildings in the community.
Art
The Dacci express themselves artistically through etched pottery and through bas relief carvings in standing stones, erected for the purpose. Themes include folklore and mythology, and rarely verifiable history.
Foods & Cuisine
The Dacci eat grains, nuts, tubers, berries, and fruits, primarily. When meat is part of a meal, it is almost always poultry of some kind. Cattle are raised as beasts of burden, not food. Similarly sheep and goats are raised for their hair, not to be eaten.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
The Feast of Flowers carries an outsized importance in Dacci culture. The Dacci are descendants of Ditinci who conquered an ancient people whose name is lost, but they were a druidic people who worshipped Turstay, Seled, and Fermed exclusively. The Feast of Flowers was the primary holiday for their faith.
During the first day of the Feast, unmated men and women wander into the countryside to collect flowers and other items of natural beauty. The emphasis is on finding the "perfect" item for their love, not on collecting items in quantity. During the bonfire of the second night, the elders offer the last of the winter stores to the bonfire as a sacrifice to the gods. While they are doing so, the younger folk present their gifts to one another. When two individuals give a gift to each other, they begin dancing around the bonfire. They do so until they collapse from exhaustion. They rest, and on the third day, the couple will wander off alone to do what young couples do.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Birth
When a Dacci child is born, they are taken to the temple of Bermedicus (Fermed), and a sigil is painted on their forehead. Supposedly, the god will occasionally cause the sigil to glow with a golden light. If so, the child is given to the temple to serve Bermedicus for life. Such an occurrence has not happened in generations, and it is not verifiable that it has ever happened. Only local folklore attests to it.
Coming of Age Rites
In their seventeenth year, during the Feast of Flowers, youths are brought to the bonfire on the first night. They sit in vigil around the fire, praying to whatever gods they choose, or to none, if they prefer. They remain in vigil in this way, sleeping, when necessary, in front of the fire. At midnight on the third night, all the priests of the community gather at the bonfire and declare the vigilant youths to be adults.
Funerary and Memorial customs
The Dacci practice cremation, in the same manner as their Ditinci forebearers. After the cremation is done, the remains are gathered and placed in clay urns, which are decorated in honor of the goddess Rigelia (Rigilists). These urns are buried in discrete graves, often with grave goods, when the survivors of the deceased can afford to part with them.
Common Taboos
It is forbidden to eat the meat of any animal that has hair.
Ideals
Gender Ideals
Egalitarian Gender Roles
Daccian society view the individual as more important than their gender. Males and females can and do carry out a variety of roles within society. While biology necessarily creates a bias toward women taking care of early childhood rearing, there are no particular expectations geared around who does what in Daccian society.
Males and females own property equally, and they enjoy equal protection under the law. Military service is common with Daccian women, as is involvement in government.
The sole exception to these rules, is that women are socially assumed to be the primary practitioners of magic. Males can and do carry out these roles, but only, perhaps, one in a hundred spellcasters is male. The reasons behind this are unclear. When the subject is addressed, the answer usually is that, "Men can be spellcasters, but there are very few boys with the talent, and those who have it, rarely choose to practice it." While it is true that few boys have the talent for magic, that is equally true for young girls, as magical ability is rare in both genders. As far as not choosing to practice magic, the reasons behind adolescent boys choosing other fields are unclear.
