Vernanen {Vernay}

All tho the country of VerNay is a Vilegraven/Hemblick country, it also has its own unique culture. Sense Vilegraven/Hemblick is a bord article witch talks about similarities with all cultures of this type. This will go in more detail of the people of VerNay Currnet Vernanen culture comes from two things The Necrin people and the long Koroblin Occupation by Koroblins from what is now Tapyoka. The studen change that the Koroblins brought, came with a Suden change of culture. The people of Vernay fought hard to keep there culture durring this time, making it now a blurry line of what came from Koroblins and what came from the Necrins.

Naming Traditions

Unisex names

The Majority of names are ungendered, as mostly people are named after objects, plants, animals, seasons, or concepts. Witch are spelt driffrently to not sound just like the word they are named after. At times foreign words are used for bases of names, still keeping the tradtion of spelling it in driffrent ways to make sure it dosent sound 100% the same.

Family names

The majority of last names refer to the place the family came from, though some names do refer to jobs or crafts that the family has passed down through the generations.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Official Langue: Necrol, Spoken and Signed. A Vernanen speaker of Necrol have a unique accent where much like in Koroblin langues they enunciate each part of a word very clearly. Such as they would say "Balhe" Necrol for hello as "Bah-L-He" Rather then "Bal-he" It's also common to have Vernanen speakers of Necrol to use borrowed words from Tapyokan in daily use.

Culture and cultural heritage

Vernanen Culture comes from both Necrin culture and Novric Cultures, Novric are a sub Koroblin culture from Tapyoka. The two cultures have becomed entwined after hundreds of years of being in the same area.

Shared customary codes and values

The Undead

Undead are treated and seen as much like everyone else. Truning someone into a undead is a part funeral customs in Vernay, the undead are treated with a little more tenderness and kindness then the living. As those that are undead and tying the loose ends of their life. The undead have all the rights they did in life, Most undead chose to stay as a undead for 3 months to 2 years. Tho it is not unheard for undead waiting to be around untill there lover passes, their kids get older, some just really have a lot left to do. Undead have to vist a church Necromancer about every 3 days to keep their undead bodies from roting. Necromacers work closely with the undead in there care to make sure that the undead person is able to tie their lose ends. The most active necromancers often go out of there way to help the undead do all that they want to do before they are ready to move on to the afterlife.

Average technological level

Vernay all ways lags behind in technology then the rest of the world. Sense Vernay dose not use money even when trading with other countries, they tend to end up with the technology of a generation behind; or there are few of the newest gadgets and are hard to come by.

Common Etiquette rules

Unlike many cultures, Vaernanen common Etiquette is very open and blunt. People are very uncomforble by people who clearly are not speaking their feelings. What is not every okay is physical fighting, hitting another person is a easy way to get looked at strange. Most people have stiff body langue, sense most people use the way that they sign words to comucate what most do with body langue. You can tell how much someone is comforbele with you with how they sign. Someone who dosent trust you would only use one hand to sign, keeping that hand close to there body. While a close friend would use both hands while signing and taking up more space as they sign. Tho, a lover would rather sign by using touch hand signs. Where they sign on your open hand or sign on the back of your back (or other places) Touch hand signing is seen as the most intimate way of to sign. Knowing when to sign vs when to talk is also very impornt, in Vernay the more imporant somthing is the less you talk and the more you sign. When talking causally you would sign and talk, When you talk about bad news you would keep for voice low and sign. While telling someone you love them for the first time, you would keep that to just sgining. Things like Prayer are all ways kept to just signs. The only ones who are not expected to speak and sign at aproiote times are those who can not speak in the frist place, or those who are disabled in ways that make it harder to know when to do what. Sample of Signing Etiquette Proper greeting: bending your arms at a 90 degrees with your palms facing up, while closing your eyes. As a traditional ways to show you mean no harm. This comes from the era where the once koroblin controlled country was transitioning into more equal country. Casual Greeting: With one or both of your arms at a 90 degree angle showing them one of your plams. And saying out loud Hello. Super Casual Greeting: A long Blink at a person, with a smile if its a friend or a black expression for someone you dislike. While you say hello. Romantic Greeting: Touching the hand of your romantic parnter and doing the touch sign for hello.

Common Dress code

People wear many layers, on the daily. People own more underlayers then they do outer layers that people see. With few outter garments people use accessories to change up outfits, as well has having the outerlayers they do have be very very detailed. Having all most every bit of fabric having some kind of intrestting weaved pattern, Emboriey, Texture, or color. People own about 3-6 outer layer gramens for each season. And if one of these garments go out of fashion people get them retailored into somthing new, not darring to waste the fabric. Fashion has changed a lot over the years, but some people still like to dress more histrocally. But it's still just as easy to see people dressing in new styles and subculutres. Each region in Vernay has a driffrent dye that they are known for, with each region having there own regional dye. Just about everyone has at least one clothing item dyed with there regional color. These regional colors come from stones and plants from the Area. People often buy clothing, blankets, or accessories that are dyed in the regional color of where they are visting. People who move from one region to another often dye a blanket, scraf, or shawl using the regional dye of there home town and their new town.

Regional colors

Plu-Unos Region: spaning north cost to the Plu-Unos mountains, The regional color is a dark cobalt blue. Rebick Region: North central area of Bleibo Lake to the east border of the countrym Regional color is Bright Red. Sarfoe Region: South Central Woodenland area. The regional color is dark purple. Twenu Region: The southern area of vernay. The Regional color is Forest green.

Art & Architecture

There are two things very important in Vernanen art, Over all shape language of a drawing, and Small Detailed patterns. No matter what the art from is; the desgin ethic is over all big shapes and forms, with repetting patterns within those big shapes. Samples are buldings that have a huge big shapes, think one or two towers, few but big windows, and grand door. While the bricks of the building would have small desgines cavered into every brick. Most clothing desgins focus on big shapes with small patterns on the fabric, tho some people take it the other way around where they use big patterns and clothing that are made out of many small pannels sewed togreather. The most common clothing metirals are Leather, Benriv (a cotton like fiber), and Wool. Embroidery, weaving, and dying are the most common ways for them to decorate fabrics. Blancing big shapes with small detailes in ways to recreate contrass is a key part of art. When it comes to music it can go a few ways, Having a small amount of driffrent instraments but a lot of notes, or having a big amount of instraments playing a few notes. This is a sweeping genral view of Vernanen art, there are many sub styles with in the country. Famous Artist
GuRunee Touns ( 56AV - 122AV): The most famous and influential painting from Vernay, Known as the First great painter in the country. Born in Sarfoe GuRunee traveled to the captial of Vernay, Rebic. knowing that it was fairly dangerous for a lone human to travel there, But GuRunee wanted to prove to the koroblins that humans can have just as much artist merit as any Koroblin. The Royal courts where impressed by GuRunee's art style. GuRunee's art style is known for a falt application of paint, bright falt colors and very detailed plants. While Humanoids are painted with very soft looking skin. The way GuRunee rendered ojects with soft gradients and lineart to make his imanges. His artstyle has been a major influence to art in Vernay for centuries.

Foods & Cuisine

At the Vernanen table you would never find a fork. As they use picks, knifes, and spoons to eat. Most utensils are made out of wood, its uncommon to find a eating table have utensil made out of things other then wood. Their stable food are called "Beni" The group of domesticated Dandelion plants. Witch have three main types Benrell, Benriv, and Jefben. All most every dish uses one of these plants in one way. Another staple in Hemblick food is dried meats and cooking techtneaks to rehydrate said foods. Soups and stews are very common. Unlike most Hemblick food cultures, in Vernanen culture dishes tend to be a lot more heavy with bone and meats. As most people are Half-Koroblin. List of common foods caramelized Benrell Koert: a caramelized churchy outside shell with a gummy marshmallow-like Benrell doughy inside. Most commonly a dessert Benrell Meat Koert: A soft, crumbly benrell bun, filled with meats, onion, and jefben root. Covered in a dark brown thick textured gravey. Commly severed with boiled Benrell seeds. Dem-Thra: A meal that is Cheese And meat that are ground together and then pan fried, making texture that is right in the middle of meat and cheese. Starkoert: Meat that is breaded and fried. The breading is often a mix of bone meal and benrell flour Merd-Klobols: A soup of Dried fish that has been rehydrated with a bowl of bone broth

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

There are many hollidays in Vernay. January 5th Heritage day- is a holiday where people dress in the traditional /folk clothing of were one is from. During these festivals people show off traditional arts and crafts, cooking, folk stories, dancing and more. Many Schools also host a special Heritage day that is a little more formal then the town festival. Focused on more education then celebration. May 12-14 GrandMas- in the warmer month the church leader decides when is the best to celebrate GrandMas, its a 1-3 night festival where everyone in a church will do something for the other members, like doing a magic show, selling food, cleaning up ect. Carnivals are very common durring grandmas and seen as the main event, many church hold meetings and lessons during this time. October 4th Bloods Day- Many people belive that the soul is in the blood. Bloods day is both to celebrate everyone different and similarities they have with there blood colors, And to honor there soul. People celebrate by trying to 'repent' for what they've done in the past year, many do that by say sorry, forgiving others, giving gifts, praying, or doing charity. Tho the ones who dosent care for the soul spend bloods day by spending time with there friends, telling of stories, seeing who can do the most acts of courage, And sometimes even marriage proposals. November 13 Momentous-Feast- A holiday celebrating the God Schain. Known for being able to eat and destroy The worst kind of demons, and unholy souls. People Feast for the safety Schain gives them. They say if you lose a tooth on this day, you should keep it. As it becomes embedded with just enough Holy magic to be a good luck charm. (Celebrated By the church of Hevlin)

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Pregnancy

Seen as the most holy thing a person could do. As pregancy can bring someone to the border of life and death. With the possibility of risking themselves to bring in new life. Pregnant people are often doted on by their community both before and after the child is born. Celrics of the Hemblin church often spend time with the pragnant person to give them blessing through out the pregancy to try to ensure a health and safe pregnancy.

Brith

People tend to give brith with in one of the chambers or the Church of Hemblin . As Hemblin is the god of life, it's seen as the safest place to have a child. Family and community members often pray durring labor to ensure that things will end well.

Coming of Age Rites

Adolescence

When a person becomes 13, they get to choose for themselves the first time if they would like to become a undead or not when they die. People are allowed to change their mind about this any time but 13 is the age where your seen as ready to make this choice for the frist time. More traditional people who know what their life long chocie will be often get a tattoo that shows their chocie. Most people just have it written in there legal records. Adolescents 10-12 years old are expected to study and meditate on their chocie before their 13th birthday happens.

Adulthood

Red and maroon blooded people are not seen as a adult untill they can cast a level 3 spell. Luckly most schools aim to getting you to cast level 3 spells by the time you graduate. Tough people who are disabled and can not cast magic struggle with others not taking them seriously as adults. Many activists have tried to change this standard. While black blooded people who can not cast because of their blood type, are expected to to preform the "Ginteem". A long prayer to Hemblin that has a alot of words to memorize as well as a complex order of actions to set up.

Funerary and Memorial customs

When someone dies, a few steps must be taken. First depending on how the person dies, they are taken to a church to see if they can be resurrected. People who die from old age are the only ones that can not be resurrected at all. While people who die in a accident are the easest to try to bring back. Resurrection is never a 100% guarantee as the soul of the dead has to want to comeback to life. After seeing if they can be resurrected or not, they next step is too see if they want to come back as a undead or not. (Please look at the section about the undead in this article for more info) After the undead is ready to pass over the funeral starts. Funeral and Burial Funerals are a small event where only close family and friends are allowed to go. The funeral group togreather with a celric wash the body of the dead while sharing memories of the dead. Next the celric takes the dead to a inner chamber of the church where they remove the fleash of the dead, with fleash is put in a compost 'grave'. After wards the bones are given to the friends and family so they can use them in their home memorial shrines for the dead. The skull is then craved by the friends and family, with words or imanges about the dead person. This skull is either kept by those closest to the dead and put into their home memorial shrine; but often the skull is doated to the church to put in the town's shrine so teh whole community can remebered the dead. When the fleash in the compost 'grave' is fully decomposed, the compost is used by farmers or citiy gardeners to continue the cycle of life.

Common Taboos

Most Vernanen taboos are around hurting others either phyically or emotionally. Toys that represent people are very taboo, they are seen as a easy place for ghost and sprits to possess. Most children toys are of animals for this reason. The other Taboo is taking more then you need, taking things you dont need, or getting a hold of objects that are dangueros and keeping it. Being a socitiy that rather then use money, use a gift and borrow styem. Hording what you dont need, Talking what others do, or keeping objects that could harm others. is a major problem.

Common Myths and Legends

Vernay is known for it's endless stories about hauntings, its one of the few places that heavely belives in ghost. The most common Charaters in Folk tales are the " Lorng Uikan" That translates to Animal People. There are Five main Lorng Uikan that show up in many folk stories and myths. These characters are often used in modern media as well. Srunn: A Mountain gendered person who can trun into a goat. She is known for carfting and often being over taken by her emotions. Nonny: A lander gendered person who can trun into a horse. He is known for protectig his friends, being a hot head, and biting more then he can chew. Boe: A sea gendered person who can trun into a seal. She is seen as the leader of the group, she stands up for them, and helps them get along with each other better. Vonts: A sky gendered person who can trun into a owl. He are known for his use of magic, putting his nose where it shouldnt be, and being full of engery. Hasher: a Null gendered person who can trun into a Polar Bear. Many people have a hard time understanding them, Hasher can often be seen as the villan when really Hasher just has a hard time understanding other people, and social rules.

Folk Stories

The Boou Woman: This story is about a woman who dies but sense she didnt have any friends no one noticed she died. Her ghost haunted the background of the places she used to go. And she will still haunt those places untill someone can remember her name.

Historical figures

Queen Araoz Terrowin: The frist Koroblin ruller of Vernay, she was known for murding and eating humans, using the necrin people more as cattle then cittizines. She forbid Humans and Koroblins from even seeing each others as friends. As much as Queen Araoz wanted to stop the humans from worhshiping Hemblin, none of the things she did was able to kill the worship. Queen Roraith Terrowin: 2nd ruller of Vernay durring the Koroblin take over of the region. She started to be a little less harsh on the way she treated humans. Seeing the worth there is with magic usesers durring wars. She espially found Necromancy somthing that could keep her lands her, and fend off the other coutnries who wanted to take this land from her. But none the less she still treated humans as a 2nd class creature. One of the most controversial Queen Roraith did was violently forced Solomon Vilegrave to join the royal court. On one hand it normalized worshiping Hemblin in Vernanen, On the other hand People belived that Queen Roraith forced him to join the court to kill off the Human freedom movement. It is not fully known how Solomon was forced into court. when Queen Roraith forced Solomon into the court she commissioned a painting from hhe painter GuRunee Touns, to paint the painting "Madin of The garden". To show off her win over the Human Freedom movement. Another notebale thing is Queen Roraith made eating human meat against the law. Queen Alexandria Terrowin: The last Koroblin Queen of Vernay Did not share the anti-Human view that her mother and grandmother had. Enfact when it was Alexandria's time to get married, she wanted to get married to someone that would make a huge statement. And with the huge ego that Alexandria had she had her eyes on one person.... Solomon Vilegrave. She couldn't think of a grader person to marry then The human's imortal religious leader. Solomon was extreamly against this, as a oracle being in such a position of power did not appeal to his sensibilities. But Alexandria was not going to take no for a answer, and much like her mother did, threaten and acted on some of those threats. Untill Solomon could no longer say no. Queen Alexandria made a lot of changes to Vernay, She alowed Koroblins and human to have romantic relationships with no penalty from the law. She lower taxes to the common folk, and offically made Humans and Koroblins have equal rights. Queen Alexandria never had a daughter witch in the code of the law met that her crown had to be given to her husband... Witch he would pass down to one his children when he died. The problem is hes immortal, The crown would never leave Solomon's control unless the law changed. King Solomon Vilegrave: No one person would make so many changes to how Vernay was run, And no one person would ever again control Vernay as long as he did. As he ruled from 3 November 125 AV-11 June 1653 AV. A lot had happen durring this rule, and many times Solomon tried to remove himself from power. Many methods where tried, like making the leader of the country a possion that would be voted in by the people. But he was voted back in... Near the end of his rule he made it into law that the royal family should not have any power, and be there more for show. But famously he still felt like he had too much power, so in 1653 he left the country. He told the people of Vernay that they should be the soul ruler of there country, that no one person sould even have so much influence in the country. Not only did he leave the country but he also left the Hemblin church that he had say in sense he still in the double digits of age. Some of the most important changes to Vernay Solomon did is making Vernay a moneyless country, Creating the direct voting system they still use now, and setting the ball rollign on making the country accessible for people of all abilities. This section would have to be a lot longer to touch on every Solomon has done, 1,000+ years of change and events is a lot to right about.
Many people want the Vilegrave family to at least come back to Vernay to vist , but the family have either refused to go back or not answer the question.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Desaturated skin colors regardless of the shade is most liked, Some people are belived to be most beaful when undead. Long hair is preferred no matter the gender one presents. Shaved small round eyebrows is the most popular style of eyebrows. People who show there age are also seen as beafull, signs of a long life are very loved, Greying hair, eye bags, ect. Are seen as a way to add history, depth and beauty to a person's face.

Gender Ideals

Gender is very messy in Vernay, As like many places got rid of there old four gender system for a two gendered one. But with their long hisotry of Koroblin Occupation mixing with gender views of the rest of the world. In the moderen day gender have turned into simple as what pronons do you want to be called. They dont have much in mind when it comes to gender roles, as a culture they have all most horseshoed back into the four gender system, if not more. As they also used Koroblin langue Pronouns too. Gender changes a lot for people, changing pronones often is common. It's never been a big deal there. When meeting someone people ask for pronouns before names.

Courtship Ideals

Marriage is very rare in Vernay. The only ones who do end up getting married in vernay are either, people who where married outside of vernay and still want there legal marrgie in record books. Or those who could not normally get married in there home country (Such as Koroblins and humans who cant get wed in there own coutnry, Or lgbt+ people when there marriage could not be recozied at home) So they can at least use a Vernay marragie documnet to prove that another place has legal record of there marrage. Courtship as a whole is seen as a strange way of ownership that people use to gain power. In Vernay dating is a whole lot more relaxed with very little ideals of what a person datting couple looks like.

Relationship Ideals

Trust, mutual respect, and joy are the most important things to any type of relationship to Vernanen people. One's personal and community relationships is the keystone to one's life. People spend a lot of time and effect to upkeep their relationships. People who are less inclined to being social can offen struggle in Vernay.

Parent ethnicities

Related Organizations

VerNay

Related Locations

Rebick