Blackthorn Verdial
Blackthorn Verdials are the native verdial people of the Blackthorn Territory on the Chillhollow Prairie on Caudal E6. A enclave of Petalcap Vale that is seldom-visited by agents of the state, the Blackthorn Territory is a harsh environment that has bred a small community of stern, practical people.
Culture
Common Etiquette rules
Physical closeness to others is regarded as a sign of trust and respect among the Blackthorn Verdials. Members of the culture hold hands, hug, huddle together, and stand back-to-back out of a cultural legacy of trying to hedge out the cold. As a result, those not acquainted with the etiquette often feel crowded or imposed upon by their Blackthorn companions, who seem not to have as much of a sense of personal space.
Blackthorn Verdials have an extensive system of etiquette for what is and isn't allowed to happen when working in close quarters with someone else based on how closely acquainted they are with the other person. For example, pickpockets are widely reviled for violating the trust of another's 'warm space.' On the other hand, back coat pockets often contain things which friends might borrow without having to ask, such as lighters or notepads, on the understanding that they will be returned. Sharing a bed with a close acquaintance isn't considered sexual - as it might be in other cultures - unless clothes are absent under the covers. 'Cooperative reading' is a common leasuretime activity where multiple people read over a friend's shoulder rather than getting a copy of the book for themselves.
Art & Architecture
Blackthorn architecture is designed to resist the chilling, dessicating bite of the Chillhollow Prairie winds. Thick stone, brick, or (in more modern structures) patterned concrete helps provide thermal inertia, keeping the interior of structures cooler in the summers and warmer in the winters. Blackthorn buildings are built low and with a significant portion of their volume underground to further resist damage and chill from high winds. Roofs tend to be flat or incorporate shallow gables, but they may also incorporate elements designed specifically to make use of the wind in some fashion. These elements may include turbines, banners, wind socks, or even decorative fluting that turns the howling into a sort of music - or early warning siren when the tones change above a certain wind speed.
Foods & Cuisine
Blackthorn Verdial cuisine is simple and hardy, incorporating less of the fungi present in Petalcap Vale and more roots and warm spices. Blackthorn mulled wine is a popular regional drink for keeping warm during the winter months.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
In general, Blackthorn culture is much more concerned about keeping warm than their Vale counterparts. Blackthorn Verdials maintain the Vale Verdial religious tradition of Forgism, but their conception of the Creator is one of a deity who breathes the warmth of his forge into every living soul to animate them and grant them fortitude against the cold of the world. Darkfrost is a more somber affair without the light of the mycorrhizal systems, but is observed carefully because of the promise of warmth during the cold winter months.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Though they share the usual skin shadings of their Vale Verdial counterparts, the foliage of Blackthorn Verdials tends to be darker, stiffer, and to take on more jagged shapes. The internal fluids ('sap') of the foliage is also thicker and more sugary. These are regional adaptations of the symbiotic Caudal lichen that helps the Blackthorn Verdial survive the wind and cold, as the Vale's booming biodiversity helps generate more heat there than can be found in most Blackthorn settlements.
The unique bodily appearance of the Blackthorn Verdials and the harsh realities of their environment has strongly influenced their aesthetic tastes. Blackthorn Verdials are more likely to dress in layers than their Vale counterparts, and this apparel is more likely to incorporate furs or multi-layered pleats to help retain heat. Clothing colors tend to be either dark and muted or bright and highly-saturation; the Blackthorn style has little patience for 'half measures.' Head foliage tends to be long and styled, trimmed for neatness only insofar as doing so makes the fronds even, as this further helps insulate the head without obstructing the path of nourishing sunlight to the fronds. Full headware is uncommon, but visors and headbands are gaining popularity.
Courtship Ideals
Traditionally, Blackthorn Verdials live like they could perish at any moment. This is a legacy of the pre-industrial years where modern farming techniques and medicine meant that a single hard winter could sweep away half the population. As an extension of this philosophy, Blackthorn courtships tend to move quickly and result in marriages that, while not strictly loving, are loyal and functional. For this culture, romantic love is considered less important than the knowledge that a prospective partner will be a good parent, loyally work to the needs of one's household, and have fortitude in the face of hardship. To the Blackthorn, passion can be kindled and grown as long as the rest of the relationship is strong first; a common axiom to this effect states that "flowers are nice, but good roots are better." This stands in contrast to the Vale Verdial conception of a totalizing, community-reinforced romantic love and the Classical Verdial conception of a relationship as a political and economic arrangement.
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