Venestrians (Ven-es-trians)
The Silver Mountain Sentinels
Of the several Churrian ethnicities, the Venestrians are considered to have made the greatest sacrifice when they crossed the Homestead Gate. While the Churrian culture as a whole values community and family, the Venestrian culture is considered to be the penultimate among the rest in valuing these concepts. Coming from incredibly tight-knit mountain communities, their separation from their homes was considered to be the most heroic.
Dressed in simple armor and possessing fluffy silver fur where their kin's red fur grows, the Venestrians are well known for their booming voices and practical sense of creativity. Valuing protection in all its forms they strive to ensure those around them are safe and their cups kept full. As such, when danger grows thick and help is needed, one can always rely on a Venestrian to show up if no one else can or will. That said, they still struggle to fully integrate with the other Churrians as while they value their community, they have trouble ensuring that this also means their species as a whole. An issue that is further marred by their history as the creators of the Core Crackers. A device which, while they were not the only ones to use it, eventually caused the destruction of their home world.
Culture
Shared customary codes and values
When it comes to the Churrians, there are fewer people more associated with the concept of family than that of the Venestrians. Often isolated in their mountain fortresses and villages, the concept of community is an important one as it allows the Venestrians to not only survive in their rugged conditions but to thrive. Often considering family to be more than simple blood, Venestrians will integrate those they have developed close bonds with and who have demonstrated noble actions in their community. As such, the phrase "Know Your Kin" is a popular saying among the silver-furred Churrians who use it as a way to remind themselves and others of the bonds they share.
Their second core value, protection, is a natural extension of their love for family. To protect their limited resources and manpower is a practical outlook, however, the Venestrians take this concept a step further as they work to protect their community. While they were considered the least aggressive of the four different Churrian ethnicities before the Final War, their focus kept more on protecting their homes, it was not uncommon for them to commit to raiding other Churrians to help prevent them from growing too powerful. However, as weapons grew more deadly, they found their raids growing too costly and it was only a matter of time before they evolved into more. To their great shame, this desire for protection caused them to be the first to use the Core Crackers which, ultimately, led to the destruction of their home world.
With only so much to work with at any given time, Venestrians practiced cultivation in its purest form. By perfecting what little they had, they created stunning works of art and cultural and scientific advancements that, even today, are celebrated throughout Churrian society. This includes engineering feats such as locomotives, artistic murals that grace the side of their buildings, and significant advancements in medicine, such as maintaining appropriate birth rites, that many other Churrians have adopted and enjoyed.
Practically minded, they enjoy breaking their problems down into simple base components and then rebuilding them back up into a solution. As such, the Venestrians are considered to be excellent engineers and thus craftsmanship is considered one of their highest values. From a young age, Churrian youth within Venestrian society are taught how to work with their hands and minds to create practical but endearing works. Therefore, it's not unusual to see a Venestrian actively working on some small craft at any one time, including whittling, sketching, or disassembling and reassembling various common items.
Finally, foresight is the last significant value that the Venestrians treasure. Integrated into their sense of culture at a base level, they practice foresight as a way to prevent unnecessary misery. This includes talking to their elders about important upcoming decisions, utilizing oral storytelling to teach important lessons, and carefully documenting their work so that others following in their footsteps can avoid the same mistakes they made. As noted by the phrase "To experience loss is life. To experience a loss that could have been avoided is a tragedy."
Common Etiquette rules
A common etiquette among the Venestrians is that of the Yur. A motion where both parties grab each other by the forearm in a firm grip, they will demonstrate respect to each other with this greeting by acknowledging each other's contributions to the community by saying "May our family continue to prosper". If it is a stranger, they will say "May your community grow strong". The purpose of this greeting was considered to have developed as a way to show camaraderie by making both parties vulnerable at the same time.
During meal times, the Venestrians have a cultural expectation that others will share their accomplishments or knowledge at the table so that everyone may be kept apace with their progress. This can include bombastic stories, sharing of idioms, or extensive retellings of one's successes. This particular cultural etiquette can often be disconcerting to new members of the community or adventurers who are often considered "fresh meat" for the table to learn about.
A third common etiquette among the silver-furs is that of a broad acknowledgment that you do what you can for others in the community. This includes checking on elderly folk within the community during harsh seasons, helping with simple tasks without being asked, or making decisions that place the community's safety first. This courtesy is considered the most essential and as such it's not uncommon for Venestrians to "go the extra mile" when it comes to helping others. After all "Without Family, Without Community, There is Only You". It should be noted that this helpful behavior is not made without thought, however, and thus it is considered a grave taboo to take advantage of one's help without eventually giving it back.
Common Dress code
Despite being the first to suggest that Churrian culture should lay down their weapons and become healers instead, the Venestrians maintain an air of hesitance. While dressed in the typical white and reds of Churrian culture, Venestrians will often maintain at least a chest piece upon their person and wear a small shield decorated with their family crest upon their back or hips. While many other Churrians will remark that such measures are no longer necessary and lend them a hostile air, Venestrians will often retort that in their new reality they have been saved more than once by the simple armors. Should the climate allow, Venestrians will also wear traditional fur clothing such as the Duusk (hood with fur lining) and Rembrata (home garb with two fur layers focused on ease of movement).
Art & Architecture
Architecture for the Venestrians combines protection and familial space in equal measure. Towering tall and sturdy, Venestrian structures possess reinforced gates and thick stone walls with many of the bigger homes and buildings utilizing watchtowers. However, being built into the side of mountains and cliffs, many family dwellings for the Venestrians also incorporate a system of terraces that allow for communal gatherings near the bottom of their dwellings while maintaining private quarters for the family higher up. This system of gradual incline and protection allows the Venestrians to defend themselves fiercely against invaders while preventing their homes from becoming hostile to a sense of community.
These dwellings, however, are not devoid of creativity and it is common for many Venestrian homes and buildings to have a variety of murals decorating their otherwise drab exteriors. Consisting of depictions of community or family gatherings, the Venestrian homeland, and both significant historical and legendary events as well as more mundane examples of daily life, these murals are usually rich in detail and use natural materials in their construction.
Creative uses of their architecture do not stop at mural depictions, however. For many Venestrian homes, the use of terro are also heavily utilized. Also called Homelight Lanterns, these decorative metal and glass lanterns are specific to each family and often depict designs that symbolize light, warmth, and protection. Generally hung as a way to ward off the long night, many may be used during significant events such as during the birth or death of family members.
Foods & Cuisine
When it comes to drinks for the Venestrians, there's a solid reliance on hearty meads and teas that are able to fortify the mind and body against both the cold and the tasks of the day. Of these, few are as notable as the Aeloria. Also known as the Highland Hearth Mead, this warm drink features sweet and tangy notes thanks to its base flavor of operaat, a juicy fruit that is often collected off of the sides of cliffs during peak Harvest season, and combined with hints of sacha which gives it the drink a cozy sweet and smoky flavor. Embodying the idea of hearthside gatherings and community comradery, this drink is a cultural favorite and a common feature of many Venestrian meals.
For those looking for a more grounded mead, the Dravenel is considered the opposite to Aeloria's warm notes. Served cold, this drink, also known as the Valient's Reserve, is a mead that features the dark flavors of the herat berry with earthy hints of mutri leaves. Considered a mead that nurtures courage, this mixture of dark fruit tones and grounded flavors serves as a fortifying mixture that helps to prepare the drinker for hard times.
Fortification and communal gatherings are not the only qualities that Venestrians revere and there are none better represented than in the simple wurst. Also called the Summit Roast, this particular dish is crafted from the hardy meat of a highmoor and represents the value of hard work and the culmination of many hours of effort. Slow-roasted and marinated over the course of two days, this meat is seasoned with a variety of different mountain herbs and spices such as the cracklema. Often served with roasted bukt and a side of rich gravy this solid meal centerpiece can provide energy and food to a family for several days.
Yet, for many Venestrian dishes, it would seem almost blasphemy to not include the delicious verqua as a companion side dish. Freshly baked and served with a side of butter, the verqua, also known as the Mountain Herb Bread, is a small loaf that is served with many Venestrian stews and roasts. Prepared with a mixture of herbs including mutri, popogan, and ulstaga, it is a favorite memory for many Venestrians who long for a proper home-cooked meal.
Of course, no meal would be complete without a dessert. The kashti, also known as Heritage Pie, is a seasonal dessert heavily reliant on which fruits are available at the time, such as herat, operaat, or gushwa. Prepared in a crumbly and buttery crust and spiced with zemmer and kaynon, the kashti can evoke fond memories in Venestrians who smell its simmering fruit fragrance.
For long winter nights, however, there is nothing quite like a drink of Zulong tea according to the Venestrians. Also known as Forge Fire Tea and steeped from the leaves of the pushi, this revivifying and robust drink is mixed with a variety of spicy elements such as sacha, grandi, and pulper, which each lend a warm and rousing kick to any cold belly or tired body.
Finally, as with many Churrian ethnicities, the Venestrians have their own preference when it comes to preparing the holiday dish Gru-Balo. instead of using ulv grub, the Venestrians prefer to utilize the much larger raxalums grub taken from the ant-like creature of the same name. Roasted over a long period of time and constantly brushed with butter to optimize its succulent flavor, each dish of gru-balo will have around three prepared raxalum grub on top of it which are each then cut lengthwise at the table to allow the flavorful juices of the grub to spread down into the salad itself proper.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Though the Venestrians may not follow the exact seasons of their homeland to determine when the longest night is, instead choosing to measure by the region they are currently in, they still practice a simple tradition meant to fortify themselves against darkness, revitalize community bonds, and celebrate their collective achievements. Gathering together in collective groups that can easily transition between one another, the start of the Peth-Talor, otherwise known as the Winterheart Gathering, is marked by a simple ritual. Once the sun sets in their land to mark the beginning of the longest night, each group of Venestrians will light a bonfire to symbolically protect themselves against the encroaching darkness. From here, Venestrian families will begin to share food and exchange stories of their yearly efforts, past accomplishments, and community legends.
During this time, each Venestrian is given a ribbon of a unique color and pattern. By tying this ribbon to another person or their belongings, it symbolizes a grievance that needs to be confronted between both parties. Taking two smoldering bushels of sweet-smelling herbs, both individuals will discuss their issues while ritualistically whacking each other with the bushels to cleanse the foul air of their disagreement. This is considered the most optimal approach to ensuring discussion while also preventing overt harm from coming to either individual.
The gatherings end at the beginning of the new day and each participating individual will then retreat to their homes for a well-deserved rest.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
While not considered a ritual, per se, the Venestrians do take their childbirth seriously. As each individual is a precious resource to the community and losses are a natural part of life, the successful birth of new members is considered a high priority. As such, a pregnant Venestrian is often doted upon by a slew of midwives who work to ensure that the child or children are born without issue. Should a problem arise, a registered doctor will be on standby to provide emergency help.
Because of the effectiveness shown by this practice, it has spread throughout Churrian culture as a standard practice of care in most childbirth situations.
Coming of Age Rites
As the young Venestrian approaches the age of 16, they will begin to undergo a coming-of-age rite called the Han-Aul. Also known as The Preparation, the young Vensestrian will cycle between various elders and skilled adults within the community to be taught various skills and important community outlooks. This includes survival skills, fighting, different kinds of craftsmanship, and the importance of helping others and the community. By collectively taking on the purpose of teaching the youth, the entire community becomes responsible for their success and eventual integration into the community, a possibility that becomes real once the youth "graduates" and signs the local oath manuscript swearing themselves to protecting their community and families.
Funerary and Memorial customs
To the Venestrians. They have little in the way of grandeur to give to the deceased. However, it is still an important custom for them to follow through on. It is the final departing and the last goodbye given to someone who was a treasured member of the community. As such, if able to, the Venestrians will practice the Belan-Nor. Also known as The Guardian Vigil, individuals close to the deceased will participate in a multi-day vigil where they keep watch over the body of the deceased, taking the time to share meaningful stories, singing songs celebrating their existence, and leaving treasured personal items that will be buried with the body. Once completed, the deceased will be taken to a family gravesite, if one exists, and interred, their name is then inscribed on the memorial wall near the burial site for others to know of them.
Common Taboos
Because of the importance of family and community within Venestrian society, divorce is considered an abhorrent prospect as it represents the destruction of the family home and the dissolution of support. As such, relationships within Venestrian society concentrate on ensuring the greatest amount of success before marriage. This includes frequent consultation with the elders about relationship problems, actively participating in communal dates that help bolster both individuals, and support for the creation of their combined household to ensure needs are being met beforehand.
Common Myths and Legends
To Be Determined
Historical figures
To Be Determined
Comments