Vorin Culture

The Vorin nations consist of Alethkar, Thaylenah, Jah Keved, and the city-states Kharbranth and New Natanan. Vorinism is a major Rosharan religion that worships the Almighty as the creator of the world and mankind. His ten Heralds are also exalted, especially Jezrien. The cultural aspects of Vorinism are shared by the Vorin kingdoms and so the word Vorin has come to describe both the religion and the culture.

Vorin culture distinguishes a person’s position and role in society on three main axes: gender, eye color, and caste (nahn and dahn). The roles, allowed activities, and clothing of the genders are segregated in Vorin society. Women usually wear dresses and always cover their left hand, or safehand, as it is considered immodest not to do so. The dresses (Havah) of higher caste women often have long left sleeves that completely cover their left hand while most working women simply wear a glove.

Feminine arts include reading, writing, music, and the visual arts. Masculine arts include fighting, politics, and military strategy. As a result, many Vorin men cannot read. They rely on their female family members to read and write for them. Vorin men often wear pants and shirts though there are some traditional outfits that include a mens skirt like the takama.

Eye color may be the feature that most determines a person’s position in Vorin society. Those with light colored eyes are considered chosen by the Almighty to rule. This difference has been codified into a 10-level caste system for the lighteyes (dahns) and one for the darkeyes (nahns). Criminal actions, mistakes, and financial losses can cause one to go down in caste while wealth and being appointed to a ruling position can raise one’s caste. The difference between lighteyed castes and darkeyed castes is pretty strictly maintained.