Akanni

The Akanni people are native to northern Altair. A hearty, boisterous people; you will find among them a variety of skin, hair, and eye colors, and even mixed races are a common occurance as they live up to their ideals of gender and racial equality. While the Akanni people prefer peace, diplomacy, and academics, there isn't a person of this ethnicity who isn't a trained and capable warrior. Both men and women are trained in the arts of sword, bow, and spear, and when it arose, guns. In fact, it is quite common to find at least one weapon in any given household. And each man and woman are ready to take up arms to defend, family, house, home, clan, and even nation as the need arises. But their primary cultural focus is on academics and arts. The Sciences and the Arcane are heavily studied, and there is always a constant strive for innovation in sculpting, painting, theatre, poetry, storytelling, and the like. The belief is that the studies of war, science, magic, and art all collectively help a culture survive, or at the very least, be remembered long into the far reaches of time.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Aislin (ASH-lyen)
Bébhinn (BYEH-vyin)
Caoilinn (KEE-leen)
Fionola (FEE-ohn-ohla)
Orlaith (OR-la)

Masculine names

Ardghal (AHR-dahl)
Comhghall (KOW-all)
Faolán (FE-lawn)
Iarlaithe (EER-lah)
Tadh (tAHv)

Unisex names

Caoilfhionn (key-lyn)
Darragh (Dara)
Oran
Peyton
Ruairí (Rory)

Family names

Baragh
Chalarrigh
Gobhánn
Makkargh
Ulstarn

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

The Asterani culture can be summarized ultimately as a "melting pot culture." As a result the core of Asterani identity has elements of elven, dwarven, draconic, and various human cultures, this being easily reflected in Asterani language.

Shared customary codes and values

The Asterani people place great and value on both individualism and the national whole. Individual thoughts and ideas are given great and proud license, believed to carry up the collective nation rather than hold it back. But the good of the family, the neighborhood, the town, the city, the county, the duchy, and the kingdom at large is almost always considered. They believe in a low power difference, believing that the government, regardless of structure, should ultimately work for the best interests of the lowest common denominator. "Without the peasant, the king can't eat." Asterani are open to change and uncertainty, believing both to be necessary challenges for the growth and survival of culture. The Asterani people are very much future-oriented, but never forget to live in the present. Gender and racial equality is one of the core threads of Asterani culture. Asterani value assertiveness and competitive behavior, giving value to merit. Doing is more important to Asterani than being. Go out and make your mark on the world. The Asterani follow the founder of the Kingdom of Asterin, finding massive importance on humanitarian efforts. Asterani believe in both induldgence and restraint. Restraint keeps soceity moving forward, while indulgence can keep society healthy.

Average technological level

The Asterani people have reached the age of steam and aether. Clockwork, automatons, steam powered locamotives, airships, crystal and aether powered technology.

Common Etiquette rules

Greetings

Give a firm handashake with eyecontact to everyone present

Body Language

Public displays of affection are considered rude.
Loud, aggressive, arrogant behavior is considered rude.
Holding down your middle finger and pinky with the pointer and ring fingers outstretched is considered an obscene gesture, akin to giving the finger.

Dining

It is polite manners to eat everything served to you in a private home.
The small plate next to a dinner plate is for peelings removed from boiled potatoes.
Always buy your round of drinks.
It is rude to put your elbows on the table
Refusing a drink is considered an insult.

Gifts

When invited to someone's home, always bring a small gift for the hostess. Give flowers (some are for religious occasions only; red and white flowers symbolize death), chocolates, a bottle of wine or continental cheeses.
Do not give expensive or ostentatious gifts.

Women

t is considered more proper for a woman to order a glass of beer or stout rather than a pint.
It is acceptable, but may be misconstrued for a woman to invite an Irishman to dinner. It is best to stick with lunch.
If a woman would like to pay for a meal, she should state so at the outset.

Other

The Asterani always do things their way. You will lose by trying to force things to be done your way.
Always be sincere. Pretentious behavior is frowned upon.

Common Dress code

Traditional Asterani clothing consists of robes and kilts. A common traditional accessory is a sash, worn over the shoulder by men, and around the waist by women. The sash and kilt always displayed the clan colors of the person who wore it, while the robes were often decorated in spiral patterns called spirals of life. Traditional footwear consists of brown, leather, hard-soled boots that lace up to the knee. Even in nontraditional clothing, the spiral patterns can still be found, while the majority of clothing worn by the Asterani people favor natural colors such as greens, blues, reds, browns, oranges, yellows, and even teals. Clothing tends to be made of tweed or wool, silk being for special occasions, and colors tend to be subdued.

Art & Architecture

Asterani art is among the most extravagant in the world especially among visual and theatrical arts. The artists strive to have their works stand out from the rest of the world. This has led to several art styles with a focus of exaggerated beauty, and otherworldly or surreal qualities. Statues hand portraits hold an emphasis on exaggerated beauty. Asterani architecture marries elements of the nature-imitating elven, the precisely measured and structured dwarven, and the practical yet spacious human standards of architecture. This gives Asterani architecture an otherworldly feel. Common features include a circuluar main room, outer walls that fit together so precisely mortar isn't needed, and a practical floorplan with two stories and a basement. Buildings of certain kinds adopt more elements of one kind or another. For example, the blacksmith's workshop and fortifications tend to borrow more from dwarven architecture, while libraries and places of learning borrow more from elven or vaerish.

Foods & Cuisine

Asterani cuisine, like it's architecture blends and marries elements of other cultures. Native vegetables are onions, chives, cabbage, celery, wild garlic, leeks, watercress, sorrel, parsley, nettles. Native fruits include Apples, pears, cherries, plums, and various berries. Commonly eaten meats are pork, beef, fish, venison, fox, rabbit, hare, and offal. Common drinks are fermented milk, beer, whiskey, ale, and elven oltara, dwarven ghadan, and vaerish fúlan. Below are examples of traditional Asterani dishes. Dragon's Breath Colcannon: This dish is made with mashed floury potatoes, cabbage, butter, and milk, usually topped with ground up dragons breath blooms, scallions and onion. Venison Roast: this dish is traditionally made by first using an herb and spice rub containing cinnamon, cilantro, pepper, parsely, basil, then glazed with honey before roasting over an open fire. Often drizzled with a sauce specific to the clan that makes it before serving Potato and leek soup: Chicken and onion stew: Full Asterani Breakfast: A traditional Asterani breakfast consisting of fried eggs, sausage, venison, bacon, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, stormfish, onion, chives and a blood pudding. Galsanhii: goat stomach stuffed with cheese, vegetables, and spices.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

It is customary to partake in drinking songs, games, and general revelry whenever you visit an Asterani pub. It's a customary practice to participate in "rounds" at a pub. Each person in a group is expected to buy a round for everyone in that group. To not do so lends to you being viewed as selfish and cheap.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Birthing is done in water, with the belief that water is infused with life force, raising chances that the baby would survive. Naming ceremonies are held in highest regard as they will come to identify the child for most if not all of their life. Usually druids, shamans, or clerics are involved in this ceremony making it a day that is forever imprinted on mind, body, and soul.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Burial on Land

The Wake: Asterani believe that the deceased need time to say their good byes and prepare for the afterlife. The living, wanting to send the deceased off on good terms, treats the wake as one last hurrah, basking in revelry. Food and drink are enjoyed while stories and memories of the deceased are shared.
The Funeral Procession: The day after the wake, the deceased is loaded into their cascket and carried on foot to the place of their burial. The procession is done in silence, as not a word is said by anyone until they arrive at the location of the grave.
The Burial: Clans maintain communal burial mounds where their deceased are entombed, ushering the souls of the deceased into the afterlife.

Common Taboos

Never wear black as it draws the attention of dark powers.
Never leave a labyrinth unfinished or leave yourself open to bad luck.
Never speak your wish, lest you tempt fae to to twist it.
Do not eat meat from the horse, griffon, or oxen. These beasts are hard working, and and deserve the same respect you would give to family.
Never wear red at a wedding. To do so invites ill fortune upon the bride and groom.

Historical figures

Asterin Valora

The founder of the nation of Asterin, originally the kingdom of Otara. In his efforts to end the Blue War, Asterin's values became those of the culture that would eventually bear his name.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

In terms of the shape of the face, men with oval faces are considered most attractive, while for women it is a heart shaped face. Nails for men and women are neatly kept and trimmed. It is shameful for men to have unkempt nails. It is also common for women to paint their nails a vibrant emerald green, invoking the vitality and fertility of nature itself. Blush and lip paint are common make up options for Asterani women, especially of those with coveted fair complexions. Scarlet lip paint is the most common choice to bring out the vitality found in one's very lifeforce Both men and women wear their hair long, commonly flowing down the back and is shoulders. It is comed daily after a bath. In the cases of both men and women, it hangs down on all sides and is commonly divided into locks. For women it is considered that the longer your hair, the more beautiful you are. It is rare to find an Asterani man without a beared, generally worn in one of three ways. Long and forked, coming down to two points; braided with rope braids, double braids, or warrior braids, or with a shaved chin.

Gender Ideals

Asterani women are expected to dress in a feminine manner while Asterani men are expected to dress in a masculine manner. However, both genders are expected to take part in matters of warfare. Both men and women are considered equal among the Asterani people, both able to hold titles, lands, and honors. However, due to the patrilinear nature of Asterani clans, All of the holdings of the woman, become jointly held by their husband for the sake of being passed down. For this reason Asterani women tend to be very peculiar about their suitors knowing one bad marriage could cost them, and their children, everything.

Encompassed species

Human

Related Organizations

Related Locations