Kryn Dynasty
The Kryn Dynasty is an empire ruled by a council including Bright Queen Leylas Kryn. It rules over most of Xhorhas.
Culture
Families & Dens
Though two-parent, biological family structures exist - especially within new cultural additions to the Dynasty - the traditional family structure within the Kryn Dynasty is that of the Den. A Den is a family by choice, one that may begin as biological but inevitably expands beyond that. Dens generally begin with a relationship or collection of relationships (a couple or polycule) who are committed to one another enough to wish to pursue a familial structure through multiple lifetimes and to expand this familial structure beyond themselves. Biological children of a Den's members are generally considered to be members of that Den, but individuals are free to be adopted into or out of a Den at any point in time. Individuals generally remain a part of a Den indefinitely (through multiple lifetimes) unless they choose to found a new Den or are adopted into another. Similarly, the parental structure of a Den tends to remain intact even across reincarnations, sometimes resulting in parents being (physically) younger than their children for a portion of a life. Dens are formally established through a legal process involving appeal to the council of Ruling Dens, but unofficial Dens are relatively common and generally treated with some degree of respect. The three Ruling Dens - Den Kryn, Den Mirimm, Den Thelyss - were the first three to be established, the three who worked together to found the Kryn Dynasty. Since then, nine additional Noble Dens - the formal high nobility of the Dynasty - have been incorporated to the political structure due to exceptional deeds and service to the Dynasty's causes and to the Luxon. Additional formal Dens generally are considered equivalent to lower-ranking nobility elsewhere, having stood before the council and proven their dedication to one another and to the Luxon well enough to be formally recognized by the Bright Queen herself. The fee for an appeal of this nature is generally in the realm of 10,000 gp, but this can be paid - and generally is, as is preferred and tends to reflect best in such appeals - in service to the Dynasty rather than as a cost in gold pieces. Those who are adopted into Dens are traditionally either in their first 3-4 decades of life or over 100 years old, with the commitments of the latter being considered more serious than the commitments of the former. Adoption earlier in life is more traditionally parental, with a commitment to help guide and teach a new child of the Den. Adoption later in life requires an appeal of its own to the council along with certainty that the new child of the Den will commit themselves to their new family. Biological children are less common among many of the Dynasty's people than among those further west; this especially true for dark elves and Dens. The Dynasty is steadily growing, but in comparison to the incredibly large numbers of biological children you can see in the Empire, four or five children to a couple is a substantial number. Though biological ties such as these are less significant in the Dynasty than further west, they are nonetheless respected, even if biological family members are a part of differing Dens.An Attitude of Openness
In comparison to the insular attitudes of the upper class in societies of shorter-lived folk, the nobility of Rosohna tends to hide itself less behind walls and guards. Visitors to the Firmaments (or similarly upper class districts elsewhere in the Dynasty) are generally not screened for wealth, nor are they restricted from travel through the streets that connect divided districts. Passage through these areas is common, especially as important religious locales to all are often located in the upper-class parts of each town. It's not that uncommon to run into a member of a Noble Den on the streets or even the Bright Queen herself, something that many in the Empire would find reckless or dangerous. This attitude of openness, while not shared by all of the upper class of the Dynasty, extends to general societal approaches towards topics considered taboo in other parts of the world, especially given the varied mix of cultures within the Kryn Dynasty. What might be considered a "red light district" and taboo in other parts of the world is relatively open and accepted here, with sex work considered a perfectly valid and acceptable line of work. Entertainment and the arts take up a substantial portion of business, with appreciation for other cultures' works and history considered a virtue regardless of its form.A Nation of Survivors
The Kryn Dynasty was forged in the magic-scarred ruins of Xhorhas, where extraplanar predators and aggressors regularly threatened the lives of its citizens almost as much as the threat of starvation or thirst. As such, the Dynasty maintains a culture that values practicality and survivability as a part of aesthetic. Dress-armor, armor that has been carefully crafted to maintain its use while remaining presentable in high-class environments at the same time, is common enough among the upper and middle class as to be the Bright Queen's preferred style of dress, and both material and style are carefully chosen for great effect in both combat and social situations. Nearly all heads of the Noble Dens are well-trained in combat or other practical means to the point of being equivalent in ability to a high-level character, and children are taught the basics of swordplay and magic in the controlled environment of public schooling if education is available in their area. Carrying a weapon is generally permitted within cities, though tools made specifically for killing humanoids are frowned upon.Education
All citizens of the Kryn Dynasty within major cities have access to some amount of public education, though the amount varies depending on the particular city. This education covers topics such as simple cantrips; the basics of swordplay; reading and writing in all three of Undercommon, Elvish, and Common; the history of the Dynasty and of Exandria; information on a variety of cultures and peoples; and music classes (vocal with the option for another instrument). Higher education commonly takes place at the Marble Tomes Conservatory, the largest institute of higher learning in the Dynasty. Marble Tomes Conservatory focuses its teaching on magical and musical learning, with additional tracks available as well. Education outside of major cities is less well available, but it isn't unheard of. Faith in the Luxon involves a focus on academia and arcana, ensuring that devout citizens have a focus on study for religious reasons in addition to thoe more personal to them.Community & Entertainment
The Dynasty's cities are rarely as quiet and serene as the woodland homes of other elves, nor as much as the nobles of the Dwendalian Empire would prefer. Neighborhood parties and get-togethers are commonly seen within the streets, and even the Noble Dens utilize these sorts of parties for the dual purpose of socialization and political plays. It's not uncommon for the Bright Queen herself to be present at publicly-facing get-togethers, though it's still generally considered rude to crash a party you've not been invited to. Night life is huge within the Dynasty; a substantial portion of its citizens spend only 4 hours a night unable to be awake and about. Elf-owned businesses tend to be open much later than others, and even those not owned by elves have started to stay open past midnight in many places. Music holds a special place in the heart of the Kryn Dynasty's many citizens. Hundreds of years ago, in the wake of the Calamity, music and theatre as well as other forms of vocal performance (such as comedy) served as nonviolent entertainment with a low barrier to entry, becoming widespread in the displaced dark elves and goblinkin of the region. That attitude carries forward into the modern day, in which both play a large part in modern leisure activities. Theatres and concert halls can be found in any major city of the Dynasty. Even excepting that, most (though not all) bars hire some form of musical entertainment, and buskers can be found regularly along any busy street or in any well-populated market. Music within the Dynasty generally features a strong emphasis on vocal performance alongside substantial percussion; additional instruments are less traditional but exceedingly common. In the modern day, magically enchanted or precisely manufactured instruments are common, often fetching extremely high prices with the right maker's mark. Magically-produced recordings of songs are not uncommon, though they aren't cheap. A square stone tablet - approximately 5 inches by 5 inches and half an inch thick - can be painted or etched with an artist or song's information and enchanted to reproduce a sound with the correct touch or gesture, generally costing around 20 gp for a pair of songs (one per side). A magical box-like device equivalent to a phonograph is also common, able to play a substantial number of songs in a row using properly etched discs but costing substantially more. Prices for these range from 100 gp to well over 1000, with discs costing 20-50 gp depending on the number of songs included and whether they're single-sided or double-sided.A Compound Culture
A large portion of pre-Calamity dark elven and dranassar culture was lost during the Betrayer Gods' reign, and even more was intentionally discarded in the aftermath as an act of rebellion against those who'd controlled their lives for so long. What remains that could be considered tradition is a mixture of that which was developed in the aftermath - mostly independently by the drow and goblinkin who survived but also through their interactions with one another - with several things salvaged and intentionally kept by the survivors and future generations. Carrying into the modern day, aspects of many of the varied cultures of Xhorhas have spilled their way into the Kryn Dynasty; its largest cities hold dozens if not hundreds of differing cultures, coexisting and respecting one another. Though the Kryn Dynasty's primary faith is in the Luxon, shrines to gods followed by all other cultures are not only welcomed but actively maintained as long as their identity isn't that of one of the Betrayer Gods, and little districts comprised of goblin, hobgoblin, bugbear, orc, tiefling, gnomish, dwarven, dragonborn, ogre, and even gnoll citizens and subcultures are almost a guarantee in any sizable enough location. The unity of cultures and peoples is a guiding principle of the Dynasty, showcased in the history of all of its cities even as some of its nobility fights a losing battle to remain more insular. A stroll down any particularly busy street of a large Dynasty city will inevitably result in a variety of smells and sounds assaulting the senses, traditional foods of all manner of cultures imitated with what ingredients can be obtained or imported within Xhorhas while musicians displaying diverse styles join in the raucous chorus. Those in the Empire might call it unfocused, improper, even terrifying or dangerous, but it's life as normal to most of the citizens in this half of the continent. Conflicts between cultures do occur, but Aurora Watch involvement tends to focus on mediation and conflict resolution rather than punishment where possible for the purpose of continuing to inspire unity among the citizens of the Kryn Dynasty.Magic & Technology
Technology and magic within the Dynasty are exceptionally advanced in comparison to the rest of the continent. Firearms aren't as commonly available, but the soldiers of the Aurora Watch are equipped with magical items per their needs. Minor, common magical items and services are plentiful, to the point that city streets are commonly lined with magical street lamps and most houses have some sort of magical light available. Even the poorest of farmers have magically maintained farmland in most places. Plumbing and sewer systems as well are relatively common, though not universal, within residential districts. Pumps leading to underground water sources can be found throughout most cities even where plumbing would be less common, and within the largest of cities, toilets are available to flush away waste, the least expensive of which are carved from stone and utilize pumps to flush while the most expensive of which are magically automated. Middle and upper class residences often even have magically heated running water, in-house bathtubs, and sometimes even showers. Cities are darkened with magical ritual, kept in a state of perpetual twilight during the day to shield the Dynasty's citizens from the rays of the sun. Items containing a version of this effect are available to certain citizens as well for use while traveling for governmental purposes. A magic known as dunamancy, only recently known to scholars outside of Xhorhas, has been developed with the aid of the knowledge of the Luxon and its beacons. This magic seizes upon aspects of potentiality, exploring what could be in addition to concepts of space and time. Manipulation of gravity and time in small degree has been discovered and used by both Dynasty scholars and soldiers. Dunamancy is well known to the citizens of Rosohna, but is less well known further to the west.Consecution
Type
Geopolitical, Empire
Leader
Notable Members
Related Species
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