Ravenians

A group of hard working, stolid countryfolk who live at the base of a large tower in the Ravenwood forest of the The City of the Lights. There are, at any one time, fifty thousand Ravenian adults, and a further fifty thousand juveniles. The numbers are strictly controlled, as are numbers of children available to couples, and at what age. They are assigned jobs, doled food, issued clothing, and make some of the best beer, wine, and spirits, in the world.
The society is loosely patriarchal, but only loosely. That is because the entire society is firmly controlled by Count Rolfe Rodrigo Schartenheiney the IV, who determined that the only way to keep his people safe was to take away much of their freedom to make mistakes. He spent centuries designing a society that would work best for his poor, danger-prone people, and once he was done with the scholarly work, he got busy with the police work. He first created a nation, within a nation, made up entirely of his tower in the middle of the sprawl of hamlets at its root. He formed a core group of Secret Service people, who were given citizenship in this nation.
The nation of Rolfe. Rolfe annexed Ravenia, for the good of the Ravenians, and began the epic task of "managing" people.
Talented people, people who wanted more than what simple common folk were due, were given the opportunity to excel, within the Count's Secret Service. Nobody knew who was in the corp; one's very best friend could be the person who would turn you in for impudence against the Count, or insouciance toward the royal family. These things were the very definition of destabilizing, and could not be tolerated in an orderly society.
As their intake is assigned, their output is so measured. Anyone showing signs of any illness are immediately seen to by the Count's medical corp, who will spirit folks away for anywhere from a few days to many months in order to keep them healthy and fit. It also make analyzing the waste for trends in unapproved addictions. Any waste over and above one's intake is fined at the end of the year in either barley, or hops.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Gretl, Elsa, Bertha, Althea, Gretchen

Masculine names

Hans, Bartholomew, Tobias, Vlad, Volodomir, Butch

Unisex names

Dana, Paul

Family names

Baronich, von Braun, Schartenheiney, Dragoran, Dorgoon, von Klausen

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

They speak common, but are so far separated from others who speak the same language that their dialect is considered archaic and hokey.

Culture and cultural heritage

Their culture revolves around agriculture quite a bit, and has grown into a bit of a beer haven. The people often have beer fests and in the autumn feast and drink to their neighbors continued good health.

Shared customary codes and values

Rule 303: If one has the means and sees a need, they have a responsibility to fill that need.
Rule 307: Good food brings people together in a way words never will.
Rule 411: Enjoy the bounty of Tellus; beer is proof that the gods love us and want us to be happy.

Common Etiquette rules

Hold doors open for those behind you.
Always be polite.
Neatness counts.
Ain't no use doing a job if you're going to do a shitty one.

Common Dress code

They dress very modestly, women covering every inch of skin with long skirts and pleated blouses, while men wear flannel and denim much of the time.

Art & Architecture

The art of the area and people tends toward the melodramatic, with gods reaching down from on high, and grinning devils running away with morally lax souls. Larger buildings are simply dripping with gargoyles and fancy, crenellated stonework.

Foods & Cuisine

Sausages and salted meats are very common; bratwurst being a staple here in Ravenwood. And, saurkraut, cabbages being easy to grow in the thin, acidic soil. The bitter cold of the winter makes storing food easy in root cellars and outdoor meat safes.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Showing each other the palms of ones hands, and smiling wide enough to reveal one's canine teeth, are the only really accepted gestures of greeting, and both are necessary.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Infants are blessed and protected directly at birth, custom dictating it was the only was to protect that person from vampires.

Coming of Age Rites

For men; the gift of a poniard or rapier, or (for the less wealthy), a sharp dagger. Women receive jeweled makeup box and a crystal bottle of perfume.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Bodies are interred underground, at least eight feet, and then covered up and the ground made level. A grave marker with the deceased's names and, often, a final word.

Common Taboos

Anything happening to children. It is a sentiment that has gotten out of the Count's control, and is difficult for him to maintain properly, as he is not fond of children. Not even his own.

Common Myths and Legends

The man with the golden arm, the legend of the black cauldron

Historical figures

Count Rolfe Rodrigo Schartenheiney the IV.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Folks do not dress up very often, except to go to one of the Count's Fetes, which everyone is required to attend. For the most part, people do everything in their power to avoid standing out in a crowd. Very little makeup is ever used, except perhaps a touch of rouge now and then. Colors tend towards grays and blacks, with hunter green a popular color on Fete days, which commonly happen three times a month.

Gender Ideals

There are two genders; men, and the weaker one.

Courtship Ideals

Most marriages are arranged, and if not, the man proposes interest to the woman's father, who will then make a decision as to whether or not his daughter is worth the money he is being offered for her.

Relationship Ideals

Women are to be seen and not heard, unless they are asked to be. Like, playing a musical instrument for their husband and his guests, for instance.

Major organizations

The Secret Service, or Vludbayne, and the council of royals.

by COA Maker

Parent ethnicities

• Elvendom
• Humanity

Related Locations

• The City of the Lights