Norveen
Clansfolk of Normaer
Normaer is a region in the northwestern corner of Rhyduania, the majority of its borders being formed by coastlines. The Norveen people are mostly members of one of two cultural niches: the coastal fishing culture, and the sheep-herding culture of the interior highlands. Aside from the occupations that dominate their economies and the resulting cuisine, there is little distinction between the two.
Normaer is governed by a Clan Congress, with the leaders of each clan (and two of their advisers) meeting to work out concerns of the region in a more or less democratic manner. Leadership within clans is fairly feudal in nature, with the head of each clan being attended by the heads of each of the families that make up the clan.
Religiously, the Norveen tend to stick to worship of Asta, Motya and Zayladi. Ailsa Nadezhda, Irfan Uri and Dima Sorgossa are generally only invoked in ceremonial situations, such as a Clan Congress or the swearing in of a new clan earl. They are known for the Zayladichen, a pre-voyage sacrifice to Zayladi made by Norveen sailors.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
There are some colloquial and slang differences between Lowland and Highland Norveen, but the language is otherwise unified by any reasonable standard.
Common Dress code
The Norveen share a generally pale skin tone at birth, but over time, the frequent sunny days and general lack of tree cover lead to a very tanned people. Hair colors tend to be dark, with the occasional redhead. Blonde hair is rare. Men favor long hair, and small, meticulously trimmed beards. Most female hairstyles have longer hair in front, usually jaw-length or shorter, with shorter hair in back to keep the hair off the neck during daily work. Traditional garb is influenced by the warm and extremely humid climate of Normaer, featuring kilts and light, sleeveless shirts for men and sleeveless, knee-length dresses for women. Undergarments are viewed as artifacts of other cultures who are too busy being prudish to do an honest day's work, and are frowned upon for doing little other than collect sweat.
Art & Architecture
The most prevalent form of folk art among the Norveen are elaborately and vividly painted menhirs, enormous standing stones placed and painted to be recognizable from great distances as a network of landmarks to keep shepherds and their flocks from being lost in the many hills and valleys that sometimes seem completely interchangeable otherwise. The art on the menhirs is almost always non-representational, but pictorial storytelling that reaches nearly hieroglyphic levels of intensity isn't unheard of. The important part is that the stones be easily told apart from at least a mile away, sometimes farther.
Foods & Cuisine
Cultural unity is a point of pride for the Norveen, with food often being a way to express this. While the coastal villages generally emphasize cold-served dishes with seafood and sweet and spicy flavors, the highlands villages emphasize more savory dishes, often featuring mutton and oats. A popular dish that bridges that gap is dorchaer, a type of haggis that includes tuna, swordfish and paprika, celebrated as a symbol of trade and cooperation between the coasts and the highlands. Opinions of the dish vary wildly among other peoples, with the biggest fans being the gnomes of Noctabia (often citing the complex but complementary flavors), while most of the elven cultures find the dish horrifying (citing the fact that it smells like spicy sewage.)
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
It is common among the Norveen for a person to tattoo their personal stories on their limbs, marking major events and fleeting moments alike with deeply personal imagery and symbolism. The practice is widespread enough that Norveen meeting each other abroad can sometimes identify each other's geographic origins by regional style elements in their tattoos.
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