Culture of Entador
Entador is a craggy, wet, and overgrown kingdom. Long before Entador became independent from Astalore, it possessed a distinct cultural identity, and its people held deep spiritual and social beliefs which value harmony and communion with nature.
In Entador, everything is believed to have a right place and proper purpose in the world, and to observe one’s role is to “walk the path.” A bee serves its hive, a lion hunts, and a salmon battles its way up the current, so too are humans born into their role and should act it out. It is not that social mobility does not exist at all, but broadly speaking; it is believed if one has the right to lead they would be born into a position of power. When social mobility is permitted, it is usually thought of as someone with birthright revealing themselves through merit rather than claiming some right. Whether or not it was previously known - they had the blood all along.
Ceremony is a daily part of life in Entador. Foremost, it is axiomatic. It is used to align oneself with their right and proper place in the world, deter natural disaster or retribution, obtain balance and harmony, and gain peace of mind and wisdom. Some in Entador who entertain notions of an afterlife believe it affords a more favorable reincarnation.
At the heart of this ceremonial culture is the concept of ritual purity, a personal or place may be more or less ceremonially pure, which governs its interactions with others. They are also categorized as possessing sacred (or higher) essence or common essence dictating their status and purity standards, and under what circumstances those without ritual purity may be permitted to interact. A person or place possessing sacred essence may nonetheless be ritually impure until cleansing rites are performed, meanwhile a person of common essence may be permitted access to certain places only when ritually clean.
Sacred Essence refers to Nobles, Arcane and Druidic Spellcasters, as well as Primordial Spirits, it also includes holy places and the private domains of certain noble families, as well as ancestral tombs. Common Essence refers to peasants, merchants, and animals, as well as anywhere not considered sacrosanct.
Cleansing Acts increase one’s ceremonial purity when performed as part of cleansing rites, they include: washing of one’s face and hands, the ritual moderate consumption of wine, mead, or alcohol otherwise derived from berries, fasting, the burning of certain herbs, sweating in a sauna or bathhouse, sex between those of higher essence (except when it would violate another purity law,) ritual combat, as well as a number of ritual cleansing rites. Long hair may also be associated with ritual purity.
Acts of Impurity reduce one’s ritual purity, they not always considered bad or inappropriate, but often require some amount of cleansing. They include but are not limited to: visiting a butcher or blacksmith, breaking earth (including farming or mining) handling a domesticated animal, inhaling black smoke, sex between those of common essence, wiping of one’s ass, the consumption of grain products including ale, the consumption of pork or beef, domestic disputes, and battle with no noble present.
Acts of Defilement stain and scar ritual purity, and are always considered heinous. They must be cleansed by extreme measures, often the ritual killing and death of the offenders followed by long rites of restoration. They include trespassing within an ancestral tomb or family grove, cannibalism outside certain ritual exceptions, conceiving a child through adultery, and physical contact or communion with riftspawn.
Ancestor reverence is an important aspect of Entadoran culture. Families with any wealth typically maintain sprawling tombs or mausoleums housing the ashes or other remains of their predecessors. These are often ornate and impressive structures. These places are frequently visited by living relatives, and respectful offerings of incense, spices, or wine are made not just to lost loved ones but to generations long past. It is common for the lives and deeds of the deceased to be recorded on tablets or scrolls beside their urn or sarcophagus, and for their descendants to study and meditate upon these lessons within the tomb.
Justice in Entador has an emphasis on deterrence and swift retribution. Often, a lord will hear a case and restore balance through the dismemberment, lashing, or execution of the offending party. In more minor cases, beatings or fines may instead be levied. For military infractions, decimation is occasionally employed.
Religion is particularly diverse within Entador, and for the most part this is permitted by the nobility. While much of the ruling class practices Primordial Worship, the peasantry increasingly flocks to the Church of Valra - often enticed by the respect the faith affords the poor and disadvantaged. While a person of Entador is usually free practice whichever faith they please, they are also subject to the will and traditions of their lords. It is not uncommon for those of low birth to be employed in all manner of ritual or ceremony, regardless of their own beliefs.
Of festivals and holidays celebrated in Entador, Gremorial’s Procession is among the most popular, though the observed day may vary from village to village. During this event, a costumed party of celebrants goes from door to door in the guise of an enormous mythical woodland creature - called the Gremorial, singing and dancing along the way. At each home, participants shower the host in drinks and honeyed treats, and engage in all manner of merriment. However, a single bothersome, difficult, or offensive member of the community from the preceding year is instead selected in secret for punishment. Upon arriving at the chosen dwelling the procession instead abandons their costume and merriment at the door and beats the selected nuisance severely. Those selected for this fate rarely repeat their offences in the following year.
Entador is a land ill-suited for the mass grain production or grazing large herds cattle as seen in Astalore, and its people subsist largely on asparagus, pork, rhubarb, clovers, strawberries, raspberries, and pears. Mint is also commonly harvested and is often employed both as a seasoning, and for religious and medicinal purposes.
When its people drink, they often prefer wine sourced from native grapes. There are limited sources of safe drinking water in Antora, and the consumption of alcohol is generally the safer option.
Entador fashion reflects a desire to show both grace and refinement, but also harmony with nature; it favors simple elegance and the tasteful accentuation of the human form. Jewelry and makeup are rarely used and metal is almost never worn except in the case of armor. Practicality is always considered, even in formal wear. Skirts are often afforded slits or folds to allow great mobility on the kingdom’s frequently uneven terrain, and clothing is designed to be modular, with space to easily add or remove layers like tights or undershirts in the Kingdom’s fluctuating weather.
Some examples of Entadoran traditional clothing:
Iedmei, this formal garment is generally (but not always) considered feminine, and consists of four pieces: a white robe top with long, trumpet sleeves, a long green skirt which is often split, a wide gold sash is worn around the waist, and a piece like a vest which sits only on the shoulders called a “Mhasi.” The Iedmei is often used in rituals and ceremonies.
Laemae, a formal garment similar to the Iedmei. It consists of a white dress with trumpet sleeves, and flowing green vest. The Laemae is worn with long hair in more formal occasions. In less formal occasions it may be worn with any hair and the colors may vary some. It is often worn for weddings. A wedding may be delayed to allow time for the bride’s hair to grow out.
Usaimae -A more practical relative of the Iedmei, this garment consists of a short split skirt, a top with trumpet sleeves, and a Mhasi. It is often made of sturdier materials and is adorned with brocade trim. It is usually worn with high boots. It is traditionally worn by priestesses and enchanters in battle. This is what Duchess Eldwyn typically wears!
Renhae - This tunic folds over itself in front and is secured with a belt and features brocade trim. The shoulders overlap the sleeves slightly to create a distinct profile.
Entadoran footwear is often open, much of the kingdom is wetlands, and it is believed the fresh air will prevent stagnation and rot. Sandals are common, and sometimes wrapped in colder weather, but so too are simple boots, which are typically associated with hunting, combat, or the winter months. It is not unheard of for soldiers of Entador to switch between sandals and boots for various duties such as marching or battle.