Elladan

the expanse of the Elladan culture

Elladan is the dominant culture of central Auseka and the ideological birthplace of the empire of Vericum. It is the dominant culture of most of the Empire but also of the United Provinces of Sila.

Traditions

Unity is a central element of Elladan traditions and values, and many of them have a theme such as "the village, united" at their core, so local customs often contain ring-dances with hand-holding or gatherings. As a sidenote, this valuation of unity is also at the core of the idea of the empire. It also makes Elladan a good culture for adventurer parties, and those hailing from Elladan regions tend to stick together from the beginning, while many other cultures require those molding experiences to form.

One typical sign of Elladan culture not found anywhere else in the world is the unified guild house. While other cultures know guilds and guild houses, they seperate them, while Elladan cities very often have one large guild house that is home to all the guilds, each one having a room or a wing, depending on how big and wealthy the guild is.

A second important element of Elladan culture that pervades many traditions is the concept of balance. To a Elladan, this is not a trivial concept. For example, the gods are equally male and female - and thus balanced. But there are more evil than good gods - and yet the world is in balance because the good gods are united while the evil ones are divided, balancing their superior numbers.

In architecture and art the love for balance is found in strong symmetries especially in official buildings and symbols.

Another common element are the village or town festivals that Elladan people practice extensively.

The first major festival is Spring Break, celebrated when the first flowers break through the ground and commonly seen as a festival for the young people. Many a marriage arrangement are made following Spring Break. Dancing, singing and various games such as stealing girls from the nearby village and trading them back for ale are typical parts of the festivities.

The second large festival is Harvest End, celebrated when the last or at least the main harvest has been brought in late in autumn. This is seen as more of a festivity for adults and commonly consists of a day-long feast.

Clothes

Most Elladan garments are light and colourful, though materials depend mostly on the climate and season. Especially near the southern coast, where the plants of the jungle provide all kinds of colours for dyeing, bright reds, blues and greens are everywhere and having not at least three colours on your clothes is rare, except for high officials who stand out in their one-colour official clothes. They are, in fact, often called by those colours in colloquial conversation. For example, where priests wear green, terms such as "a green" or "the greens" are understood to refer to priests.

At the south coast and during summer in most coastal areas, short trousers are common for both men and women, as are short-sleeved shirts, often open in the front, held together by clasps or colourful strings so that a hand-width line of skin is visible. In the forest, mountains and especially in the jungle, long sleeves are more common.

Unlike more northern cultures, hats and other coverings for the hat are uncommon in Elladan culture and are usually associated with a function, such as the metal helmet for protection. In fashion, covering the head is almost unheard of.

Architecture

Open architecture is a feature of Elladan culture, though it is only used extensively in the warm south. Roofs are a must there, due to the regular rainfalls at and near the coast, but most buildings have at most three walls or large openings where further north there would be smaller doors. Most Elladan homes, shops and public buildings have an open or semi-open entrance hall that is a kind of inbetween - half inside of the house and half houtside in the public. In the warmer areas, that open area is often roofed but open to three sides.

Further north and in higher altitudes, where temperatures can be less comfortable, much of the open architecture of the Elladan culture is retained only symbolically, with columns and wide archways much like the Greek or Roman architecture of the real world.

Religion

There are 16 gods, but only 6 of them are spoken of. In fact, children aren't taught of the 10 evil gods until they come of age. Temples are typically dedicated to all 6 of the good gods, because only together can they stand against the majority of evil in the world. Only the largest cities or those with a special affinity to a specific god have temples specific to only one of them, and even in those temples there are always at least some small corners or alcoves for the other gods. None of the good gods is ever left entirely alone.

The Six

The Six are the good gods, friends of humans and supporting them. They are:

Jukon, god of justice and order
Kusmis, goddess of harvest, fertility and growth
Ola, goddess of love, beauty and art
Batall, god of battle, fortune and truth
Aditos, god of honor, mercy and peace
Iona, goddess of nature, animals and hope

The Six have temples and shrines dedicated to them all over Elladan lands and every child learns their names and what they stand for. They are venerated and admired.

The Ten

Note that speaking the name of one of these gods in public is a crime in many Elladan lands, and where it is not outright illegal, it is likely to incur a beating or shunning. The only ones who are allowed to utter these names are the priests, when they need to use them in a banishing ritual. These rituals are performed regularily to ward off the evil gods, even though everybody knows that a god cannot be banished by mere mortals, it is known that the rituals are effective, at least for a time. Even if a god still touches the mortal plane, his effects upon it will be diminished. Protecting the mortal world from The Ten is one of the primary duties of the priesthood.

Fortunately for both The Six and mortals, The Ten are not united. They fight amongst themselves in constantly shifting alliances as much as they fight other gods. In fact, these are the two benefits of their existence. Firstly, the conflict between good and evil and between the various shades of evil, keeps the world in motion. Secondly, their jealousy and conflictability keeps other gods out of Elladan lands and in a way protects the Elladan people from outside evils.

Ridarae, goddes of envy and discord
Ybtris, goddess of death
Dikotz, god of winter and hunger
Qomis, goddess of mistrust and trickery
Soto, god of pain and misery
Ecmera, goddess of loneliness and confusion
Testus, god of monsters
Unira, goddess of betrayl and broken promises
Gadros, god of diseases
Rerohr, god of injustice and oppression