itch.io

Sorry for the wait folks - A culture of Striga, Duende and Rusalka can be found at F6. This culture relies heavily on horticulture, fishing and hunting, and the majority of the buildings along the coast are made of stone dragged up from the shoreline and secured with dried seaweed, hemp and wood. The buildings a bit further away are made from Clay and Wood, and are either longhouses made from whole timber logs secured with a mixture much like adobe. Those with families, children or with a higher social standing typically live in the longhouses, while often those who are younger or who are recent arrivals to the community are providing shoreside lodgings in the smaller, stone huts lining the coast. 

The people of this culture are driven by a sense of courage, honor and community - it is a seafaring community that prides itself on its shipwright, fishermen, sailors and divers. Those who take risks on rough waters or who brave fires, monsters or other dangers are often recognized by their peers in this community through tattoos, many of which are painted around any scars that the individual received from the danger in question. This community does not recognize foolhardy idiots who challenge the impossible simply because they can - they instead decide to honor more heavily 'those who had no choice'. Gender, Kith or partner-preference be damned - your standing in the community is based on merit as well as by recognizing those whom you have taught something important with to raise *their* standing as well. As such, those of the highest standing are usually local elders, teachers, professors or clerics. 

Families tend to be monogamous, and divorces are actually a local public spectacle; local law states that a divorce may only be granted IF the party wishing to be separated is willing to stand forth with a blade against his soon-to-be-former spouse. If the separation is mutual, the duel is short. If the separation is contested, both parties are honour-bound to duel until first blood or until the other party yields to the others demands. Couples that stay together are encouraged to have as many children as possible, and the community will actively offer their talents or knowledge to aid kids regardless of who their parents are. Orphans are usually cared for by any elderly without living kin, but are not discriminated against or pitied any more or less than any other child. 

The culture is governed by a council of Five Elders which debate and decide on matters by way of 3 vote majorities. These Elders name their successors before death and upon receiving the position can only be removed from it by Death itself (I think I mentioned dueling before.. did I mention dueling?) Each role that the Elders fill represents a side of the priorities of the culture - Water, Wood, Fire, Stone and Blood. Water and Wood are concerned the gathering of necessities such as firewood, coal, food, hemp, lumber, kelp and seaweed. Fire and Stone are concerned with building maintenance, clean water wells or filtration systems, forges, smelters, shipwright etc. Blood is concerned only with the defence of the cultures people and internal matters of justice. 

The economy in town is based on silver coins, precious stones and rare seashells. As a seafaring culture, they are known to travel up and down the coast (maybe even to other cultures). 

Are there any other major uses for obsidian as tools with these fauns or do they just use them for spears? 

I thought about how a lot of my personal interpretation of Vampires is how the best of them are the most cautious, and patient and have plans, intrigues and plots that span decades, centuries even! Tending vines would be a trifle, HA a pleasant and peaceful way to spend an evening even. 

But at the same time, in the wilds you aren't actually gonna find something to bleed to death every night so it would make sense to find ways to cultivate fruit that tastes/looks/is as healthy to eat as blood.

In my headcannon I want to expand on Vampiric Wineries more but I'm not sure if that would be going too far ahead or something :P

In the high shrublands enclosed within the towering mountain range (at D6) where the shadows of night have known to be long and cold, came First of the Striga Family lines, or Blutcaste. 

Each of the Blutcaste Houses (originally) had different specific trades or talents which they would  use to barter and politic with the other Houses. Expertly carved stone and wood architecture featured heavily in early buildings, easily accessed from the nearby forests and mountain ranges. Leather, horn, bone, ivory and other product made from the death of another creature were considered rare and often were status symbols. 

The first of the Blutcaste Houses would survive through primarily through arbory, but also some trapping, some fishing and even a small amount of herding. However, the most culturally significant form of sustenance was hunting. Hunting was not just a way for Striga to teach their young to survive in the wilds alone - it has become a form its own form of art with varying ways of expressing itself. Striga from this region have long defined themselves by whatever kind of hunting they excel at - even if those happened to be other wandering Kith in the wrong place at the wrong time.. if the creature could bleed, they could be hunted - even other Striga, possibly, as various forms of wooden stakes designed for heavy warfare as well as duelling were found left behind in some ruins. 
Striga techniques of Arbory were significant however, entire orchards of heavy, dark grapes could be lined between trees in areas that would get the most sunlight during the day without being accessible by any creatures on the ground. Striga grapes come in various varieties, including a few savory and spicy varies, and as such Striga Wines are  not just for getting sauced - like a good pint of guiness a glass of the right wine from this region will feed you a striga as if they had just eaten at least two rabbits. (or maybe two cats. or maybe two really big gophers...)

sorry. im not great for consistency lately. :P

gimme a bit.

Those bears of mine @ h8? 

Maybe they are also in the mushroom shrub lands to the north?

Gigantic, bear like creatures, over 14 ft tall on its hind legs. Has elk horns, dark oily fur like an otter and can comfortably swim in sub zero waters with its webbed feet. It eats whatever the hell it wants, and is generally cranky and murdery. 

Question - in G7, what do the big lizards eat to survive, and where/how do they find water?

Largely bigger wild bovines with big horns and shaggy fur being hunted by packs of wildcats with green and yellow highlights in their fur.
There are also small critters resembling gophers and slightly larger animals like wild deer that are also hunted by the wildcats. 

H7 is a Forested Cove, riddled with interconnected caves that go deep underground into several huge cavernous areas that are typically flooded during high tide. The area is typically moderately temperatures, but sometimes during winter the water will freeze in the underground caverns, causing low, ominous sounding groans and creaks to echo through the entire cove.  

D10 is a Huge, open grassland with rich, dark soil from a Volcano miles underground that is still active but (for some odd, unexplained reason) has eruptions that cause only minor earthquakes in the area while. A strange natural phenomenon, (arguably a natural wonder) Lava is diverted through naturally formed chambers and tunnels to have the lava flow into the deepest part of ocean to the North West. The climate is warm, even in the winter you could walk around comfortably in a T-shirt. Because of the volcanic activity there are several hot springs in some of the small stone outcroppings across the grasslands.

Ditto. 😅

I'm down bud. :)