(WIP)
Dolus
World Map
General
~How do ordinary people feel about foreigners? Non-humans? How ready are they to accept different ideas? How cosmopolitan are they?
The average person is not going to be too terribly surprised by foreigners, however, if a patrol finds a visitor without an invitation or proper paperwork said foreigner will be detained in a local jail until the paperwork is found. No exceptions. Neither the patrol, guard, nor military are the bribable type.
New ideas are assessed by how helpful they’d be to the community. If proven unhelpful/ineffective, the point is moot. Anyone may suggest an idea they have by coming to the queen on the last Sunday of every month. It’s an open court solely for the purpose of improving Dolus. Multiple scribes are present during this special court. They meticulously write down all suggestions as well as who suggested them. After court the Queen, her advisors, and a group of thirty civilians chosen at random look over all the suggestions. Three suggestions are chosen to be looked over for implementation.
Some notable implementations that came from this special court are Queen Vanessa’s strict sanitation laws, Abigail Victors’s laws on exotic pet ownership, and Ares’s (no known surname) free education program.
Dolus is populated mostly by tieflings. Visitors of other races aren't uncommon and the tieflings themselves all originated in different parts of the world, making Dolus a melting pot of sorts.
~How much social mobility is there? Is it easy or hard for a person born a peasant to advance to the middle class, or a middle class person to the upper class or nobility? How much resistance would there be? Would such a person ever be accepted socially?
Through the military someone born from a low family can easily rise to a far higher class than they started at. As long as the rise was honorable, such a person who be happily accepted into those higher classes. The people of Dolus see war and battle- or even a long service in patrolling the ports- as true dedication and any who make it as someone to be respected.
Relationships between high and low classes aren’t prohibited, but it is frowned upon. On the other hand, trying to rise to high society through marriage isn’t as accepted. It as viewed as the “coward’s rise.” A person guilty of this can often find their home streaked with yellow paint. For their yellow belly- their cowardice.
~What items or foods or materials are luxuries — chocolate, coffee, silk, spices, flush toilets? Why?
Jewelry is certainly a luxury. The Dolus Family Mines employ a considerable number of the population. Supplying the demand for jewelry from the kingdom.
Many tieflings seem to have a fixation on adoring themselves in jewels and precious metals. Not for the purpose of degrading those with less, though this does occur, but rather because it lightens their mood. It’s not known why so many tieflings feel this way or why a select few don’t care. Either way, this desire encourages trade between other kingdoms and country’s.
~What do people generally look like? Would a blonde (redhead, brunette) stand out in a crowd? Someone 5′ 10″ tall? Do non-humans stand out in a crowd, or are there enough of them around that they’re considered ordinary?
The tieflings in Dolus are typically on the taller side, around 5’8” to 5’10” for males and 5’10” to 6’3” for females. Other races follow their own height demographic. Black hair is a predominant trait in many. In addition to pale or brightly colored eyes such as green or gold. Skin color varies widely between red, copper gold, blue or lavender and all human skin tones.
Non-humans blend in more than humans do. As many humans seem to find the eating and teaching habits in Dolus barbaric.
~What are accepted norms of personal hygiene? Do most people bathe regularly, or is bathing considered a health hazard?
Personal hygiene is extremely important in Dolus. It’s a matter of self respect and care. There are bathhouses situated along the Crocodile, Green, Blue, and Glowing Rivers for public use. A bath or shower is taken at least once a day.
~How is garbage and other waste material disposed of?
There are trash collectors employed by the royal family who collect and burn trash far from the public eye. And certainly far enough away so that the scent will not bother the public.
~What is furniture like — big and blocky, delicate, simple, elaborately carved, painted? What is it mostly made of — cloth, wood, stone? Are certain things (like chairs with arms) reserved for high-status individuals?
Chairs are backless, to accommodate tieflings' tails. They're either square mats woven from plant fibers and placed on four wooden pegs for support, much akin to a hammock, or plush velvet cushions over a singe heavy oak pillar for support.
Furniture is often made of wicker or similar products. Though it may not keep as well in the heat, there are many in Dolus who find it easy to replace and attractive enough to be worth the hassle. Occasionally woods like mahogany or oak are imported and used by the higher classes instead.
~What are the plumbing and sanitary systems like? Who builds and maintains them? How reliable are they, and who do you call when the drains back up? How do they differ from city to farm?
~How do people cope with various disasters — fire, floods, tornadoes or hurricanes, blizzards, plague, etc.? How common are such disasters?
~How early do people get up in the morning in the city? Country? Are clocks common, or do people tell time by the sun or by listening for church bells?
~Do average people believe old tales, or do they dismiss some that have a basis in fact (e.g., Troy)?
The average person holds strongly to their city's/country's folklore. It's considered abhorrent to disregard said folklore.
~Do wild and rebellious young people dress any differently from anyone else? Are they allowed to?
~How do most people make a living here?
Roughly 10% of the population is employed by the Dolus Family Mines. Harvesting precious metals from the gold veins deep in the Fey Mountains. It's hard labor, but pays well. The population is strictly regulated and counted, no matter how far out the village; the 10% is less of an approximate and more of an exact number.
Fashion and Dress
~What do people wear? How expensive is it? Can the material be produced locally, or must some or all of it be imported?
~Are weapons a standard part of dress for any/all segments of society?
Are certain clothes customary for certain occupations — e.g., military uniforms, judges robes/wigs, sports teams uniforms, etc.? How much variation is allowed — could a scholar wear a day-glow green robe as long as the cut is right, or would that be too much? Is it color or style that is most important?
~Are the dyes for certain colors — purple, indigo, etc. — rare, making cloth of that color more expensive and/or reserved for nobility or other high-status people?
~Are there sumptuary laws, defining who can wear what? What are the penalties? Who decides when changes are needed? How often are they adjusted?
~Are there fashions/fads in things besides clothes — styles of carriages, furniture, etc.?
~Are there fashions/fads in magic — are herbal spells “in” this year and ritual spells “out,” or vice versa?
~How many changes of clothes can a normal person afford? A noble person? A peasant?
~What is the current fashion in clothes? What materials are appropriate to the climate? What materials must be imported, and are therefore for expensive upper-class clothes only?
~What types of decorations and accessories are common? What colors and combinations of colors are thought to look well or to clash? Do opinions on this vary from race to race?
~What physical types and characteristics are currently fashionable — tan vs. pale skin, the “consumptive look” vs. robust good health, fat vs. thin, blonde vs. brunette, muscles vs. “dead poet”, etc.?
Diet
~What dishes are considered holiday food? What foods/drinks are associated with particular holidays, events (e.g., funerals, weddings) or times of the year?
Holiday foods are many, a few notable ones are grilled dragon, served during the winter and summer solstices, whole roasted Cape buffalo, served on Hollow Day, and tropical fruit cheesecake, a common dessert served during the Haunted Night celebration. A naga tail stew is occasionally served at military promotions.
~Do men and women, parents and children, servants and master, eat separately, or does everyone eat together? How is status displayed at the table (seating above or below the salt, near or far from the head, etc.)?
The royal family sit together and above the salt; everyone else sits below the salt, often leaving a gap in the table between the royal family and the rest.
~Is sanitation good enough for untreated water to be safe to drink? If not, what do people drink instead?
Untreated water is safe to drink, courtesy of Queen Vanessa's strict sanitization laws. There are an abundance of communal wells available to the public. To taint any of them results in either a whipping, six months in a correctional facility, or immediate conscription into the army, the offender may choose their sentence.
~What things, while edible, are never eaten (what’s not kosher)? Why? Are some common human foods poisonous to dwarves or elves (or vice versa)?
Though edible, cats of all kinds a NOT eaten. Leopard or house cat, it's still off limits. The similarities between tiefling mannerisms and cats was noted long ago and thus made the eating of a cat an act of cannibalism.
~How many meals are considered normal in a day? When are they served? Which are substantial and which are smaller? Are certain foods (e.g., eggs and bacon) reserved mainly for a particular meal?
~What dishes or seasonings would be considered typical of this area? What wines or beers?
Spices such as paprika and kan kan kan are common in Dolus dishes.
~What foods are considered peasant food? What foods are staples, commonly eaten every day? What foods are rare? What foods are normally eaten cooked/raw?
~What is the food like? What herbs and spices are readily available, and what must be imported? How common/expensive are imported foods and spices?
~What spices and herbs are produced locally, and which are rare and expensive? Which are most commonly used? Do people tend to like highly spiced food or not?
~Are there times when people are expected to fast (e.g., before solstice, after the birth of a child, during Lent or Ramadan, after the death of a ruler, etc.)?
No, but any may do so if they wish.
~What distinguishes a formal, high-court dinner from an ordinary meal, besides quantity and variety of food? How do high-court manners differ from everyday ones?
The most noticeable difference between a formal, high-court dinner and an ordinary dinner is the guests. An ordinary meal is mostly between family and close friends. A high-court dinner often entertains 70+ guests. Manners of both the royals and commoners are surprisingly alike; formalities are commonplace whether you're with the Queen herself or a miner and her family.
~What eating utensils are used, if any? Forks, eating knife, spoons, chopsticks?
~What is the order of a typical upper-class meal — do they start with wine, then a sweet, then a stew, then a salad, or do they bring everything in at once?
At an upperclass meal there is no specific order in which food is eaten. Everything is brought out at once; eat what you want, but finish what you take.
~What shapes are tables/eating areas (round, oblong, square, rectangular, etc.)? Where is the “place of honor” for a guest? Where do the important members of the household sit/recline/whatever?
Tables are in an arrow shape; the royal family sits at the arrowhead while everyone else sits along the rectangular line. The closer to the arrowhead a person sits, the higher ranking.
Education
~What sort of education is available, and where? Are there schoolhouses in every town, or do ordinary people have to travel if they want to be educated? Are there universities? Private tutors?
~What is the level of literacy in the general population? Is literacy considered a useful/necessary skill for nobility, or something only scribes/clerks/wimps/bourgeoisie need? How common are books? How are they produced?
Customs
-Does the weather or climate contribute any habits or customs, such as the mid-afternoon siesta in hot countries?
-What is considered a normal family unit? How extended is an extended family? How important are family connections and responsibilities?
-What are the rites of passage in this culture? Are they formalized rituals, such as being dubbed a knight, or are they informal? Are they different for men and women? For nobility and peasants?
-What customs surround a birth and the introduction of a new child to the family? Is the mother sequestered for some period? Is the child? Is there a formal presentation of the new child to parents, grandparents, overlord, priest? Is a feast and celebration declared, or does everyone keep a low profile to keep from attracting demons or bad luck?
Who is normally present for births? Is it strictly a matter for women, or are men involved, or is the only woman present the expectant mother?
-Who raises the children? At what age do they begin to be educated or trained? By whom? Are they considered mini-adults? Do they dress differently from adults? If so, when do they change to adult dress?
-What customs surround death and burial? Is there a special class of people (doctors, priests, funeral directors, untouchables) who deal with dead bodies? What things must be done and why (burn hair to free spirit, burn body to prevent necromancy, coins on eyes for ferryman, etc.)? Are the dead feared, revered, or ignored?
Dolus
World Map
General
~How do ordinary people feel about foreigners? Non-humans? How ready are they to accept different ideas? How cosmopolitan are they?
The average person is not going to be too terribly surprised by foreigners, however, if a patrol finds a visitor without an invitation or proper paperwork said foreigner will be detained in a local jail until the paperwork is found. No exceptions. Neither the patrol, guard, nor military are the bribable type.
New ideas are assessed by how helpful they’d be to the community. If proven unhelpful/ineffective, the point is moot. Anyone may suggest an idea they have by coming to the queen on the last Sunday of every month. It’s an open court solely for the purpose of improving Dolus. Multiple scribes are present during this special court. They meticulously write down all suggestions as well as who suggested them. After court the Queen, her advisors, and a group of thirty civilians chosen at random look over all the suggestions. Three suggestions are chosen to be looked over for implementation.
Some notable implementations that came from this special court are Queen Vanessa’s strict sanitation laws, Abigail Victors’s laws on exotic pet ownership, and Ares’s (no known surname) free education program.
Dolus is populated mostly by tieflings. Visitors of other races aren't uncommon and the tieflings themselves all originated in different parts of the world, making Dolus a melting pot of sorts.
~How much social mobility is there? Is it easy or hard for a person born a peasant to advance to the middle class, or a middle class person to the upper class or nobility? How much resistance would there be? Would such a person ever be accepted socially?
Through the military someone born from a low family can easily rise to a far higher class than they started at. As long as the rise was honorable, such a person who be happily accepted into those higher classes. The people of Dolus see war and battle- or even a long service in patrolling the ports- as true dedication and any who make it as someone to be respected.
Relationships between high and low classes aren’t prohibited, but it is frowned upon. On the other hand, trying to rise to high society through marriage isn’t as accepted. It as viewed as the “coward’s rise.” A person guilty of this can often find their home streaked with yellow paint. For their yellow belly- their cowardice.
~What items or foods or materials are luxuries — chocolate, coffee, silk, spices, flush toilets? Why?
Jewelry is certainly a luxury. The Dolus Family Mines employ a considerable number of the population. Supplying the demand for jewelry from the kingdom.
Many tieflings seem to have a fixation on adoring themselves in jewels and precious metals. Not for the purpose of degrading those with less, though this does occur, but rather because it lightens their mood. It’s not known why so many tieflings feel this way or why a select few don’t care. Either way, this desire encourages trade between other kingdoms and country’s.
~What do people generally look like? Would a blonde (redhead, brunette) stand out in a crowd? Someone 5′ 10″ tall? Do non-humans stand out in a crowd, or are there enough of them around that they’re considered ordinary?
The tieflings in Dolus are typically on the taller side, around 5’8” to 5’10” for males and 5’10” to 6’3” for females. Other races follow their own height demographic. Black hair is a predominant trait in many. In addition to pale or brightly colored eyes such as green or gold. Skin color varies widely between red, copper gold, blue or lavender and all human skin tones.
Non-humans blend in more than humans do. As many humans seem to find the eating and teaching habits in Dolus barbaric.
~What are accepted norms of personal hygiene? Do most people bathe regularly, or is bathing considered a health hazard?
Personal hygiene is extremely important in Dolus. It’s a matter of self respect and care. There are bathhouses situated along the Crocodile, Green, Blue, and Glowing Rivers for public use. A bath or shower is taken at least once a day.
~How is garbage and other waste material disposed of?
There are trash collectors employed by the royal family who collect and burn trash far from the public eye. And certainly far enough away so that the scent will not bother the public.
~What is furniture like — big and blocky, delicate, simple, elaborately carved, painted? What is it mostly made of — cloth, wood, stone? Are certain things (like chairs with arms) reserved for high-status individuals?
Chairs are backless, to accommodate tieflings' tails. They're either square mats woven from plant fibers and placed on four wooden pegs for support, much akin to a hammock, or plush velvet cushions over a singe heavy oak pillar for support.
Furniture is often made of wicker or similar products. Though it may not keep as well in the heat, there are many in Dolus who find it easy to replace and attractive enough to be worth the hassle. Occasionally woods like mahogany or oak are imported and used by the higher classes instead.
~What are the plumbing and sanitary systems like? Who builds and maintains them? How reliable are they, and who do you call when the drains back up? How do they differ from city to farm?
~How do people cope with various disasters — fire, floods, tornadoes or hurricanes, blizzards, plague, etc.? How common are such disasters?
~How early do people get up in the morning in the city? Country? Are clocks common, or do people tell time by the sun or by listening for church bells?
~Do average people believe old tales, or do they dismiss some that have a basis in fact (e.g., Troy)?
The average person holds strongly to their city's/country's folklore. It's considered abhorrent to disregard said folklore.
~Do wild and rebellious young people dress any differently from anyone else? Are they allowed to?
~How do most people make a living here?
Roughly 10% of the population is employed by the Dolus Family Mines. Harvesting precious metals from the gold veins deep in the Fey Mountains. It's hard labor, but pays well. The population is strictly regulated and counted, no matter how far out the village; the 10% is less of an approximate and more of an exact number.
Fashion and Dress
~What do people wear? How expensive is it? Can the material be produced locally, or must some or all of it be imported?
~Are weapons a standard part of dress for any/all segments of society?
Are certain clothes customary for certain occupations — e.g., military uniforms, judges robes/wigs, sports teams uniforms, etc.? How much variation is allowed — could a scholar wear a day-glow green robe as long as the cut is right, or would that be too much? Is it color or style that is most important?
~Are the dyes for certain colors — purple, indigo, etc. — rare, making cloth of that color more expensive and/or reserved for nobility or other high-status people?
~Are there sumptuary laws, defining who can wear what? What are the penalties? Who decides when changes are needed? How often are they adjusted?
~Are there fashions/fads in things besides clothes — styles of carriages, furniture, etc.?
~Are there fashions/fads in magic — are herbal spells “in” this year and ritual spells “out,” or vice versa?
~How many changes of clothes can a normal person afford? A noble person? A peasant?
~What is the current fashion in clothes? What materials are appropriate to the climate? What materials must be imported, and are therefore for expensive upper-class clothes only?
~What types of decorations and accessories are common? What colors and combinations of colors are thought to look well or to clash? Do opinions on this vary from race to race?
~What physical types and characteristics are currently fashionable — tan vs. pale skin, the “consumptive look” vs. robust good health, fat vs. thin, blonde vs. brunette, muscles vs. “dead poet”, etc.?
Diet
~What dishes are considered holiday food? What foods/drinks are associated with particular holidays, events (e.g., funerals, weddings) or times of the year?
Holiday foods are many, a few notable ones are grilled dragon, served during the winter and summer solstices, whole roasted Cape buffalo, served on Hollow Day, and tropical fruit cheesecake, a common dessert served during the Haunted Night celebration. A naga tail stew is occasionally served at military promotions.
~Do men and women, parents and children, servants and master, eat separately, or does everyone eat together? How is status displayed at the table (seating above or below the salt, near or far from the head, etc.)?
The royal family sit together and above the salt; everyone else sits below the salt, often leaving a gap in the table between the royal family and the rest.
~Is sanitation good enough for untreated water to be safe to drink? If not, what do people drink instead?
Untreated water is safe to drink, courtesy of Queen Vanessa's strict sanitization laws. There are an abundance of communal wells available to the public. To taint any of them results in either a whipping, six months in a correctional facility, or immediate conscription into the army, the offender may choose their sentence.
~What things, while edible, are never eaten (what’s not kosher)? Why? Are some common human foods poisonous to dwarves or elves (or vice versa)?
Though edible, cats of all kinds a NOT eaten. Leopard or house cat, it's still off limits. The similarities between tiefling mannerisms and cats was noted long ago and thus made the eating of a cat an act of cannibalism.
~How many meals are considered normal in a day? When are they served? Which are substantial and which are smaller? Are certain foods (e.g., eggs and bacon) reserved mainly for a particular meal?
~What dishes or seasonings would be considered typical of this area? What wines or beers?
Spices such as paprika and kan kan kan are common in Dolus dishes.
~What foods are considered peasant food? What foods are staples, commonly eaten every day? What foods are rare? What foods are normally eaten cooked/raw?
~What is the food like? What herbs and spices are readily available, and what must be imported? How common/expensive are imported foods and spices?
~What spices and herbs are produced locally, and which are rare and expensive? Which are most commonly used? Do people tend to like highly spiced food or not?
~Are there times when people are expected to fast (e.g., before solstice, after the birth of a child, during Lent or Ramadan, after the death of a ruler, etc.)?
No, but any may do so if they wish.
~What distinguishes a formal, high-court dinner from an ordinary meal, besides quantity and variety of food? How do high-court manners differ from everyday ones?
The most noticeable difference between a formal, high-court dinner and an ordinary dinner is the guests. An ordinary meal is mostly between family and close friends. A high-court dinner often entertains 70+ guests. Manners of both the royals and commoners are surprisingly alike; formalities are commonplace whether you're with the Queen herself or a miner and her family.
~What eating utensils are used, if any? Forks, eating knife, spoons, chopsticks?
~What is the order of a typical upper-class meal — do they start with wine, then a sweet, then a stew, then a salad, or do they bring everything in at once?
At an upperclass meal there is no specific order in which food is eaten. Everything is brought out at once; eat what you want, but finish what you take.
~What shapes are tables/eating areas (round, oblong, square, rectangular, etc.)? Where is the “place of honor” for a guest? Where do the important members of the household sit/recline/whatever?
Tables are in an arrow shape; the royal family sits at the arrowhead while everyone else sits along the rectangular line. The closer to the arrowhead a person sits, the higher ranking.
Education
~What sort of education is available, and where? Are there schoolhouses in every town, or do ordinary people have to travel if they want to be educated? Are there universities? Private tutors?
~What is the level of literacy in the general population? Is literacy considered a useful/necessary skill for nobility, or something only scribes/clerks/wimps/bourgeoisie need? How common are books? How are they produced?
Customs
-Does the weather or climate contribute any habits or customs, such as the mid-afternoon siesta in hot countries?
-What is considered a normal family unit? How extended is an extended family? How important are family connections and responsibilities?
-What are the rites of passage in this culture? Are they formalized rituals, such as being dubbed a knight, or are they informal? Are they different for men and women? For nobility and peasants?
-What customs surround a birth and the introduction of a new child to the family? Is the mother sequestered for some period? Is the child? Is there a formal presentation of the new child to parents, grandparents, overlord, priest? Is a feast and celebration declared, or does everyone keep a low profile to keep from attracting demons or bad luck?
Who is normally present for births? Is it strictly a matter for women, or are men involved, or is the only woman present the expectant mother?
-Who raises the children? At what age do they begin to be educated or trained? By whom? Are they considered mini-adults? Do they dress differently from adults? If so, when do they change to adult dress?
-What customs surround death and burial? Is there a special class of people (doctors, priests, funeral directors, untouchables) who deal with dead bodies? What things must be done and why (burn hair to free spirit, burn body to prevent necromancy, coins on eyes for ferryman, etc.)? Are the dead feared, revered, or ignored?
Moderators: whispers -NightShade-