Verdant Dynasty Races

Baderkerk’khan

Culture and Necromancy

Central to the necrotic people's way of life is their mastery of necromancy. They hold a profound conviction that the dead should serve the living, leading them to develop highly specialized embalming methods. Through these arcane practices, they raise the fallen to join their formidable undead guard force. This custom is deeply ingrained; they believe that maintaining the soulless husks of their loved ones allows them to continue to take pride in their offspring.

For the necrotic people, the pursuit of magical theory is paramount. They strive to unlock the secrets of magic to expand their relevance and influence within the Verdant Dynasty. While necromancy is their most revered art, those who are educated often prefer enchanting, considering the painstaking process of necromancy to be a privilege reserved for the nobility of their province.

Society and Industrialization

The necrotic people, known as the Baderker'khan, are regarded as morally dubious by other races. Only the giants can muster a semblance of respect for their anatomical knowledge and necromantic practices. However, the industrial advantages provided by their undead labor force have compelled others to tolerate their unorthodox culture. Legislation has been enacted to protect their right to raise the dead, stipulating that this practice is not to be used for military purposes but rather for construction and other labor needs. The spider matron herself agreed, recognizing the free labor's undeniable benefits.

Within their cities, it is not uncommon to see an undead servant pouring drinks while its necromancer master reads in the corner. This practice is so normalized that failing to raise one's parent to serve in death is considered rude. The thralls are seen as extensions of their necromancer's skills and bear a familial bond. For instance, a necromancer who was a skilled swordsman would have a thrall that functions as a marionette, equally proficient in the art of the blade.

To ease tensions with other races within the dynasty, necromancers are strictly forbidden from raising the dead of other species. This rule ensures a fragile peace and prevents potential conflicts arising from the necrotic people's practices.

Isolation and Research

The necrotic people are typically isolationist, rarely engaging or attacking other races unless provoked. Their society is reserved, focusing its energies on dispatching dark acolytes into the jungle to unearth ancient ruins. Archaeology and the study of forgotten arts are their strengths, and they tirelessly seek out remnants of lost knowledge.

Despite their reclusiveness, they are not above capturing wildlife to enhance their thralls through a process known as grafting. This technique, inherited through their union with the Jorgenskulls, involves adding fleshy bits from various creatures to their undead, enhancing their capabilities and furthering their macabre art.

The Giants 

The giants view the world as a vast carcass from which all life emerges and returns in an eternal cycle. Their faith, known as the Undying Tree, symbolizes this belief, with roots reaching deep into the underworld, a trunk representing the material plane, and branches piercing through the heavens. They see all life as coursing up and down this tree, with each cycle culminating in a new beginning when the world ends, leaving behind a seedling to start existence anew.

Death Rituals and Flesh Magic

The giants seek guidance from their ancestors by examining their remains, believing organs, bones, and blood hold the keys to unlocking their potential. They tattoo their cremated remains onto their skin as symbols of battle accomplishments. Rumors abound of their ability to alter body size and parts—a skill mastered by influential giants, functioning as a prestigious status symbol.

Weaponry and Architecture

For giants, a weapon is an extension of will. They use carcasses to construct elaborate bone structures and armaments. Skin is tanned into leather linings for dwellings adorned with roofs shaped like crab shells and walls resembling skeletal structures, with protruding ribs serving as columns. The Jorgenskull tribe's unification under a single banner, symbolized by the spider and skull, holds deep cultural significance.

Leadership and Succession

The giants revere their Matron for wisdom. When a ruler dies, their skeletal remains enhance the throne, symbolizing the passing of knowledge and power. Those deemed unworthy are left outside to be consumed by carrion. Giants celebrate sexuality and use narcotics freely, adorning themselves with piercings, split tongues, and colorful garbs of plumage and furs.

Nature Veneration and Arachnid Reverence

Giants venerate the natural order with respect and prudence, offering prayers of appreciation for fallen quarry. They wear spider silk as under armor, and Arachnoids serve as companions, considered holy symbols and servants of their arachnid queen. The slaughter of Araneae is deemed profane, reflecting the giants' deep reverence for nature and its inhabitants.

The Goatkin

The Goatkin society revolves around a unique cosmology centered on the belief that people are composed of tiny pebbles, and the world is a giant round boulder housing a slumbering magma turtle within its hollow center. They perceive their spherical earthy shells as floating in nothingness, orbiting a burning slab—the sun.

Cosmological Beliefs and Natural Forces

Goatkin understand magnetism as rocks attracted to one another, while gravity is the weight and size of the boulder pressing down on an intangible, invisible sheet. They recognize a potent force where angry rocks ingest and radiate energy and heat, while sorrowful rocks repel. This understanding extends to the concept of magic, which they view as non-rock forces interacting with stones to manipulate pebbles and boulders.

Origin of Life and Astrology

According to Goatkin mythology, life originated from a racing pebble that crashed into their world, giving rise to the diverse forms of beings—starting from a pure, lesser state (cobble) and evolving into more complex states (boulders). The Goatkin are passionate about astrology, viewing stars as distant glistening crags and gems reflecting the light of nearby burning boulders. They track star journeys across the heavens, using them to discern seasons, time, and direction.

Lifestyle and Cultural Practices

Goatkin communities thrive within cities carved into mountains and the earth's belly, engaging in mining, stone studies, and engineering. They master mathematics to count and trade rocks, establishing a commerce system centered around bartering the priceless gems they uncover. The Goatkin's engineering prowess is evident in their structures, which harmonize with the natural landscape while showcasing their innovative mining techniques and architectural feats.

The Mothkela

The Mothkela are a unique society that dwells within subterranean pyramid-like structures, practicing meditation for mental healing and embracing ancestral worship. They hold a deep belief that when an individual passes away, their soul embarks on a 3,000-year journey through the cosmos.

Cultural Practices and Beliefs

The Mothkela sustain their society through trade, specializing in coffee, sugar, and milk sourced from giant sloths that they herd across the dense jungles of their homeland. Renowned for their alchemical expertise, the Mothkela utilize natural reagents for healing and medicinal purposes, utilizing their extensive knowledge of their surroundings.

Within Mothkela culture, a larva reaches adulthood at 14 years old, and their political structure is matriarchal, with women governing the economic, spiritual, and political spheres while men assume roles as warriors and laborers. Education is highly valued but often limited to women and academically inclined men, with universities and libraries restricted to those with government documentation.

Spiritual Practices and Traditions

The Mothkela believe in the cosmic origin of life, holding that all life originated on the moon. They attribute the world's evils to their inability to perceive the moon's dark side. Historically, the tribe practiced sacrificial rituals during times of great loss or calamity, offering the hearts of willing servants to placate their lunar mother—a practice that has since been outlawed.

Economic Contributions and Social Structure

In addition to their trade in agricultural goods, the Mothkela contribute to the empire's security by guarding caravans and patrolling the Great River to deter banditry. They offer their boats for travel and aid the Jorgenskull guard in securing trade routes along the river.

Fashion and Artistic Expression

Mothkela adorn their bodies with painted patterns using colorful powders, showcasing their artistic expression and societal status. The rarity of dyes signifies wealth and prestige, with purple being the most prized hue. Their unique physiology, protected by chitin and fur, negates the need for clothing, with fashion and body art serving as prominent forms of self-expression.

The Pryians: The Aristocrats of the Land

Culture and Society

The Pryians, an exquisite race of nonavian peacock humanoids, hold themselves in the highest regard, deeming themselves the epitome of fashion, culture, eloquence, and beauty. Their society is one of grandeur and sophistication, where the importance of maintaining a pristine appearance is paramount. Preening is an essential daily ritual, as every feather must be immaculate and every plume perfectly aligned. This meticulous attention to appearance is not mere vanity but a reflection of their deep-seated belief in their inherent superiority.

Distinctive Traits and Appearance

Pryian men are more colorful than their female counterparts, adorned with vibrant plumage that they display with pride. The females, though less flamboyant, are equally regal in their more subdued elegance. The Pryians view the other races with a mix of pity and disdain, considering them to be unfortunate beings lacking the cultural refinement and evolutionary perfection that they possess. To the Pryians, the mammalian and reptilian races are inferior, born from lesser lines that could never aspire to the illustrious avian evolutionary path.

Love for the Arts

The Pryians' lives revolve around the arts. They have an insatiable love for operas, plays, music, poetry, and fine art, which they consider the highest expressions of civilization. Their refined palates extend to cuisine, where only the most delicate and artfully prepared dishes are deemed acceptable. A culture's worth is measured by its culinary and artistic achievements, and the Pryians judge harshly those that fall short of their lofty standards.

Education and Disdain for Combat

Education is revered among the Pryians, who see intellectual pursuits as the pinnacle of existence. They detest combat, viewing it as a brutish activity that risks their impeccable appearance. The thought of losing a feather or becoming dirty is mortifying, as it compromises their dignified demeanor. As such, Pryians prefer diplomacy and wit over force, using their sharp minds and eloquent tongues to navigate conflicts.

Death and Immortalization

When a Pryian dies, their beauty and legacy are immortalized through art. A painting is commissioned and hung in a great art exhibit, ensuring that the deceased's elegance and refinement are forever remembered. Those who die without having a portrait created are regarded as errant souls, doomed to wander the world unseen and unappreciated. This belief underscores the Pryians' obsession with aesthetics and their desire for eternal recognition.

Courtship and Mating Rituals

Mating among the Pryians involves elaborate courtship practices that are as much about artistry as they are about affection. Dancing, singing, and poetic recitations are all part of the ritual, each suitor striving to outshine the others with their creativity and grace. The selection of a mate is a highly competitive affair, where only those with the most refined talents and captivating performances succeed.

Integration within the Verdant Dynasty

Living within the Verdant Dynasty, the Pryians feel it is their duty to add a bit of flair to an otherwise plain and unsightly ensemble of neighbors. They see themselves as the bringers of culture and refinement, elevating the overall aesthetic and intellectual quality of the Dynasty. Their presence is both a blessing and a burden to their neighbors, who must navigate the Pryians' condescension while benefiting from their undeniable contributions to art and culture.

The Drumvar Beetles

The Drumvar beetles, inhabitants of the necrotic swamp, embrace a meditative and minimalist lifestyle that reflects their values of humility and introspection. Unlike other races focused on grandeur and temporal prosperity, the Drumvar prefer simplicity, residing in dung homes built into the cliffsides, finding solace in the quietude of their surroundings.

Values and Lifestyle

Bragging and boasting are frowned upon in Drumvar society, which places a high premium on humility and self-reflection. They cultivate mushrooms within their fecal homes, relying on them as their primary diet to nourish their bodies and reinforce their connection to the earth's natural cycles.

Philosophy and Beliefs

The Drumvar hold a unique philosophical perspective, viewing reality as a dream and true awakening as achievable only through constant internal scrutiny and self-awareness. They judge actions based on their impact on the world rather than moral absolutes, a perspective enhanced by their colorblindness, allowing them to perceive the essence beyond appearances.

Simple Pleasures and Healing Practices

Despite their focus on meditation and reflection, the Drumvar enjoy life's simple pleasures, including the cultivation of cannabis for relaxation and medicinal use. They crush the leaves into a paste and apply it for relief from physical ailments and mental stress.

Cycle of Life and Death

In death, the Drumvar's corpse serves a sacred purpose as fertilizer to grow spiritual herbs, ensuring their essence continues to exist in the natural world. This cycle underscores their belief in the interconnectedness of all things and the importance of harmony with nature.

Contributions to Society

Renowned for their alchemical and enchanting talents, the Drumvar contribute essential services to Florentina and her tribe, providing healing potions, enchanted artifacts, and spiritual guidance. Their wisdom and insight are valued by all who seek their counsel, serving as a reminder of the importance of balance and mindfulness in a chaotic world.