Revision as of 17:50, 5 June 2011

The Srazhedy are an agrarian culture of isolated farms and plantations, spread out across the north. They are a proud and warlike people, uncommonly devout, and most dangerous.

Appearance

The Srazhedy are of average height (5'6"-5'8") and muscular build, with black or brown hair worn long on both men and women, and almost universally brown eyes. Men tend to have closely trimmed beards or are entirely clean shaven. They wear leather or woolen clothing, or sometimes furs, thick and heavy to combat the cold.

Society / Government

The core of Srazhedy society is the farm or manor, an agricultural establishment run by a landowner, his family, and his servants. These warrior-farmers (Called Ozyain) and their families work the land, and employ and house any number of servants, in exchange for room, board, and protection. The smallest of these farms may consist of a single bachelor living alone and farming his own land, whereas the largest resemble small cities. More traditional is a man, his wife, sons and unmarried daughters, as well as two to five families of servants. Everyone works the land - even the Ozyain and his family.

The Ozyain typically lives in a large manor house, situated on the best elevation in the area, to keep his home safe from the same common flooding that feeds his fields. If the structure is large enough, the servants live there as well. If not, they live in cottages somewhere on the land. The Ozyain traditionally owns everything he can see from his house, but there are cases of two or more landowners living closer together, for mutual support and security.

The Ozyain himself is dedicated to one thing aside from his farm - his sword. Typically a masterwork Sabre or a Longsword, but occasionally a larger sword, even up to the Odachi, this sword is often a family heirloom, or the sword of a man he killed in a duel. All Ozyain are, by necessity, practiced swordsmen. Most are quite familiar with bows as well.

Duels, while theoretically an acceptable solution to any matter, typically occur over one of two things - women or land. Suitors for a woman's hand, if they are of the Ozyain class, will often duel to decide who gets her, if her father does not simply pick one of them. These duels are not always to the death.

The second type of duel is for an estate. Any young man with a sword over the age of 14 may challenge an Ozyain for control of his estate. The Ozyain typically sends out a couple of challengers first - typically a servant or two and then one of his sons. The challenger is supposed to defeat them without killing them, to prove control and skill, but this does not always happen. If the challenger is not driven off or killed by these battles, the Ozyain himself comes out and they face off. This always ends in Death. A new Ozyain cannot afford to have the old one still alive, so that his servants might think on his possible return, and the current Ozyain must strike down the challenger, to ward off future attackers and prevent this one from returning once more. Should the challenger win, he becomes the new Ozyain, and inherits the land and servant families. The family of the old Ozyain swears fealty to him and they become a new servant family, though he is expected to treat them kindly and may marry one of the daughters to secure ties. These types of events typically happen in the spring, when young men of age wander out to seek their fortune. Challenges usually occur no more frequently than once a year. In more remote manors, challenges may be few and far between.

An Ozyain who rules more than 20 or so families traditionally declares himself a Baron. The title does not come from anywhere - he simply lays claim to the title and from thenceforth he is. Baronies tend to develop into small towns or even cities, and are the closest to actual civilization found in Srzahedy society. Barons are traditionally not subject to being challenged, and most of them employ small armies to deal with any upstarts. Baronies are also trade hubs, where Ozyain can trade for anything their lands do not produce on their own. Barons tend to host festivals, balls, and feasts, and so baronies are the center of social life, where engagments, duels, and other formalities are settled. The New Year, the most important festival, is celebrated by all.

Aside from Ozyain, Barons, and the people who work for them, there are a number of other types of people. While Ozyain normally hunt for themselves there are full time hunters and trappers. There are also merchants, who travel between baronies and occasionally to farms to trade agricultural products for rarer commodities such as salt and cloth. Young men wandering and looking for land, either to start a new manor or to challenge the older of an old one, are a common sight as well.

All serious craftsmen are highly esteemed by the Srazhedy, and most live and work either in a Barony or on a large manor, welcomed by the local Ozyain with open arms. Traditional villaige blacksmiths are among these craftsmen, and are quite common. Most Ozyain will employ a man with at least some smithing ability, to do repairs for the farm, if they are not close enough to visit a real one.

Swordsmiths, however, are held in what is essentially religious awe. They live almost universally as hermits, alone except for apprentices and sometimes a family. They spend all their time making some of the most high quality swords in the world. Iron is scarce in Srazhedy lands, but of excellent quality, and so no metal is wasted. The smith does all the polishing, handling, and finishing himself. In most cultures this is sublet out to specialists.

Children and Family

Role of Women

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Law and Punishment

Warfare

Religion

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Economy / Money

Skills

Craft

Societies differ in what technologies they have developed. Here is listed the normal maximum for skilled craftsmen in this society - a character coming from such a society would have no higher a modifier than this (modifier being the specialization in that division of craft).

Items whose craft DC is more than the given number +20 will be rare, potentially costing twice as much as normal, and those whose DC is the given number +25 or higher cannot be attained. This rule may be broken in trading hubs, where items have been shipped in that are not domestically produced.

A zero here means that this society has no knowledge of this type of craft.

Heal

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Profession

Common divisions of Profession are:

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Knowledge

Common divisions of Knowledge are:

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Perform

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Common divisions of Perform are:

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Other

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Magic

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History