Playable Cultures In Giestwald

#culture

Here are all the cultures that are playable in Giestwald, each has an image and a short bio.

Gannogari of the Many

“See the delta’s fingers spread?

To show a ring of salt instead

Of shining gold and precious jewels

Which hold no worth to drowning fools”

-Children’s Rhyme

Overview

The Gannogari of the Many are river-dwelling people who live outside of traditional Einstrom society. Largely but not exclusively nomadic, they make their living as traders and subsistence hunters along the numerous rivers and streams which intersect almost every region of Einstrom.

Being descended from a different cultural group than the Einstrad (whose culture is an evolution of the peoples of the ancient Greken Republic) the Gannogari values and priorities that might seem strange to the Einstrad. This is most prevalent in the adherence to a variety of taboos and proscribed behaviors.

The Forester’s League

“...If not us, then who? (then who?) Who'll set the brick and mortar? Cleave the stone and call for order? Who’ll grind the axe and quench in water?

Drink it down, and praise the vinter

Who'll light the hearth and live through winter?

If not us then who? (then who?)

If not us then who...”

-Excerpt from “The Men of Pinestock Vale”- A popular drinking song

Overview

The Forester’s League is a faction of laborers, tradespeople, and adventurers who utilized the power of collective bargaining to ensure safety and prosperity for its members. Over time this professional arrangement has developed into a sub-culture entirely unique. Most people consider their association with the League more important than their place of origin or the culture they were born to. Amongst the common folk of Einstrom, the Foresters are generally thought of in a positive light for their role in developing infrastructure and providing good-paying work. Though the Foresters also carry a reputation for godlessness that can put them at odds with more religious-minded communities they try to help.

The College of Brannonwasser

“Truth is a flame. It can spread with abandon and consume ignorance with a wild appetite. Though this must always be respected, our world would be consumed by it. It is the duty of every student to become a hearth to this flame, so its warmth and illumination may serve a higher purpose.”

Lecture of Prof. Frau Doktor Charlotte Kohler- “Introduction to Ethical Discourse”

Overview

The College of Brannonwasser is an establishment of higher education set out to bring illumination and progress to the people of Einstrom. Students can choose a major from numerous fields of science to learn the secrets of the natural world. Proponents of learning, The College sees knowledge as the best way forward in the unity and development of Einstrom and serves the Empire as teachers, advisors, and researchers.

Last of the Propuloi

“Tek’carro Miicen Vatta lo”

-Propuloi expression of dubious origin

Overview

During the Age of Dawn, the Saints of Humanity forged great works of technology that allowed unprecedented travel and exploration across the world. The great golden ships that composed their Divine Fleet were capable of crossing not merely the rivers and coasts of Midir, but the fierce oceans as well. It was to the far south that the Saints made contact with the Propuloi.

The Shamed Knights of Ostregan

A recently disbanded order of knights seeking a future in a world that wants no part with them. As well as the truth behind their fall from grace.

Overview

The past four years have been cruel to the Order of Ostregan. Colloquially referred to as the ‘Shamed Knights.’ they are all but pariahs from civilized society. A very lucky few are able to find steady employment as laborers in the Northern Expanse (who are more sympathetic to their fate), and with the Forester’s League (who don’t ask about a person’s past). But the vast majority have been reduced to begging and banditry to survive.

Though none know the exact motivations of the Kaiser for disbanding such an old and respected organization. Rumors have spread like wildfire since that day. Popular theories include the Knights engaging in dark rituals within Katzenfuer, or the forging of weapons in opposition to the Saints. Some say they simply had become a bloated corrupt organization that no longer benefitted the Empire. Others suggest that the Kaiser and Sire Mila Eiten were lovers and this is the result of their tragic break-up.

The Ancient House of Lunimere

“I heard the dusk bell often sing

To all the children by the sea

So long as they remember well

Always a stranger shall I be”

-Excerpt from the Red Book of Bridges

Chapter 233: Night Catchers

AU. Lady Adelaide de Lunimere c. 120E

Her name, forever be it writ in shadow”

Overview

The Ancient House of Lunimere is a familial clan of monster hunters who seek the destruction of an ancestral foe, and the breaking of a curse that it had laid upon them long ago. Lunimere’s travel from town to town offering their services in hunting down monsters. It has blossomed into a lucrative business venture. The Empire will gladly honor the House of Lunimere with marks and accolades for their work in protecting the common folk from what bumps in the night. They are celebrities in the eyes of the people across the land who will gladly buy them a drink and make a space for them by the fire, in hopes of hearing a tale or two of their last hunt.

The Horned Children

“Quiet young hunter and listen! Listen to the world around you, to the breathing trees above us, to the howls of the predator and cries of the prey, to all the humming buzzing crawling shades of life in between, and most of all to your own beating heart. There is ancient wisdom and lost mystery amongst these trees, so listen well.”

-Quote Attributed To Greymane

Overview

Said to be the descendants of the last of the Old Gods to die, the Horned Children draw their name from the Horned Mother and their way of life from her teachings and the lessons gained from the Eighteen Great Forests they call home.

The Horned Children are spread out across the entirety of the forests of Einstrom. The Eighteen Great Forests as they are known are home to the various tribes of the Horned Children. Many tribes tend to specialize in one particular craft or are strongly associated with one of the Great Forests or an area therein. Tribes take great pride in this individualism. One might make the best arrows or the best baskets. These handmade crafts are famed across Einstrom.

The Ordained of Everise

“We are the sword of the saints’ virtue, the shield of the saints’ faith, and the voice of the saints’ laws.”

-Words inscribed over the entrance of the Assemblage of Everise

Overview

The Ordained are the spiritual and legal backbone of the Empire. Their spires stand as a testament to their will and conviction to the saint's teachings, with none standing taller or prouder than the great Cathedral on Mt Everrise. But not only known for their religious zeal, all citizens of the empire know them for the iron grip they hold over the justice system.