People and Culture
Ethnic Diversity by Percentage:55% Adelan, 35% Serenian (exact numbers may vary, as there is plenty of intermarriage between the two groups), 10% other
General Appearance:Tinines tend to have lighter skin tones than their cousins in the southern territories. Their hair is typically a deep black, fine and straight. Serenian influence has given them fae-like eyes, gracefully angled and typically pale, vibrant colors like robin's egg blues or seafoam greens, though other, more magical colors are possible. Some Tinines have a trait where their eyes shift colors.
Values:Cunning. In Tintintin, it matters less what kind of life someone leads, so much as it's important how well they've done it. Intelligence, wits, and adaptability are valued far more than just sheer strength or raw courage.
Naming:Given names tend to be multisyllabic, typically three syllables long and ending in a vowel. Surnames are much shorter, and often are descriptors such as "Fleet".
Ex: Sincuvo Fleet, Honovi Tchoff
Interclan Relations:- I'káa: Tintintin and I'káa share a very tumultuous, almost love-hate relationship. When cooperation is good, it's very good, and when enmity is there, it's as volatile as the sea and as hot as the newest goods on the market.
- Sedvli: A continuous, if not completely stable, trading relationship. Sedvlins don't always trust Tinines and vice versa, with historical cause. But they don't hold nearly the same grudges for one another as Sedvli does with I'káa.
- Kota: Tinines regard Kotans as being the type of mobster who tries to pretend like he's a good guy. They find it rather pathetic, as if there's someone the Kotans are trying desperately to impress with their outward show of morals, when the results of their actions are arguably less than moral.
- Adela: Adela has always been a means to an end - cooperation exists because Tintintin would never be able to stand up to them on their own, and they hold very few true allies across the territories. As such, it's much simpler to play nice when they have to, and so far the benefits to doing so have been very good.
- Other Territories: TBD
Slavery:Like Kota, Tintintin does not possess slavery in the traditional sense, but rather a kind of feudalism. Tinines operate with the understanding that where they live is the purview of the local Family. Everyone thus works for that Family, and in return they are kept safe from other Families or from outsiders or any number of other threats. The name of the game is cooperation, though some Archons wield their power more like a cudgel at times.
Hair and Dress:Clothing tends to be very Serenian in influence, with light, easy fabrics that breathe well during the territory's humid summers. Leather is common, and boots tend to be made to rise up over the knee to keep feet dry during periods of seasonal floods and heavy storms. Dresses are uncommon except for very formal occasions, as long skirts tend to get in the dirt and mud, or catch too easily in the forest brush. While the cut of the clothing tends to be more Serenian, Tinines adjust them to include extensive beadwork, often as trim or embroidered into different shapes invoking the natural landscape. Difference in clothing styles between men and women tends to showcase 'optimal' body types, and often corsetry is worn underneath, with women's clothing also including a large bow at the base of their spine.
For winter wear, furs are favored, and are often the result of hunting in the local area rather than traded for. The fabrics they do use, both in winter and summer, aren't often bright, rather kept to muted neutrals (both to hide dirt and to hide the wearer) and accented instead by bright gems, beads and metal jewelry as a display of wealth and prestige. Because of the amount of rain and flooding, mud is common, and so only the most important members of society can manage wearing white clothing and furs.
Because of the amount of woods present, and also the moist climate, long-sleeve shirts with high collars and pants are typically worn as a rule, to help prevent tick and mosquito bites. Only in formal, indoor settings do some trade the high collars for low, swooping necklines. Often, in addition to the shirts and pants and boots, Tinines will also wear long black fingerless gloves, ending just above the elbow, and long black socks that end just above their boots. These have the dual benefit of keeping things out of the way as they work, as well as "sealing" any possible entry for biting insects.
Hair is often left long by both genders, and either left to hang loose or tied up into braids and buns to keep it from getting in the way of work. When braiding, Tinines usually french braid up and back into pseudo-mohawks.
Art, Music, and Dance:Tinines love artworks. They have a special fondness for metalworking, and their silverware tends to have ornate designs on the handles. Jewelry made of precious metals and stones are widely worn across all genders, and there is a market for ornately painted jewelry boxes.
Music varies in fashion depending on what the Archon has a fondness for, and many musicians quickly learn new trades to keep up with the times and hopefully earn their share of favors from the Family.
Dance varies, depending on the intent of the dancer. For "casual" dancing such as at a party with a partner, it's usually a dance that goes along with the popular music of the time.
Food:The food available to Tinines is nigh unlimited. Thanks to their particular geographic location and the varying biomes, Tintintin has fertile land for farming, forests for hunting, and rivers and coasts for fishing. Meals often consist of roasted meats and vegetables, with fruit pies as a dessert.
Housing:The formation of buildings is elegant, with curving archways and carved doors, and often involves wrap-around porches for even the smallest homes. High foundations and plenty of stairs are common, to both keep out intruders as well as any floodwaters that might reach the home. The stability of the land itself allows for the people of Tintintin to keep large basements, though they are more common in drier, more wooded areas than along riverbeds.
A Tintintin home without some manner of hidden compartment or passageway is a home you haven't fully explored yet.
Sexuality, Gender, Marriage, and Divorce:Marriage roles exist in Tintintin, most especially for the upper classes. Those of sufficient social standing are expected to marry and produce children to continue the Family line. These marriages are not guaranteed to be permanent: an Archon may marry and divorce as much as he wishes.
For others not expected to take on the Family business like an Archon, the rules about sexuality become more lax, and it's not uncommon for a Family sibling or cousin to be openly homosexual or not wish to settle down at all. However, many still do follow the example of the Archon and enter into exclusive monogamous relationships.
Tinine weddings themselves tend to be big, lavish affairs, where everyone of even distant relation comes together for a huge party celebrating the newlyweds. Expense is rarely spared, and even the poorest of families will pool together whatever they can to make the event as big of a blowout as they can.
Religion:Tintintin is animistic. Everything has a spirit, and patron spirits are said to look after households in exchange for regular offerings of tribute. The Families of Tintintin are said to have patron fox spirits, and each spirit has a secret name known only to the Family it is tied to. Otherwise, the spirit is referred to by the Family's surname. The fox spirits of the High Table are said to be brothers, establishing a bond that allows for rivalry but not outright destruction.
Above these patron spirits are the Creator and the Trickster. The Creator is responsible for life and growth and raw potential, while the Trickster is responsible for testing the bounds of both natural and unnatural law and providing opportunity. The Trickster is especially popular in endeavors to do with the Tintintin underworld, as to have the Trickster's blessing is to be successful in shadowy business ventures. A Family in favor is quite powerful, indeed.
