Races, Peoples and Cultures of Aldernon

*Aldernon is home to many races, as are many realms in the world. Aldernon has its own unique cultural traits among its populace.*

## Elves

*They say the elfin race are the most beautiful, and those of Aldernon are no exception. The nornish kin of the elves seem to walk a path closer to their fey kin. They feel their emotions very intensely, the whole spectrum from joy to sadness. Whether this is a cultural trait, part of their civilization on Aldernon, or a deeper trait, no body knows. What scholars do know is that if you want to see the full gamut of emotion, speak to an elf of Aldernon*

-- Peridot Calming, Genasi Anthropologist

### Language

Elves of Aldernon, in addition to common, typically speak a dialect of elvish known as 'Eire Norn', a soft, lilting language.

### Social Structure

Nornish elves live very isolated lives, due in no small part due their emotional intensity. Put two elves in a small room and you'll have an argument inside of an hour without a word being said.
Elvish social hierarchies are heavily stratified, with a stiff acknowledgement rank and title. This applies not only to elves, but non-elves as well. They will show deference to any title or symbol of rank, should it be deemed worthy.

### Traditions

Due to their long lifespans and veneration of title and rank, nornish elves often 'collect' titles during their life. It's not uncommon for an elf to have many titles to their name from various institutions. But an elf will rarely share this list, for humility is a cultural cornerstone, at least when it comes to such accomplishments.
As the largest racial group on Aldernon, elves often hold many positions of power in both political and academic circles. They are also the biggest driving force behind the latter; all three major academic colleges of Aldernon are overseen by elven deans.

## Humans

*What can I say about humans that hasn't been said before? To call them 'average' would be a disservice, but not inaccurate. Adaptable would be a better description; from Catan to Mulan, you can find humans everywhere and in every habitat. Those of Aldernon are no exception, although surprisingly they haven't risen to the top of the hierarchy. Why this is, no-one seems to have an answer, although it does seem that something about the anarchistic equilibrium that brings the normally unquenchable human drive into check.*

-- Ebren Chiselfingers, Dwarf Historian

### Language

The human tongue is an adaptable tool, and as such humans seem capable of, if not mastering, at least grasping the basics of any language. Eire, Gael and Cymru norn seem to come naturally to the human tongue.

### Social Structure

Trying to ascribe one social structure to humans anywhere, let alone Aldernon, would be like trying to describe the shape of water. Humans fill whatever roll is available, filling any niche or tier of the social strata.
On Aldernon, this has led to humans remaining somewhere near the middle of the social and political hierarchy, which is somewhat unusual for the notoriously ambitious race.

### Traditions

Humans have as many traditions as there are humans to keep them, and on Aldernon, that's no different. Visit any two villages and you'll find either identical, or vastly different traditions being kept

## Dwarves

*They say a dwarf is a dwarf no matter where you go, and the dwarves of Aldernon are no exception.*

-- Anon

### Language

Dwarves of Aldernon speak a dwarven dialect known as gael norn, a more gutteral version of the dwarven tongue. This language has also become the ersatz language of trade, as nornish dwarves are the driving force behind much of Aldernon's trade.

### Social Structure

Nornish dwarves live closely packed lives, with a much small concept of personal space compared to other species, or even other dwarves. Most dwarven communities are governed by a system much like how one manages a business; skill and dedication are rewarded with social promotion, but every individual is considered essential to the whole.
At the top of the hierarchy are the Forge Masters. These are dwarves with exceptional skill in one or more fields who have been promoted to a point of being socially indispensable. Because the well being of the dwarfhom is inexorably linked to their own success, they are seen as ideal leaders; dwarfs have a strong sense of social altruism and duty and so those that succeed will endeavour to pass on their success to others as much as they can.

### Traditions

Due to the high population density of dwarfholms, it's not uncommon for three or four generations of a family to live in the same home. As such, dwarves are very stoic and reserved most of the time; living on top of each other, figuratively and literally, means that emotional outbursts can be socially devastating. There is a concept known as a 'ravaging' that all dwarves fear; this is when emotions run high and spill over, causing a chain reaction of arguments and fighting that can envelop a whole dwarfholm. To prevent this, once a year a dwarf will travel out of the dwarfholm alone to 'unleash their soul' and return becalmed and ready to rejoin dwarven society.

## Half-Elves

*Would I give up my blood given the chance? Of course not! Yeah, it is a burden being stuck between two worlds; I don't feel things as intensely as those of my elven blood, but I still feel more than the humans around me. But here, in Aldernon, being a half-elf matters a lot less than other places. It could be worse.*

-- Hashrin Coldorm, Half-elf merchant of Caipiteal

### Language

As would be expected, most half-elves speak a combination of eire norn and common, although some also speak the fey language.

### Social Structure

Unlike most other societies where half-elves are typically 'between worlds', the half-elves of Aldernon are much more closely incorporated into elven society, due in part to elves being a dominant race on the island. Many see half-elves as just another type of elf, in addition to high elves, forest elves and even drow.

### Traditions

One uniquely nornish half-elf tradition is 'the wandering'. Unwilling to force either human or elvish culture on their children, parents of half-elves are encouraged to send their children off to explore the land and find their place in it, be it with the elves, with humans or with another group altogether.

## Halflings

*When visiting the various eateries of Aldernon, ALWAYS look for one being run by a halfling (or least one that has a halfling chef. If anyone in the emerald isle knows how to cook, it's a halfling!'*

--A Travelers Guide to Aldernon, Chapter 5: Food and Drink 'Jeremy James

### Language

The nornish variant of Halfling is largely similar to other dialects, although it does bare some some lilting similarities to eire norn. Halflings gravitate towards common for written communication and have an artistic approach to handwriting.

### Social Structure

Halfling culture strongly advocates hearth and home above all else, leading to the expression "comfier than a halflings house". Although halfling vales still exist in Aldernon, many families have integrated themselves into the comfortable living of towns and cities. Halflings are naturally suited to small councils and positions of governance, as their family-centric attitudes make them popular social figures.

### Traditions

Halflings are typically held up as the archetype of 'family life', having large and closely knit families with strong ties to the community. One tradition popular with halflings and non-halflings alike is that of an 'eleventeenth birthday'. An eleventeenth is large party thrown when a halfling turns 111, and is usually a party like no other. The entire town or village (or in the case of city dwelling halflings, neighbourhood) will be welcomed, and offered food and drink until they can't move!

## Tieflings

*If there's any group comes close to getting as harsh a time the dragonborn, it's the tieflings. They say don't judge a book by its cover, but they should also say don't judge a tiefling by their horns. Thanks in no small part to their fiendish heritage, tieflings are treated with distrust at best by most people. This has lead to them falling into one of two extremes; either seeking professions that eschew their stereotypes, or giving up on what others think and pursuing greatness.*

-- A Treatise on Oppression: Case Study - Aldernon Part 2; Tieflings, 'Schieder et all'

## Gnomes

*Gnomes tend to remain in the shadows where ever they live, not wanting to be disturbed from their endeavors. Not so in Aldernon, where they have risen to much nearer the top of the social strata than in other regions. Heading industry in the fields of banking, artifice, magical research, gnomes have found a foothold in Aldernon like no other realm.'*

-- A Financial Analysis of Aldernon and Racial Groups - Erxus Primus, Tiefling Economist

## Dragonborn

*If you want to see the unfairness of fear driven oppression, look no further than the Isle of Aldernon. There you will see an entire people, the dragonborn of the Emerald Isle, driven out of the majority of the islands space and into the harshness of the desert. This can be strongly attributed to the distrust and animosity towards dragons and draconic kin following the Draconis Wars. Even though dragonborn fought mostly on the side of good, and many hundred metallic dragons gave their lives in the conflict, people still see anything with scales as a harbinger of war.*

-- A Histories of Prejudice Across Realms; Chapter 3: Dragonborn and the Draconis War of Aldernon, *Perscatoli and Mechuric*

### Language

The dragonborn of Aldernon are the only native speakers of cymru norn, which many refer to as the language of magic, forgetting that it*s also the language of a people. Dragonborn also speak a distinctive form of common, favouring long* s *sounds and sharp* t*s*

### Social Structure

Not much documentation exists of dragonborn social structure from before the Draconis War, due perhaps in part to their membership within the general social strata. Their hierarchies following their exile however are much more well documented.

Dragonborn have embraced a nomad culture following their relegation to the deserts of the Golden Shores, with each column being lead by a *Forerunner*. The column will typically be named after the type of dragonborn appointed as forerunner. So for example a copper dragonborn will lead the *Copper Column*.

In addition to the Forerunner, the column will initially consist of several *Founders*. When a dragonborn decides to break off from their existing column to form their own, those that come with them will be given the title of Founder. The Founders carry a lot of influence in a column and form a council of sorts with the Forerunner. Once a column grows so large as to become unwieldy, one or more dragonborn will break off to found their own columns.

### Traditions

Dragonborn have a longstanding tradition of welcoming outsiders, something that stands in bitter contrast with their exile from the more hospitable areas of Aldernon. Dragonborn have a tradition called "Szar-tar" which literally translates to *torn flesh*, but means something closer to *shared meat*, which is an act of giving outsiders food, water and shelter from the harsh sandstorms. Dragonborn honour says that no harm should come to a guest while szar-tar is in effect.

Naming conventions for Dragonborn of Aldernon are quite unique. All dragonborn are given a unique first name, followed by either a name denoting their highest standing parent in the column, followed by the name of their column. For example; Drakix of Termor of the Iron Column indicates that Drakix*s parent with the highest standing in the Iron Column was called Termor.*

## Half-Orcs

*I*ll tell you what, if you start spouting that tripe about *raping and pillaging' I'll push this pitchfork down your throat myself. Yeah, I won't deny there were some poor folk who had cruel encounters with orcs, but don't tar every one with the same brush. My Brak was a kind soul glad to be free of the constant warfare. And those blasted fools, may the Eight burn their souls, took him from me. I'm just glad to have my little Braklin to remind me of him. Now if you're done with your silly questions, I've got a field to work*

-- Gwendolin of Gaothfuar, mother of half-orc

### Language

Half-orcs are very adaptable, linguistically, able to pronounce most tongues with enough clarity to be understandability. Naturally most half-orcs gravitate towards the simple syllables of common and guttural tones of orcish and goblin, although Stragnog the Bard was famed for her mastery of elven and fey, and legends say she brought a tear to the eye of High Arbiter Eloran with her recitation of the Dirge of M'chleor.

### Social Structure

Half-orcs tend to adopt the social hierarchy and norms of whatever group they embrace (and in turn are embraced by). Half-orcs do tend to face a lot of stigma surrounding their perceived warlike nature, something that is prevalent in Aldernon following the Draconis Wars. Surprisingly, half-orcs have fared better than dragonborn, although this may be a side effect of the assumption that they are product of non-consensual relations between humans and orcs. This myth is just that, as research seems to show that the vast majority of half-orcs come from consenting, if not loving unions, with the mother being of orcish descent in most cases.

### Traditions

Due to the eagerness of many orcs to embrace the culture that welcomes them, half-orcs often bias themselves towards the culture of non-orc parent. This is not to say that there aren't orcish traditions that are handed down. Puberty can be a trying time for many orcs as the bloodlust rises within them, so many engage in what can only be translated to (for the syllables are almost impossible to say, let alone write down in anything but orcish) as "Boiling Blood". This involves a young half-orc travelling out into the wilderness and coming to terms, through whatever means necessary, the rage that burns in their soul. Not all half-orcs go through this, some are spared the inner turmoil.

## Goliaths

*I don't think any folk are a better friend of the dwarves than goliaths. They're big and strong and damn loyal, a gol with never stab you in the back. If you piss one off enough, they'll do you the honor of stabbing you in the front, and I can respect that!*

-- Grendo Irontoe, dwarf forge owner

## Firbolgs

*I don't think there's much I can tell you about Firbolgs. If anyone tells you they've met one, they're probably lying.*

-- Alirody Creed, gnome bartender, Boford