Thallian Day-to-Day Life

## Clothing

Clothing in Thallian is fairly simple, very professional and very gendered. Not only do the people wear very dark colours that are fairly plain and void of intricate patterns and designs. But clothing is designed to show off the best assets of the person in question. For example: “I can lift 100 lbs without breaking a sweat.” - such a person would no doubt wear a tunic of some kind that showed off their physical prowess.

Equality is a foreign concept to Thallian residents. Everything is completely a “me, me, me” frame of mind and showing off assets that are of value. Women typically wear skirts that are, more often than not, shorter to show off slender legs or well formed bottoms. Men usually wear some sort of dark coloured suit that is always well pressed.

There is no “I want to dress like a boy today so I will wear pants”. Women wear one type of clothing, men another.

## **Housing**

The houses in Thallian are typically built in such a way for optimal airflow through the residence. Because of the rainy and humid conditions in the region, the houses of commoners and middle class are typically made from wood/logs as it provides optimal protection from the rain as well as adequate airflow so that homes to not overheat. It is, however, not unheard of for homes to have a stone fireplace for heating on particularly chilly days/evenings.
The homes of “royalty” (those who work in government  departments generally) are typically made of a white marble traded from Stoniel and equipped with an air conditioner. Thallian is possibly the only kingdom that has the technology to develop a sort of air conditioner.

### **The Queen’s Palace**

While the rest of the kingdom has somewhat modest accommodations, the queens palace is something else. Constructed by (or more accurately on order of) Queen Scarlette from the bones of her slaughtered enemies it is a veritable, and impenetrable fortress. Among the elegant bedrooms and of course electric lit dining halls there is a fully stocked torture chamber deep in the bowels of the castle and a cellar filled with fresh and finely aged bloodwine, Queen Scarlette’s favourite beverage.

## **Religion**

There is a strict ban on belief in other religions. Every Queen worth her salt in Thallian has always believed that the people should be worshipping the crown and Chaos himself. It is believed that worshipping the Queen of the day and Chaos is the way to true enlightenment. That is, it is widely believed that these beliefs are what will ensure you are put in a profitable position in life.

Obviously the few Heroes and Light/ or Neutral Guardians in the kingdom find issue with this. It is not uncommon for them, therefore, to believe and meet in secret to worship other deities.

## Climate

The climate in Thallian is just what you might expect from a kingdom so heavily saturated in Chaos magic. It is dark and gloomy, humid and rainy.

## **Language**

**Aukribic**, is the native tongue of Thallian and while most do also speak Atemnition this is the language the citizens speak while within the kingdom's borders. It is a combination of Atemnition with a heavy Latin influence.

## **Sport and Recreation**

There is no real “sport” or sports in Thallian that are played in a competitive manner. Some strategy games are played in a recreational fashion and there are many establishments catering to adult clientele (not to mention the huge underground on the sex trade) but there is no real sports played in Thallian. They are seen as a waste of resources.

## **Transportation**

Transportation is a tricky thing in Thallian. While you can portal around the kingdom (except for magically fortified zones) in order to enter the kingdom it must be on foot through the main gate.

So, one must portal to the main entrance (if you know where to find it since the wall that surrounds the kingdom is invisible to all but those from the kingdom) and walk through before portaling to your final destination.

Otherwise travel around the kingdom is fairly advanced for Atemnity - but then technology is an important part of Thallian culture. The usual mode of ground transportation is a sort of Model-T, wind up car that seats two people typically. Horse and carriage or walking and of course small ferries to travel between the islands are still used by many of the less fortunate.

## **Health**

Like most of the kingdom’s services, medical care is very gender biased where even the poorest female citizen will receive a higher standard of medical care then that of a male citizen - as a general rule. Of course with all rules come the exceptions to the rules and medical care is no different.

Triage in the major hospitals comes in 7 stages, in order of priority these are:

1. **Immediate/ Critical** - Those whose life is threatened regardless of gender.These are the only cases admitted ahead of the queen.
2. **Crown** - The queen, in whatever state of care is required.
3. **Government Officials** - This applies to government officials (Including the queen’s elite guard) of any gender who require any type of medical care.
4. **Female Patients (Major Illness)**  - Non immediate life threatening injuries of a serious nature. Female Patients.
5. **Male Patients (Major Illness)** - Non immediate life threatening injuries of a serious nature and male, wealthy patients of any injury/illness.
6. **Female Patients (All Other)** - Any other injury or illness for any female patient.
7. **Male Patients (All Other)** - The rest of the male patients who do not fall into other categories.

Aside from the tiered, and heavily biased, triage system medical care in Thallian is second to none. The government believes that keeping the people healthy is the best way to ensure they are not a drain on the system and remain productive.

## **Cuisine**

Thallian’s cuisine is very elegant, just like its community and culture. It is very meat-centric and often the envy of the other kingdoms. So much so that restaurants are often booked months in advance for tables.

## **Arts & Culture**

Art in Thallian is virtually non-existent: things such as paintings are discouraged because they are seen as a waste of time. Art is seen as impractical and a waste of resources that could be better spent on other pursuits, such as technological advancements.

While art is technically not against the law, people who create it - called secret artists - are looked down upon and seen as not contributing to the greater good of the kingdom. This creation of art is seen as a rebellion and, while the government does not actively seek them out, when they are caught their works are confiscated.

While art (paintings, sculptures, etc.) are not technically against the law, books are. Writing, reading, owning books of any kind is banned and illegal. This, of course, makes it difficult to record the history of the kingdom and with art discouraged it is the memories of the citizens that are relied upon.

Because of this it is not unheard of for these secret artists to record history, statistics and other data within paintings. It is their way of skirting the law banning books.

Secret artists have become adept at hiding their works of art. In fact there are rumours of entire secret caves hidden somewhere in the kingdom full of these paintings. Some even tell of the Queen keeping all confiscated works of art in her own secret treasury - rumour has it that these paintings with their secret messages and meanings written in the shapes, forms and oils are responsible for some of the greatest scientific discoveries in the kingdom.

The culture, therefore, is rife with secrets. The people have long since learned not to truly trust anyone. Even bands of thieves who live by a code would save their own skin at the first sign of trouble. There is not a lot of free will in Thallian. People like to be in control, but (with the exception of the criminal enterprises) generally will follow the strict rules laid out by the government.

It has almost become a part of the culture within Thallian that several criminal organisations run in the shadows. These organisations often seek out young children with magic mastery or superpowers, mostly girls if it can be helped but boys are sought out too with the right potential. These organisations will seek these special children out and make use of their powers or magic for their own ends. The Queen of the day has always been vaguely aware of them but unless something big in particular draws her eye it is not uncommon for her to turn a blind eye to many of their smaller activities. That is not to say that the criminal activities are not punished if caught but for at least the minor/petty infractions it is not uncommon for them to go amiss of detection (not to mention they are usually pretty good at avoiding detection.

All of that being said, individuals that share the same social stature are often super gregarious towards others of the same social circles. There is not much mixing between the lower income/ status individuals and higher ones.

## **Music**

Music in Thallian is strictly controlled. Being a type of art, and given the villain-centric atmosphere it was long ago decreed that the only type of music that could be played or created in Thallian was whatever could be played in minor keys. The darker the better, music is a rare occurrence even in minor keys and is generally only played in restaurants and banquet halls to add to the gloomy ambiance.

## **Science, and Technology**

No one truly knows where more than half of the scientific discoveries come from. In terms of progress, Thallian is quite ahead of its time when it comes to science and technological advancements. Also, the government has the right to all developed technologies and rents/sells it to other Kingdoms.

Scientific research is one of the most important pieces of Thallian culture. They strive to continually improve all aspects of their society, hence why they are one of the first (if not only) kingdoms to gain motorized transportation. However, one of the most controversial pieces of scientific research being done is into the development of artificial sperm. The reason for these artificial sperm, the hope, is to enable a couple the ability to choose the sex of their child. Because women are seen as the dominant race within the kingdom certain scientists would love nothing more then to develop an artificial sperm capable of granting a couple, at the very least, a greater chance at a female child. In tandem with this research is research being done into eradicating the perceived weakness of love.

Potions, artificial sperm, motorized transportation - these are but the tips of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to technology in Thallian.

Synthetic food is one piece of technological advancement native to Thallian. It has become a rather large export in exchange for meat and wheat to places experiencing food shortages. It is a practice carefully honed over time in a laboratory to achieve optimal flavour, texture and realism. One bite of many of these food products and you would be none the wiser about what you were eating (unless you already knew of course). The government considers this technology a highly coveted one and sells it at a high price (in trade or currency) to other kingdoms while controlling the supply and laboratories that make it.

## **Communication**

The primary method of communication is via crystal pendants that every Thallian citizen receives as soon as they are born. These crystals are infused with blood magic and enable the bearer to think about who they wish to talk to and then speak to them similar to a telephone. Only Thallian citizens can utilize this method of communication - **Crows** are used to otherwise send messages across the kingdom (and of course portaling).

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