Lauch Culture

A Lauch ship.

**Lauch** is the primary culture and ethnic group of the Kingdom of Lauchette.

## Appearance

The Lauch are typically olive-skinned with dark brown to black hair and brown eyes. Most Lauch are shorter than most Aedwinians and Hallengardians. The abundance of food on the island has resulted in many, especially in the nobility, to become overweight and pudgy.

The humid, tropical climate of Latora only really permits thin clothing. Most clothes in Lauchette are sleeveless and very thin, generally made of silks or cloth. Gems and jewelry are extremely common among the nobility and merchant class. Yellows are preferred throughout the country, but light blues, purples, greens, reds, and whites are widely available.

## Arts and Literature

Lauchmen are considered pioneers in the arts; many songs, epics, fables, and the recent shift towards realism in painting can be traced back to Lauchette. This can be attributed to numerous factors, but the majority of artists, musicians, and authors are monks or are in some way part of the clergy. Due to the high value of literature in Lauch society, nobles are required to be capable of reading and writing Old Latoran and Common. Peasants generally don’t know how to do either for both, though a good number of them are able to at least read Common.

## Cuisine

Vast swaths of fertile land allow for the growing of a large amount of food in Latora. The tropical climate allows for more exotic foods to be grown, such as the coconut or the local delicacy, the sour orange. Due to the vast amount of land to grow and graze, plantations generally employ slave labor to ensure plentiful harvests. Much of what is grown is turned into products like breads, cakes, jams, and other various decadent and high quality goods.

Wines and brandies are the most common liquors made and consumed in Latora, though mead and ales are also widespread. Certain types of wine made in the northeastern regions of Latora tend to fizz and bubble when the bottle is opened, and are often sold to the Hales marketed as Latoran Wine. Tobacco is one of the primary products of southern Latora, with massive plantations growing crops that bear leaves as big as people.

## Leisure

A large amount of the games played in Lauchette are card games, though board games and dice games are also staples in taverns and inns. Gambling is very often involved in these games, and is considered to add to the enjoyment of the game. Drinking and eating are also considered integral to Lauch leisure. Children typically enjoy more active games and toys, but simpler versions of common tavern games exist for children to play.

## Religion

Being the birthplace of Andophy, Latora is predominantly Andophic and devoutly so. Every town has a chapel and every city a cathedral, and most Lauch will go to church as required and then some. The piety of the nation has a direct influence over the average Lauchman’s view on religion. Translations of the Scriptures into Common in the Hales are seen as heretical and severely disdained, and various practices that are widespread in the Hales are frowned upon heavily.

## Common Characteristics

The Lauch are prideful, rich, and dedicated. Most Lauch tend towards pursuing wealth and power or prowess in a certain area, usually combat. Despite the collapse of the Lauch Empire after the Great Divide, their position of power over the Hales has remained unwavering and this is a fact that the Lauch are acutely aware of. In the Hales, the Lauch are generally considered to be arrogant warmongers.

## Relations

**Hallengardians**: Lauch relations with Hallengard had previously taken a hit at the onset of the War of Daggers, but has since recovered due to the Sutherland intervention. Since the war, various agreements have been reached politically, and the two nations and their peoples view each other in a decent light.

**Aedwinians**: Lauchette is on neutral terms with Aedwin. While their culture and religion bind them together, Lauchette has no interest in expanding their relationship with Aedwin. Despite this, the two nations trade consistently and are fine with one another.

**Winterlanders**: Much of the knowledge about Winterlands comes from Lauch traders, and most of the traders view the Winterlands as an untapped source of wealth. However, the Winterlands’ isolationist practices has stifled any attempts to do so, and so the two countries are neutral.