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Canon: © Anne Bishop
Board's Plot: Blood Rites
Points Scheme: Mother Night
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Established February 2010
by Jamie, Gina & Bowie.

* Plot Information for Dhemlan, Kaeleer

Court of Dhemlan
Culture of Dhemlan
Castes of Dhemlan

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Author Topic: Culture of Dhemlan  (Read 2139 times)

Description: Map, statistics, climate & geography

Offline Teoda Araneina

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    • te2ss
    • queen
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      Queen of Dhemlan

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      Territory Court

    • Territory

      Dhemlan, Kaeleer

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Culture of Dhemlan
« on: Jun 13, 15, 03:49:22 PM »
Capital City: Amdarh
Population: 5.6 Million
Population Breakdown: 80% Native to territory
Caste Breakdown: 60% Landen to 40% Blood. Dhemlan has a shortage of natural Healers and a surplus of Warlord Princes.
Major Exports: Fish, fruit, Dhemlanese wine, Dhemlanese rum, artisanal crafts, fine art, music crystals, sea salt, freshwater pearls, horses.
Major Imports: Building metals, precious metals, precious stones, artisanal crafts, fine art, household goods.

Climate: The climate in Dhemlan varies some according to location. The middle of the territory generally promises hot, dry summers and mild winters. Rain falls most often in the spring and fall. South of the Besós River, the mountains are more likely to see rain at any point in the year, and there is often snow in the winter. The North and Northwest see cooler summers and milder winters, and those areas along the coast often see cloudy and rainy conditions for much of the year, with breaks of mild warmth in between.


 From the northern coast, Dhemlan is mostly flat, coastal plains all the way down to the Besós River. The western border of the territory shares a mountain range with Nharkava; on the Dhemlan side these mountains are known as the Sierra Morena, and they settle down into rolling hills that cover the western third of the territory. The land grows in variance the further to south it goes, culminating in the large Sierra Caballos at the border it shares with Dharo. Most of the coastline sees the mountains give way to maritime shores, though the very southernmost mountains run right into cliffs overlooking the sea. 

Oft-ignored in polite conversation, there is a grouping of islands called Devil’s Teeth just off the northeastern coast of the territory. In perilous waters known as the Mareas de Diablo, the islands are home to a tribal people who do not often stray far from their homes. Sailors and adventurers alike know better than to trouble the islands, no matter what whispers one might hear of treasures to be found there. The people who inhabit the islands are said to be connected to the land and the water in ways even the Blood find queer, and more than one ship has been smashed by a merciless storm (or mysterious water beast! - so the rumors say) when their captains were not wise enough to heed the warnings and stay away.

Coreserini Province (capital city: La Oratova)
   Districts - Cantabria District (capital city: Rio), Navarre District (capital city: Marbella)
Seville Province (capital city: Carmora)
   Districts - Logrona District (capital city: Pamplona), Arenas District (capital city: Burgos)
Pirenza Province (capital city: Tarragona)
   Districts - Salamanca District (capital city: Paloma), Sitges District (capital city: Vigo)

Much of Dhemlan’s wealth and business is centered around two particular cities in the South: the capital, Amdarh, and Tarragona, the seat of the Naval Academy. These cities, and the land around and between them, are home to the majority of the abundant number of Dhemlenese Blood. Most of this land is fitted with well-developed cities, sprawling centers of commerce, art, and academia. Even Blood whose families own land in the northern and western provinces often buy or rent smaller parcels near Amdarh or Tarragona, just to be close to these hotspots of activity. This area produces some of the loveliest fine art in Kaeleer, including music crystals of the distinctive Dhemlanese style of music, which are popular exports. Tarragona is known for ship-building, though most of those ships are purchased directly by the Navy.

As one moves away from the Southeast, the land becomes increasingly more spread out and rural, with the northernmost provinces consisting almost entirely of farmland. The exception is the coastal region, of course, where Dhemlan’s thriving shipping trade keeps much of the coastline busily occupied with small industrial villages and fishing towns.

Though Blood are present throughout all of Dhemlan to some degree, the vast majority of the population in the North and the West is Landen. It is the Landen folk who work the farms, man the fishing ships, sell wares at the docks, raise and tend the animals, manufacture the textile goods, harvest the sea salt for export, distill the world-renowned spirits, and train the famous Dhemlanese thoroughbred horses.

Historically, the Dhemlanese have always been known as people who loved to work hard and play hard. The Blood who were spared from Witch's cleansing Purge have mostly released this ardor in favor of worshipping luxury. The Landen of Dhemlan are clinging desperately to their passionate legacy, though, and their devotion to chosen recreations has persisted even despite their current struggles. One of the few recreations the Landen as a people still indulge in are the traditional seasonal festivals. Though these affairs are nowhere near as awe-inspiring as they once were, they are nonetheless a few remaining points of light in the year-long trial of lives that are otherwise very difficult. The Blood seem to ignore most of them, unable to relate to such events that do not honor or even really reference the Darkness. The only one of these festivals that really draws any of their attention is the mid-summer festival, because the yearly bullfighting tournament is part of its normal offerings. Though the Blood are not bullfighters (these men are considered artists, or professional athletes, depending on whom you ask. It isn’t something you simply learn on a weekend, as many overly-ambitious Blood have discovered the hard way), many of them are nonetheless fascinated with the event. Fights are held around the year, and are an industry unto themselves complete with owners, trainers, and a robust gambling system. It is the yearly tournament that draws the most attention, however. One matador is recognized as the most skilled in the territory, and he carries that title for the entire year until the next tournament the following summer. If the Landen had any celebrities of their own, this Rey de los Toreros would be it.

The Blood support the trade with their patronage as spectators and gamblers, even if they are denied the chance to participate in the ring. In addition, the Blood have found other ways to entertain themselves, though some say they are no less dangerous.

The Dhemlanese are masters of excess. Born of a passionate people, the current climate of tension and discontent often wears on the aristocrats who must endure it. Many of them seek solace via the various concoctions of the Black Widow Coven. While this has not yet exceeded the level of “harmless” fun in the general consensus, there are nonetheless a few Queens in Dhemlan who may be under a little more of the Coven’s influence than they’re explicitly aware.

Many aristo males have more money and aggression in them than sense, and though there is generally no penalty for Blood killing Blood, the super-influential Conclave of Priestesses frowns upon men permanently harming Blood women in the course of slaking their lusts. Landen girls, however, present a convenient loophole. While not something that is yet widely known, there is nonetheless a growing sex trade inspired by some of Little Terreille’s darker aspects. Some less-scrupulous Dhemlanese entrepreneurs have figured out that Blood Males of Dhemlan’s elite class will pay top dollar for the chance to use a Landen woman as they please without having to concern themselves with the damage done to the girl. These affairs are handled with the utmost discretion, from arrangement to clean-up, so that not even the men arranging the pairings know precisely who it is that’s paying them. If the Landen community in Dhemlan ever discovered this practice, there would undoubtedly be significant consequences.

Historically, neither Dhemlanese race has had a problem making time to enjoy the fruits of their labor. They were known for their passion for living, once upon a time, and it was this passion that gave rise to so many remarkable artisanal and artistic pursuits. The Dhemlanese were the lovers, the artists, the connoisseurs of soul, because making time to enjoy living the lives they worked so hard for was considered as necessary as the work itself. Across the territory, workers at all levels used to retire from their jobs somewhere around midday in order to go home and rest and visit with their families. They returned to work to finish their day, then played late into the night at a variety of recreations. One of the many reasons the Landen are so discontent currently is because the aristocracy’s unreasonable demands for higher yields and higher taxes means that the workers have almost no time to do anything except work. Long days and short, hurried nights do not produce the same life-loving, passionate people the Dhemlanese used to be.

The Dhemlanese Landen have proven to be tough and adaptable, however. When they found themselves shut out of the famous Saturday Markets in Torrevieja, near Amdarh, in favor of Blood merchants only, the Landen organized themselves. Through the formation of a Landen council, they rallied for the right to sell at the markets. They were largely ignored until they worked together to cease food production for most of the Territory, at which point the local leaders complained up the chain of authority until Mitra Sa Roya was forced to address the issue. The Landen won their petition, and food production went back to normal. However, the entire exercise taught the Landen a lesson they would not soon forget: in large enough numbers, they could force even the Blood to listen to them.

The Council was not dissolved after the opening of the markets. It was expanded, instead, into a series of labor syndicates, each under a single head. Eventually, each industry had its own syndicate, and each syndicate head became part of the Council. The Council elected a leader to be the liaison between the Landen labor force and the Blood government at the territory level. Though as of now no territory-wide initiatives have been launched since that first shut down of the food supply, this Council has slowly been maneuvering itself into positions strategic enough that specific industries can be bottlenecked or cut off completely, if the need arises.