Please to enjoy- The Culture of Nocturne
the people of Nocturne live in a
variety of different places. They are a
hearty and sturdy people usually growing on average to around 5’8, though some
have been known to reach heights of 7 feet, with the ability to survive in one
of the most unforgiving climates.
Because of the never ending night their skin has evolved over time to be
slightly thicker than that of other humans, and recognizable by their pale,
ashy complexion. They also have more
acute senses to work around in the unyielding darkness. It is said that like other predatory animals,
the people of Nocturne have adapted eyes capable of cutting through the black
because of a layer of cells called the tapetum
lucidum (meaning "bright carpet). The tapetum is a thick reflective
membrane, 15 cells wide, directly beneath the retina. It collects and re-emits
light back to the retina a second time, giving the rods a second chance to
absorb the image information, thus maximizing the little light available to
them. As this light is reflected off the tapetum, the animal's eyes appear to
glow.
A large city in Nocturne is usually
based around one of the many Abyss caves,
with the lord of that specific holdfast not far away. Around the castle is the rest of the city
under the control of that lord which is then encircled by a high wall and any
other fortifications specific to that region.
Now beyond the city walls and even out into the wilds, there existed
smaller towns that would cluster together and if they delivered goods to the
city they too would be under the protection of the lord, usually from one of
his many vassals. With no real regional
specific currency to speak of, until the rise of Nocturne’s first Sovereign,
Nocturne Nero, trade was based mostly on the bartering of one good to pay for
another. As mentioned in a previous
installment, the more prominent families took the Void’s avatars as the sigils of their great houses. Like the seven exalted avatars of Void there were seven houses that took
it upon themselves to carve up the country and lay stake to each portion. The
seven houses of Nocturne are:
¨
Nero-
Sigil- the Skeleton- one of the most well-known families in all of Nocturne,
which shares its namesake with many of its members. They are as cunning as they are strong and
because of this laid the ground work that would make Nocturne what it is today,
a robust and bustling civilization. They made their home within the spiral of
the Grimm Fang Mountains and hold lordship over all those that dwell within the
safety of those mountains.
¨
Kage-Sigil-
the Grimm Wolf-a crafty tribe, like the Nero’s’ and one of their closest
neighbors as well as the first one to name them Sovereign over what became
Nocturne. They hold claim over the
Midnight Forests; a large grove that fills the mouth leading to the Grimm Fang
Mts; which if it wasn’t for their small numbers, they could have proven quite
the threat to House Nero.
¨
Umber-
Sigil- the Sabertooth- seen as one of the simpler minded of families, but for
what they lack in intelligence they make up for in brute strength. Positioned towards the northern part of the
continent where the snow and cold are a constant reminder of the ever harsh
living conditions that Nocturne presents to its citizens.
¨
Grimoire-
Sigil- the Siege Crow- the keepers of the history of Nocturne. They are of a relatively none combative
family, and along with House Kage are one of the first to lend their banners to
House Nero. Like their sigil suggests
they prefer to watch and learn from their enemies movements before planning an
attack. Seen as accomplished strategists.
Their city is more like a giant library, filled with all the knowledge
of their world.
¨
Braken-Sigil-The
Leviathan- The tyrants of the sea, House Braken has been sacking and pillaging
all along the Eastern coast of the Empire for as long as time itself. Making their home on a series of islands due
east of Nocturne they have constructed a culture dependent on the sea and
comprised of pirates and buccaneers.
They have taken for their sigil an image that inspires fear to those on
the mainland, the mighty Leviathan, known for its abundance of heads and a
taste for the ships of men.
¨
Blight-Sigil-
the Abyss Salamander-the Shadows of Nocturne; they handle the jobs that require
a certain level of silence. They are
masters of espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination. They are feared for their use of poisons,
especially those that come from the Abyss Salamanders that populate the swamps
of their home. They are known to be one
of the few houses that will allow outsiders to be assimilated into their ranks,
but to do so is for life.
¨
Dornenkrone-Sigil-
the Grand Stag- they are the spiritual masters of Nocturne and the leaders when
it comes to the training of young Abbots in the ways of Void. At
Dornenhaus, members are instructed in the rites and passages of Void. But the way of Void is not the only thing
they specialize in. they are also
responsible for some of the greatest advances in medicine that Nocturne has
ever seen
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