[Culture] Ruive

[Robin01_boy 269]

Ruive

(Ruibhe)

 

 

 

Introduction

 

The Ruivians are human folk who have come from the Wildlands to the Northern part of Almaris with an ambition to create a safe haven for everyone no matter their race, color, political or religious views. It all started with the founder Petrus Redfist, who set out from his home in the Wildlands with an ambition to create a truly free and accepting culture.

 

Ruive started off small, but with the like minded races coming together, the settlement grew quickly and expanded at a rapid pace with Petrus Redfist becoming the de facto founder. Eventually, it became a multicultural hotspot with many different races co-existing in one place all coming from various backgrounds, some even dark backgrounds. The Ruive culture primarily focuses on the worship of the pagan Gods, however it was not enforced and everyone had the choice to believe it or not. With the help and contribution of everyone, Petrus Redfist managed to create the city of his dreams that became a beacon of hope to everyone who wants to start a new life. Thus the settlement  became a prosperous city where everyone has equal opportunities and nobody is persecuted or outcasted, no matter their race culture of faith

 

The Ruivians themselves  are pagan vagabonds who see their clan members as family, following the motto “Aon airson na h-uile agus a h-uile càil airson aon.(One for all and all for one.)” or “One for all and all for one.” The clan is a close knit community of members who all come from different pasts and backgrounds, to forge a new future together. Despite their mean demeanor, the Redfists are extremely nice people who are against tyrannical and governmental rule and will spare no man, effort or resources to help their fellow regular people, thus gaining the title
“The Champions of the People.”

 

 

History
 

Clan Father Petrus Redfist and the Redfist family

 

(A depiction of the Redfist Family tree - 1828)

 

Petrus (Peadrus) was a happy orenian man from the middle class that liked to travel around the world, exploring all of the different cultures. He was a loved person and pillar of the community that was always ready to help the ones in need. Petrus lived a happy life, but there was one thing that he couldn’t ignore. That was the abuse he saw everywhere by people in power. People in power, being guards, the rich or other people with influence. However he didn’t do anything against this since he was not the person that would cause trouble. Eventually found his wife in Oren. Together they had 3 sons: Rean, Edward and John. They continued living their happy life, but this was short term since a few years later Petrus’ wife got killed ‘by accident’ by the Imperial State Army.

 

The death of his wife, shaped Petrus’ and their kid’s lives. After her death, Petrus didn’t sit there and cried in a corner. He was not that kind of man. He got his weapons out of his closet and always kept them close-by. Now when he saw someone harassing someone else he didn’t walk past it, but confronted the harasser which often led to a fight. One day, Petrus was on his way back from picking mushrooms for his famous stew, when he saw that a woman from his community was getting robbed by four armed men. Upon seeing that, Petrus dropped his mushrooms on the ground and ran towards the situation where he took on all four of the bandits with his bare fists. After he killed all of them, he picked his mushrooms back up and helped the woman to get back home. Upon entering the city, Petrus had blood all over his clothes from the bandits and still had his fist, blood red balled from the fight. The people saw his fist and heard the story about Petrus’ bravery saving this helpless woman, so they gave him the nickname ‘Red fist’. The following weeks he continued living his life with his sons until he had enough of seeing all of the nonsense that comes with the city life so he prepared his stuff to leave. So Petrus and his three young children set off on a trip to the unknown.

 

Petrus and his children walked through, untamed forests, crossed rivers and climbed mountains to finally get to their destination, deep in The Wildlands. They put up their tent, unpacked their belongings and took a little break to explore their home. Petrus immediately started teaching his children what they had to know to survive in such harsh conditions. Those things were for example how to provide shelter for yourself, how to hunt, skin and prepare an animal, how to farm and how to easily cross terrain.

 

One summer night Petrus Redfist has a dream while laying in his bed, where he sees a vision of a new culture, a culture that would not oppress anyone and allow everyone to do what they wanted and be who they wanted. However, from the dream it was clear that the culture of his dreams did not lay in the Wildlands, but somewhere further up Almaris. So one fateful day, Petrus Redfist gathered his belongings and his three children and set out in search of the place where he could establish a city and start shaping his vision. After travelling for a few years. Petrus and his children found a place where with the help of his sons, he could start creating a culture where everyone can enjoy themselves without being judged or prosecuted based on their beliefs, race and religious views.

 

The opening of the Ruivian culture

Having come from Canonism himself, Petrus Redfist debated long and hard whether to allow outsiders to enter his culture or just keep it between himself and his three sons: Read, Edward and John. For some time the culture was kept as private as possible within their little settlement, due to the fact that Petrus Redfist was afraid that Ruive would be subverted by Canonists or by other races who join in order to twist the culture and abuse it for their own benefits. This distrust built by his exposure to Canonism, was quite deep seated and was extremely difficult to overcome. After a few years of living together with his three sons, Petrus decided that it was finally time to expand the settlement and open up the culture for others to join. This change in his perception was prompted by the fact that he had realised that by keeping the culture as private as possible he was denying the freedom it offers to others who wish to escape the enforced cultures and beliefs by Canonist, as well as, for those who feel outcast and that they do not belong anywhere in Almaris.

 

Following his change of heart, Petrus Redfist started to slowly accept passersby and travelers who would stumble upon the settlement that he created and built up together with his sons. Petrus and his family or as they later became known as the Redfist Clan, started to accept everyone with open arms who wanted to live in their settlement which was founded as a free city where everyone is allowed to do whatever they want when it comes to their jobs, housing, families, marriages, etc. Furthermore, the settlement allows every race to enter it and live there, no matter if they are Orc, Human, High Elf, or any other culture. As long as the newcomers accepted the rules that were established by Petrus Redfist, they were welcomed with open arms and given a plot of land where they could start building their living settlement. By accepting everyone, the settlement grew quickly becoming a multicultural boiling pot, where all the different races and cultures/religions were intermixed, and everyone living together in harmony and in peace.

 

Ruivian way of life

 

The primary way of life for the Ruivians is to live a sustainable life by hunting animals, fishing whales, farming and trade with other nations and people. The Ruivian way of life is that of a passive one, where they do not interfere or get involved in political conflicts with other nations and don’t enter into any military or political alliances. Although they have their own military, with most people in the settlement knowing how to fight, you will not see anyone unsheathe their sword or start a fight without a proper reason. Such a way of life was established by the founder Petrus Redfist as he wanted to create a truly free settlement where everyone could do their own thing and not be bothered by the conflicts and petty squabbles of the outside world.

 

Although Ruivians do not want to be bothered by anyone, they still enter into certain political agreements such as Trade agreements and Non-Aggression. The main reason for entering into trade agreements with other nations is due to the fact that Ruivians like to both export and import various goods and share them with other nations and cultures. The main reason for entering into Non-Aggression pacts is because they want to do everything in their power to avoid getting involved in wars and political struggles as they simply view them as a waste of time which leads to enemies and many deaths. Despite the Ruivians leading a peaceful life, they will take up arms if provoked or if they are dragged into a conflict, in order to defend their settlement. Other than that, a Ruivian will not take up arms for any other reason, other than self-defence.

 

By leading peaceful lives and focusing on developing their own settlement, the Ruivians have ensured that they can always sustain themselves both in harsh winters when there are no harvests and during hot summers when the crops are dying or are unable to be harvested, as well as, during times of war and famine. With a surplus amount of food in their storage, they are able to survive most calamities and famines, while also sharing crops with other who are in need of help.

 

 

Language

 

The Ruivians speak a language that is known as Agnethe, which was originally spoken by the Barr and Suther clan originally located North of Norland. The language is divided into two variations: Barr Agnethe, and Suther Agnethe. However during the 7th year of the second age, a great avalanche happened which almost wiped out all the members of both clans with only a few remaining survivors. This caused the language to be believed as an extinct language. However, Petrus Redfist managed to encounter a survivor of the Suther clan member, Cotrìona Caimbeul, who taught him the language itself. Wanting to preserve the language that was once thought to be extinct, Petrus decided to make Agnethe the main language of the Redfists, as well as, the main language of the settlement. (This language is equivalent with the modern-day language of Scottish Gaelic, with certain LOTC terminology translated.) 

 

These are the common phrases that can be used by people who do not possess the knowledge of the Agnethe language:

Hello - Halò

Thank you - Tapadh leat

Goodbye - Mar sin leat 

Sorry - Duilich

I - Mi

You - Thu

They - Said

Yes (For yes/no questions) - Tha

No (For yes/no questions) - Chan eil

 

The Agnethe language also has unique names for the names of the locations:

Norland - Nortiann

Haense - Thànsen

Oren - Orà

Haelun’or - Thàlundh

Urguan - Uruguà

Lucienburg - Dùn Liùsaidh

Yong Ping - Yong Ping / Litiann 

Talon’s Port - Port Thalò

Krugmar - Cruadh

Elvenesse - Aibhia

Sutica - Suetica

Fakhr - Inbir Tangier

Freeport - Port Saorachd

Finally the following words are referencing the races:

Daonna - (Human)

Sìthiche - (Elf/Fairy/Spirits)

Galaban - (Dwarf)

Mithean - (Farfolk/Commoners )

 

Despite Agnethe being the main spoken language of the Ruiviians and the city founded by Petrus, it is not mandatory nor enforced and anyone who joins will be free to use their own language or dialect when communicating with each other. As his final decree regarding the language, Petrus Redfist ensured that the Ruive culture would allow everyone no matter their race or social status to speak whichever language they prefer be it Agnethe, Elven or any other language that each individual member wishes to speak/use.

 

 

Appearance

 

When it comes to appearances, Ruive allows everyone to wear what they want, be it a dress, a suit of armor, a traditional clothing or anything else the person desires. There are no formal requirements for both men and women to wear any particular style of clothing. Although everyone is allowed to wear what they want, the members of the Redfist family and the Redfist Clan wear their uniforms in most cases, except when they are living in their own homes or are off-duty and there are no clan events or activities. The clothes of the clan members are usually black or a mixture of black and red, made from the fur of the animal.

 

(A couple of sketches of Ruivians/Redfists - 1828)

 

 

Names

 

Since the culture is open to everyone and consists of a mix of different races and nationalities, its members do not have specific names by which they are called. However, some notable names in the culture are:

 

Petrus Redfist - The Founder of clan Redfist and the Ruivian culture

Rean Redfist - The oldest son of Petrus and the one that followed Petrus up as the Clan Father.

Edward Redfist - The middle son of  Petrus that spend most of his time at sea.

John Redfist - The youngest son  of Petrus and clan lead.

 

 

Values

 

Ruive is guided by two simple principles established by Petrus Redfist. The first principle is “One for all and All for one.” This principle serves as a guide that everyone is responsible for each other in their day to day lives. When one member of the culture gets hurt or is robbed of his belonging or in the worst case scenario his life, all the members will assemble and decide how to proceed while also seeking revenge for their fallen member. The second principle is “An eye for an eye.” This principle means that the person should be punished according to the way in which they offended. For example, if a person would kill another member of the culture, then the offender will be forfeiting his life. Although such a principle might seem brutish and inhumane from the outside perspective, the main reason why Petrus Redfist created it is to ensure that crime would not happen and that potential offenders will be deterred from coming acts that would harm other members.

 

Norms
 

Làmh

Làmh is a gesture performed by the young generation to their family elders as a sign of respect and a sign that they are requesting the elders blessing and their wisdom. This gesture is performed where a younger person places their forehead on the elders hand. This gesture is usually performed on the elders right hand. By offering your hand to the elder, you show that you are seeking their blessing and wisdom. This stems from the fact that Ruivians place a high value on family, not only showing love but also loyalty to their elders. Although some members of the Ruive culture practice it, the gesture itself is not widespread, meaning that not everybody practices it.

 

 

“Expect to be treated the same way you treat others”

Not exactly a norm, but more of a principle that the people who follow the Ruive culture abide by. The main goal of this is to ensure that everyone is treated equally and fairly amongst each other, thus preventing conflicts, arguments, fights and many other consequences of people not respecting each other's race, status or religion. The Ruivians follow this because they believe that you should be treated the same way you treat other people. So if you constantly treat people with disrespect and insult them, you will be treated by everyone the same way.

 

Society

 

 

Although Petrus Redfist founded the culture, as well as the Redfist family, he can be credited as the founder of the Ruive culture and the de facto ruler of the settlement. 

However, Petrus did not want to be the one who holds all the power and has final say in every matter, so he decided that instead of one ruler, the Redfist family would become the rulers of the settlement. However, Petrus Redfist wanted to ensure that the everyone’s voice would be heard in the settlement no matter their race, gender, or religion, thus it was decided that before a decision would be taken, it would announce to the general public, and they could cast a vote of whether they were in favor or not. Once the results were obtained, the Redfist family as the official rulers, would then count the number of votes and then decide whether the decision/law should be introduced or not. Despite the popular voting, Petrus decided that the person who would rule the settlement would either be a member of the Redfist family, or if nobody from the family wanted to take over the power, then an appropriate candidate would be selected, and the people will then vote of whether he is fit to rule the settlement or not.

 

Ruive allows everyone who joined the settlement to choose what they want to do. If someone wants to worship their own Gods, they are free to do so and practice whatever their religion requires. Although if somebody wants to convert to paganism, they are more than welcome to. When it comes to men and women, they are not forced to fit into their traditional roles. Military service is not mandatory and whether a man or a woman wishes to join it, is purely based on their own wish, desire and how they want to spend their lives. When it comes to children, they have the option to join a local school and learn a variety of different subjects, or they can decide to dedicate their life to something else, be it a fisherman, adventurer, vagabond, or a military man.

 

Finally, it was decided by Petrus Redfist, that the settlement will remain neutral in most of the conflicts, as he strongly believed that there was no need to sacrifice men, women and children to fight wars which bring unnecessary deaths and casualties. However, if the settlement would come under attack, then both the Redfist family members and the residents will come together to protect the settlement and defeat any invaders.

 

 

Behaviour

 

The members of the Redfist family, themselves, are very friendly towards the common people and fellow members of their settlement. Despite having occasional fights with each other, each Redfist sees the clan members as part of his own family which created an unbreakable bond between all the members, which gave birth to one of their values “All for one, and one for all.” When a member of the Redfist family is in trouble, everyone rallies together to help and punish those who have caused harm. However, if nobody threatens their settlement, friends or the members, the Redfists are quite friendly and can be approached or contacted by raven by anyone who seeks help, protection or shelter.

 

When it comes to the people who follow the culture or reside in the settlement founded by Petrus Redfist, it is impossible to assign a specific behavior to them, as everyone comes from a different race and background, with everyone being unique and bringing that uniqueness to the settlement and even to the culture. All of this, allows both the culture and the settlement to be a huge melting pot full of a vivid variety of clothing, jobs and people, as well as, boasting a colorful palette of various personalities, both friendly and not so much.

 

 

Festivities
 

The Birth of Petrus Redfist
 

This celebration is dedicated to the birth of the person who started it all, Petrus Redfist. During this day of celebration, the Redfists throw a large banquet with all kinds of foods and drinks from different parts of Almaris. Everyone is allowed to join the banquet and celebrate together the birth of Petrus Redfist. During the banquet not only food and drinks are provided, but games as well, where people can challenge each other or where anyone who wants could challenge a member of the Redfists, even the leader himself. Some of the games include fighting, hunting, bow and crossbow competitions, amongst many other activities.

 

The Great Harvest

 

When it is a time of cooling and decay, as the leaves turn color and the temperature begins to drop. It is a short season, as Winter steadily approaches, thus the oncoming of Autumn. During the autumn season once a year on The First Seed, the harvest is celebrated. During The Great Harvest, all the residents of the settlement work together to finish gathering the crops and then transport them to storage, where they will be held throughout the cold winters. After all the jobs are done, everyone gathers at the tavern for a celebration, where they celebrate the final days of Autumn, symbolising that most of the farm work has been done, as they prepare for the cold and calm winter.

 

 

Winter’s Farewell

 

 

Winter is a grim season, where snow regularly falls, while crops are no longer able to grow. Winter begins with an immense cooling, which is then followed by blizzards. The days are short and nights are long. The celebration known as Winter's Farewell happens once a year starting at the end of winter and lasts for six days, until the first weeks of the spring season. The celebration officially starts on The Amber Cold and ends on Sun’s Smile. During this celebration, people gather around a large campfire where they socialise, have food and drinks. Every resident of the settlement is visiting his family, friends, neighbours to socialise and share their experiences. The reason for this celebration is that the people who follow the Ruive culture,  believe that by doing this celebration they are scaring the winter away, making it end quicker, thus allowing spring to come faster.

 

 

 

Religion

 

History

 

Petrus Redfist was a canonist himself for most of his life, however when he left to the Wildlands and then with his three sons left to find a place where eventually the Ruive Culture would be born, he decided that rather than worshipping one God and enforces his rules, it would be much more freeing if there were multiple Gods and everyone could choose if they wanted to worship all of them or just one of them. This thought led Petrus and his three sons to adopt Paganism as their main religion.

 

 

The Pagan Gods

 

Dagda (An Daghdha):

Dagda is the god of the Sky, Thunder and War, depicted as a warrior with muscles and a copper beard. He is also depicted with his weapons,  a bow and arrows. Dagda is considered to be the strongest and most powerful among all the Gods.

 

 

 

Lugh (An Lùgh):

Lugh which literally translates as the Giver. He is in charge of giving people wealth, as well as fulfilling his duty as the keeper and provider of the Sun. Lugh is depicted with a sun halo around his head and a sun orb in his hand. Every day he was born and grew older as the day went. When he died, the world would see a sunset and when he was reborn the next day, the world would see the sunrise.

 

 

 

Danu (Dandh):

 

Danu, the son of Dagda and is the God of winds, air and sky. Referred to as the God that is always on the move. He roams in open space and is able to squeeze into the tiniest of spaces. Danu is depicted as an old man holding a hunting horn which he uses to call upon the wind. As a God, he is slightly antisocial and doesn't like to spend time with other Gods, but when Danu is needed, he will arrive as quickly as the wind.

 

 

 

Diarmaid (Diarmad):

Diarmaid is the God of fire and fertility and is considered the right hand man of Dagda. He is a shapeshifter who either looked like a young warrior with flames surrounding him or a large, winged dog, as most of the time he preferred to take the shape of a dog. By using his wings, he assembled to fly and was seen by the people as quite intelligent and fast.

 

 

 

Eostre:

Eostre, the only female amongst the Gods. She is the goddess of fate and the protector of women during childbirth, as well as, spent her time watching over the weavers and spinners. Eostre enjoyed spending her time dressed as an old woman, wandering around the human world and visiting people in their homes.

 

 

 

Loegaire:

Loegaire is the king of the underworld, harvest and cattle. He was described to be wooly, wet, hairy and dark with his interest lying in wealth, music, magic and treachery. He was the main enemy of Dagda and they were often at war with each because Veles was a sneaky, mischievous god often stealing Dagda's son, wife, cattle or whatever he could get his hands on. His thievery resulted in attack from Dagda who threw down lighting bolts to the valley, where Loegaire lived. The fight between these two gods was believed to be the changing of seasons. The dry period was when Veles was stealing while the storms meant that Dagda was defending his possessions putting Loegaire back in his place.
 

 

 

[alexdraganoid 50]

+1

[MNT_Plovdiv 342]

Nice culture +1

[Hephaestus 1317]

46 minutes ago, Robin01_boy said:

Danu (Dandh):

 

Danu, the son of Dagda and is the God of winds, air and sky. Referred to as the God that is always on the move. He roams in open space and is able to squeeze into the tiniest of spaces. Danu is depicted as an old man holding a hunting horn which he uses to call upon the wind. As a God, he is slightly antisocial and doesn't like to spend time with other Gods, but when Danu is needed, he will arrive as quickly as the wind.

 

 

 

[Vlaming 37]

+1

[MC_Celina 177]

Ver pog +1

[Rullvard 11]

+1