The Balianese: Volume I

[Kingdom of Balian 484]

 

 

 

THE BALIANESE

THE HEARTLANDERS OF THE TERRA DEL SUR

Volume I

 

Luis Francesc Jacint-Almeida i Martin

&

Rupert Theobert Napier

 

Royal Balianese Academy

2 Harren’s Folly

1915 IC | 48 BA

VOLUME I: CONTENTS

    

I. Introduction

II. History

III. Civic Culture

IV. Physical Traits

V. Language and Nomenclature

 

VOLUME II: CONTENTS

 

VI. Introduction

VII. Martial Culture

VIII. Religion

IX. Cuisine

X. Notable Figures

 

I. INTRODUCTION

 

Dear reader,

 

The Balianese are a people forged in the crucible of catastrophe, war and exile. Since the days of the Brothers’ War to the present era of Cloudbreaker and new Atrus, the story of Balian has been one of survival against the odds. Despite this, much of our history has never been consigned to written work. 

 

For decades now, the Royal Balianese Academy has sought to generate support for a comprehensive effort documenting the development of Balianese civilization. Though our work is far from completed, we aim for this publication to form the framework for that movement. In this volume, we aim to provide an in-depth study of the Balianese, encompassing elements of Balianese culture ranging from the history of the Terra del Sur to the development of the Balianese language. 

 

Important distinction must be made between the demonym of ‘Balianese’ and ‘Balianite’. In this context, the label of Balianese applies to those modern inhabitants of the Kingdom of Balian founded by John I in the 19th century. Balianite, subsequently referred to as Balthalite from here on in this text, refers to the ancient people of Balian in the time of Saint Lothar of Balian, several millennia ago, and despite some scholarly misconceptions is not applicable to the present-day Balianese. 

 

Though we initially set out to publish this text in a single document, over the course of the writing process, the body of our work became too lengthy to justify this. That being so, we have split this title into two volumes. May the educated reader derive some illumination from both.

 

Viva al Regne,

Almeida & Napier

 

II. HISTORY

 

The modern Balianese identity can be described as a composite of three major influences: the Petrine peoples of the fallen Holy Orenian Empire, the Rhenyari of the east, and the lost civilization of the Balthalites. Each has played a significant role in shaping the national traditions of the Heartlanders of the Terra del Sur, albeit the Petrine primarily by blood and heritage, and the Rhenyari and Balthalites by ethos and culture.

 

The oldest of Balian’s codified heroes, or nobelissimos, that Balianese nobility can claim lineage from is Anne Augusta, Holy Orenian Empress, and for good reason. It is her union with Joseph II that begins the modern Petrine identity from which the Balianese claim descent. Anne Augusta’s marriage to Joseph II marked a watershed moment among the Heartlander peoples, where two long estranged camps of Heartlander identities, the commercially-inclined Adrians and the imperious, militant Renatians, came together under Peter III with the Edict of Succession of 1759 to captain one of the great civilizations of the world.

 

PETRINE HERITAGE

 

The new Petrine identity corresponded with the great successes of the Imperial capital of Helena in the eighteenth century, the era coming to be defined by its people’s resilience, grit, cosmopolitanism, legal scholarship, adherence to martial drill, urban reform, and mysticism. A more in-depth understanding of the Petrine identity can be found in Celestine E. Herbert’s The Heart of the Tapestry: An Ethnographic Study of the Imperial Crownlands.

 

However, the failure and excesses of various Imperial monarchs and their governments festered into a slow national decline. A crisis of identity loomed as the Petrine people had failed to define their traditions beyond their Imperial achievements. With a leadership too unaligned to deliver meaningful reform of the crumbling state, the Petrine culture stagnated and never managed to invigorate a now meretricious Empire. 

 

Civil discord, rebellion, coups, and great coalition wars all checkered the Empire’s last days, before it finally collapsed in a succession war between the imperial princes Peter Augustus and Frederick Charles. When the Brothers’ War concluded and Oren’s last emperor, Peter IV, had been slain by Frederick Fratricida, the usurper rounded up and forcibly deported all those who had fought in support of his elder brother’s throne. Ultimately, whatever national ambitions of the Petrine people to return to their past glories went to the grave with their final monarch. 

 

THE GRANDUCATO AND THE HARVEST WAR (1869—1884) 

 

Peter IV’s uncle and supporter, the Prince John Casimir of Renzfeld, realized this truth, and began to set course away from the ruins of the Empire into the new lands south, to work towards a new kind of providence for his displaced followers. The growing identity of the settlers was colored by the Prince’s own personal taste - John’s upbringing at court had brought him a particular fascination with the tales of Old Rhen, propagated by the first Novellen Governor of the Palace, Jahan Basrid. He adopted neo-Akritian dress, customs, and even their stargazing traditions, to mixed reception among the now displaced Petrine people.

 

By tracking the star of Saint Lothar of Balian, John Casimir found a natural spring on the Mont Monterosa, and founded the city of Atrus upon it, electing to form the Grand Duchy of Balian in honor of the saint whose star led him to such an oasis. His reign is where the Balianese language emerged, a form of bastard Flexio that was utilized to unify the indigenous Qali, the Petrine settlers, and Rhenyari traders that often came to bargain for the settlement’s resources and, more often than not, prey on the King’s Akritophilia. The Balianese identity remained muddled and uncodified for a long time, as great swathes of the population remained unconvinced of John’s Akritian fascinations, and instead clung to Imperial legend in the hope of redemption.

 

A notable split in the nascent Balianese identity emerged after a brigade including the Balianese knight Sir Apollyon Marshall managed to slay King Frederick during the Harvest War, thereby avenging the lost cause of the last Emperor. Some saw justice delivered in full, while others saw an opportunity to restore the Petrine connection to the mainland. 

 

THE DIASPORAZION (1884—1900) 

 

The allied victory in the Harvest War had led the nascent Balianese duchy to royal ascendancy, but it also had led to the formation of two factions under John I’s reign - each dividing their support between his two sons, Alexander and Constantine. While Alexander, heir to Balian, sought to continue the King’s model of neo-Akritianism, Constantine rejected what he believed was fundamentally the clumsy imitation of a long-dead civilization with no tangible connection to the settlers of the Monterosa. 

 

These dissenting views came to a head when the King and the Chancellor of the Petra contracted an arranged marriage between Prince Constantine and the Archduchess of the Petra, Renilde Novellen-Temesch et Moere, thereby sending his second son north to the lands of the old country. Within a decade, many former Imperial officers and bureaucrats (by now of venerable years) left for the Petra with Constantine, who adopted the Petran name of Constanz-Anton upon assuming his role as the Archduchess’ consort. This exodus greatly diminished the quality of Balian’s leadership, placing a strain on the country’s administrative and military resources. Moreover, emigration was not confined to the educated classes, with many of the children of the first pioneers leaving the Terra del Sur seeking further economic opportunities in the industrialized Heartlands, as migrant workers. In the midst of this phenomena, known as the Diasporazion, the octogenarian John I expired, his constitution weakened by the crisis. 

 

The Diasporazion was accompanied by the proliferation of anti-Balianese sentiment amongst the Heartlands, spurred by local feeling turning against the migrant workers. This antipathy was compounded in part by the Imperial ancestry of the Balianese, with many Heartlanders holding the legacy of the Empire in ill regard. 

 

THE RENOVATIO (1900—) 

 

The impact that the Diasporazion had on the Balianese identity cannot be understated. With much of the country's administrative talent sourced elsewhere, Atrus and its surrounding territories proved more prone to famine, emigration, disease, and economic hardship. By the year Alexander I had finally inherited, Balian’s adult population had roughly halved since its height during the time of his predecessor’s royal coronation.

 

However, it was under Alexander’s reign that the Safar Missive reached the Balianese government and spurred significant change for its ailing society. A letter from the foreign power of Ba’as, it challenged Balian’s neo-Akritianism and instead offered a new path for the country’s development by aligning with the eastern realm’s values and interests. As a result, Balian welcomed a number of eastern administrators to rebuild their country’s infrastructure and bureaucracy, reform their cultural identity, and capitalize on one of the rare benefits of their location in the arid south - the pursuit of rare artifacts of the St. Lothar’s lost Balthalite civilization, that Ba’as revealed was in the Terra del Sur.

 

Under King Alexander, Balian has pursued a policy of Renovatio, codifying many of its traditions and building up new institutions. Rather than simply mirror the extinct Akritian kingdoms of old, the Renovatio pushes Balian to take cultural concepts from Petrine, Rhenyari, and old Balthalite society to build a new model one. As more and more of the Stones of St. Lothar, tablets depicting his life and realm, were recovered, Balianese society began to see itself as a modern successor to the extinct Balthalite civilization, and thus began to mold their society closer to his image. 

 

All these reforms came in a timely fashion, as they gave Balian the momentum and drive to confront one of its greatest challenges, the mythical undead dragon Cloudbreaker. Defeating the aberration had been a clear triumph for the Balianese. The new Atrus built in the wake of its draconic assault has become the center of a new definitive Balianese identity, one that transcends imperial ambition and now exists as its own unique entity.

 

 

“Que es la rota, sino locomozion manifesta?

Per avanza, empegna mais oltre, encontra la frontera, i empresa, 

Aquest era esperit de la Veca Balian. 

Una coche movida per duos rotas, fe i stat.”

 

(What is the wheel, but locomotion manifest? 

To roll onwards, push further, find the frontier, and enterprise. 

That was the ethos of the Old Balian. 

A chariot driven by two wheels, faith and state.)

 

St. Lothar of Balian, The Second Tablet: On the Wheel, translated into Balianese and Common, c. 1912

 

III. CIVIC CULTURE

 

FE, STAT I PROSPERITAT

 

The rhyming archwords of the Balianese phrase ‘fe, stat i prosperitat’ translate to Common as ‘faith, state and prosperity’, and this motto neatly summarizes the ethos of the Heartlanders of the Terra del Sur. 

 

(The markets of Renduzzo, in the Kingdom of Balian.)

 

The virtue of faith, while in modern times is usually interpreted as connoting religious piety and loyalty to the Church of the Canon, actually carries a deeper meaning as Saint Lothar intended it. In the Lotharian context, faith is a force that eclipses temporal logic and reason, linking to the ultimate truth and powering the meaning and purpose derived from that connection. It is an intangible yet powerful source of guidance transcending the limitations of the physical world, and it was this interpretation of faith that rallied the primordial Balthalites in their quest under Saint Lothar.

 

Likewise, the phrase’s reference to the state refers not specifically to a political entity - but to the collective, a community bound together by shared values, beliefs and aspirations. Far from being composed singularly of governing institutions and a regulatory authority, the Lotharian interpretation of the state entails a manifestation of the collective soul of the people. In this context, the word ‘state’ can be aligned more accurately with the modern notion of a ‘society’, in the sense that it is a partnership between its members. This partnership cannot thrive without common ground and confraternity, and so the ideal of the Balianese state serves as a source of inspiration and guidance by providing this unity of purpose. 

 

While the components of ‘faith’ and ‘state’ derive directly from the primordial writings of Saint Lothar in his Second Tablet, the third pronouncement of prosperity was coined from the philosophy of the founder of Balian, John the First, itself built off the Lotharian command of ‘enterprise’ referenced within the same text. To be Balianese is to be a pioneer, to make a living off whatever resources are available, to survive in the toughest of climes and to disavow the decadence of the last years of the Old Empire. Hard work and an inclination towards commerce are highly valued amongst the Balianese, an inheritance from the mercantile cultures of Helena and Ves, and this is tempered by the iron endurance of a frontier civilization. 

 

LOTHARIANISMO 

 

Lotharianismo, in the Common tongue expressed as ‘Lotharianism’, is best described as an expression of the ethno-cultural identity championed by the Balianese. Due to their inheritance of the Lothar Stones, as well as the founding myth of Balian’s settlement being derived from the Star of Lothar, the Balianese perceive themselves as successor to the primordial Balthalites, and hence idolize Saint Lothar as their champion. 

 

Lotharianism has now emerged as one of the forefront cultural ideologies that make up Balianese thought. Saint Lothar is viewed as an icon only next to the Exalted in their faith, and the way that Balianese navigate society is sometimes predicated on the notion of contemplating what the First Knight would do when faced with a similar challenge. 

 

The interpretation of Saint Lothar in Balianese society is best characterized as his role as the Bannerlord, rebelling and deposing his corrupted father Emperor Bero alongside his virtuous, cosmopolitan companions, called in Balianese the Lotharistas. Lothar’s band is often described as one with a strong collective will, and we see that manifest in modern Balianese society, with the capital of Balian’s motto being Things Held in Common. Other depictions link back to his work as a poet and author in the Lothar Stones, celebrating his visions of trade, love, and war. 

 

Lotharianism is a natural extension of the historical Providental thought of the Petrine people. Both act as north stars that guide their populations towards a stronger sense of virtue and national spirit. However, unlike the Eye of Providence - which existed only as a metaphysical concept inspired by Emperor Peter III’s interpretations of the Canon, the great body of which was focused on striving towards the progressive ‘achievement’ of Providence - Lotharianismo anchors itself in past antiquity, with the romantic legends of Saint Lothar and the Balthalite people. 

 

LA HAZIENTA 

 

The hazienta is an outcrop of the cultural value which the Balianese place on industriousness and commercial activity, particularly given the context of the untamed wasteland of the Terra del Sur. That being so, the concept of a hazienta is difficult to translate, but can be roughly approximated to that of an ‘estate’ or ‘factory’, in that it constitutes a private landholding dedicated to the production of some resource for sale on the market, either domestically or for export. 

 

One aspect of the noblesse oblige that the aristocrats of Balian are expected to honor is the duty of maintaining a healthy hazienta. The land grants bestowed to peers of the realm ought to be productive in some capacity, whether in matters commercial, agricultural, or industrial. Given their status as a settler people, such work is not seen as beneath the Balianese nobility or landholders, but rather part of their cultural inheritance. To help tame the arid Terra del Sur and build novel enterprise is regarded as a great virtue, and a reminder of the ingenuity and assiduousness of a people once in exile. An especially productive hazienta can lay the foundation towards a trade post or settlement under the Balianese crown.  

 

(A hazienta in the hinterlands of Balian.)

 

Balianese faith and folklore often reflects such sentiment as well, promoting the stories of how the Exalted Sigismund began his fortune in the empire bottling and selling spirits, or how the noble Saint Godwin Stafyr, even at the height of his renown, still joined his loggers at their common trade. In an ideal Balianese society, the Crown and council often review the health of the various hazientas, offering support to peers and landholders to ensure the patchwork network of trade and commerce around the capital is in good health. 

 

Hazientas with an agricultural focus may produce hardy crops amenable to the heat of the Balianese climate, including but not limited to grapes, sugar, coffee, tomatoes, peppers, cotton, lemons, olives, rice and other grains. Those of a more industrial scale may entail vineyards, mills, oil presses, abattoirs and textile factories, as well as sundry other enterprises such as silver mines or steelworks. Many hazientas contain a handful of these related activities under a common ownership, with each step of production integrated in a way that maximizes self-sufficiency. 

 

LA FUSTA

 

The fusta is an article of clothing woven from any textile and worn over the shoulders as a protective outer layer, constituting a key component of the Balianese national dress for both genders. These garments are typically dyed or decorated with colorful patterns and symbols, often suggestive of the heritage and status of the wearer. They were originally contrived in the last century to protect from the tumultuous weather conditions of the Terra del Sur, with different fabrics tailored for use in variant temperatures. This is expressed most commonly through linen or cotton fustas, which are well-suited to the summer heat of Balian, however, winter fustas are more frequently woven from wool or other heavy fabrics. They may be worn by civilians or as a part of military dress, in which instance they are designed to partially cover a soldier’s cuirass. 

 

(LEFT: A gentleman of Atrus, wearing a civilian’s fusta and wide-brimmed hat.)

RIGHT: The Constable of Balian, wearing the fusta of la Casa de Arquent.)

 

The Balianese word fusta is itself a bastardization of the Rhenyari fustanella, the furred moon-cloaks of Old Ba’as from which the fusta is originally derived. When introduced by Rhenyari traders some time in the 19th century, the fustanella - designed originally for the mountainous climes of their far-flung homeland - proved too hot and cumbersome for the Balianese sun. Moreover, the Rhenyari fustanella was complex and expensive to manufacture, with local tailors unable to effectively replicate it without the advanced knowledge of the craftsmen of Ba’as. Accordingly, the weavers of Atrus adapted it into a far simpler, looser, blanket-like garment slung over the shoulders instead of worn as a great-cloak. 

 

The original Rhenyari custom was for each fustanella’s coloration to reflect its wearer’s noble lineage. For example, the prolific Basrid family were identifiable by their customary pearl-white cloaks, even well into the time of their considerable Imperialization. These traditions have continued with the Balianese fusta, with those mantles dyed a geometric purple and yellow characteristic of those associated with the ruling dynasty. 

 

ALS VERDALGOS

 

The verdalgos (f. verdalgas) are the men and women of the Balianese aristocracy, enjoying the highest status at the court of Atrus and the privileges associated with this standing. The word verdalgo itself originates as an informal contraction of the Balianese phrase ‘ver de algo’, translating to ‘son of something’ or ‘son of someone’. They are distinct from peers, who hold a peerage in fief to the King of Balian by way of royal letters, but may not necessarily hold verdalgo status. 

 

Verdalgos have the right to stand at the dais with the King at his court, and are gifted a personalized fusta in their familial colors in the setting of a royal ceremony, whereby the monarch lowers the garment over their shoulders. Individual verdalgos of the highest regard are also eligible for personal tax concessions (not including taxes on peerages) when granted by royal decree, in exchange for the pledge of their personal military service. As with most of the upper strata of Balian, they are addressed with the prefix of don or dona for men and women respectively. However, as a sign of familiarity and the royal favor, they are also entitled to the oral address of primo and prima when spoken to by the monarch. 

 

(A depiction of a penniless verdalgo de leinua, having taken up the career of an adventuring ‘condotier’ (mercenary) in the wastelands of the Terra del Sur.)

 

The criteria for being accepted as a verdalgo remains somewhat nebulous, with different grades of verdalgo status existing in the public consciousness. For this reason, the Royal Balianese Academy established the following standards for recognition of an individual enjoying the standing of a verdalgo. 

 

• The adoption and exhibition of Balianese culture and nomenclature, which is considered the most important and non-negotiable factor, and therefore cannot be compromised;

• Possessing four grandparents recognized as either verdalgos or ancient Imperial nobility, in the case of retrospectively recognized verdalgos de leinua (of lineage);

• Productivity and contribution to the realm, in the case of verdalgos de merit (of merit), who are officiated by letters patent from the Crown;

• Marriage within one’s status;

• Literacy, including a documented family history. 

 

While verdalgo status is technically heritable, it may also be deprived from individuals who diverge from these criteria. Moreover, the grandchild of a verdalgo de merit, if all other grandparents were recognized as verdalgos of any kind, is automatically considered a verdalgo de leinua. Despite the austere origins of the hard-bitten Balianese identity, most verdalgos have a rather contradictory reputation for a gentleman’s flamboyance and a colorful sense of dress.

 

IV. PHYSICAL TRAITS

 

The Balianese phenotype carries with it many similarities with that of other Heartlander subgroups, however, ultimately also entails a handful of key differences. The information conveyed herein is a general assessment, with exceptions existing as they do in most civilizations.

 

The first wave of emigration of exiled Imperials to the arid climate of the Terra del Sur represented a substantial change in the conditions they were accustomed to enduring, leading the indigenous people of the South to dub them with the lighthearted label of the ‘Redfolk’ - in reference to the settlers’ perpetually-sunburnt skin. Today, only those Balianese of undiluted Imperial ancestry remain flushed scarlet under the sun’s rays, but the sobriquet of the Redfolk remains as a colloquialism. More typically, Balianese are tanned or olive-skinned, more so than the average Heartlander of temperate climes but not so swarthy as a Qalasheen. They tend towards darker hair colors such as black, dark brown, or copper, on account of a few generations of admixture with Rhenyari and other Farfolk, however, blondes and light browns do exist less commonly. The Balianese are usually far more hirsute than other Heartlanders, with most men possessing an abundance of coarse facial and body hair ranging from straight to slightly curled. 

 

(LEFT: The profile of a typical Balianese torrevalier.)

(RIGHT: A Balianese noblewoman, at a masquerade.)

 

Dark-rimmed and sunken eyes are prevalent amongst the Balianese, with irises of any coloring. Those with most Imperial ancestry tend towards gray, a holdout from the prolific reproduction of the primeval House of Horen, but greens, browns and blues are also present among the broader population. Additionally, most Balianese have aquiline noses, frequently verging towards hooked - another trait which they share with the Qalasheen Farfolk, distinguishing them from both conventional Heartlanders and the more distant Highlanders. They generally have a prominent facial structure, with a strong jawline and high cheekbones. Elder Balianese are usually prematurely lined and grave when compared to their Heartland progenitors, with leather-like faces from decades of sun exposure. 

 

The fashion of Balian tends towards bright and warm colors, reflective of the climate within which they have made their home. This may range from the flamboyance of a verdalgo gentleman to the simple red and orange fusta of a common merchant. The heat of the Terra del Sur makes the heavy furs and tight frocks of the Heartlands untenable, and so light and breathable forms of clothing are preferred. Wide-brimmed hats are common as shields from the sun, often pinned up on one side and, and in the case of wealthier Balianese, trimmed with an ostrich plume. For the same purpose, robes and veils of manifold colors are popular among Balianese ladies. A rare few articles of clothing are influenced by a neo-Akritian design, however, too much of an emphasis on these customs is broadly considered to be gauche and dated, akin to wearing a costume. 

 

 

“Ave Imperium! The Empire that was is gone, but the eternal Empire remains, indissoluble by worldly mandate. The throne lies empty, but we hail to our Emperor as we await his coming.”

 

Mariano Saturnino Ferraz, Nomenclature in the Language of Balian, 1891

 

V. LANGUAGE AND NOMENCLATURE

 

 

At time of writing, the Royal Balianese Academy has become aware of the widespread practice of admixing Balianese and Common in speech, with no respect to the grammatical rules of either and presumably for nationalistic reasons. While this enthusiasm must be commended, there is no reason for a Balianese gentleman to mangle the Common speech with the local language to create a kind of ‘half-half’, pidgin language. These systems of grammar are fundamentally incompatible, particularly when concerning personal pronouns and verbs. 

 

While it is understood that the codification of Balianese is a continued work in progress, these practices were not Ferraz’s intention when he ascribed the vulgar dialect of Atrus to a written form. Moreover, they are at odds with the Academy’s mission to further our language and protect its integrity. All Balianese are educated in the grammar of Common and should speak accordingly. In order to promote foreign investment in, and trade with, our homeland, we must preserve our connections with the world at large. These interests are not served by our representatives using a garbled lexicon. 

 

However, the Balianese language may be judiciously employed in some normal circumstances, specifically in the context of statements that require little grammatical parsing with Common, such as greetings, courtesies, interjections and maxims. As a general rule, the use of these singular expressions (i.e ‘ai’ or ‘nen’) is acceptable in Common, whereas pronouns (i.e ‘teu’ or ‘eu’) and more complicated, mixed sentences, are inadvisable. 

 

The Royal Balianese Academy remains available for the translation of any document into linguistically-prescribed Balianese upon request, without charge. That being so, we have compiled a reference list for the aforementioned acceptable expressions, which are fit for inclusion in everyday vernacular speech. 

 

COMMON PHRASES IN BALIANESE

 

Ai - ‘Yes’. Pronounced ‘aye’. 

 

Originates from the Common, specifically the Highlander dialectal, ‘aye’. 

 

Nen - ‘No’. Pronounced ‘nenn’. 

 

Originates from the Common ‘no’, and is analogous to most negatives. 

 

Saluto / Salut - ‘Hello’ or ‘hail’. Pronounced ‘SAH-lu-TO’. 

 

Originates from the Flexio ‘salus’, specifically meaning ‘to your health’. 

 

Adeus - ‘Goodbye’ (Informal). Pronounced ‘ad-EH-us’. 

 

An informal goodbye, cognatic to the Auvergnat ‘adieu’ and with a common ancestor in Flexio from the phrase ‘a deus’, meaning ‘to God’. 

 

Vale - ‘Goodbye’ (Formal). Pronounced ‘VAL-eh’.
 

A formal goodbye, from the Flexio ‘vale’ with the same meaning, albeit a different pronunciation. Seldom used among friends and more typical in formal correspondence. 

 

Graza - ‘Thanks’ or ‘thank-you’. Pronounced ‘GRAT-za’.

 

A corruption of the Flexio ‘gratia’, in the long form ‘gratia a deus’, meaning ‘thanks be to God’. Now applicable as a general sign of gratitude.

 

Per fauri - ‘Please’. Pronounced ‘per FOW-ri’.

 

Translates directly to ‘for your favor’, in the context of ‘favor’ meaning good-will. Functionally, an analogue to the Common ‘please’, with a cognatic origin through the word ‘plea’.  Informally, simply expressed as ‘fauri’. 

 

Clar - ‘Of course’ or ‘I agree’. Pronounced ‘klar’. 

 

This word literally means ‘clear’ in Balianese, but is more typically used to express agreement or acknowledgement.

 

Oxala  - ‘I hope,’ or ‘If only’. Pronounced ‘o-HA-la’. 

 

A corruption of the Qalasheen expression ‘inshallah’, meaning ‘God willing’. Note that the ‘x’ in Balianese is always pronounced as an ‘h’ sound.

 

Otimo - ‘Excellent’ or ‘very well’. Pronounced ‘ott-IH-mo’.

 

While directly translating to ‘optimal’ in Balianese, it is more often used as a synonym for ‘good’ or ‘very well’, expressing confirmation or praise. 

 

Embruxat - An expletive. Pronounced ‘em-bru-HAT’. 

 

A derivative of the Balianese word ‘embruxata’, meaning ‘bewitched’, in the verb form ‘embruxar’, as in ‘to be bewitched’. A curse word, only to be used in an informal context, and usually exclaimed.

 

Avanza - ‘Forward’ or ‘advance’. Pronounced ‘ah-VAN-za’.

 

Primarily used as a military command, but also applicable in civilian use in the setting of ‘let’s go’, ‘let’s leave’, or ‘let’s commence’. An imperative form of the verb ‘avanzar’, meaning ‘to advance’.  

 

NOMENCLATURE

 

For further guidance as to Balianese nomenclature with respect to personal names or toponyms, please either contact the Royal Balianese Academy or refer to those resources it has endorsed. 

 

You have reached the conclusion of Volume I of The Balianese (Almeida & Napier, 1915). 

 

Edited March 23, 2023 by Kingdom of Balian

[VonAulus 2076]

Guillermo Ruttledge would marvel and the wonderful work tracking down the cultural nuances of Atrus and the surrounding Kingdom of Balian. A new version of Heartlander was forming from the cosmopolitan nature. A Southeron like himself felt welcome among these Heartlanders.

 

He would pen a letter to the authors, Almeida & Napier. 

 

Colleagues, I am indeed happy to have read your recent work. I do have a few suggestions for further exploration in an anthropological work on our fledgling civilization. I think the question of sport could be written on at length. I appreciate your work on the fusta and the ceremony surrounding that. I am sure that will educate others as to some of our foreign practices. I do think the Hazienta system should be reformed to better reward soldiers and servants of the kingdom instead of those who have simply inherited it from aging aristocrats. The Petrine political influence is obvious but a line should be drawn back to also influences of the Vesnian Republic and the Duma system of Adria. The Petrine Empire was built by refugees from the destruction of Ves and corruption of the land by the Cathalon Count. The Novellan family is descended from the Sarkozic and Horen lines, meaning equal representation of Heartlander and Highlander genetics. Many of the great families have intermarried between Heartlander and Highlander and the ethnic distinction is fading. These are small ideas holding back bigger ones as we can see with the stagnation of Haense on the continent and the proliferation of towns across a dystopian post-imperial landscape. It is said the sun is blotted out by the towers of keeps and manors. The Haensian inbreeding is causing a strange accent to form and they can hardly be understood unless they are serving you with tax delinquency letters. All humanity understands a missed weeks of taxes! I wish you speed on your future works.

 

Sir Guillermo Ruttledge, Tower Knight of Balian, architect in residence at the Royal Balianese Academy

[Evonpire 1816]

John Lothar d'Arkent would be utterly amazed and shocked by the sheer quality of the work produced

[ErikAzog 3313]

"I AM BALIANESE!" shouted with great vigor the Prince of Monterosa!

[Eryane 3629]

Spoiler

really interesting piece!

A curious Ruthern took a glance at the cultural document, reading over it with interest at the place she had rarely seen - perhaps it was time for her to visit.