Guide to Ronduin

[Darastrix]

Culture
Infrastructure
Maps
Villages
Places of Business
Noble Houses
Foreign Relations

[Darastrix]

An In-Depth Look At
Ronduin
Info by Kender Bard

Temperament and Trending Traits
The people of Ronduin tend to be a warm and inviting bunch, sometimes to their detriment. Founded on the ideals of brotherhood and helping others, Rondians are of the firm mind that it’s better to help a stranger than to shun them. There are some exceptions to this warm and generous worldview; after the infamous Clear Wars, Rondians became deeply mistrustful of Clears, a prejudice only further reinforced by the Clear-phobic Mother of Waters, Cascata. There has also always been a trepidation and fear of Storms. Though Ronduin was safe by distance and their natural moat of the Great River, the incredibly aggressive and hostile attitude of Storms against all ‘lesser’ races as well as their ability to instantly kill any Water unlucky enough to have a sign brush against a Storm’s sign have made Waters intensely wary of Storms. Many Waters who have ventured away from the safety of Ronduin have found themselves at the mercy of Storm slavers. Even when slavery was abolished in Maelstrom, this practice continues even closer to their own borders via the nation of Ekaitz and Morilanta. If anything, their paranoia has deepened in this regard.

Like Talen’sul, there is a great crowding problem in Ronduin. Unlike Talen’sul, however, the population is able to find relief by spilling over into the territory surrounding the River that belongs to Ronduin. Waters are also able to spend almost an entire day within the Great River as a way of getting away from their neighbors and cooling their tempers. Due to the scarcity of land on which to build, however, buildings never grow outward but upward.

Jobs
The most widely available and important jobs in Ronduin pertain to the water-related trades that Ronduin plies in. Fishing vessels can be seen in Great River at all times of day and night bringing in all kinds of fish for consumption and trade. Prior to the construction of New Morilanta, Ronduin also claimed its eastern coast and had many sea-going vessels in the ocean. However, with the hostile takeover and rise of New Morilanta, the number of fishermen willing to sail in the ocean has dwindled to only a precious few. These individuals must dock at Mentis and traders must pick up from there and travel to Ronduin through a long and circuitous route, making the entire process costly. The constant threat of pirates also adds a major disadvantage to the ocean trade. As a result, most whaling and saltwater fishing is left to Khelek, Morilanta, and Ekaitz.

However, pearls gathered from freshwater mussels help supplement the Rondian economy and the vast majority of pearls come from the island-nation.

On the western coast of the Great River lies the rest of Ronduin’s territory. Though this land is marshy and makes farming difficult (most of Ronduin’s farmers are pressed up against the national borders of Sensatia and Ilyamen where the land is a little more workable), it boasts a large amount of rare plants used in many of Ronduin’s ancient medicines. Further, a rare kind of silkworm thrives in this territory, giving Ronduin a near monopoly on silk production.

Almost all jobs in Ronduin revolve around these crucial economic trades. There are only a handful of other kinds of work; the necessary jobs needed to keep any city going (blacksmiths, bakers, etc) and architects. Ronduin’s architecture is renowned and stunningly beautiful and the Rondian architects can sometimes be in great demand by nations worldwide for their ability to craft sweeping structures with little material or sparse working space.

Education
School is not mandatory and only somewhat encouraged. Individuals wishing to seek an excellent education for their children must rely on privately hired tutors. Most children are home-schooled for necessary skills if their parents are able to teach them, or fostered off on neighbors who are able to at least read, write, and sum. Beyond this, education boils down to apprenticeship. An unapprenticed youth is seen as a lazy child and it can be a source of shame and embarrassment to a family. For this reason, most children are pushed into a trade (usually one from within the family) as early as eight years old. Extremely bright children may be encouraged to join the priesthood of Thuoth and travel to Mentis.

Food
Ronduin’s two greatest categories of dishes are seafood and soups. Ronduin boasts mastery of all dishes involving freshwater seafood and the number of recipes involving this are astounding. A family could easily dine on the same type of fish every day for a week with a different preparation for it each night as an example. While the recipes span the board in terms of flavor and texture, Ronduin shows a strong leaning towards salty and sweet dishes, sometimes mixing them together through spices and sauces. Most of the seafood dishes that Ronduin prepares are supplemented with rice (though for individuals who have a taste for it, there are a variety of seaweed sides that are considered delicacies.)

Just as Ronduin caters with an eye to variety in their seafood dishes, the Rondian populace has come up with a great number of soup and stew recipes. Soup allows a poorer family to make a meal out of very little, if properly prepared, and so is the food of choice during the leaner times of the year (such as winter.)

The most favored desserts in Ronduin are puddings with small syrup or jam drizzled cakes coming in a close second. The national drink is rice wine, though most people prefer imported Ice Water or fruit-based wines.

Fashion
It’s very easy to tell who’s currently working and who is not in Ronduin for the clothes worn while at rest and while working are vastly different. Work clothes are plain, cheap materials regardless of station or wealth or job, often in shades of brown or white. The cut of the material depends completely on what job the individual works at and are generally tailored to be the least obtrusive to their work.

Clothing outside of the workplace, however, is extremely bright and colorful as well as fanciful. Rondians favor wrap-style clothing; togas and artfully pinned lengths of clothes to form dresses and other attire. Often women will wear a bright but tightly fitting sheathe-dress and voluptuous wraps of matching colors and patterns around that in whatever style fits their fancy the most. Men will often go about in wrap-togas or wraps around a skirt and tunic (or short-cut pants if they prefer.) Blues and greens are much approved and considered patriotic to wear but individuals will often have outfits of bright reds and oranges and other eye-catching, vivid colors.

This fascination with wrappings for clothing continues in accessories. Leather is commonly wrapped around parts of the body for ornamentation as well, usually wrists or biceps. Shoes will have extra long leather strips to wrap around the ankle to mid-calf, though many Rondians have no qualms with going about barefoot.

After its creation and given time for the style to make its way outside of its original borders, the Sensatian sontief, named after its creator, is also quite popular in Ronduin for the wealthier citizenry.

Jewelry is often pearls or seashells and sand dollars. The latter are now not easily obtainable and so have gained an impressive worth within Ronduin.

In the colder, rainier seasons, the only change is the addition of a heavy-cloth cloak with hood that’s worn over the outfit.

Leisure
It’s a popular misconception that Waters spend all of their free time in or around water. This is only partly true; swimming is extremely popular for all ages though mostly amongst children. Adults do enjoy swimming for fun as well but not as much or as often as the youth. It is most popular in the summer months.

Rather, it doesn’t take much to get Rondians into a festive, party-going spirit. Small parties are very popular, even if it’s just a few neighbors banding together with dinner followed by some singing and dancing afterward. Rondians adore music though with a lack of a bardic college (and not everyone can afford freelance bards in the area) ‘peasant’ music can often be heard at these small gatherings. This usually just consists of rough choruses and rhythms beat out on whatever is available for making music on. Rondians who can learn an actual instrument or have a talent for singing become very popular and are often invited to a gathering any given night.

When all of Ronduin decides to put on a festivity, it results in a near-chaotic mass party upon the entire island that often breaks off into more manageable smaller gatherings.

Family
The dynamics of a Rondian family are actually very interesting and somewhat contradictory. Rondians consider all relatives, including the extended family, as their family. Well-liked neighbors can also be considered family, resulting in some very large ‘families’ indeed. Rondians promote the idea of the nation being a kind of family as well (one of the reasons the national leader is referred to as the Father or the Mother.)

Yet the core family is not as close as some other nations. Small children are deeply loved and cared for but once a child begins to approach the apprenticeship age there is a rift formed between parent and child. Parents will withdraw (over time) the parent-child relationship and replace it with the apprentice-master relationship. If a child is apprenticing outside of the family, they often live with their masters and do not get to see their actual family very often.

Husbands and wives are often quite loving and devoted, but infidelity is not considered a terribly shocking crime. The severity of reaction depends mainly on the amount of consent that was involved. Unmarried individuals are somewhat encouraged to take lovers freely and often to “get it out of their system.” If a couple decides to continue this pattern after marriage consensually, there is no social outcry. However, if there is no consent, the disapproval is quite stern indeed. Such couples often divorce and do not remarry, either by choice or by reputation.

Same-sex relations are not very encouraged. In unmarried, young individuals it is not spoken of much so long as an individual is not flaunting the fact. It becomes less approved as age increases.

Religion
Religion is treated with an energetic zeal though not fanatic. Rondians believe that if you are faithful to a Force, you should be faithful with your whole heart and soul and not be ashamed to show the fact in whatever manner you find most pleasing. Efil is, unsurprisingly, the most popular Force in Ronduin. She is greatly revered as the Mother-Healer of Ronduin, the Fountain of Life.
Individuals who have passed on are given a solemn water burial. Before the founding of New Morilanta, this often took place at sea. Now, the body is generally cut up and scattered in the deepest parts of the River to be consumed by the fish and other sea creatures.

The temple to the Forces in Rivenway is one of the tallest buildings with all of the best in Rondian architecture put to use with many pleasing curves and whirls. There are almost no sharp corners to be found inside the entire structure. The primary statues of the Forces are depicted as follows:

Efil appears as a young woman in the prime of her years with long hair that curls like waves at the ends. Her right hand is held up cupping a water lotus. Her left hand is held down, palm facing outward, fingers outstretched. This statue doubles as a fountain as water flows from this outstretched hand into a small pool that encircles her feet so she remains always standing in water. Small, colorful fish swim in the water. Her expression is one of beatific serenity.

Taed is completely enveloped in a dark cloak that sweeps backwards to form a high, violent wave. A pair of skeletal hands, the only part of the Force to be seen, grips a net.

Etaf is shown as an older woman, a crone really. She has her hands cupped, her head lowered, and her eyes closed. There is a small diamond embedded in her forehead.

Thuoth is depicted as a woman with a bundle of scrolls nestled in the crook of her arm. In her other hand, held up towards her face, is a compass. She is peering at it intently through her spectacles, deeply absorbed in her calculations.

Worg is depicted as a mythical merman. He wields his trident so that it faces all of those who enter the Worgan wing, face filled with a challenging grin.

Soahc’s statue gives the illusion of leaning back against the wall it is placed, tossing a wink towards all who enter the temple with a bottle of spirits partly raised towards his lips and a devil-may-care smile. He is holding a lute in his free hand by the neck, as though taking a pause from his playing.

[Darastrix]

Ronduin Infrastructure
Info by Kender Bard

This wide, flat island is covered with buildings right up to its busy docks along the beaches. Central-most is the residence and workplace of the Mother of Waters. While not the tallest of buildings, this structure is an impressive display of ancient Narutan architecture throughout the years. Its base is still made up of the precious little stone that was found on the island from its beginning days, creating a sturdy base work to build up off of. The blocks have been smoothed by human hand and time itself. Each of the stone blocks now has a polished, almost rounded quality to it. Etched on the surface around the sturdy door frame are symbols (or to the knowledgeable, letters of Old Tongue) that bespeak ideals set forth from the first step taken on the oldest of nations.

From this position the tower has grown upward, as all buildings have, over time. The outside facade has a smooth, spiraling look that comes to a pointed tip, much like a fabled unicorn's horn, broken only by the occasional window--mostly towards the upper guest suites where large windows have been put in place to allow a breath-taking view of Ronduin and The Great River.

Between the High Office and any other main buildings is a large ring of precious, cleared space which serves as the 'town square' of Ronduin. Here, important gatherings, great celebrations, and public trials of important notice are held.

Surrounding this cleared space, like tines on a crown, are some of the oldest and tallest buildings in Ronduin, owned by families that have managed to keep their home in the hands of their bloodline for hundreds of generations. These buildings have an almost fragile look to them as they weather the elements and march of the years, forced to patched up as needed with an eye to preserving the original architecture as best as possible. While each building's particular style differs from all the others, they all lean towards the Ronduin sense of style of mimicking aspects of fairy tales and the sea. One building is a solid rounded tower that breaks off into three sections a little past midway. Though not the most secure building style, the peaked conical roofs give the illusion of a giant trident thrusting up from the ground. Another building, belonging to the wealthiest family of Ronduin, boasts a fragmented style of peaks building off of one another like a crystal formation.

Once past the most inspiring buildings of Ronduin, the styles of shops and homes begin to dwindle from impressive to serviceable with buildings maintaining a simple square or circular base and a flat or peaked roof. The flat-roof style becomes far more prevalent as the merchant buildings give way to typical residential buildings (for in this way, expansion upwards is always an option for families that experience a sudden boost in numbers.) While most non-residential buildings huddle close to the center of Ronduin, inns and taverns can be seen sprinkled in amongst the residential buildings, generally brightly colored in order to attract the eye from the typical white and pale brown weathered-wood of most homes.

Circling around the edge of the island, taking up three quarters of the beach-front space, are the many docks and wharves of Ronduin where fishing vessels, ferries, and the larger sea-faring vessels (built to withstand the rolling waves of the sea but still navigate the deep, wide rivers that allow transportation between the Narutan coast and Naruta) are kept, awaiting another day in the typical Ronduin way of life. Finally, a highly valued beach of recreation and gathering. Here the sands are meticulously maintained and glisten cleanly in the sun, giving way to a no-sailing portion of the River so the Waters may thoroughly enjoy their element with no concern for disruption by an errant sailor.

[Darastrix]

Map by Darastrix

[Darastrix]

Rivenway
The capitol city of Ronduin. The largest city, taking up most of the island.

Villarain
This small village sits on the west border of the River, edging against Sensatia's territory.

Village Info by Kender Bard

[Darastrix]

Name	Type	Owner	Rank
Caradoc Pigments	artisan (painter)	Victor Caradoc	n/a
Finest Catch	Restaurant	NPC	****
The Happy Fish	Tavern	NPC	*
House of Healing	Healers	NPC	N/A
The Moonlit River	Restaurant	NPC	*****
Lovely Meals	Restaurant	Minty	***
The Shark's Home	Inn with Drinks	NPC	**
Today's Catch	Restaurant	NPC	**--***

Key:

*--Very cheap, and you get what you pay for.
Inns and taverns with this rank are usually dirty. You could end up with lice or fleas from sleeping in the beds, and really, you'll stay cleaner if you DON'T use their washbasins. The food is suspect. If you want to eat, go ahead, but the less you know about the food's origin and how the it's prepared, the better. Remember, you get what you pay for, not what it's advertised as. (Just what kind of meat is in that pie, anyway?)

**--Still on the cheap side, but sanitary conditions are better. The place may not be much to look at and may have dirt here and there, but it's generally "just good, clean dirt" as they say. The drinks may be watered down, and the soup more broth than meat and veggies, but it's pretty much safe to eat.

***--Average. Not too pricey for some peasants, and not too cheap for some of the local higher-ups to deign to come visit. Neat and clean, if not elaborate. These places have simple, hearty food, good drink, clean linens, and comfortable beds.

****--These places are a bit more expensive than what your common Narutan will want to pay, but the price is generally worth the service. These attractively decorated inns often include extra amenities, and the beds are softer and have better quality linens than are strictly necessary. Food and drink ranges from just better versions of what you may find in an average establishment to dishes made with rarer, more expensive ingredients, such as an ocean shellfish dish in Ilyamen or Reave.

*****--The favoured haunts of nobles and rich merchants, these places will put a sizable dent in a common--middle class citizen's purse. Some are simply establishments with 4-star quality and inflated prices, while others are truly worth the high cost. Decor is often elegant and elaborate and the food and services offered are of the highest quality.

[Darastrix]

House Name	Family	Source of Weath/Power	Colours	Symbol
Qorgyle	Lady Qorgyle, brother, sister	Family of an old Father of Waters, who made special investments to secure his foster family's financial future	---	A scorpion
Trumble	Lady Trumble, sister	Longstanding inheritance	---	Four blue arrows on a turtle shell
Yonwin	Lord Thomas, 7 sisters	Paintings and Sculptures	---	A horse and heron

[Kender Bard]

Nations starred * are members of the UN and thus have economic priveleges but are otherwise under the relations indicated.

Kingdom Caelium - Neutral
New Anarlina* - Neutral
Khelek Crystalands* - Neutral
Ekaitz - Tense
New Morilanta - Tense
Sensatia* - Neutral
Humontis* - Neutral
Beastlands* - Neutral
Naurorod - Neutral
Reave* - Neutral
Ilyamen* - Neutral
Celentia - Neutral
Grandisle - Neutral
Second Hope - Neutral
Fireteeth Isle - Tense