foo•DORE•ee•unn – Common: Actually the English version of the Common term, Fudori.
One of the five races of the Western Continent, of the country of Enverres. Their native language is referred to as Common, or in their tongue – Nevordis. They have tanned-Caucasian hued skin, occasionally with freckles, fairly round eyes and ears, and straight teeth. They can have carrot orange, black, any shade of blond or brown, or auburn hair, and blue, grey, hazel, or brown eyes. The men grow to a height of 5’10” to 6’3” while the women are between 5’4” and 5’8”. While they do not possess a Racial Ability, they are generally known for their versatility and diplomacy. The gypsies of Enverres refer to themselves as the Bid’hair, but they are still considered Fudorians.
The Fudorians
The Fudorians are perhaps the easiest race on Ul-Zaorith to identify with as a human. The Fudorians physically function and appear the most similar to us, and despite the fact that they did not evolve from apes, are the least strange. Fudorians technically developed from a series of crossbreeding between Suoro and Speritanians with a lot of Tirivahni thrown in. As it is known in modern times that any Agrimon (or crossbreed) is sterile and cannot breed, it is believed that interaction and interference from the Northern Ancients enabled the fertility for species mingling to happen. That said, there are other schools of thought that believe that in the ancient past the species were younger and more able to crossbreed and that such possibilities faded from the species as they became more distanced from their ancestors in time. There has been no conclusive proof that shows either of these hypotheses to be more correct.
Fudorians live similar age ranges as humans, hitting puberty between 12-15 years of age, and dying at 50-60 years of age for women or 60-70 years for men.
Appearance:Fudorians are very similar in shape to a human being, with the same rounded ears, straight teeth, proportions and physical differences between males and females of the species. Their hair can be any human shade of blond, brown, black, or orange. Their eyes can be any human shade of hazel, brown, grey or blue. Their skin is generally fair - but more olive-hued than pink-hued - like the mediterranean tone of human complexion. They can have freckles or birthmarks, though these are usually considered flaws rather than beautiful. The men grow to be between 5'11" to 6'3", and the women to 5'6" to 5'8". The women are generally physically weaker than their male counterparts, but part of this is due to lack of training and effort in physical efforts than due to racial incapacity. While a range of ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph is natural in Fudorian people, they often need to guard against obesity as they grow older or wealthier and begin eating fattier, richer foods.
In terms of body hair, there is quite a range, from the smooth hairless dandies to the nearly woollen rugged manly types. Hairlessness of body is prized in females, but such efforts of shaving are not done, as any attention to bared skin is considered the lot of a prostitute. For dark-haired ladies with an unfortunate amount of body hair, they sometimes will bleech the arm or facial hair with citrus juices to try to lighten the appearance of the hair. For men, fashion has rotated between the appeal of a nicely trimmed full beard, to shaped facial hair like sideburns and goatees, to the cleanly shaved jaw throughout the ages. While women typically leave their hair long, only trimming it to keep it healthy, men have ranged between hair to the shoulders, long but bound, or cropped shorter in various styles as fashions have changed. Typically letting one's hair grow too long is considered womanly in any age of fashion, however.
Fashion:There are a few articles of clothing that have transcended through the ages that can be called uniquely Fudorian, though their form and function has changed somewhat. For men the Broonay is probably the mark of change in fashion, as it has taken many forms throughout the ages. It is a padded vest-like garment that usually is cut to not meet over the chest but to he held in place by belt, clasps, cloak pins etc. Usually the length of a broonay reaches mid-thigh or longer, though whether they are fitted or square-cut, patterened or rough fabrics, plated with metal or padded with down and quilted has been a contension of tailors and designers. For women the Kalan is equally inseperable from a lady's wardrobe. The Kalan is an oval-shaped head-covering. It curves over the head from the top of one ear to the top of the other ear, with the front peak and back peak generally stiffened and sticking out from the head. Through the ages, Kalans have been pinned on over loose hair, pinned into elaborate braids or buns of tightly upswept hair, folded down at the back or decorated with trains, trails of ribbons, fresh or cloth flowers, pearls and gems, embroidery, feathers, appliques and cuttings, laces and knotwork. There was even a brief period of fashion where the Kalan was pinned over a length of veil-like organza so that the lady was shrouded in a mysterious layer of fabric that shielded her details from onlookers. These made functioning rather difficult and their popularity was short lived.
Aside from these key articles, there are certain standards. Men generally wear pants and boots, a jerkin or chemise of some sort, a cloak/cape/mantle depending on caste, a belt with pouch and dagger and any other tools he might need. Women wear dresses or skirts and blouses depending on caste, usually with a combination of under- and oversleeves, a waistband or corset, bloomers, leggings, shoes or boots, capelets or overskirts. For women gloves and mantles are only worn for travel. Usually embroidery, decoration, cardweave trims, finer woven fabrics (like imported Ter'ays worm silk and painted organza/linen and muslims or Briandynian pearl silk, metallic brocades, taffeta jaquards and double-dyed organza or Koholean loomweave wools, felted trims, woven cord and tassels, beaded cottons and furs) are reserved fort he higher castes of society, with certain fashions being illegal for use by any other than the elite of society.
Culture: Fudorian culture should be prefaced by a distinction of social castes. Fudorian society is separated into the Nobility Castes and the Commoner Castes as follows: Nobility Castes~
Royalty Caste: Including the King, followed by the Queen, Dukes and Bid'hair Kings; followed by the Princes, Duchesses, Bid'hair Queens and Princesses; followed by the Princesses, the Duke's children, the Bid'hair princes.
Council Caste: Including the Viscounts (those under the Dukes, either by martial effort or relation), Knights of one of the Orders, Nak'hair'aya (Bid'hair who have been distinguished by the Bid'hair Kings); followed by the Viscountesses, Knights, and children of the Nak'hair'aya.
Noble Society Caste: The Caste that separates the elite nobility from the commoners, including the Aristocrats, the Appointed Nobility and the Noble Office.
Aristocrat Caste: Including the Counts (either under the Dukes or the King), the Earls (those who have been granted land through martial prowess), the Bid'hair Lords (relatives of the Bid'hair nobility, such as cousins and siblings. Family is very important to them); followed by the Countesses and their children, and the Bid'hair Ladies and their children. There is no female equivalent of Earls, nor is their title hereditary.
Appointed Nobility Caste: These Castes can be awarded and passed down hereditarily and includes Barons (land holders appointed some responsiblity by Dukes or Kings), Lords (the relatives or decendents of relatives of nobility or royalty), Bid'hair Nabobs; followed by Baronesses, the Ladies of court and Bid'hair Sages.
Noble Office Caste: These Castes can be awarded by not passed down hereditarily, and are purely a matter of personal merit and not birth or nepotism. They include Magnates and Magistrates of cities and guilds, Squires and royal pages of the nobility, and Bid'hair Heralds who are considered the official messengers between the other castes as well as between Fudorian Nobility and Bid'hair nobility.
The Prosperous Commons: Includes those who have become either from hard work or from hereditary reasons as wealthy as nobility, but are not high of birth. Occassionally a daughter of a Prosperous commons Caste might be selected to marry into a Noblilty family. Most of the Ecclesiastic world is considered Prosperous Commons, as well as merchants, priests, learned men of any field of science, medicine, history, theory etc, doctors, magic users including alchemists, sages, prophets, mages etc.
The Labouring Commons: Includes those who are a contributing member of society - recognized as required, but not special or privileged as individuals. This makes up the majority of the population, such as craftspeople, tradesmen, teachers, students, the middle class, independant farmers, fishers, hunters, scientists and healers. Occassionally and extremely skilled and admired tradesmen might be "purchased" by a noble to become his personal workingman. While socially this lifts his status, it also puts him in the hands of the fortune and fate of his lord like those of the Serfdom Caste.
The Serfdom Commons: Includes anyone who lives and works on a landowner's territory or resources. These are men and women who have no individual skills, and can do nothing but bend their backs for their bread. They are taken on as the serfs of their lord's lands, and perform whatever tasks and services are required, including maintenance of grounds, farming, raising and culling game, serving in castles and manor houses, as mistresses or prositutes for a noble's men etc. The majority of the men of the Serfdom Caste are trained as soldiers and make up the bulk of a noble's footsoldiers which can be lent out or sent into battle when required. The Serfdom Commons are usually used as scapegoats and whipping boys, and have the fewest personal rights of all of Fudorian society, but they are cared for and fed, and given a safe place to live and raise their families. While they cannot speak out against their master, it is generally not thought well of to treat ones own serfs poorly, and if it is observed by another Noble of equal or greater rank, comment can be made in social courts and reprimand can be made by a noble's knight, duke or king.
Sexuality:In Fudorian culture men are expected to find women attractive, and to care for those that mother their children. Women's attraction to their mates is not required, but is considered a "sweetness of life". The percentage of heterosexual relationships is about 84-88%. Homosexuality, though it does occassionally occur is generally not spoken of or acknowledged. The concept is considered a Briandynian condition, and in more ignorant or prejudiced circles those who show homosexual inclinatinos are considered to have some Briandynian in their ancestry somewhere - though this is completely untrue. When homosexual relations do occur, they are kept largely secret, and there is often an element of danger involved that if revealed can lead to puplic beatings, castration or seizure of their property or business. While not common, the only time homosexuality is fully ignored and covered up is when it arises in the royal family. Generally a King is forgiven his transgression so long as he breeds with a consort-wife.
Marriage:Marriage is considered an alliegance between families as well as an effort to produce heirs. The male courts the lady he's interested in, and gains permission from her father. While there are no actual dowries, if the maiden is of a wealthy family, whatever allowence she enjoys will continue with her when she marries under her father's approval. If she tries to marry without his approval, this allowence will be cut off. So, indirectly, a man can marry into a wealthy family, and enjoy his wife's riches, though the chances of a father approving of a mate for his daughter poorer than her or lower in Caste is almost unheard of. Daughters can be one of the only stepping stones to lift one's social status. For ladies of status - that is anyone in a Nobility Caste - the mother of an eligible daughter is charged with scouting out information about prospective matches or suitors to determine the best match.
When a suitable match has been decided upon, the marriage ceremony is performed. Family and friends are invited to bear witness and bring well wishes on the special day, and the father of the bride and the father of the groom come together to form alliegance. The bride and groom join hands and the parents wind their clasped hand together with braided cord/ribbon, turning the couple from east to south to west to north. The father of the groom embraces his son, and then his new daughter-in-law. The father of the bride embraces his daughter and then his new son-in-law, and then the two fathers embrace. The new couple then procedes to walk through an archway hung with fresh flowers of the season, and once through they are considered married. Usually gifts of food or hand-made gifts are presented to the new couple, and from father to father. There are some superstitions about marriages, such as that if the ribbon binding the couple snags on something during the ceremony, they are in for a tumultuous marriage, or that if the ribbon between them some how unknots or falls off during the ceremony, they will be separated in an untimely fashion by death. A flower falling from the arch before the couple passes through is said to signify that they will have a male child first, and after they pass means a female child first. There are a number more that could a fill a book on their own, such as in the women's handbook "The Considerations of Marriage" written by Tenoum Berath in 203PT.
Family Units:Family units in Enverres consist of a father, mother, and children under the age of 21. The fate of the elderly depends on the Caste to which they belong. In Nobility Castes, the elderly are cared for by their faithful servants unto death, in less financially priviledged families, they will be cared for by family, either siblings, unmarried children or Ecclesiastic institutions like convents or monasteries. While in poorer families, the elderly can't afford servants to care for them when they are no longer working, or in the rare cares where they outlive their children, the elderly are sometimes taken in by other families as servants or as tenants if they have any usable skills like mending, gardening or cooking. Generally Fudorians don't live long enough to become completely infirm. If terminally ill, doctors will often euthanize so as to save some face and lessen the burden on the remaining family.
Once a child hits 21 he or she is expected to leave the home. For men by this time they are expected to have a career of their own and move out into their master's house or live in their shop until they have the money or need for space (such as due to a family) to require a separate house. For women if they have not been betrothed or selected for marriage by the age of 21, they will generally work as a servant or assistant or live in a convent until they marry. If their parents become ill and they are unmarried, they will sometimes return home to care for them.
Children are usually born solitary, but twins and triplets are not too uncommon. As children can be conceived at any time of year, and the gestation period takes 10 months (or one year), it is possible for a woman of childbearing age to have a great number of children in her lifetime. While in the Serfdom Commons the number of children is high due to high mortality rates, in the Labouring Commons and Prosperous Commons the number of children is generally dictated by how much help is required around the business or home or how many one family can afford to feed and clothe. In the Nobility, these numbers are further dictated by whether or not a noble requires a male heir, or how large an allowance they wish to allot to their offspring.
In recent history, since the trades of the Blue Ship, Suoro contraceptives have made it more conceivable for a Fudorian family to choose the size of their family and to protect against bastard children or unwanted children. There is some caution tot he use of such chemicals. As they were initially crafted by Suoro for Suoro, and althrough there are some craftspeople who specifically craft them for Fudorian physiology, there is still a danger that one may be purchasing or utilizing a contraceptive not specific for their race which can result in birth defects, permanent sterility, painful miscarriges and illness or infection.
Coming of Age:The growth of Fudorians is broken up into four stages, similar to human standards: child, adolescent, adult and elder. A male is considered a child from age 0 to 16, from 17 to 21 he is considered an adolescent during which he is meant to select and train an apprenticeship. From 21 to 59 he is termed an adult and is meant to have learned some trade by which he can begin to support himself. From 60 onward, a male is considered an elder, and is no longer expected to work, and will sometimes be care for by his remaining family or community. A female is considered a child from age 0 to 13 as this is usually when a girl's menstruation begins, from 14 to 21 she is considered to be becoming a woman. During this time, she learns social arts of dance, conversation, housecrafts, mothering, and takes suitors for possible marriage. From 21 - 49 she is considered an adult, as this is usually the upper range of her fertility. Everything after that is considered an elder as she no longer serves a perpose for her own accord, and any time she has left is to be devoted to those around her, whether via a convent, in service, or in helping educate girls in their adolescent stage.
Death:Death is something considered as tragic when it arrives in any stage of life other than Elder. The death of a child is especially jarring, and whole families will go into mourning over the "loss of a young spirit". It is not uncommon for women to die in childbirth, though the frequency of this has been allayed by magic and medicine in the Castes who can afford it in recent history. In the event of a death of a loved one or an important member of society, women will wear veils and men will wear hoods/hats/cowls for the appropriate period of mourning after the body has been interred in the earth. This period of time varies depending on the station of the deceased, the manner of death, the relation to the deceased the mourner holds and even the time of year in which they died. These stipulations are all measured by a member of the ecclesiastic community and the actual period of mourning is prescribed, with longer sentances of mourning being applied to those who died young, or tragically, or who were very close to the mourner - such as a spouse or child. Historically the longest recorded period of mourning was in 1388PT when the King Antair (afterwards known as King Antair the accursed) and his entire family - Queen Lemene, Prince Mester, Princess Namene and Prince Sorus II all died in a terrible fire that ravaged the royal palace in Lieh'neh. The priests decreed that the entire nation should mourn for 19 months, and the throne sat empty for all this time until King Bendout was selected to succeed King Antair.
Education: Public schoolhouses are offered throughout the country in any city that has a large enough population to warrant one. The teachers are appointed from the Labouring Commons or Ecclesiastic community of the Prosperous Commons. Both boys and girls are allowed to attend school with their parent's permission. While a few cannot attend because they are too badly needed by their small families at home, the schoolhouses are paid for by the Magnate of their province by untaxable allottment from the King. At school, children are taught of history, their neighbouring countries, arithmetic, simple botany, anatomy and biology, to read and write, first aid etc. In some places where schoolhouses are large enough to contain multiple classes, sometimes additional studies are taught so that boys can learn skills more specific to their future careers, or girls may learn housecrafts or etiquette for marriage. A student is allowed to attend school from the age of 6 to the age of 17, but need not attend for the entirity of this span. Schoolhouses also only run in the 2nd and 3rd season, leaving those who help with crops or crafts time to devote to their families, and prevent those who have longer to travel to reach the schoolhouse the necessity of travelling in the harsher months of the year. Past the age of 17 school can be attended for Continuing Studies, where the youth is specifically studying a topic that will directly pertain to their chosen adult career. These students study with a particular sage or master, and is an acceptable alternative to an apprenticeship for tradesmen.
Curiously enough, unmarried women are allowed to teach, assuming they have taken Continuing Studies or trained in a monastery or convent.
Cuisine: Fudorian cuisine has a lot of influence from traditional Speritanian, Tirivahni and Suoro cuisines, combining the light and delicate pastries of Suoro deserts with the rich, creamy, heavy sauces of the Speritanian entreés, with the baked and stuffed breads and roasted meats of Tirivahni cooking.
The focus for Fudorian food is that it be hot and hearty, centering around a hearty main dish, and smaller, simpler dishes on the side that compliment it, usually with a beverage and chased with a sweet desert. They usually prefer pepper and salt with flavour from onion, leeks or shallots or naturally occuring frrom the ingredients themselves rather than adding too much external seasoning. When they do, it is local garden herbs as rather than imported spices. The flavour is generally salty, with a bit of tang of citrus or bitterness of certain root vegetables or peppery spice, but not usually overly strong in any particular flavour. Their deserts do tend to be very buttery, rich and sweet.
Roasted meat, including fowl, game meat or fish (in certain areas) ususally makes up the bulk of the meal, whether prepared stuffed in bread, or done as a hunk of meat that is served with supporting root vegetables, baked in pies, served in casseroles or with sauces. Vegetables are usually pan roasted with the meat, or mashed into sauces or thick stews.
One of the few things unique to Fudorian culture is their drinking of fedrin herb in a drink called Dohra. A combination of powdered grain, raw eggs, bitter fedrin leaf and luke warm water equals this muddy officious drink that is used by the Labouring and Serfdom Commons in the morning to start the day. Usually consumed instead of breakfast, the grain and egg protein starts them off and the acrid digestive tonic and cleansing properties of fedrin start them off to a good day and stimulates awakeness similar to caffeine. While some profess to enjoy the drink, most of the higher castes instead drink imported teas instead as a more "civilized" alternative.
Comparative Statistics:Intelligence: 9/16. Fudorian intelligence is comaprable to human intelligence in how they learn, how quickly they can pick up new information and how well they can reason. Fudorians tend to be marginally more versatile and retain more information than humans do, with less repetition and less effort. Because of this, Fudorians have been remarkable in that they are extremely well-rounded. Any Fudorian, if given the chance and the exposure to information or instruction can learn anything. Their whole principle of the Coming of age, during which a young man learns a trade is generally encouraged to be something that the town lacks or is in need of, and whole groups of families may band together to help send the lad off to the nearest master to study such things so that he can return home and offer his new skills to the town. In other senses, with their combination of middle-line skills, and their social popularity and peacefulness, Fudorians are given ample opportunity as a race to explore, create, study, learn, communicate and express themselves. Their emphasis on law, justice, balance and harmony are markers of their intelligent nature. While they are not as proficient in any one area as any other race, they are one of the most well-balanced and have no exploitative weaknesses.Wisdom: 13/16. In Fudorians their wisdom is something that is easy to underestimate, because like all species, they have their dimmer members who make poor choices when left tot heir own devices. As a group however, Fudorians show a remarkable ability to set aside differences to make peace, letting go of greivances for the greater good, listening to good advice and taking it when it is suitable to do so. Because of this they have maintained dominance in the west, not through conflict of arms but through diplomacy and good trade treaties. In emotions, Fudorians have the same range of emotion and similar reactions to them as humans, though because of their heightened awareness of their own emotional selves they tend to show more compassion or empathy to their fellow creatures - both other races and other animals. They tend to like to keep domestic pets and grow very attached to them, considering them members of the family, and mourning them deeply when they pass.Agility: 8/16. Fudorians are completely on par with Humans, including in their reaction-time, dexterity, multitasking and raw speed. Fudorians have an almost identicle muscular structure as a human being, and share the same range of flexibility, snap, focus and control. Obviously, if they train up their agility, a Fudorian can be as competant as a professional athlete of the human world or as bendy as a circus contortionist. On the other hand, they are equally prone to stiffening up and slowing down in their Elder years.Strength: 9/16. Only marginally stronger than humans, likely from their Speritanian heritage, Fudorians are a tad more resistant to self injury when heavy lifting than humans, though their bearable weights and carryable weights are similar to a humans, though on average a little stronger. While their musculature isn't much different, their bone structure is slightly different in the support of their joints, and can diffuse concentrated weight better.Resistance: 12/16. Fudorians are rather more resistant than humans from physical trauma. While their resistance against toxins, disease, poison and parasites is not that much better than a human's at innate levels, the fudorians are very able to build up resistances and tolerances to many substances if they train for it or are given non-life threatening exposure sporadically while growing up. In the sense of physical trauma - breaking bones, bruising and injury to structure or musculature - Fudorians prove more resistant to actually developing these sorts of trauma. Partly due to thicker-walled capillaries leading to less bruising, it also means that blood vessels remain intact in times of danger or injury to better supply the affected area with needed minerals and nutrients for healing. Their bones, as stated earlier, are a bit different than human bones and are less prone to breaking or fracturing. Under great sources of strain, damage to sharp, piercing or bladed implements, they have no higher resistance, and are still suceptible to many diseases, especially if innoculation or antidotes are not administered in a timely fashion.Recovery: 8/16. Fudorians are exactly on par with human beings, so that if young and injured or sick they bounce back quite well and heal fully. As they grow older however, their body systems do not work as efficiently or as completely, and they become more and more prone to scarring, improperly set bones or knitted flesh, and can suffer from the after effects of illness or injury quite painfully, especially if subjected to or attempting to challenge magic. Many also claim to feel the weather changes in old wounds.NMP: 4/6. Fudorians are perhaps not as innately talented int he arts of weaving magic, and often would never know how to if they did not receive instruction or begin at a young age. Generally, if a Fudorian begins instruction in magics as a child he or she can become quite prodigial for their species. The longer a fudorian waits to begin learning magic, the harder it can be for them to grasp the concepts or really excell at it. However, whatever they learn they tend to cast with great skill, and their abilities to Channel or counter magic are very good. They often learn non-casting cost magics with the greatest of ease, such as Metaphysics or Fortune Telling. They can weild and bear enchanted weapons and artefacts with no ill affects typically longer than your average race.