Quick Facts!:
Ruler: Hrothgar of Clan Tadros
Location: Far North Eastern Corner of the Known World
Captial: Krasnodar
Climate: Cold, Harsh Tundra and Mountains
Known For: Dragon Slayers and Textile production, namely silk from the East
The majority of the Trendorian continent, Kostroma is a dark, heavily forested country. Harsh, impassable mountains line the northeastern boarder of Kostroma and the sea to its western. Throughout the countryside are jagged hills and more forest. It is usually dark in Kostroma, heavy snowfall is expected and it is pretty cold most of the year round.
Krasnodar, Kostroma’s capital is really the only urban area the country possesses. All of Kostroma’s trading with the outside world goes on in Krasnodar. The capital city is also the home territory of the Tadros clan, as all other towns and villages are the territory of other clans. There is jealousy among the clans that the Tadros’ possess the capital.
Kostroma is a clan-based society. Their exportation is textiles, most importantly silk that is found in the north of Kostroma, but no one quite knows where from. All clans trade between one another for certain materials such as wool or color dyes, but they mostly keep to themselves as much as they can because Kostroman’s are a dark and grumpy race. The only time the clan leaders get together is for the once yearly congregation to help decide how the state of Kostroma is running or to declare war on an outside nation. All of this takes place in the Tadros Great House in Krasnodar, once home to the pesky Murdeck Darksbane that thought to unite Kostroma and found himself killed for it.
The people of Kostroma are of very different ethnicities, but the norm of the population has darkly tanned skin, blue or green eyes and black to brown hair. It is very rare to have any blonde Kostroman. The men are much bigger than the women, with heavy beards and usually wearing animal skins to keep warm during the cold Kostroman winters. Kostroman women are finely featured and exquisitely dressed, usually in silk to show off their husband’s wealth. The women are usually very quiet and busy at work, weaving or carding wool; even the high born women, unless they are VERY lucky do hard labor.
The culture of Kostroma is as harsh as its winters. Men are dominant in this culture and women simply have no say in anything. When a Kostroman woman is young she adheres to her father’s will, when she is grown into adulthood she adheres to her husband's will. Kostroman women, however, are nothing delicate and scared. They are strong and smart. Throughout the female bloodlines of every clan magic flows inherent and many Kostroman wives, sisters, mothers and daughters have magical abilities that they prize. Though, for their power their men look down on them. No one knows why the women in Kostroma put up with the harsh treatment that they do. It’s a mystery; you’d have to ask them yourself why they stand it.
But harshness is not all spent on women, but also second born male children as well. It is an odd custom that dates back to the very founding of Kostroman history. Couples are thought lucky to have only one son, a first son, a boy they can back with all their finances and put into political power throughout their clan or even the whole of Kostroma. It is hoped after the first son that a couple will then have daughters to be used as bargaining chips with other clans to form alliances and peace between warring clans. But if there is another son born, the child is to be killed or hidden for all his life. Second sons are a disgrace to their families. A mother and father will only have enough money to back one son, but not two. The second will have to remain with the family and be marred off like a daughter. This is very embarrassing, so most second sons are killed at birth or kept secret, never allowed to read, write or speak. It is also customary to keep a second son as a family slave, though this is rare and is very frowned upon. A couple will pray to their gods when a wife becomes pregnant and ask to have a son, if it is a first pregnancy or else to have a daughter with black eyes: a sign of infinite good luck.
The last cultural oddity to Kostroma is its marriage laws. When a man and woman marry they are married for life. This is set in stone. There are no divorces in Kostroma. If a husband or wife dies it is permissible to marry again but it is still considered taboo. If a wife does not behave according to her husband's will she is publicly punished and sentenced for her independent action. The husband will decide the punishment with either a collar or whatever else he wishes to “brand” his partner with as a sign for a disobedient wife. The “brand” must be worn until the husband so decides to remove it with his own hands.
Ruler: Hrothgar of Clan Tadros
Location: Far North Eastern Corner of the Known World
Captial: Krasnodar
Climate: Cold, Harsh Tundra and Mountains
Known For: Dragon Slayers and Textile production, namely silk from the East
The majority of the Trendorian continent, Kostroma is a dark, heavily forested country. Harsh, impassable mountains line the northeastern boarder of Kostroma and the sea to its western. Throughout the countryside are jagged hills and more forest. It is usually dark in Kostroma, heavy snowfall is expected and it is pretty cold most of the year round.
Krasnodar, Kostroma’s capital is really the only urban area the country possesses. All of Kostroma’s trading with the outside world goes on in Krasnodar. The capital city is also the home territory of the Tadros clan, as all other towns and villages are the territory of other clans. There is jealousy among the clans that the Tadros’ possess the capital.
Kostroma is a clan-based society. Their exportation is textiles, most importantly silk that is found in the north of Kostroma, but no one quite knows where from. All clans trade between one another for certain materials such as wool or color dyes, but they mostly keep to themselves as much as they can because Kostroman’s are a dark and grumpy race. The only time the clan leaders get together is for the once yearly congregation to help decide how the state of Kostroma is running or to declare war on an outside nation. All of this takes place in the Tadros Great House in Krasnodar, once home to the pesky Murdeck Darksbane that thought to unite Kostroma and found himself killed for it.
The people of Kostroma are of very different ethnicities, but the norm of the population has darkly tanned skin, blue or green eyes and black to brown hair. It is very rare to have any blonde Kostroman. The men are much bigger than the women, with heavy beards and usually wearing animal skins to keep warm during the cold Kostroman winters. Kostroman women are finely featured and exquisitely dressed, usually in silk to show off their husband’s wealth. The women are usually very quiet and busy at work, weaving or carding wool; even the high born women, unless they are VERY lucky do hard labor.
The culture of Kostroma is as harsh as its winters. Men are dominant in this culture and women simply have no say in anything. When a Kostroman woman is young she adheres to her father’s will, when she is grown into adulthood she adheres to her husband's will. Kostroman women, however, are nothing delicate and scared. They are strong and smart. Throughout the female bloodlines of every clan magic flows inherent and many Kostroman wives, sisters, mothers and daughters have magical abilities that they prize. Though, for their power their men look down on them. No one knows why the women in Kostroma put up with the harsh treatment that they do. It’s a mystery; you’d have to ask them yourself why they stand it.
But harshness is not all spent on women, but also second born male children as well. It is an odd custom that dates back to the very founding of Kostroman history. Couples are thought lucky to have only one son, a first son, a boy they can back with all their finances and put into political power throughout their clan or even the whole of Kostroma. It is hoped after the first son that a couple will then have daughters to be used as bargaining chips with other clans to form alliances and peace between warring clans. But if there is another son born, the child is to be killed or hidden for all his life. Second sons are a disgrace to their families. A mother and father will only have enough money to back one son, but not two. The second will have to remain with the family and be marred off like a daughter. This is very embarrassing, so most second sons are killed at birth or kept secret, never allowed to read, write or speak. It is also customary to keep a second son as a family slave, though this is rare and is very frowned upon. A couple will pray to their gods when a wife becomes pregnant and ask to have a son, if it is a first pregnancy or else to have a daughter with black eyes: a sign of infinite good luck.
The last cultural oddity to Kostroma is its marriage laws. When a man and woman marry they are married for life. This is set in stone. There are no divorces in Kostroma. If a husband or wife dies it is permissible to marry again but it is still considered taboo. If a wife does not behave according to her husband's will she is publicly punished and sentenced for her independent action. The husband will decide the punishment with either a collar or whatever else he wishes to “brand” his partner with as a sign for a disobedient wife. The “brand” must be worn until the husband so decides to remove it with his own hands.
4:44 PM Nov 26
