Life (Kishanko)

Currency

There are many different forms of money in Kishanko, from the trade-barter system used by the Kirdun Elves when they deal with outsiders to the various debased copper coins that Skulkers slip into the market.

Silver Coins

The matin is the accepted currency of the world. Minted by the Eight using silver gained from various mines, the coins are about the size of an American quarter, and can be exchanged in most cities at a favorable rate. The symbol of the Balance, a staff and sword crossed behind a set of scales, is on one side and the sigil of the issuing member of the Eight is on the reverse.

On the Northern continent the Zeenan florin is considered equal to the matin, being the same weight and purity, with the Garosian ducat the next at 1 and 1/2 per matin. All other kingdoms of the North except Sidun, which refuses to mint silver coins, vary between two and three per matin, depending on season. The other coins of the Northern continent are as follows from most to least valuable; the Sylvanos farthing, the Ktal dollar, the Karnhanar axil, the Jarna janir, and the Sulmarin wu-long.

The Southern continent presents a less complicated scenario in the area of currency. Aside from the Empire of Kanno, which uses the shard, a bar of silver mixed with steel about 1/2"x1/4"x1/8", which is considered equal to the matin inside Kanno but only equal to about half a matin outside, the Southern continent does not issue coins, using only the Eight's matin for silver transactions.

Gold Coins

Most countries do not mint gold coinage, gold being relatively worthless. The exceptions are the Karnhanar sturn and the Sidun farix. The sturn is considered the more valuable of the two, at about twenty matins per coin, while the farix is not even accepted in some communities, despite being more valuable by weight. The sturn features an image of the northern cliffs of Karnhanar on one side, and an axe and hammer crossed on the other. The farix features the sigil of the Unbroken Circle of Eternal Night on one side, and a portrait of the current Vampire Overlord on the reverse.

Copper Coins

While there are many different kinds of copper coins, they usually work out to the same value by weight and purity, which is thirty coins to the matin. The exceptions are Sidun, where their copper coins are three to the matin due to great size, almost pure copper, and weight; and Kanno, which is based on the shard and suffers the same exchange problem.

Daily Life

Most people live in either one of the cities or in a small village. Through the use of Elemental Magic, Elven Magic, or Sorcery, few people need to work the fields to ensure that everyone has enough to eat. Crops are planted and then enchanted to ensure good growth, free from pests and blight. As a result, most of the people of Kishanko are artisans, merchants, or tradesmen. The Feudal system never really caught on, due to the prosperity that surrounds them, although there are still hereditary and elected nobility in some parts of the world.

Calendar

Kishanko's year is 448 days or 56 weeks long. Each week has eight days, which, while they originally had fanciful names, are now simply called Oneday, Twoday, Threeday, etc. While Kishanko has four seasons (Planting, Growing, Reaping, Resting) and each are 112 days long (14 weeks), the calendar does not have months in the conventional sense, as the moon of Kishanko has a fourteen week orbit, and so each season is divided into Ascending (the moon is waxing) and Descending (the moon is waning). There is also the two week period each season where the moon is full, although modern scholars simply divide it between Ascending and Descending evenly.

In most cultures, Eightday is a holy day, a time of rest and worship, although this is gradually being ignored by many countries. The Ktaln, despite their otherwise advanced technological viewpoint in comparison to the other nations, still halt for Eightday, as their national religion holds it sacred.

Clothing

The typical garb for various groups depends on the local culture and mores. In Garos for instance, women wear full dresses with petticoats while men wear shirts, trousers, and leather vests. In Sidun the ruling vampires dress in spider silks and lace while their mortal serfs wear simple homespun cloth garments of varying cuts and quality. The dwarves of Karnhanar dress like dwarves do everywhere, in tough work leather. The elves of Sylvanos prefer to dress in light, airy garments made by weaving the silk of a species of butterfly bred by the elves. Jarna sports a cosmopolitan mixture of clothing styles from all over the world and Zerans dress mostly in oilskins, with richer citizens wearing whatever other nation's clothing is currently in fashion. The people of Sulmarin dress in soft leathers or cotton, dependant on their profession, while the Sovereign Democracy of Grand Ktal is home to an eclectic mix of clothing styles, colors, and materials, some not available anywhere else in the world.

On the Southern Continent, the people of Kanno all dress the same, in drab gray wool shirts and denim pants. The Republic of Marsith has no set fashion, typically following the lead of certain designers in Jarna. The people of Avernus dress in as little clothing as possible, due to the warm climate, it is not uncommon to see men in loincloths. The people of Luminar dress in black, that's the only way they can manage to see each other. Oak Cove citizens prefer fur-lined leather jackets over cotton shirts and blue-dyed denim pants, for reasons unknown. North Harbor, like Jarna, sports clothing styles from around the world, and finally the people of Rogue's Haven dress however they please, or not at all.

The peoples of the islands tend to dress in a fashion suiting the weather of the area and the local materials. The elves of Kirdan wear cloaks of Green Diatramy feathers and simple loincloths for both sexes, while the pirates of Vaurgan wear whatever they can steal from various ships. The few non-Sorcerers of Cronus actually wear special clothes made by the Mobius Order to withstand the Time Elemental currents that suffuse the island, such garments are typically high collared coats with a buttoned flap over an undershirt and simple pants, and is worn by both sexes.

Household Magics

Characters can take Features (Household Magic) 1 (Sorcery) [0] for those minor spells of cleaning, mending, and food preparation that most large households wouldn't be able to get by without. These spells are Sorcery-based, and so require an appropriate Elemental Stone (a small one suitable for household magics is a 0 point Item).

People who know household magics can preserve food from spoiling with spells of cold, cook food without using fire with spells of heat, mend and clean damaged clothing without using needle or thread, reach objects on high shelves (slowly) without having to get out a ladder, find lost objects (if they're still in the house), conjure weak lights, and appease weak household spirits.

Religion

The two predominant religions of the world are the Ktal's Temple of Technology (also sometimes referred to as the Order of Reason or the Brotherhood) and the Shamanic practice of ancestor veneration. Lesser religions include Our Lady of Garos (worshipping the Queen Mother [an angel who founded Garos and died in 2306] as a goddess), the Church of Night (worshipping Noble Vampires as avatars of Elemental Shadow, the official state religion of Sidun),

The Ktal Temple holds services on every Eighthday, usually a simple sermon and some singing, as well as a call for donations of both silver and time for public works projects (sewers, roads, etc.). Afterwards, the priests (usually Technomages) teach classes on basic and advanced mechanics and physics. The beliefs of the Temple are fairly simple, that everything is the result of interactions on both the physical and spectral levels, and that the soul is a verifiable construct which returns after death as another person. Spirit Wards and Exorcisms performed by the Temple follow the same principles as Sorcery, although with a more scientific approach.

The Shamanic practice of ancestor veneration is a fairly simple worship structure. Those who venerate their ancestors have a small shrine, usually located centrally or in a special room in their home, where prayers are said and offerings are made on specific days. At least once a year (sometimes as often as daily) a family will have a Shaman visit their ancestor's shrine to see if their ancestors are present and happy. Typically, the ancestors' spirits have either moved on, or are pleased, if they are unhappy about something, the Shaman will usually suggest an appropriate course of action (and may even perform it, for a fee). Usually, those families that practice ancestor veneration have one or more Spirits of the Dead hanging around the family shrine, although they tend to be benevolent, and not hungry ghosts or wraiths. Before traveling, most leave a small offering to the spirits of their ancestors, in the hopes of a safe journey, in many cases, this does in fact work, as some Spirits of the Dead are quite strong, and can ensure good fortune.

Uniforms

The armed forces of the various countries don't bother with uniforms for the most part, sticking with simple tabards bearing the country's standard over the soldier's armor. Although the Empire of Kanno armies march to battle in scarlet tunics and wearing black steel helms with face-concealing visors. Dress uniforms, on those rare occasions they are needed, tend toward the flashy, made of shimmering cloth and bedecked with braid or ribbons, although the Empire of Kanno is again the exception with its plain scarlet tunics and black body sashes, festooned with medals from previous successful campaigns, usually putting down uprisings.

Blademasters always wear whatever will not impede their movement and suits their personal tastes and fighting style. Some Blademasters like the look of a leather jacket or skimpy outfit, although these tend to be rare exceptions.

Dragon Knights have no official dress uniform per se, but they are expected to keep their plate armor shiny, and some Knights have 'dress armor' made with gilding and fanciful touches like dragon-shaped helms.

Gunslingers wear whatever they wish when on patrol, as a form of compensation for their dress uniforms. A nightmare of maroon and yellow, with puffy sleeves and tight-fitting breeches, the Gunslinger's dress uniform was clearly designed to bring them humility, or embarrassment.

Psychers dress normally, unless they wish to advertise their powers. In that case, a simple blue sash is enough in most areas, although some Psychers with Precognition also like to add a 'third eye', a gemstone the color of the Psycher's eyes and worn on a chain against the forehead between and above their actual eyes.

Shadow Knights and Skulkers both wear whatever will help them blend in or fit their cover story. An official uniform for either occupation would simply make it easier for them to be caught.

Shamans have many differing styles of dress, some prefer to dress in archaic clothing, to make their spirit friends more comfortable, while others drape themselves in animal skins, and still others wear only the latest fashions. As in all things, Shamans are highly individualistic.

Sky Captains tend to dress in the style of Oak Cove, and add an odd fashion accessory of glass goggles held in place with leather. Most of them claim it's tradition, but how they can have such a tradition when Airships have existed for less than a hundred fifty years, and this particular type of goggle for less than thirty, is a total mystery.

Sorcerers have a strict and complicated dress code. Each of the Eight has a particular color they wear, and practitioners must wear that color if they wish to present themselves as Sorcerers. The colors are as follows: crimson (fire), lincoln green (nature), sky blue (air), teal (water), black (shadow), white (light), brown (earth), and gray (time). Every official garment must also have sleeves sufficient to show the Sorcerer's progress in their chosen disciplines, which are represented by colored bands, one for each rank (level) they have in each sorcerous discipline (attribute). Truly powerful Sorcerers are draped in rainbow-colored sleeves which nearly drag on the floor. As there are technically 176 sorcerous disciplines (not including attack spells, which are not included in this dress code in any case) divided unevenly amongst the Eight, it is outside the scope of this document to describe each discipline's individual color, as some require Heightened Senses (Sight) or Heightened Awareness to tell apart in any case.

The Technomages all dress in the garb of their Order, a simple shirt with breast pocket and a pair of baggy pants with many pockets and a few loops to put tools on. Some also wear backpacks, and their pockets are usually bulging with papers and devices. In inclement weather, they wear gray trenchcoats and fedoras, no one knows why, but it is a tradition dating back over a thousand years.

Languages

In the ancient days of Mu, Kingdom of Magic, there were only three languages. The first was Low Tongue, used in everyday conversation, business deals, and writing. The second was High Tongue, which was only rarely used, as it was the language of Magic, which could alter the Balance. The third was old Ktal, now known as the Temple tongue. When Mu was destroyed by the Balance at the end of the War of Thought, the new races abandoned both High Tongue, which they did not know, and Low Tongue, which symbolized their oppression.

The humans created the Trading language, a complicated amalgam of several human dialects, as well as Dwarven, Elven, and Ktal to convey concepts when necessary. In these days, most humans only speak Trading, and perhaps the language of one of the other races. The regional dialects have become increasingly rare, and few even remember how to speak them. The old Ktal language evolved over time into the current Ktal tongue, but many of the old words were dropped, as they dealt with concepts none understood.

The dwarven language, called simply Dwarven, is difficult for non-dwarves to speak. Not because of pronunciation or grammar, but because of length. Dwarven cannot relay new concepts very well, and has no proper simile or metaphor. When a dwarf says something, he means it. This lack, along with the dwarves insular culture, makes it difficult for dwarves to lie in any language.

The elven language, on the other hand, is very loose and fluid. Elves typically love stories, simile and metaphor becomes quite elaborate and extravagant in Elven. It can take half an hour to order a roast chicken in an elven restaurant, humans sometimes get frustrated at listening to elven companions recall their first roast chicken simply to order one today.

The Ktaln language, which like most things having to do with the cat people is called Ktal, is the most difficult language to learn for those without the Ktaln sense of hearing. Since the Ktaln's sense of hearing is quite acute, the use of sound is more refined in Ktal than in any other language. Ktaln speaking Trading sometimes overemphasize words because of their use of subtle accents in their own language. Written Ktal is a linguist's nightmare of variable accent marks and special letters. Thankfully, Ktal is quite straight-forward in its phrasing, making it easy to determine the meaning once the words themselves are known.