Daoine

Interpersonal Reactions

When a country is as diverse as Inis Mona, and you are somehow still the majority of its population, it stops becoming a question of how others interact with you and more about how you interact with others. Daoine started the end of the Age of Summer, during the Wounding of the Good Son, as aggressors. Their world ending, they lashed out at the Fwoarians, they embattled the Digir and had they known of them they may very well have attacked the Huldufolk at that time. But more than anyone else, the Daoine attacked each other.

Since the end of the War of Spears, they have tried to bring some manner of peace to the lands of Inis Mona, and barring some exceptions they have mostly accomplished this with the founding of Dòchas Ùr and the Council. Their attitude towards the other inhabitants of the Grim Countries, possibly of all those in Trynnalta, is a jingoistic one. They often attribute struggles, civic and military, to other tribes with little evidence of their factuality. Such as Fwoarians, which many Daoine consider to be in a near state of social collapse.

Origin Archetypes

Unlike many of the other tribes, Daoine commit themselves fully to their chosen career. Called to it as if by fate or something in the blood, but each Daoine excels at their chosen career with an almost natural talent. A spark of divinity granted to them by the Ardruids. Daoine can fulfill almost any Origin Archetype, barring culturally specific one such as Remnant Tribes, and their society wants for little when it comes to capable artisans and workers.

Paradoxically, Daoine do not typically become career soldiers. Most of their army is drafted for purpose and is comprised of conscripts. Some are veterans, but most are farmers, traders and other lower social strata. What "career soldiers" do exist are relegated to desperate mercenary bands and Lughlinn:

• Apprentice, Artisan, Cavalry Lord, Enlisted Soldiers, Entertainer, Fell Hunter, Forager, Gambler, Menial, Nobilite, Sailor, Survivalist, Yeoman.

Character Archetypes

Taskmasters and hiring guilds often give undue praise to specimens such as Fwoarians for general labor and mercenary work, or the Huldufolk for thieves and spies.  But, the truly wise look for Daoine hirelings. Capable of rounding out or becoming the cornerstone of entire expedition parties while still remaining fairly specialized, they are elites in the realm of skill and capable at whatever task they bend their talents towards:

• Aristocrat, Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Nobleman, Paladin, Witch.

Common Names

Feminine Names

Beasag, Brìde, Cacht, Étaín, Gaynor, Marsail

Masculine Names

Ailig, Cuimín, Caledfwlch, Declán, Meirion, Seòras

Family Names

Peasants don't take much care in their lineage names and its often a secondary consideration to them. Lughlinn however make great efforts to trace their family's lineage. Keeping great records and even inscribing it on their heirloom helmets. These names start with who in the family bears the honorific of lughlinn or Íseal Righ, lending their name to the lineage going forward.

Bliven, Caddick, Canonach, Nic Colla, Ní Lorcáin, MacSual, Ó Madáin, Ó Scolaidhe

Culture

In their given tasks, humans typically develop great aptitude for their chosen fields of expertise. Perhaps this is a manifestation of the divine Ardruids bloodline, each of them having been masters of whatever skill they chose to take up. That small spark of divinity is in man as well, some have an almost preternatural knack for their chosen fields.

With that in mind its easy to see the root cause for hero worship among the tribes of man. The Ardruids are god-heroes, masters of art, war and magic. Humans are the sons and daughters of the masters of the material and the divine. Heroism is theirs right by birth, but they will celebrate it in anyone. Easily they are fascinated by tales of the fwoarian chieftains, fey knights and the like. Were a digir to ever spin a yarn of a hero from the mountains, it would find roost on eager ears.

So, humans, elfin children and even perhaps changelings seek to emulate their god-heroes, their ancestors and the fables of heroes the country over. To become a hero is to be gilded in glory, festooned in riches and lauded as a son or daughter of the Ardruids. To achieve legend could mean a rise from farming in the muck to silken nobility, it could mean recovering ones lost honor or winning the hearts of your loved ones.

Native Language

Humans speak New and Old Moni primarily, but are capable of picking up Sióg from the feyfolk. Its primarily the human children of the Ardruids that migrated south in the Age of Summer and so it is in all likelihood their attempts to impress their culture on the fwoarians that led to Cawr becoming a dead language until its revival in RE 2808 AoA.

Customs & Values

Loyalty to one's Caern-Raths is paramount. If the Lughlinn Mór calls upon your services you are bound by honor and law to answer. This goes for the lowliest peasant to the most decorated Lughlinn. This unity is what humans value. A united front can crush the most dangerous foes and many believe it is the key not simply to survival, but returning to the golden days of the Age of Summer.

Telling of Tales - Among the Hedge and High Druids of the Inis, there is no caste of people more beloved than the vates. A vate brings with them to town the history of the heroes that captivate the imaginations of man. They spin stories like a magic spell that brings everyone to the hearth side ready to listen and be amazed. More than one local hero has been forged by the inspiration of these stories.

The Feast of Badb - When lughlinn meet in battle what follows is a display of martial and tactical acumen unlike anything on the battlefield. To secure the story of their legacies, to thank the Ardruids of war, and to shatter the legends of their foes many sever the heads of their fallen opponents and pike them on the field of battle. This act steals the Awen of their foes and claims a portion of it for themselves, the rest is a libation for their chosen patron; often Badb or Unknown, but sometimes even Unknown or Unknown.

Common Etiquette

Peasants are forbidden from arguing, dissenting or even speaking out of turn to nobility. Nobility are, however, cautioned against mistreating the lower castes. However, there's some debate on what mistreatment is.

Nobility and lughlinn often treat each other with esteem and respect even on the field of battle, with quarter given to a worthy foe and prisoners of importance who are taken given great hospitality and respect before being ransomed back to their allies.

Taboos

Art & Architecture

Humans are not keen on overly ostentatious buildings. Simple stone walls and terracotta rooves. They build sturdy, but simple battlements and gates. 

Their artwork is often vivid and colorful as if to drive back the darkness around them. Elegant knotwork and depictions of people and animals caught in thrilling, often epic, moments. These depictions often have the bodies lithe and almost ropey compared to the real world equivalents. Swirls, spirals, loops and complicated latticework is often included.

This means almost by their nature the children of the Ardruids become enamored with artistry of the other tribes. Many of the more wealthy among them spending truly foolish sums of coinage on Huldufolk tapestry, what few examples of Digir stonecunning can be bought, and even Fwoarian trinkets and totems fascinate them.

Humans control most of the Inis and have a fairly high level of technology despite the constant battles and lack of cultural progress. They could be described as medieval in most places, but in their major settlements they border on renaissance.

Clothes & Dress

Humans tend to dress modestly in many colors, but usually colors that match the ruling caste's banners and coat of arms if they live within or around the Caern-Raths' walls. In the wider Inis the people who live in the Unknown tend to wear flax and burlap clothes of simple make, with the slightly richer members and farm owners wearing simple cotton attire with drab colors.

Foods & Cuisine

As is with most things in human society, the properties of food are tied to wealth in station. Humans are by their nature omnivorous and often used various plants and meats in their cuisine. Most often this takes the form of simple stews and breads, but truly lavish feasts will have artistically rendered animals, plants for food and decoration, anything and everything utilized in an attempt to impress the mind and the apatite.

Myths & Legends

For a comprehensive look at Daoine beliefs and religion, refer to the Unknown.

Birth Rites

When a human child is born they are brought to the Menhir at the center of town, or if nobility, to the Menhir at the rath. There they are blessed beneath the stone, druids calling on the god-heroes of the Inis to protect them and blessing them to live a life worth living, before being ritually cleaned with water and salt. Some families will dedicate one Ardruid above the rest and ask that entity to watch over their child throughout their life.

Coming of Age Rites

Naming Day - After a human is born, given its name and survived a full year, their friends and family often come together on this anniversary of their birth to celebrate the honored person with gifts and song. These types of events range in extravagance based on the wealth of the individual, obviously, but many put a lot of effort into it even if they do not have the material means.

On their 16th year, humans are considered adults in the realm of skill and experience. From there they move into whatever their labors may be. Families often follow similar trades, but not always, and many see a benefit in having tangentially related trades turning their homes into small centers of industry. But, there is another prospect; Squire. A young adult of any strata in society can be seconded to a Lughlinn or an Íseal righ. They become the work horse of that persons home. Caring for weapons and armor, doing homeward chores and the like. 

During this time the Lughlinn trains them in weapons and armor, tactics and society, bending every effort to turn this peasants' child into a lord of the realm. Such situations are uncommon, but not unheard of. Once a Lughlinn declares them ready, the squire may start on his own road as Lughlinn, or even becoming the successor to the one that trained them.

Funerary & Memorial Rites

Humans cremate most of their dead. However, very wealthy or important people may have great barrows and cairns constructed for them serving as immense tombs and monuments to their legendary deeds and legacies. These tombs are filled to the gills with treasure and legendary weapons so that their occupant may take them through Annwn to the land of the young.  After a relative has passed, many households erect small shrines not akin to Fwoarian ancestral shrines, and continue to light incense and candles in honor of the departed. The observance of this ritual increases the closer the year grows to Unknown.

Beauty Ideals

Humans find cleanliness, good hygiene and healthy diets attractive. This removes them from the larger poverty-stricken masses around them. Clear skin, clean hair and a well-fed person would be considered fairly attractive. Jewelry is a greatly sought commodity and used to denote both one's wealth and accentuate their physical appeal. Silken garments that are colorful, but practical, are also a vested interest in those suitors who are looking.

Gender Ideals

Men and women in the caern-raths and caern-hearths share responsibility throughout the house. Men are just as likely to know how to cook and clean as women are to fight and forge. This practicality flows into the cultural structure as well. Women are not barred from holding titles or property and can decide their own fates as easily as men. Typically, due to the high rate of human births, women tend the home, but it is not required of them.

Some speculate this could possibly be one of the few things humans had acquired from the cross-culture with fwoarians. Others state that its how Ardruid society was, and the fwoarians learned it from them. Others believe it stems from the great flight south where much of the knowledge men had gained from the Ardruids was lost or stolen. Their culture needed anyone willing to tend the gaps in skill or knowledge and so any who showed merit or skill were given over to these titles and jobs.

Courtship Ideals

Human courtship varies from person to person and even arranged marriages are sometimes enacted. Largely, for the lesser castes, its a matter of how well two people get along and whether or not they are healthy. For the upper echelons it could be a matter of power and wealth. Typically, though, humans marry for love, finance or any number of reasons.

Its often an arduous process at any level of society, with the prospective partner plying what gifts or skills their prospective partner may enjoy. Slowly they grow to know each other, or their coffers, and eventually hold a marriage ceremony. These usually take place in the Season of Rains around Bealtuinn Feis and are decorated in fair colors with floral foliage. For the less wealthy, town mays take it in turns during one long celebration for multiple couples to wed and all to be celebrated.

Relationships

Humans are not fickle. Anyone of sound mind and body, or like mind and body, who respects and appreciates their labors are welcome spouses. Likewise that trust must move both ways, and in the endearing and ever-present ideals of hero worship, couples often make bold and outlandish statements of each other as if to express to their other that they are a hero worthy of recognition for simply existing and bringing joy to life.

• Toscaire of Dòchas Ùr