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The People of Tiangchou
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Some well known Tiangchouians -
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The tribes of Tiangchou -
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Organizations -
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Economy -
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Culture - (Click to read about Tiangchou FASHION
The Culture of Tiangchou
Art
Music
Music forms a large part of the entertainment within houses of the elite.
The most common instruments in use are the drums and the sitar (a form
of lute). The music can be intricate but is normally of a simple form
providing the backing to intricate dances that draw much from real life.
The dances can be comic or portraying a one of the sagas such as the
story of Lo Cha.
Within the poorer households drum music prevails, this dates back to the
days in the swamps of the river when drums were used to communicate. The
sitar is however often seen to make an appearance in the inns and taverns
of the outer city as a few musicians have been trained in its use.
Oral
Within the Merchants quarter is a small theater that hosts the telling
of many of the poetic sagas. There is a full time troupe of actors employed
by the theater. Over the years, rival theaters have been established
but have never met with much success, and have soon been forced to close
down.
In the inns and bars of Tiangchou traveling bards are met with stoney silence
when they sing the ditties and songs of Korresh. They appreciate the long
sagas, both the poetic works of their own lands and those of tradition from
other places.
Written
Amongst the elite the written form is much admired when presented in
poetic works. There are two main forms of poems that are used widely,
the haiku which is also recognized by the common man and the poetic
saga. Both of these forms are written down in stylized fashion and the
sagas are especially embellished.
There is no written form of art amongst the common laborer as few of them
are able to write, they prefer the spoken word for learning.
Visual
The porcelain manufactured within Tiangchou is very fine, however it
is the painting of that porcelain that makes the items superb. Tiangchou
art specializes in highly intricate natural scenes, normally portraying
nature with one or two other beings from myth or normal life. One of
the favored subjects are the colorful butterflies of the river swamp.
Some of the potters over the years have also aspired to create the perfect
set, so that many of the works coming out have been exquisite in detail,
small figurines are expensive and much sought after. There was a
fad to pose for a potter and have ones own figurine made, this is still
done nowadays but seen more of a sign of wealth than of social standing
as it used to be. Another medium that is used to decorate houses is
silk paintings, this is both used as wall paper and also for smaller
pictures and hangings.
Even the common man aspires to pieces of art and it is often found that individual
households will have an expensive and well decorated piece of porcelain that
while it might be used as service in a nobler household is used purely for
decorative purposes in a poorer house.
Locations
There are various locations where different arts and entertainment can be
found. There is a theater in the Merchants ring, scattered about the city
are the Pit Inns, within these is a fighting pit. Some of them large enough
to stage cock fighting, but some are used for gladiatorial combats. There
is no art gallery but each of the master potters displays their wares in
a shop.
Warfare
War is seen as a necessary evil, however since the Empire has had its
garrison, there has been little movement towards a large army and formal
battle maneuvers. The ancient martial arts practice in the Rat tribe
are still taught in small school, but the fighting has become more stylized
that the original raw form. There are still combat competitions held
during both the annual fairs and the largest is during the seven year
festival of the tribes. Within the upper classes there is now some introduction
of the arts of various other tribes as well.
Amongst the laborers and lower classes there are constant fights staged in
evenings between men, women and animals in any combination there of. These
are fought in "pits" normally and they can be found in several of the inns
in the laborers and merchant quarter. The main purpose of these events is
betting, the inhabitants of Tiangchou love to bet, especially on fighting.
The love extends to all the tribes in the region especially the horse nomads.
Attitudes
The Master Potter Tanchun Youshi shares his opinions on others...
Ss'tiss :
The lizard tribe might revere them , but I'm not sure, one must treat
with them and recognize their strength
Minotaur :
Rare to see, friendly giants, could help with the rebuilding,
talented artists
Delfae :
Very rare magical creatures who the snake tribe appear to hate.
Dwarf : Friends, master builders always welcome
Human, Rat Tribe : Us
Human, Snake Tribe : Don't trust them , slippery and poisonous,
wouldn't go near them..
Human, Lizard Tribe : Ha, meat eaters, they eat their own mothers
when they die and anyone else whenever they can get their hands on
someone.
Human, Rooster Tribe : Rarely cross paths with them, but they
seem alright, though sometimes they're lords, the samurai are a bit
pompous
Human, Horse Tribe : Uncouth barbarians, but they barter well
and are worth bartering with.
Human outsider : Imperial lackeys, under the heel of the emperor,
we're autonomous unlike the rest of the Empire.
Elf : Rarely see them this far north, but they have natural talent,
I would welcome them.
Goblin : I wonder if the Lizard tribe would like 'em.
Dress
Within the city the upper classes and ruling elite wear colorful silk gowns,
their level is distinguished by a diagonal sash that is worn across the body.
This sash also often hides a dagger for defense. The commoners wear a plain
tunic with a sash across the waist. The sash denotes status...servant (white
or off-white), free man (brown), artisan (black/blue) or merchant (black/blue)
and warrior (red). Masters of guilds are able to wear a plain diagonal sash
in addition to their waist one. Each of the other tribes has their own customs
and it is therefore likely to see many different styles of dress within Tiangchou.
Superstitions
The inhabitants of Tiangchou have several superstitions that they still
follow, some of which are unique to the city and most are an inheritance
from the Rat tribe.
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It is deemed good luck to follow a rat as they always know where they are
going. This a throwback to the entry into Tiangchou.
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If a rat crosses your path never follow the path that it came from for this
is bad luck.
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Rain is a blessing and to feel the first drop is to be especially honored,
those who live at the top of the hill are therefore more honored than others.
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