Culture (development)

Culture expresses the influence that technologies has upon beliefs, institutions, the arts, laws, customs and everyday behaviour of the people. The development of a locality has considerable influence over how the culture will relate to outsiders, such as the player characters. Less sophisticated cultures will be less welcoming towards outsiders, and perhaps very aggressive, while more cosmopolitan cultures will welcome a player's money more than the players themselves.

DEV-5

Leadership

Shamanistic culture serves to legitimize the power held by chiefs and chieftains over bands or tribes. The choice of leader relates to the practice of sacred journeys, vision quests and tests of adulthood, which separate out the weaker members and identify those that are strongest. These obtain greater status within the clan, forming a "council" with the right to partake in decision-making and to select a leader from among themselves. Those who succeed these test without special merit form the strength of the clan and those who do not succeed become the subservient class. Special merit reflects a strong belief in superstitious signs and omens.

To survive at all in such harsh circumstances requires fortitude (the will to survive); as the weak are abandoned, the living possess a higher natural endurance above other humanoids of their species: +1 strength, +1 constitution and minimum 3 hit points. Clan structure is inordinately self-supporting and defensive, so that standard morale is 8.

Religion

Individuals experience awe of the power of nature, particularly of storms, which threaten boats on the water and cause damage on land. There is little comprehension of "gods," but the forces that control storms, wind, fire and water are typically the entities called upon by shamans and others.

Animal sacrifices are carried out at certain times of the year, invoking a strong relationship between clan members and death, and importantly the ideal of personal sacrifice for the good of others.

Contact with Outsiders

Contact with outsiders is minimal; most settlements are located on rivers or coasts, enabling contact between settlements by boat. Distances are usually extreme, however, so contact is over very rare except in cases where settlements are nearer than 100 miles apart. The only contact may be with outsiders seeking goods such as furs, gold or provisions (meat). In such cases, trade is usually done through a form of silent barter, with parties not directly contancing each other. Dev-5 settlements seek to import metals (copper and bronze, which they can work), pottery and weapons.

Some knowledge of the outside world is gained through these sacred journeys that young members of the clan undertake. It is common to seek out sacred places and monoliths that make up the larger tribal culture; and to dedicate new monoliths to highly celebrated members of the tribe, which then become important to sacred journeys undertaken by distant settlements and groups.

Daily Life

Members of the council possess the greatest number of comforts and personal wealth, with personal servants, furs to sleep on, imported weapons and metal jewelry, the use of pottery vessels and many skins to wear. Among others, the ownership of placer nuggets, ornamental stones, axes, sea shells and warm skins are chief signs of wealth and importance.

When not working or travelling, clan members gather to experience religious fervor through the shaman, to dance and to sing and to tell stories of long journeys and acts of bravery, especially from older members to the young.