Mivalan Culture

• Membership: Denizens of Mivala Region, Huvarin.
• Language: Mivalan. Sulorahn, and Khazdun as common second languages.
• Lifestyle:
  
  • Home/Family Unit: Family units, multi-generational common.
  • Social Structure: Status driven, varies by society. Common republics, monarchies, or autocracies.
  • Religion: Drakaryn
• Culture:
  
  • Art: Tradecrafts, paintings, sculptures and textiles.
  • Themes: Water, fishing, sealife. Geometric patterns.
  • Fashion: Bright colours, body markings, coloured jewellery. Full body coverage with thin fabrics.
  • Cuisine: Fish and game meats, strong use of jungle fruits and berries.
• Quirks:
  
  • Adaptive: Societies are extremely fluid, often influenced over long periods of time by neighbouring cultures or styles.
  • Commercial: Significant focus on trade and commerce, particularly international.

In Detail

Originating in the most difficult and challenging of biomes and environments, Mivalan culture has been most strongly informed by mettle and improvisation. Whether from wandering beasts, illness, intense storms or simply the restricted spaces, their people have had plenty of reason to learn that hardship is a natural obstacle designed to be overcome, outthought, and outmanoeuvred.

This is combined with the region's dominant and origin species, the Huvarin, whose over-active subconscious ability to perceive and forewarn of danger has further built upon cultures of adventurous and risk-taking behaviour. Risk and danger were long a part of daily life, and the only way to prosper was to meet it head-on, a style of living for which the Huvarin were naturally adept — knowing they could skirt danger more closely than any other.

Mivalan cities and its peoples were often disadvantaged compared to neighbouring nations and regions, as their land, while rich in resources, was difficult to defend while also defending from its natural threats. So when conflict would arise either internally or externally, diplomacy and a need to adapt and adjust became natural mores. Larger countries are rare, with most nations little more than walled and fortified city-states — and each having their own culture, which has naturally malformed as a result of the cultures of those that have entered or left the city.

One common trope, however, is the notion of celebrity — those most willing to succeed, to work, to risk, and become great are admired and treated as articles of near-worship. This has been made all the more prominent by the region's surprising exposure to Dragons regularly across its history. Many such creatures with benign intent have over the years assisted the people of Mivala. It is from these constant exposures to dragons that the region's dominant religion has been informed, taking upon the religion of the Dragon as beings old enough to surely know how the world worked.

Mivalan people are often defined by their ability to adapt, overcome, and succeed — for success for them has never come from strength, superiority, or intensity but their ability to always find a third option away from fight or flee.

The downsides, of course, are high levels of competition — and a perspective that success and prosperity are down to mettle and will, not strength or intrinsic ability. Thus, those who are unfortunate, low-class, or otherwise failing to excel are often disregarded as subjects of their own poor decisions or efforts. "Anyone can succeed — so why can't you?"