San'urran Culture

• Membership: Ma'uzzur Tribes, Ma'uzzur.
• Language: Varies by tribe. San'urran most widespread, but each tribe has its own dialects.
• Lifestyle:
  
  • Home/Family Unit: Families, often single generational + offspring.
  • Social Structure: Magicians and religious figures given status. No separation of church & government.
  • Religion: General worship / respect of nature and elemental spirits. Occasional named spirit worship.
• Culture:
  
  • Art: Ornate weaponry and tribal equipment, fur dyes, fabrics. Fine jewellery work.
  • Themes: Spirits, homages to felines and great cats, tribalism.
  • Fashion: Rich colours, silks, jewellery. Clothing tends to be extremely thin.
  • Cuisine: Game meats, prevalent spice culture, root vegetables, smoked & pickled meats.
• Quirks:
  
  • Tribal: Strong culture separation between tribes, individual themes, high competition. Strong sense of identity from origin communities.

In Detail

One of the few species of the Agunean landmass that has managed to spread and civilise to some extent, the many Ma'uzzur tribes are often considered one of the oldest societies with a long and rich history. The origins of their culture can be traced back to the expansive jungles of San'urra and the first Ma'uzzur tribes to try and build their own societies rather than merely survive. Over the centuries that followed, this culture spread to many Ma'uzzur tribes in different regions, either through conquering, alliance, or mere exposure and sharing of knowledge and territory borders.

The San'urran culture is defined by embracing their tribal and nomadic origins, and their mettle as an unmistakable predator species — they roam, set up camps or societies, take what they need, and move on. Their constant exposure to Agune and its larger presence of wandering spirits and roaming creatures has often further informed their culture, with many tribes worshipping or paying respects to individual spirits as local totemic deific figures, or providing a casual service to all spirits they encounter.

With such wide territories, however, many divergences have occurred. Historically, some efforts have been made to try and unite the various Ma'uzzur tribes — many histories speak of Chataya San'urran, a tribe leader who used diplomacy and resource sharing to build an empire of allied tribes across a large region of multiple biomes, spanning from her own desert tribes to boreal and tropics alike. However, such alliances rarely last more than a few generations, as individual tribes are often formed around particular local needs, which build divisions readily. More commonly, are networks of neutral political alignments, where tribes of neighbouring territories stay out of each other's way.

Individual tribal variations can be quite significant — while most retain a general notion of spiritualism, the importance of it can vary from tribal worship to mere acknowledgement of their presence in a mutual respect. Tribes often are styled after the particular sub-species of Ma'uzzur and other species that form the tribe, with more individual-centric tribes favouring a loose, disparate collection of hunters, while more pride- or pack-oriented groups form communities and static townships.