Sirine

Trade city and rural farming villages. Mediterranean to semi-arid environment.

Major exports are wine, olive oil, figs, cloth, and spices. Major imports are wood, wheat, and metals. Foods are often internally traded to support the larger trade towns near the capital.

Sirinians take their tea plain

Gender & Family Life

Sirinians are matriarchal, with a single woman in the family – not always the eldest – as head of the household.

Weddings

In Sirine, outdoor labor is primarily men's work, making men are a vital part of any farm. While parents want their sons to grow up and join good households, the loss of a hardy worker still provides problems. Stereotypically, Sirinian parents exaggerate their reluctance for sons to marry, especially to help the family acquire a good marriage price to offset their loss. This has led to the custom of women to be married "stealing" their future husband.

After a marriage has been arranged, when the wedding approaches, at some point in the night the marrying man will attempt to sneak out of his home while his family sleeps and meet with the marrying woman, and the two will attempt to slip away to find a place where they can spend an entertaining evening, free from the parents who have inevitably been very involved in their lives during the marriage arrangements.

However, family and friends are of course aware of the custom, and will take much delight in interfering. If someone finds where they've hidden themselves they'll be heckled relentlessly. Some couples with particularly mischievous friends have thought themselves well hidden, only to end up with an unpleasant surprise as they're doused with a bucket of water right before things get interesting.

When the sun rises, the couple return to the home of the marrying man's parents for a breakfast and to start preparations for the wedding which will be held that afternoon, where they will have a more private follow up - if they're not too tired from a night of mischief.

Weddings themselves are rather simple affairs; while more politically-minded couples will host events as a pair after their marriage, the weddings themselves only involve the couple, family, close friends, and a priest. An animal – usually a goat – is sacrificed and eaten, and some of its blood dabbed on the backs of the hands of the couple. Festivities often include singing and dancing, and continues until the sun sets.

Upon marriage, men move into the household of their wife, where she resides with any of her living parents of grandparents, and at times aunts and sisters, who may also be married themselves. The main bedroom houses the current head of the family and her husband, and functions as both bedroom and office, and sisters and daughters are sometimes brought in to discuss the business of the farm.

Traditionally men and women live in separate living spaces, eating together in the family's dining and hosting area but spending evenings and nights apart. Some Sirinian families have been influenced by the Kapiken style, where each couple has their own small building that functions as their living space, usually encircling the communal living spaces. While this provides more privacy and can work well for very large households, most Sirinians are accustomed to sharing a bed with family and would find the solitude unnerving. When one needs particular privacy, they may suggest their roommates find some outdoor entertainment for a time, or may make use of the hosting area.

Divorces are possible, and simply involve the man returning to the household he grew up in, or a branch house of another female relative. Any children old enough to leave with him may do so if they chose. Technically a person could join an unrelated household without marrying if they're accepted, but not making the commitment to a family is frowned upon. There are those, particularly in cities, who live alone and don't have a family business, who are considered strange and asocial.

Inheritances often go to the eldest child of the head of the household, but an heir can be chosen from among the women in the household, and usually inherits while their predecessor is still alive, though they play a major part in decision-making and guidance throughout their lives. As long as someone remains to take over the household and care for their parents, other daughters may split off to start their own households, though this means they are generally out of the running for inheritance unless they are left the only woman in the family, at which point one of their daughters or sisters-in-law will take on their new household while they return to the place where they grew up.

Same-sex marriages exist among both men and women, and a woman does not have to have a husband or children to become head of household, as heirs are not restricted to the head's eldest child. Which household a same-sex couple joins depends on their preference and the needs of the households.

Entertainment

Theater is popular throughout Sirine, despite the fact that actors are looked down on. A single person reciting a tale more respectable. Productivity is valued, and those who focus too heavily on entertaining others are less esteemed. Music is great, focusing on music is not and means you're seen as not being able to do something actually "useful". Actors, magicians, musicians, and prostitutes tend to be associated with each other.

Magic is also looked down upon as a tool for those unable to do the work the true way. One of the most widespread uses of magic in the southernmost continent is for acting - realistic blood splatter effects, cool lighting, etc., so magic is associated with tawdry, lower-class entertainment. The rich have been known to hire mages to create ice or cool areas/food, though the constant energy required by the caster makes this inefficient.

A lot of Sirinian color symbolism has been influenced by plays, with colors becoming associated with popular characters and later being used as a shorthand to invoke certain character archetypes to the audience. There aren't strict rules regarding which colors can be worn in daily life, but thought it put into colors for important events.

Warm colors are generally feminine, and cooler colors masculine

Red: Life, death, divinity, renewal; usually only worn by priests
Blue: Homosexuality, doubt, rest
Green: Wealth, maturity, trustworthiness
Yellow: Youth, strength, stubbornness
Silver/gray: Fate, death, deceit, mourning
Brown: Safety, control, knowledge
Pink: Innovation, humor, mischief

Orange: Intimacy, devotion, passion

Purple: Indulgence, foolishness, fun
Black: Boldness, compassion, wisdom
White: Peace, sleep, sickness

Stilts are used for assistance with harvesting from trees, but also utilized for dancing and stilt-fighting. There's a form of dance using one or two specialized poles – it's a bit of a mix between gymnastics, pole vaulting, and pole dancing. It's a display of strength and balance and requires deftness to prevent the pole from slipping, though some poles have a sharpened bottom to enable the dancer to lodge it more firmly into the ground during movement.

Children are often seen re-appropriating long handled tools not currently in use to practice vaulting. Accomplished dancers have an almost superstitious preference for certain poles, and dislike using others or having other people use theirs. Though it's standard for the poles themselves to be plain, dancers often design their own signature knotwork for the twine that wraps around one or both poles when not in use.

Religion & values

The largest religion in Sirine is the worship of Prosposa, a single god with a dual nature. She is life and death, light and dark, and man and woman; none of these things are individual but inherently entwined, and can only exist in contrast and balance with the other. Balance is very important.

Red, with its association with blood as the color of both life and death, is a religious color, and wearing bright scarlet if you're not a priest can be inauspicious – as if drawing attention you shouldn't.

people in the community make offerings to prosposa via her priests.

Sirinians have a tendency to religious tolerance, mostly because they hold a viewpoint that all others gods and religions are simply facets and interpretations of Prosposa. Of course, some take offensive to having their religion shoehorned into that of another.

At the age of 17, Sirinians mark their new status as adults by spending an amount of time (often a month) as priest in order to instill a sense for and respect of the balance of life and the responsibilities they will hold going forward for their future life. In practice, this involves helping with the priestly duties of doctoring, burials, and meditation. Some Sirinians choose to stay on as priests long-term, though this isn’t always allowed by the parents.

Murder's the biggest taboo (though that doesn't mean you can't completely screw over someone's life....just no killing) and physical fights are frowned upon. If you're an adult you're expected to be able to deal with shit without brawling about it. Maturity and responsibility are important virtues - you're expected to not do shit that will make your family look bad. Not that they don't have their fair share of drinking and entertainment. Living completely alone is seen as very strange.

Fashion

Angled lines and warm colors are more strongly associated with femininity, though a vibrant red has religious connotations due to its association with blood.

Sirinian fashion favors solid, bold, straight lines, with more angled lines being associated with femineity. Showing skin beyond that of the face, hands and feet (that which is considered essential to interacting with the world) as an adult is seen as undignified in regions towards the capital, though this is seen less the further inland you get. Children wear something like a chiton until they reach the age where they're expected to take on adult responsibilities. This resembles what those inland wear, causing rural people to be associated with immaturity and a lack of dignity.

A fashion trend among the rich is wearing partially visible jersey underclothes beneath the standard linen outerwear, allowing them to wear such things as short sleeves while still remaining tastefully covered. This stretchier fabric is more expensive in addition to being warmer, making it doubly impractical for the working class.

Deep, vivid fabrics are the ideal, but dye baths are reused, the first bath providing the most coveted deep colors, and subsequent baths giving progressively more pale shades. Thus rich-colored clothing is a sign of wealth, though amid the lower class, clothing that’s maintained a pure, clean white gives the wearer an air of elegance. True black linen is especially sought after, as it’s difficult to achieve a consistent deep black. Black wool, warmer but more easily acquired due to black sheep, is a cheaper alternative. Reds and golds are the most common colors, though pure a bright pure scarlet is rarely worn outside of certain religious scenarios.

There are a few universals for fashion in the country, regardless of region or status: pants are unpopular, only worn by those who work on horseback. Hair is decorated, tied back, or covered as an adult, with many workers using cloth that can protect their faces from dust and sand. Going barefoot is common, though sandals are sometimes worn, or sometimes even boots for those who need to protect their feet and legs from sharp shrubs.

Politics

Sirinians are a difficult people to govern, and most of what is called Sirine is not a country so much as it is a group of self-governing rural villages. There have been attempts to unify the people under a centralized government, but they have always inevitably failed. The capital is essentially its own country, ruled by an elected government.

oh god. economics. uhhh. for government i think it's something between a timocracy and a meritocracy - basically the people governing are supposed to be those with the most ability, achievement, and productivity, but that doesn't necessarily work out like it does on paper. having an established household helps a lot, though social standing can rise and fall, so theoretically someone from a non-respected household can climb to a position of power in government but it's a lot harder. also sometimes idiots get positions just bc of nepotism wealth mostly resides among these most esteemed families - though not all of them take jobs in government (though it helps protect their interests if they do), and having a position doesn't automatically give you the same amount of social influence. there's a lot of power plays as people try to increase their own reputation and frequently screwing over others one fairly common tactic among the upper class is to toe the line of insult, trying your best to get the other person to snap and fight you while still being able to retain plausible deniability. social events can get mean

Other

house that is off the ground to let the wind under and cool it - two separate buildings under one roof to let wind through the walkway, kitchen separate to avoid heating the house but outdoor kitchens common

Sirine values wordplay, and clever insults are less offensive there than they would be in many other regions. To be publicly insulted doesn't necessarily hurt one's social standing, though to fail to respond with a pithy counter (whether rejecting the insult, humorously accepting it, or responding with another insult) makes one seem unintelligent. Humor and wit are important parts of court life, and inability to accept humor at one's expense makes one seem childish. This does not mean one's able to say anything they want, however. Certain topics must be evoked subtly, with plausible deniability regarding the speaker's intent. Just because one wasn't formally admonished for an insult doesn't mean it won't lead to worsened relations with the insulted.

Sirinians will dial back the scathing commentary with respected visitors from other cultures, though some may be subject to the full brunt of it out of dislike or a challenge to see if they keep their composure. Even when they are at their most formal, their praise can be wry and insulting in its own way

They're very tactile, have a few different sign languages and use hand gestures a lot, babies are often taught sign when they're young and most hearing people only remember rudimentary signs it's frequent for them to subconsciously used when gesturing. the standard fluency is enough to get general ideas across - warnings, asking for directions, etc. but not detailed enough for deep discussions.