culture:rolaan [Wandering Star Role Play]

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===== Rolaan Culture =====
[[species/rolaan|Rolaan]] are a species that went through a diaspora long ago, scattering their race across the cosmos. This leads to a wide variety of cultural differences from pact to isolated pact, but there are many common threads between them. The bands they wear are significant not only in biology, but in the realm of social status, and you can pick out the wealthier Rolaan out from the less-fortunate simply by observing their band. Rolaan do not farm for crops, but for grazing for any livestock they keep. Their cooking is very aromatic, but little actual flavour. They don't have much of a focus on technology or psionics, instead opting to delve deeper into researching the magic they use their bands to cast. 

====Morals====
  * They respect those that don't try to eat them. Which is most sapients.
  * Rolaan do not take food from others that isn't offered.
  * The respect they offer to bigger sapients that don't try to eat them is very all-encompassing. At least, until they become familiar with individuals.
  * Admiration based theft is about things of little value, taking something and saying "I like you so much that this little trinket means the world to me!"

=== Friendship, Romance, and Courtship ===
Rolaan aren't a species that abide by a mate-for-life concept, but they have genetic ties to clanship. A rolaan without a clan usually finds a group to work and stay with. An isolated rolaan generally does not do so well, mentally. 

=== Crime ===
Crime in Rolaan society is often punished by indentured servitude, as a "pound of flesh" measure to prevent further crimes. The trials deigning the sentences are little more than notary meetings, to figure the category of crime and then any necessary extensions or shortenings based on specifics about the case, and then the penalty is assigned. Special enchantmented bands are used to 'encourage' the convicted party to complete their sentence. In the event of food theft, the death penalty is used. In the event of theft of eggs or even more severe crimes, the wronged party often attains specialized vengeful reparations against the criminal, which are presided over by the Trial and deemed "fair" or "unfair" as the punishment.
====Style====
The most important element of any Rolaan is their band. The individual chooses where it wraps around, from neck to arm to wrist to leg, and so on, but every Rolaan needs one. So naturally, a lot of care and detail goes into crafting the bands and decorating them thereafter. The purer the metals, the more effective and higher-class the band is. Oftentimes, solid platinum bands are the surest symbols of wealth and power among the Rolaan, but other metals of high purity are regarded just as highly.

Overall, the Rolaan give off the impression that they are a freer people, often with their perceivably upbeat interactions with the world and flowing fabrics. Rolaan focus on texture rather than colour when it comes to their art and architecture.

Wirework and metalworking are common pastimes for the Rolaan, giving them malleable materials that they can mould with their claws easily and into beautiful shapes. Rolaan love working with old scrap in particular, turning something old and unwanted into something fresh and inspirational - so much so that trinkets are a common barter item for the Rolaan. The more workmanship and beauty they can see in the item, the more intrinsic value it has in the market. Clayworking is another common pastime, although less popular due to the less inherently interesting nature of pots and cups.

=== Fashion ===
Given their poor vision, a lot of attention on rolaan fabrics is less on colour (As in, no coordination on colour) and more on texture and patterning. The band's placement on a Rolaan body is chosen during a specific ceremony, allowing their custom band for adulthood to be set anywhere on their body - but once it's on, it tends to be on the rest of their life. Breeches and shorts are common items of apparel, since they offer pockets and covering without restricting mobility. They tend to wear looser things up top with lots of pockets to carry the things they find - pocket ponchos, capes, and shawls very popular items among the rolaan, although they don't always wear clothes up top.

Wealthier Rolaan would tailor their clothes so that all attention and focus of their outfits is on their bands. Additionally, they love embedding small gemstones into their scales, or removing a scale and placing a flat gem in the place of that.

=== Architecture & Aesthetics ===
Rolaan architecture has a very Art Noveau feeling to it, owing much to the "hand crafted" nature their magic allows in their warrens. Lots of smooth curves and rootlike detailing all around. Much of it is to communicate feeling through texture and patterns and how it plays with the eyes rather like the way more vision-heavy races use colour to do the same.

==== Technology ====
Rolaan prefer using magic to solve their problems, in daily tasks or more monumental accomplishments. That isn't to say they'll shun tech - far from it. They'll use whatever they can, especially when it comes to the medical field. But, they have very little technology of their own design, instead opting for using their metal bands as their do-everything device. 

===Tech Focus===
When all is said and done, one of the few things the Rolaan invest in, tech wise, are sensors. Particularly geological sensors. They highly value simple, clean readouts that provide excellent terrain readings for resources, other tunnels, structural integrity, and more. It is not uncommon for a digging crew to be outfitted with scanner goggles that feed them this in plain text while they use their noses and ears to guide themselves.
What the society's main focus in technology is. As for magical research, much of it is earthen. 

=== Magic ===
Rolaan are strongly in favor of magic use. It is their bread and butter, a common tool and aid in everyday affairs. The most important part, of course, is their bands. The bands, of course, help their heat regulation and serve as a form as immunization against most diseases. The rings themselves are infused with these enchantments, so they also serve as excellent focii for spells (and casting through them accomplishes the goal of charging them up like one would wind a pocketwatch regularly). Rolaan commonly master the use of earth-shaping magics, but it's not uncommon to see them picking up other skills as they need from others or books. 

Otherwise, one of the main focuses for Rolaan magical research are golems, particularly in the field of labor. Using a similar method to the one used to create bands, they can form a discus to affix to a formed body of minerals or rocks to use as a servant. Igneous rock works best for it, given the relative purity of the type, particularly when poured fresh from a magma vein. Sedimentary rock is by far the worst for a number of reasons, from crumbling easily to just not responding well to the methodology of command. The discus effectively is a program, allowing them to run a number of commands on it based on set conditions that occur (If; there is a piece of trash on the ground, then; pick it up and put it in the nearest can). Golems aren't used as widespread as bands, but they're often employed by larger clans to take care of communal space maintenance and hard labor. Because they're rocks.

=== Psionics ===
Rolaan are not heavy psionics users and hardly acknowledge the existence of psi-users within their clans. 
====Agriculture====
The only things Rolaan really farm are grazing crops to feed whatever their livestock is. 

===Horticulture===
Rolaan have a longstanding tradition of tunneling - and as such are particularly skilled with it. When it comes to aboveground cultivation, they are somewhat lacking.

===Fauna===
Rolaan don't keep pets. Their longstanding history of being among the smallest creatures of their homeworld put them in a very "you're going to eat or get eaten" mindset, and since then they've not kept anything that wasn't for food purposes. That being said, they raise whatever livestock is available (including large insects) and don't understand the concept of raising an animal not for eating. They will not do something like take somebody else's pet, however.

===Cooking===
Rolaan tend to use fire magic to perform any roasting of meats, although they're more than happy to eat things raw provided they're scented right. True to their senses, Rolaan cooking is much more about aroma than flavour, and anybody who tries a Rolaan meal will feel underwhelmed by the fact that they smelled something fantastic and was delivered something rather tasteless.
====Religion====
Rolaan religion, when it is actually practiced, is centralized around the bands they all carry with them. Really, they're very lax about practicing save for the banding ritual, which is the single most important day of a Rolaan's early life.

===Core Tenet===
  * The Ring Protects

===Ceremony ===
  * Banding ritual - up until pubescence, Rolaan children trade out their bands on a regular basis due to growth. But, on the threshold of adulthood, a ceremony is held to create a custom band for them that is often worn for the rest of their life. It is a time for much rejoicing.
  * Treija - A holiday starting just after beginning of autumn (These days just marked on a calendar based on a planet's equinox) celebrating the legendary mage who taught her fellow Rolaan about magic and uplifted them to become the dominant species on their planet. These days, it's a celebration that brings together many clans from a region to a wonderful week long festival of food, fun, and courtship.


====Traditions====
The Rolaan have only a few traditions besides the religious ones, but they're very important.
  * The Day of Recognition - A day that happens at the end of a season. It's a quiet affair celebrating the birthdays of everybody from the past season, anointing them for congratulations on another year of life.
  * The Feast of Passing - A celebration following the day of recognition that lasts for three days. It is a happy event that celebrates the deaths of those in the clan and give their spirits a welcome sendoff.

===Birth and Death===
Rolaan do not see much by way of celebrating birth, another holdover from the "survive the beast" mentality. Instead, they treat birthdays as a solemn occurrence not as individuals but as a group, celebrating the ones that survived for the season of their birth. For those that have died, strangely, it is much more joyous. IN essence, an occasion to give the deceased a sendoff.