Hovellian first names come from ancient Roman, Latin, and Greek cultures. Examples of these are Ramona, Lucian, Celestia, and Antreas.
Hovellian last names are given in a very unique way. Last names come from in the form of an adjective, usually an adjective that has been used to describe their family or an adjective in general.
An example of this is ‘Andela The Strong’ or the adjective can be just the last name instead of if being said as if it is a title such as ‘Andela Strong’.
Hovellian last names are given in a very unique way. Last names come from in the form of an adjective, usually an adjective that has been used to describe their family or an adjective in general.
An example of this is ‘Andela The Strong’ or the adjective can be just the last name instead of if being said as if it is a title such as ‘Andela Strong’.
Besides being what’s left of history, the Skylord ruins also serve as burial grounds for the deceased. No matter who it is, whether they are an enemy or not, all deceased found in Hovell are to be buried in one of the ruins. Usually, in place of a tombstone, the weapon of the deceased (If they have one found with them) is usually placed at the head of the grave. A flag, usually describing who the deceased was, is wrapped around the end of the weapon that is pointing out the ground.
The people of Hovell use a building style similar to that of Ancient Greece and Rome, favouring the use of marble and other stone to create large and impressive structures. Most popular is the Corinthian Order, with thin fluted columns with highly decorative capitals, patterned after flowers, scenes of battle and leaves.
Lower class people in Hovell live in simpler structures, of course, with less time and money to spend on ornate carvings and other embellishments, but they still make use of similar materials for the most part.
Perhaps the only major exception to Hovell's traditional building styles is Goldgarde; the city has grown so quickly over the years due to the influx of Brookian magic and technology that much of the newer structures were made with wood and other, quicker-to-use materials than stone.
Lower class people in Hovell live in simpler structures, of course, with less time and money to spend on ornate carvings and other embellishments, but they still make use of similar materials for the most part.
Perhaps the only major exception to Hovell's traditional building styles is Goldgarde; the city has grown so quickly over the years due to the influx of Brookian magic and technology that much of the newer structures were made with wood and other, quicker-to-use materials than stone.
Music and Theatre
One the biggest and the most-liked of arts in Hovell is music, mainly being drums, singing, and dancing. Music is usually used mainly for entertainment but there are some songs that do depict certain legends and points in history. Along with Music, Theatre is the next biggest industry of art in Hovell. People are constantly putting on plays depicting old legends and old parts in histories, but usually with a modern twist to keep people interested in them. It has works, and because of it there are mainly famous actors and actresses through Hovell.
Painting
Painting is very admired in Hovell. Whether it be fine art or just a beautiful mural of the gods and goddesses on the street, being an artist can be a well paying profession if hired by the right people.
Tattoos; Tattoos or warpaint are a big thing in Hovell. Anytime that Hovell goes into a state of war, everyone including even infants have to get tattoos using the color of the legion they are from. These ‘tattoos’ are completely removable using a wide known cream and is made usually from ‘Prism’s children’ or native berries that come in all colors of the natural rainbow. (Little fun fact: Since the war was only eleven year ago, most people still have their colors visible. Lux is orange, Idothea is red and green, and Darkhaven is gold. Darkhaven is the only place where people don't really have them since they have to keep some level of ‘profession’.)
Dueling
An art only revered by the people of Hovell. Duels are a casual pass time for those who want to prove their strength outside of the wars the Hovells have had. These duels only take place in Lucius’ Palace, an old palace turned coliseum found in one of the skylord ruins of Lux. During these duels, two duelists must fight (non-lethally or in some cases where a person accidently kills their opponent) against each other in a show of skill and pride. First to disarm their opponent for 10 seconds wins (To make it fair, there are weapons throughout the dueling pit to pick up.). The best duelists are always rewarded the best renown among the people Hovell and receive a lot of special treatment such as free drinks in bars and even free nights in local hotels.
One the biggest and the most-liked of arts in Hovell is music, mainly being drums, singing, and dancing. Music is usually used mainly for entertainment but there are some songs that do depict certain legends and points in history. Along with Music, Theatre is the next biggest industry of art in Hovell. People are constantly putting on plays depicting old legends and old parts in histories, but usually with a modern twist to keep people interested in them. It has works, and because of it there are mainly famous actors and actresses through Hovell.
Painting
Painting is very admired in Hovell. Whether it be fine art or just a beautiful mural of the gods and goddesses on the street, being an artist can be a well paying profession if hired by the right people.
Tattoos; Tattoos or warpaint are a big thing in Hovell. Anytime that Hovell goes into a state of war, everyone including even infants have to get tattoos using the color of the legion they are from. These ‘tattoos’ are completely removable using a wide known cream and is made usually from ‘Prism’s children’ or native berries that come in all colors of the natural rainbow. (Little fun fact: Since the war was only eleven year ago, most people still have their colors visible. Lux is orange, Idothea is red and green, and Darkhaven is gold. Darkhaven is the only place where people don't really have them since they have to keep some level of ‘profession’.)
Dueling
An art only revered by the people of Hovell. Duels are a casual pass time for those who want to prove their strength outside of the wars the Hovells have had. These duels only take place in Lucius’ Palace, an old palace turned coliseum found in one of the skylord ruins of Lux. During these duels, two duelists must fight (non-lethally or in some cases where a person accidently kills their opponent) against each other in a show of skill and pride. First to disarm their opponent for 10 seconds wins (To make it fair, there are weapons throughout the dueling pit to pick up.). The best duelists are always rewarded the best renown among the people Hovell and receive a lot of special treatment such as free drinks in bars and even free nights in local hotels.
In a nation of warriors, someone has to keep track on what they eat.
- “Prism’s Children”; a widely known type of colorful berries only native to the savannahs of Hovell. While most use their berries for their tattoos, these berries are undeniably delicious. Because of this, a lot of farms have these guys as their top-priority stock.
- Meats! Wild zapalopes, ranch-born Wildebeests, and fish meats are usually the main meats that are farmed for Hovellians to eat.
- Tropical fruits; Idothea is notorious for its variety of colourful species of mangoes and its wacky pineapples that are very sweet and very delicious. In Lux, dragon-fruits and bananas are also grown.
Hovell does not have much of a formalized class system. Those who have the influence and the power remain on top while those who don’t strive for more will forever remain as lowly labourers for the rest of their lives if they don’t make a change. After the fall of the Skylord Empire, this is how it has always been. Through all the civil wars and all the shifts of power, this idea of society has been what has kept Hovell somewhat consistent. After the age of the Warlords started, this has become a bit relaxed. There is now a somewhat established way of succession and the people of Hovell have never been better.
The people of Hovell worship a pantheon of five deities.
Priests and Priestesses of the gods are usually referred to as ‘Sages’. Depending on which god/goddess they serve, they are referred like ‘Sage of the Moons’ or ‘Sage of War’, etc.
- Centurion
Centurion is said to be the god of both war and favor; worshipped by most if not all of Hovell. They pray to him before battles and pray that he may give them enough strength so that they may win their specific battle. He is depicted as a large, hovellian commander from an old legend. - Aelia
Goddess of the rising dawn and protection; worshipped by Hovell. It is said that every day and night since the creation of the realm, Aelia and the Goddess Marilla have battled for rule over the realm. Their long-lasting war has created the very fabric of time and day. For every time Aelia bests Marilla, she rules the realm and sets the sun high within the bright heavens. - Marilla
Goddess of the ascended moons and chaos; worshipped by Hovell. It is said that every day and night since the creation of the realm, Marilla and the Goddess Aelia have battled for rule over the realm. Their long-lasting war has created the very cycle of day and night. For every time Marilla bests Aelia, she rules the realm and sets the moons high within the pale heavens. - Arche
God of the twilight and wealth; worshipped by Hovell. Arch is the ally to the Goddess Aelia and helps her in her battle against Marilla. After some time, Arche and Marilla’s ally- Lyra - had secretly fallen in love. - Lyra
God of the dusk and the beloved lover of Arch, worshipped by Hovell. Lyra is the ally to the Goddess Marilla and helps her in the battle against Aelia. After some time, Lyra had secretly fallen in love with Arche - Ally of Aelia-.
Priests and Priestesses of the gods are usually referred to as ‘Sages’. Depending on which god/goddess they serve, they are referred like ‘Sage of the Moons’ or ‘Sage of War’, etc.
Hovell does not have a formalized education system. Education varies from palce to place; some large cities may have regional public schools, and in the case of Lux a large university, in other places a child’s education is the responsibility of their family/guardian.
While Hovell has been in turmoil these last few years, there are quite a few jobs that are needed to keep it stable.
- Artist (Umbrella term; can stand for visual artist, musical artist, etc.)
- Legion (Member of the three main armies - Lux, Idothea, and Darkhaven. Serves to project their legion’s territory)
- Manticores Rangers (Tend to the domesticated Manticores; good paying job)
- Most people in Hovell own manticores. Traditionally at age thirteen, children pick out their own manticore from a select pool of cubs.
- Sentinels (Those who serve to protect Hovell has a whole; made up of people from the main legions. National police.)
- Bounty Hunter (A good paying job.)
- Farmer
- Laborer (Works for all other professions)
- Craftsmen/Blacksmith
- Metalworker
- Dockworker
- Ship builder (The people who help supply the means for Hovell’s constant raids on other nations)
- Architect (Hired by everyone in Hovell to design homes, bars, etc.)
- Duelist/Warrior
Family can determine how your life starts and sometimes how your life ends. Because of the constant wars and the constant turmoil between the people of Hovell, others have had to hold their families very close and others have had to push them away. Helping family will always be a good thing in Hovell but one must have some type of self-regard and self-awareness to make it in some parts of Hovell where families will do anything to stay on top.
While most Hovellians also speak the Realm's shared tongue, they have another language of their own. 'War'; A language given an insult as a name. 'War' is an old language spoken by all of Hovell. It is said that it is derived from an ancient language that came from the old empire of Hovell.
Dutoria is a long-time rival to all of Hovell.
The people of Hovell have always raided and looted most of the realm’s nations and kingdoms but one always stuck out the most: Dutoria. It never had a good military and never fought back unlike the other nations that did.
For centuries, Hovellians would constantly raid Dutoria for any resources they needed. It wasn’t until one of their leaders, Lord Gunnar, did Dutoria finally fight back the incoming Hovellians. This sparked a long war between the two nations and ended up with Dutoria reigning victorious. While there was a clear victor, there were casualties on both sides.
Hovellians view dragons no differently than they do humans, and will just as readily target them for raids. They are some exceptions to the rule; the shipwreckers and springsingers are seen as friends/allies by Hovell, and get on well with them.
The Hovellians are raiders and the shipwreckers are both renowned pirates, so one can see what a great relationship these two would soon come to have. Hovellians are known to hire Shipwrecker captains for their long raiding voyages and always give them a small percent of the loot they collect. There are even towns dedicated to promoting Shipwrecker and Hovellian interactions.
Hovell views the springsingers as nothing more than small little gift givers who are helpful when it comes to building and great for conversation.
The people of Hovell have always raided and looted most of the realm’s nations and kingdoms but one always stuck out the most: Dutoria. It never had a good military and never fought back unlike the other nations that did.
For centuries, Hovellians would constantly raid Dutoria for any resources they needed. It wasn’t until one of their leaders, Lord Gunnar, did Dutoria finally fight back the incoming Hovellians. This sparked a long war between the two nations and ended up with Dutoria reigning victorious. While there was a clear victor, there were casualties on both sides.
Hovellians view dragons no differently than they do humans, and will just as readily target them for raids. They are some exceptions to the rule; the shipwreckers and springsingers are seen as friends/allies by Hovell, and get on well with them.
The Hovellians are raiders and the shipwreckers are both renowned pirates, so one can see what a great relationship these two would soon come to have. Hovellians are known to hire Shipwrecker captains for their long raiding voyages and always give them a small percent of the loot they collect. There are even towns dedicated to promoting Shipwrecker and Hovellian interactions.
Hovell views the springsingers as nothing more than small little gift givers who are helpful when it comes to building and great for conversation.