Padwellan Culture
This page provides information on the culture of the people of Padwell. For information on the hill tribes of High Heart, go here instead.
During the period of Xocrian rule some parents would give their children names in their conqueror’s style - medieval British, usually Welsh names - in an attempt to blend in better, but in recent years many of these people have taken on more traditional Padwellan names to celebrate their regained independence.
Some examples of Padwellan names are:
- Tototl Tuominen
- Zolin Itzmoyotl
- Aulikki Laine
The exact process that follows is unknown to all but the priesthood themselves, but they ensure that the dead are properly washed, blessed, and clothed before placing them underwater. The swamp keeps them perfectly preserved and staves off rot.
It is extremely important that this practice is followed, for a person that does not receive the proper rites is said to haunt those that failed them for eternity. Even outsiders and enemies are not excluded from this, and after every fight and battle in Padwell’s rebellion the priests of the Marsh King would make sure to collect the bodies of all the dead and take them away.
In order to ensure that no one is forgotten, there is usually at least one priest to the Marsh King in each town and city, and some who wander the swamps in search of the forgotten dead.
Wood is the material of choice for homes; usually deadfall or trees grown specifically for being cut down. It is carefully treated to help keep the interior dry and often intricately carved. Roofs are usually thick layers of dried reeds with layers of oiled leather to keep the water out, or, if there’s enough, layers of wooden shingles.
Larger cities might have clay or even copper roofs, provided that the local member of the Aateli can afford to make the investment.
Buildings with foundations must be constantly maintained to keep them from rotting or from sinking into the mud.
Woodcarving is also extremely popular, be it intricate patterns along the hull of a canoe or expertly-crafted houses and walking paths. Painting and using anything that might be vulnerable to water is less popular simply for practicality, as Padwell is mostly swampland and gets a lot of rain.
The Joust
A satirical musical that pokes fun at the culture of the Xocrian nobility, set during a fictional Joust - an event that they use to decide a new ruling house if the Monarch’s line is broken - occurring in the present time. All the characters are incredibly arrogant, petty, and over-the-top save for the servants, constantly one-upping each other.
The exact characters depend on each performance, but there’s always one noble who does nothing but challenge everyone they meet to duels, one who constantly shouts about revenge on ‘those dastardly traitorous Padwellans’, and another who steals everything in sight when they think no one’s looking. Often, the play ends with all the nobility getting distracted by arguments, and a random servant winning the Joust by default because they were the only one who showed up, though there are variations. |
Lord Dazzle: Remind me, Paine, what’s your crest supposed to be, again? |
The Marsh King’s Wisdom
- Lots of fish and freshwater crustaceans, such as crawfish
- Other sources of protein are wild birds, eggs (both of birds and fish), wild pigs, frogs, and even salamanders and tadpoles. It’s considered extremely bad luck to harm or hunt a white heron, or to eat it if already dead
- There are cattle farms in Windridge, and the people living there also supplement their diet with ocean life and seaweed.
- Honey is very popular thanks to the thriving population of bees across the country
- Nuts such as peanuts and cashews are also commonly grown
- A wide variety of fruits and berries are harvested from the trees and bushes of the swamps
- Maize, beans and squash are grown on man-made islands in larger cities
- Extremely spicy herbs, peppers, tomatoes and a wide variety of colourful potatoes grow along the foothills of the Sunflecked Reaches.
- The southern regions of Padwell are a good climate for growing sugar cane, and the ingredient is often incorporated into candies.
A number of particularly rare flowers and plants have become popular with Ironbrook’s alchemists, apparently having strong magical properties, so much so that diplomats from the nation have tried to smuggle seeds out many times. Unfortunately for them, the plants don’t grow well outside of the hot, humid climate of the marshes, and those who try usually know nothing of how the plant naturally grows.
The nobility do not really have servants and take care of most of their menial tasks on their own; what household staff they do have are expert craftsmen that provide a skilled eye, and are highly respected and seen almost as members of the family. They are granted with an abbreviated form of the family’s name to honour their hard work and value. It’s easy for a visiting member of another country’s nobility to offend their host family by treating these ‘servants’ with disrespect or as their personal attendants.
A symbol used to represent the Marsh King. Art by J-Haskell. |
The people of Padwell worship the Marsh King; while he is considered a god and often represented by the image of a white heron, it would perhaps be more accurate to think of him as the embodiment of the swamp itself; less an individual entity and more a collective consciousness.
The Marsh King is believed to watch over the people of Padwell, easing the hardships of the swamp for them and allowing them to take what they need to survive. Greed, however, does not go unpunished, and Padwellans who overhunt or clear away too much of the forest often find it fighting back; often people only use deadfall and what they grow themselves to avoid any chance of angering the Marsh King. Outsiders who threaten the country feel as though they are fought by the very land itself. The priesthood of the Marsh King is responsible for worshiping him and caring for the bodies of the dead. They are marked by the white heron feathers only they and the Padwell family can wear, collected from what the birds shed. Their base is in Heronhall, where they conduct burial rites and bring the dead to the Heart of the Swamp. |
Surujen Aika (All of March)
Celebrated in both Padwell and High Heart. For the entire month of March, it is forbidden to eat or drink (aside from water and medicines) during the daytime, and families and friends gather after the sun has set to share meals and discuss those they have lost. Exceptions are made for those with health issues that would make participating in Surujen Aika difficult.
For the duration of the month, you are supposed to spend your time doing things in respect to those who came before; leaving gifts for the dead, making offerings to the Marsh King, and cleaning up the natural areas where you live. Gifts are given to lost friends and family by being burned or left before the dead person's mask. It is a solemn time.
Ohtli’s Day (April 1rst)
Anna Sydäntä (December 22nd)
Those born with the talent for either harvest magic or necromancy are not killed or treated poorly, but strongly advised not to use it. Those caught practicing these forbidden arts are exiled, or if they killed a person to fuel it, treated as any other murderer.
The Queen has been making efforts following the end of the war with Xocrium to promote learning among her citizens, studying the practices in other nations to create a number of schools in the capital, Maddox, that are open to anyone with the appropriate dedication to attend.
- Actor
- Animal breeder/caretaker
- Architect
- Bard/minstrel
- Cobbler
- Craftsman
- Farmer/rancher (especially in Windhaven)
- Fisherman
- Forager
- Hunter
- Medic/healer
- Member of the Redwings
- Playwright
- Priest(ess) of the Marsh King
- Queen’s Messenger (a highly respected guild of couriers founded by Queen Tuonetar, designed to keep Padwell connected despite its difficult
- terrain)
- Scholar
- Shipwright (carving canoes and trading vessels)
- Soldier
- Student (often sent to study medicine and technology abroad)
- Tailor
- Tanner
- Trapper
- Weaver
The definition of family, however, is a little loose. It is not uncommon for close friends and even neighbours to be considered part of the family, and the Aateli have an entire practice where they adopt their friends and allies as siblings.
The people of High Heart have their own unique culture and spiritual beliefs; while there are some similarities between them and marshland Padwell, there are just as many differences. The shared weight of Xocrian conquest served to bring the two closer, and the leadership of High Heart and Padwell retain close ties and alliances.
This has started to change with a lot of effort on Queen Tuonetar’s behalf; she’s made trade deals, invited experts in science and magic from as far away as the Stormheralds and Ironbrook, and generally done a lot to improve both the image and reality of Padwell.
Xocrium
This relationship soured over a century ago when Xocrium conquered Padwell, splitting it into two Provinces and attempting to rule over it. They were less than successful, and after more than a century, they revolted against them and established a second Kingdom of Padwell under Queen Tuonetar.