Istria's northern neighbor, Kalmar is generally a colder land, despite being coastal. Its terrain is rough, the people of its tribes tall and pale. Shipping and trade drive the Kalmarian economy, with carpentry and everything wooden coming a very close second. The tainted, and everything they represent, are even more ruthlessly dispatched in Kalmar than they are in Istria — and the country's few mages are prized above anything else save the finest of ships.
As Kalmar is not part of the IC grid, no roleplay will take place there. This information is provided to help in playing characters from Kalmar that live in Maratha.
Terrain and Climate
The border between Kalmar and Istria looks very neat and clean on most maps, but in practice, it's a fuzzy line. Somewhere where the grassy plains transform into forest, there does Kalmar begin. Its western edge is similarly blurred; Kalmar claims as much of the northern Casdren mountains as its citizens occupy, and the slopes beyond are theirs only because no one has argued. On the east, the country ends at the banks of the Surain river, and the ocean marks Kalmar's northern edge.
Kalmar's heart is forest; old conifers in the main, with a few oaks and other hardy sorts of deciduous tree mixed in. In southern and central Kalmar, the people are woodsmen first, and farmers second. The slopes of the Casdrens nurture tough, independent souls, while the entirety of Kalmar's northern and eastern reaches is filled with fishing villages, as wave-carved cliffs, rugged islets, and rocky beaches allow. The capital of Keneso began as one such village, although it is now the largest port in Kalmar.
Winter in Kalmar generally lasts a long time; spring is brief, and the (relatively) warm days of summer pass rather quickly. More often than not, skis or snowshoes are the preferred method of transportation, especially in the north and west, sometimes in conjunction with sledges or dogsleds rather than wheeled wagons.
Culture and Beliefs
Naming Conventions
Kalmarians typically have two surnames; one, from birth, is the name of their tribe. The second is added upon adulthood, and reflects the person's profession. This name may change if they switch careers.
Nationality, Race, Gender, and Profession
Although Kalmar's people still group themselves by tribal identity, it is the name 'Kalmar' most hold nearest and dearest to their heart. They are all united by that shared identity, by everything the tribes hold in common. Their pride in this identity is so strong that foreigners are looked upon with some slight condescension — they are unfortunate, unlucky, to be non-Kalmarian.
Although this egotism can be pronounced, most Kalmarians don't consciously think about it; it's not that they have a problem with foreigners. Indeed, foreigners — namely the money and trade they bring — are more than welcome. Serious relationships between Kalmar and non-Kalmar people are frowned upon, because any children will not be considered of Kalmar; the exception is if the foreign parent is granted citizenship, something that has happened only a handful of times in recorded history. Immigrants can live in Kalmar for decades, and still be considered an outsider; their children, born and raised within the nation's bounds, aren't Kalmarian either. After a couple generations of persistence, however, 'foreign' families eventually work their way into tacit acceptance — the kind that matters, granting them a place within the local tribe.
Foreigners are often immediately recognizable in Kalmar, because true Kalmarians are of a very definite physical type — usually (but not always) on the taller side, fair skinned, with red or blonde hair and blue or green eyes. Exceptions generally indicate a non-Kalmarian ancestor. Dark skin is generally looked upon with suspicion, while dark eyes and hair are not; because of the very strong racial type in Kalmar, the instant fear is that anyone of such radically different coloring may be tainted. This suspicion often shapes how Kalmarians treat such people, but as long as there are no obvious, incontrovertible signs of taint, the Kalmarian will deal with them as any other person… if with some wariness and distaste.
Aside from their fear possible taint, Kalmarians have no general bias against people of any race. A few joking stereotypes float around in the populace (e.g. big guys being slow and dumb), but virtually no one thinks one's appearance says anything else about them… as long as they look human. People are people, except when they're tainted. The same goes for gender bias — there isn't any as such. Some professions are dominated by one sex or the other due to physical or mental tendencies (e.g. men are generally stronger, women more nurturing), but none are closed outright except the position of tribal chief.
Shipping is the national profession. Everyone in Keneso and other port cities knows when a new keel is laid down in the shipyard, and generally already have a good idea who the officers on the ship will be. Everyone knows the sails of the ships that return, their captains on sight, and can often identify foreign ships by appearance. It gets picked up as people grow up, becoming as natural as breathing. Any Kalmarian who lives near water learns to swim around the same time they learn to walk, and a majority enjoy fishing.
Religion, Superstition, and Luck
Religion does not have a strong foothold in Kalmar, though there are some individuals with quite firm beliefs. Some say the sea is the blood of Kalmar's people, even those who live far from the coast. Despite this, it is the sun that Kalmarians revere most, regarding it as the bringer and sustainer of life. Each sunrise is greeted with a brief prayer, a simple statement of thanks for its blessing; each sunset is similarly treated, a ritual farewell spoken in the fading light.
Death is simply another part of life, not feared as such; it is the energy given by the sun being called back to its heart, the soul eventually returning to live out another life (ideally, as a Kalmarian, of course). The dead are buried, or consigned to the ocean in port towns, with the day of their funeral being set aside as a day of remembrance. Tainted corpses are burned and forgotten; some believe the souls of tainted humans have either been consumed by the comet or are doomed to wander the earth forever, and dwelling upon their passing will bring bad luck either way. Tainted animals, of course, have no souls.
Births are cause for celebration; a day in poorer families, as much as a week among the rich. The same is true for marriages, which are always conducted towards midday when the sun is strongest. Midsummer is the most auspicious day of the year, a day of celebration; children born on midsummer are believed to have a charmed life. Although no marriages are conducted on midsummer proper, as that day belongs to the sun, the weeks on either side are considered lucky days for weddings, and thus highly popular. Weddings are generally performed by the tribe's chief, or another adult male of the same lineage.
Midwinter is a day of prayer for the sun's return and its blessings upon the next year. Many choose to fast on midwinter, and spend the day in meditation on their life and goals. The weeks on either side of midwinter are mildly unlucky, but not bad days as such.
Conversely, comets are considered the source of all evil in the world. When a comet is sighted in the sky, no business is undertaken, nor any work that is not necessary for day-to-day survival; smiths let their forges remain cool, weavers their looms untended. Farmers still work their fields, but little else happens. The fear is that the comet's malevolence will permeate anything made or any deal struck beneath its dark eye. Animals born when a comet passes over are promptly destroyed, no matter the money lost; children are often killed, sometimes abandoned, and only occasionally kept (in which case they are considered to be bad luck incarnate, and shunned by most).
Shooting stars are believed to be pieces of a comet broken off and sent to barrage the planet, testing its defenses; if a meteroite impacts, the site is shunned and feared. Very few will sit out and observe the display; most hide in the shelter of their homes. Being born on the night of a meteorite shower is less of a stigma than being born beneath a comet — not even in these times are animals killed for such a circumstance, much less people — but it is still considered an ill omen.
Because the concept of a deity as such is absent from Kalmarian culture, curses and blessings that involve 'god', 'lord', 'damn', or any other religion-derived phrase are therefore not ICly appropriate. The sun is often called upon in blessings and curses alike (e.g. 'sun scorch you,' or simply 'scorch you'); however, a comet is never, ever called upon, for fear of attracting its attention to the speaker.
Government
The fundamental unit of Kalmarian government is the tribe — when it isn't the individual. Each tribe is centered in its own province, though there are always people who move from their tribe's province into another. The tribe's chief deals with running the province, and also speaks for the tribe at seasonal councils held in Keneso. These councils, where all the tribal chiefs meet, decide issues that relate to Kalmar as a whole.
Chiefs are elected at tribal meetings, which all adult members of the tribe are entitled to attend and vote at. They are selected from the adult males of the 'chiefly' families by majority vote. Every three years, a new election is held, with the current chief being either reconfirmed in his position or replaced. There are less well-attended meetings held at the first full moon of each season, during which any matter of the tribe may be discussed and voted upon. Finally, the populace may call for an extra session when necessary, or be called to one by their chief.
Each adult Kalmarian owes taxes to their chief, who spends the money on the province and the tribe; money is allocated from this to Kalmar as a whole when necessary, though that need is rare. The tithe amount is determined by the people at their regular conferences; because of their national identity and pride, citizens are generally willing to strike a balance between the province's needs and their own coffers, shorting neither.
Economy and International Relations
These days, what Kalmar can't grow comes from across the ocean; they once traded with Istria for foodstuffs, but the southern nation no longer has the surplus to sustain them both. Fish, lumber, and wooden items are Kalmar's primary exports, with food and metal being critical imports.
Kalmar and Istria follow the same coinage system — 100 coppers to the silver coin, 100 silvers to the gold piece — but Kalmar's coins are slightly smaller, and adorned on both sides with the sigil of the tribe that minted them. Merchants of either country that deal with the opposite nation's money have to weigh the coins to accurately assay their value. Your average person in Kalmar doesn't see a gold piece in their lifetime.
Though Istria was once a valued neighbor and trading partner, Kalmar is generally suspicious of the southern country in these times. With Istria contaminated by the comet's power, it is considered a buffer against the creeping taint, one fractured and not necessarily sturdy. Kalmar still conducts business with Istria, but its emissaries are as much watchdogs as they are diplomats, making sure Istria continues to hold its own and spare Kalmar the trouble of fighting off the tainted.
Mages in Kalmar
(See also: the glyph overview page.)
Mages are much rarer in Kalmar than in southern Istria, which makes them highly regarded and revered. Their power is also considered a national commodity; although other citizens of Kalmar enjoy many freedoms, mages are granted relatively few.
Upon their identification, mage-talented children are taken from their families and paired with an older mage, who will teach them all he knows about the power. Because mage talents are few and far between, Kalmar has no equivalent of Istria's academy; this arrangement is the only way for a mage to learn to use their power. Once deemed competent, a fledgling mage is in the hire of the province or national government. All their needs are seen to — lodging, food, space in which to practice, etc. — and the only work they take on is anything the officials ask for. Unlike Istrian freelance mages, Kalmar's don't ever have to worry about making ends meet. Neither do they perform magic for all and sundry; they set preservation spells on ships and food, scribe glyphs on sails to charm the wind, cast spells of healing when epidemics sprout up, and address a number of other collective concerns.
Most mages have little to do with their family after being taken from them; indeed, communication is discouraged, though never forbidden, in order to help alleviate potential conflicts of interest. Similarly, mages are encouraged to practice and explore their magic, not form relationships with the people around them — except, possibly, if the other person is also a mage.
Tainted in Kalmar
(See also: the taint overview and hunter pages.)
In Kalmar, the tainted receive an even colder welcome than in Istria. If taint is suspected in a person or animal, and its absence cannot be conclusively determined, the person will be exiled from Kalmar; the animal, destroyed. If a person is clearly tainted, they are promptly killed. No matter how slight the taint. For the most part, Kalmar's population remains untouched; they believe that their continued vigilance will keep the corruption from ever taking hold.
Character Options
(See also: the wanted characters page.)
There aren't a lot of Kalmarians in Istria, but those who do travel far in at all tend to collect in Maratha. There are immigrants who left Kalmar for one reason or another; youths visiting to apprentice in professions that Istria just does better in. Emissaries from the Kalmarian government, traders both independent and associated with merchant cartels, and vagabonds who are just looking for the next horizon.
What are rare to the point of nonexistence in Istria are Kalmarian mages. Additionally, no character of more than level 0 taint, or a very rare level 1, may hail from Kalmar.
