Society (Grisaire Supplement)
This is like a general guide for how people act, their customs, and a lot of world-building interactions of Grisaire. Much of this is derived from traditions one might recognize from earth.
Grisaire Society[edit]
While the world is vast, there are certain things which change very little no matter where you go. You will find special cultural tidbits based on country in the page of Grisaire's world. Here, you find where they intersect or where there are general international norms that cross borders.
Diversity[edit]
The diversity of Grisaire is extremely bountiful in that many different races exist of many different shapes and sizes due to the variety of environments on the planet.
- "Monstrous Civilians"
- See also Monstrous Civilian
The term "monstrous civilian" was coined during the tail end of the Tremulous Age, replacing the original term of "demihuman." It was originally directed at races viewed as barbaric, like goblinoids and orcs, who were seen closer to monsters than the "normal" civilians like humans and halflings. There is obvious derogatory connotation and the application of the term expanded with more races that were seen as "atypical" despite the long histories of races like orcs and goblinoids. Discrimination was a common given since many of the nations that retained power in Grisaire were ruled by the non-monstrous races in long periods of history. However, following various political upheavals, creatures like goblinoids are considered civilized creatures and even hold considerable political power in some countries like Zesh. Even creatures that lie outside normal society, like the yeti, add to the rich tapestry of races on the planet.
- Majority Races
For the most part, humans, elves, and dwarves constitute perhaps the largest and most common percentage of the Endix continent population. This is followed by halflings, gnomes, and goblinoids. It is worth noting that humans are very rarely a majority population in any current country. Much of the west Endixian continent is dominated by dwarves and gnomes. Woody countries like Zesh and Adum are populated with elves and half-elves. This is also before adding the various monstrous civilians into the mix.
- Exotic and Constructed
Construct races are largely seen as remnants of a past age, particularly for warforged. However, natural constructs, like wyrwoods and plants, like zanthani, predate the March of Gears. Other races like undead or fiends are often seen as exotic, though races like tieflings are not necessarily scarce.
- Off Endix
While the Endix continent contains most of the world's population, other races like dragonborn and yuan-ti make up Lozor, while goblinoids, goliaths, orcs, and even giant-related races take up Hagai on the east and west, respectively.
Economy[edit]
- See also trade factions of Grisaire and commerce in Grisaire
Much like other worlds, Grisaire operates with a society that uses currency, which comes with all the issues, like exchange rates, inflation, and so forth.
Faith[edit]
- See also Religion
Grisaire's nations all share the faith of the Twelve Thrones Pantheon. Emphasis on different thrones is common and based on societies and their differences. For example, Premius is a nation that puts emphasis on the bottomless guile of M'iaq, as well as the innovations of Orshiidi. In contrast, the cijelese elevate Darakan'ta above the other thrones entirely due to her teachings on nature. Aerzale also holds Orshiidi in high regard, but they emphasize the god's image as a whole, including his playfulness, rather than focus solely on his use of tools and weapons as Premius does. This faith is simply known as the mainstream worship of the thrones. Because many nations prize certain deities and their properties over others, there is a highly fractured religious identity overall. In Lozor, you might have temples for Manus and assertions of the god's creation of certain craft, while those of Premius are adamant with their churches to Orshiidi that their favored patron was the true inventor, and so forth. The establishments also vary heavily, with some calling themselves churches, others a movement, and so on. The following are some of the more established religious bodies in Grisaire:
- Church of the Ruby Fruit is an establishment dedicated to M'iaq.
In addition to the Thrones are The Old Ones and The Uncreated. The Old Ones were the first creations by the Thrones. They act as powerful stewards of the world and are extreme forces of nature. Smaller sites of worship are dedicated to them, usually alongside the main Thrones. In contrast, The Uncreated are dark and mysterious forces that seek to subvert the natural order and destroy the world to return it to the state of origin, either that of Primus' corpse or nothingness. The Uncreated are an illegal presence and worship of them will have one thrown in jail in many places on Grisaire. Therefore, the belief in the Uncreated is often secretive and cultish, with activities hidden from the public eye. They are known to have secret meeting places in isolated areas, with hidden shrines and sacrificial altars for grisly deeds.
Split Aspects[edit]
As is explained specifically within the deity pages for Grisaire, the Twelve Thrones are a broad and expansive body of gods. Because they are few and so powerful, they can often cover various aspects within their domain. Aspects pay homage to the original god, but bring out a certain part of them that is recognized to be the more important. For example. Darakan'ta's status as the nature goddess entitles her to several aspects, like that of the Lady of the Sea, as well as the Tree Mother. Lady of the Sea expectedly sees her more as a goddess of the waters, while Tree Mother pays respects to her guardianship of forests. All the gods in Grisaire have this splintering of their cult into aspects.
Fringe Churches[edit]
Two well-known, and pretty much infamous, church bodies deviate from the typical worship of the Thrones and disdain of the Uncreated. They are pretty the only ones of their kind of any significant size and presence in the public sphere. They are the Church of the Body and the Empty Believers.
Opposing Sects[edit]
- See also Opposition of Faiths
Similar to the idea of attraction and repulsion with things like feng shui, astrology signs, and zodiac readings, some gods and their aspects have natural affinities and oppositions to that of other deities. This can be as simple as a cleric of Orshiidi being refused safety in a temple of Darakan'ta, to something a little more overt. Some devouts in certain sects are actually physically affected within the proximity of opposing sects, for example. They might feel a tingle at the back of their spine that lets them know the influence of a god unfriendly to their own is nearby.
Law[edit]
In general history, a good many laws remain only localized to certain nations, and void in others. Following the globalization in the aftermath of the March of Gears, more countries began standardizing their laws under the urging of the international victors of the March.
Government Agencies[edit]
Different countries will inevitably have different administrative bodies to oversee different functions. You can read more about each nation's unique government and the agencies under their umbrellas in their respective pages.
Monstrous Civilian[edit]
Spearheaded by Coronius, this set of legislation, known simply as Monstrous Civilian Laws, were passed under the newly established Everford Nations following the March of Gears and standardized across all of Grisaire, for the most part. It was only within the last few decades (~9,651 AP), following the March of Gears, that these laws granting full citizenship and recognition to monstrous races were passed across the planet. This included added protections for previously villainized goblinoids, allowing for the rise of stars like Griks Zalow. There were additional beneficiaries, like the undead clamantes hostia, who were given amnesty on religious grounds with later amendments. These protections extended to some other undead races who showed sapience beyond simple evil, but the definition and application remains quite loose and murky.
Piracy[edit]
Theft is a thing across any society. Most Grisarians do have a concept of intellectual property as well as material, though this specifically extends to ideas that must have been put on paper to be proven stolen in a court of law. Such property can include designs, concepts, and even spell ideas. Material theft of course remains the issue at large. Pirates of the seas are seen as a scourge, particularly in areas like the southeast, where trade through the Doru Islands is vital. The Anti-Piracy Agency of the Everford Nations divides itself primarily into land and sea divisions, with aquatic races, like triton, making up a majority of the sea division, and the land division having various connections with mercenary groups for hire. This agency's primary objective is to ensure safe trade routes through land or sea. A unique property of the sea division is that they will sometimes employ pirates themselves to pillage from other pirates, promising them a commission for each pirate ship they bring down.
Factions[edit]
You can see major entity organizations of Grisaire here.
Grisaire Campaign Settingv | ||||||||
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Players Guide | Races, Backgrounds, Classes, Spells & Magic, Downtime Activities, Feats | |||||||
World of Grisaire | History, The World, Society, Cosmology, Religion, Worldly Mechanics, Languages | |||||||
Dungeon Master's Guide | About, Treasure, Bestiary, Tables, Help, Adventures, NPCS, Variant Rules, | |||||||
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