Ronsipali

Feminine names, as is the case with other Calpian-speaking peoples, end in -a. There is virtually no exception to this rule among the Ronispali.

Masculine names do not end in -us or -os, as they do in other Calpian-speaking cultures. Instead, the simply end in -u.

Unisex names, when needed, take the masculine form.

True family names do not exist among the Ronispali. When necessary for differentiation, they rely on patronyms or geographical identifiers (ex. "Son of . . ." or "from . . . "

The Ronispali speak a divergent dialect of Calpian. There is mutual intelligibility between it and the mainstream dialect, but it is on the verge of emerging as its own language.

The Ronispali are druidic. Many of them honor no gods, but only nature, itself. Among those who do honor gods, these are the gods, in order of precedence that they venerate (Ronispalian Calpian names in parentheses):

• General Worship: Turstay (Tursteiu)
• Fertility: Fermed (Bermedicu)
• The Seasons: Seled (Sela)
• Storms: Kearsped (Quiarspa)
• Sexuality: Wearnch (Uveiarnica)
• Death: Rigilists (Rigelia)

The Ronispali have achieved a mid-bronze age technological level.

Greetings

It is expected that, when greeting someone whom one has never met, or whom they have not seen for an extended time, to offer a cup of wine and offer the salutation, "Blessings of the Sky above and the Earth below to you."

When greeting someone more familiarly for the first time of the day, it is considered polite to say, "May the sun shine upon and warm you today."

Benedictions

When parting for the last time of the day, one says, "May the stars watch over you."

When parting for an extended period, one says, "Tursteius watch over you."

When parting for what is expected to be years or permanently, one says, "May your steps be hidden from Rigelia."

Architecture

Housing. Ronispalian architecture is simple and utilitarian. They build single-story structures from branches and timber and seal them with mud. Roofs are thatched. Small windows with plank shutters offer dim light and ventilation to the interiors.

Flood Control. The Ronispali understand the principles of hydrology very well. They do not build in the true floodplains of the Atubin, upon which their civilization is centered. Instead, they build stone flood walls at the top of the high bank of the river, and their villages and small towns are situated behind these walls. Their primary crops are planted in the flood plain, but they always plant smaller secondary crops above the high bank. In the event of catastrophic flooding, they eat the eldest of their livestock and supplement the meat with gathered forage and with their secondary crops' yields. Under no circumstances will any structure ever be built in the floodplain, for they do not want anything to interfere with these natural basins' ability to move large volumes of water downstream.

Art

The Ronispali offer little in the way of traditional art. The exception is their massive megalithic monuments. They raise massive standing stones, carved with intricate druidic symbols. The megaliths range in size from fourteen feet in height to over one hundered feet in height. They are constructed above their communities and are the focal point for fertility and harvest rituals and festivals.

The Ronispali mostly eat a plant-based diet. The do raise livestock, but their sheep are raised for wool and their cattle are raised as beasts of burden. They will eat them under certain circumstances, but their primary sources of food come from forage and from their crops.

Cansuve (The Feast of Flowers)

Cansuve is the most important observance in Ronispali culture. During the first day of the Feast, unmated men and women wander into the countryside to collect flowers and other items of natural beauty. The emphasis is on finding the "perfect" item for their love, not on collecting items in quantity. When the item is found, they reverently cut it with a silver knife, offering a sacrifice of their own blood to the plant in exchange.

During the second night of the festival, the elders offer the last of the winter stores to the bonfire as a sacrifice. While they are doing so, the younger folk present their gifts to one another. When two individuals give a gift to each other, they begin dancing around the bonfire. They do so until midnight. They rest, and during the third day, the couple will wander off alone to do what young couples do. At this point, they are considered mated for life. For those who offered a gift, but did not receive one in return from the target of their affection, the celebration is over, and they depart the ritual for the year. It is important to note that this is an egalitarian affair. Both parties must consent, and they must declare it publicly by dancing around the bonfire with their partner, or there is no union formed.

The Ronispali cremate their dead. Once the body is burned, the ashes are gathered, carried to the local standing stone and scattered to the four winds, with an invocation committing their remains back to Kornax.

If a person is judged by their community to have been an affront to or enemy of nature, their corpse is taken a day's journey outside of the community and simply left to rot, with no ritual or invocation of any kind. The lived as an animal, and their body will decompose like one.