Timby

Common Folk

Most commoners have no true family name. Their second name may be a matronymic, toponymic, an occupational name or a nickname for the bearer or one of their ancestors.

Nobles

Those who come from one of the noble families will bear their house name, which is passed through the mother's line. This is a listing of the Major Houses. There are several hundred minor houses, as well.

Id̬, Deri, Caa, D̬yfpoucfaal, Šeyprou, Faac, Momnaa, Fy, Ri̋thah, Sǐbeyš, Cigfi, Gitnit, Nomo, Ciaag, Šourbi, Taataš, Doura, Foc, Thaadbu, Rylteyp, D̬ygaatcod, Thaadbu, Nobsuš, Te, Seyd̬, Poshot, Geyzh

Matriarchy

Timby culture is matriarchal. Men have limited rights. They may not initiate a divorce, nor are they permitted to deny their wives. They can own property, but no plot greater than 100 feet on a side or structure higher than a single story. Most combat and all positions of leadership in society are restricted to women, as is all religious expression and interpretation.

Insular

The Timby, except for their coming of age rituals, tend to remain in their settlements. They are not hostile to outsiders, but they will not seek them out unless absolutely necessary.

Religious Observance

There is no question that the original Thjodannalfen culture beneath Tunsaccia worshipped the Unmarkarey gods (known to them as the Sašdehen): I̋mi̋th, Cori̋ssi̋n, and Efinshar. Ample evidence in their descendant cultures points to this, as well as remaining art in a few abandoned subterranean galleries.

Dominance Culture

The Timby value dominance. The weak submit and the strong command. When leaders are weak, they are unrespected and often deposed. It is also common to allow intra-society conflict, even violence, to resolve questions of dominance.

Timby wear blacks, dark purples, and charcoal grays. The cut and form of garments depends on the preferences and needs of its wearer, though formal noble attire tends to a more elegant look and use of fabrics.

Architecture

Timby structures are designed to provide shelter from the subterranean environment rather than from the weather.

They are built from clay with post-and-lintel doorways and no windows. Doors are sealed with spongy fungus.

Art

Timby art is vibrant and full of color. Religious themes are common, but other themes appear, as well. Their music and poetry are somber, haunting, and mornful.

The Delving

The Timby celebrate The Delving annually, solemnly commemorating I̋mi̋th's defeat at the hands of X'Rell and their followers, and the Thjodannalfen exile to the Underdark.

The entire community will gather in an open space. They fast for the entire day, communally singing songs and reciting poems about the War of Sundering, the loss of which drove them to the Underdark.

Beypu ("The Survival")

Whenever a baby was born to the ancient Thjodannalfen, the mother would carry the child to the edge of the community, then set the infant on the stones. The infant would be left there to cry and wail for twenty-four hours. If the child survived, it was named, taken into the home, and cared for. This ritual's purpose was to cull the weak.

Pit Huš ("First Hunt")

When a female child reached fifteen years of age, they were sent out of the community with only a knife and a spear. They were not permitted to return until they could do so with a hunted animal. This was the second test of survival.

Bey D̬anam ("The Sixty")

When a female reached thirty years of age, she was expected to depart the community and live on her own for sixty days before returning.

Bey Mamde Huš ("The Long Hunt")

On her sixtieth birthday, a female was expected to embark on a great hunt in the Underdark. She could not return without a worthy prize. Those who were able to return with dragons, illithids, or purple worms became leaders, even if their families weren't so before.

Bey D̬anam ("The Sixty")

When a female reached thirty years of age, she was expected to depart the community and live on her own for sixty days before returning.

Bey Mamde Huš ("The Long Hunt")

On her sixtieth birthday, a female was expected to embark on a great hunt in the Underdark. She could not return without a worthy prize. Those who were able to return with dragons, illithids, or purple worms became leaders, even if their families weren't so before.