Ravenmoorian

Ravnisk

Ravnisk

Ravnisk

Most Ravenmoorian speak Common and also Ravnisk.

Oral Tradition:

• Epic poems recounting historical events and legendary figures
• Family sagas passed down through generations
• Dream-tales believed to contain hidden wisdom from Vranmatka
• Navigational knowledge encoded in rhythmic verses for memorization

Written Works:

• The Vranotalmud: Compilation of religious teachings and interpretations
• Dream Codices: Collections of significant dreams and their interpretations
• Sailing Charts: Combined practical navigation with spiritual guidance
• Family Chronicles: Recording lineages, achievements, and notable events

Handcrafts:

• Shipbuilding techniques using distinctive joinery methods
• Darksilver working requiring specialized knowledge
• Textile arts incorporating protective symbols and family patterns
• Wooden artifact creation for both practical and ceremonial use

The Ravenmoorians live by several core principles that guide social interaction:

• Vernoslov (Truth-Speaking): Honesty is paramount in dealings, especially in trade and promises. Breaking one's word brings serious social consequences.
• Communities survive through mutual assistance, particularly during harsh winters or after storms.
• Right for secret. Everyone is entitled to personal secrets, but these should never harm the community. This balances individuality with collective welfare.
• Respecting those lost at sea and maintaining their memory is a sacred obligation.
• Dreams are considered messages from Vranmatka and should be respected, recorded when significant, and sometimes shared with the temple.

Maritime Technology:

• Advanced shipbuilding techniques producing vessels capable of both coastal and open-water navigation
• Sophisticated navigation systems combining observational astronomy, magnetic compasses, and detailed charts
• Specialized ship designs for different purposes (fishing, trading, exploration, warfare)
• Harbor engineering including breakwaters, dredged channels, and mechanical loading systems

Metallurgy:

• Unique darksilver processing methods unknown outside Ravenmoor
• Advanced iron-working for ship fittings and tools
• Bronze and copper alloys for decorative and specialized purposes
• Limited steel production for high-value applications

Military Technology:

• Naval defensive systems including harbor chains and underwater obstacles
• Specialized naval weapons designed for ship-to-ship combat
• Fortification designs optimized for coastal defense
• Signal systems allowing rapid communication between settlements

• Greeting others with "Matka s tebou" accompanied by a slight head nod
• Removing hats or head coverings when entering homes or temples
• Bringing small gifts (often food) when visiting another's home
• Never pointing at ravens, which are considered Vranmatka's messengers
• Touching wood three times when speaking of potential misfortunes
• Offering help without being asked during community work projects
• Always thanking the sea before beginning a journey on water

Ravenmoorian clothing emphasizes functionality while incorporating symbolic elements:

Everyday wear

• Men: Dark linen or wool trousers, long-sleeved shirts with embroidered collars, leather vests or jerkins, sturdy boots. Belts often have pouches for tools.
• Women: Layered dresses with practical aprons, often in blues and grays. Headscarves for married women, hair ornaments for unmarried women.
• All: Clothes feature protective symbols embroidered at openings (collars, cuffs, hems) to prevent harmful spirits from entering.

Formal Attire:

• Men: Dark blue or black tunics with silver embroidery, ceremonial belts with family emblems, dark cloaks for officials.
• Women: Embroidered dresses with multiple layers, ceremonial headdresses for married women, familial jewelry pieces passed through generations.
• All: Incorporate raven feathers or feather-shaped ornaments for important occasions.

Seasonal Adaptation:

• Summer clothing uses lighter linens with more open necklines
• Winter gear includes layered woolens, fur-lined cloaks, and distinctive Ravenmoorian knitted caps with earflaps
• Rainy season brings oiled-canvas overcoats and waterproof hats

Regional Variations

• Coastal communities use more waterproofed fabrics and practical designs
• Inland settlements show more elaborate embroidery and color variations
• Urban centers blend traditional elements with mainland influences

Visual Art

• Embroidery: Intricate patterns using blue, silver, and black threads, featuring geometric designs and stylized natural motifs
• Woodcarving: Elaborate designs on household items, boats, and buildings, often incorporating raven and wave motifs
• Iconography: Temple art depicting Vranmatka and her domains of death, memory, and dreams
• Calligraphy: Highly developed due to the importance of recording dreams and maintaining historical records

Architecture

• Urban Buildings: Stone foundations with half-timbered upper stories, steep roofs to shed snow and rain, distinctive dark slate roofing
• Coastal Structures: Buildings oriented to minimize wind exposure, often with boat-like curved roofs
• Temple Design: Incorporating bird-like elements with wings extending from central structures, often built on elevated ground
• Interior Features: Curved doorways symbolizing passage between worlds, strategic placement of windows to capture specific light angles

Music

• String instruments like the vranohousle (similar to a violin) and temnolyra (zither-like)
• Percussion using wooden drums and specialized instruments made from hollow logs
• Wind instruments crafted from bone and wood with distinctive minor-key tuning
• Traditional dance forms mimicking raven movements and naval work

Staple Foods:

• Dark rye bread baked in traditional beehive ovens
• Various fish preparations from simple salting to elaborate stews
• Root vegetables (particularly parsnips, turnips, and potatoes)
• Fermented cabbage prepared with juniper berries
• Mushrooms gathered from surrounding forests

Cooking Methods:

• Smoking using cherry and oak wood
• Stone boiling for stews and broths
• Clay-baking fish and meats with herbs
• Preservation through salting, pickling, and fermentation

Signature Dishes:

• Ryboguláš: Fish stew with root vegetables and darkbeer
• Vranochleb: Ceremonial bread shaped like ravens for special occasions
• Buckwheat porridge with mushrooms and herbs
• Assortment of differently preserved fish on a wooden platter
• Dream pie with various fillings representing different omens

Beverages:

• Honey mead often infused with herbs
• Dark beer brewed with roasted grains
• Cherry liqueur reserved for celebrations

Daily Practices:

• Morning prayer to Vranmatka before beginning work
• Offering first bite of food to ravens, symbolically sharing with Vranmatka
• Evening dream preparation rituals involving herbal teas and meditation
• Marking the day's end with the lighting of a "memory candle"

Seasonal Observances:

• Morksalut: Winter solstice ceremony marking the darkest night
• Spring celebration of "sea awakening" when major sailing resumes
• Autumn "feather harvest" when molted raven feathers are collected
• Mglacesta: Mid-winter "fog journey" commemorating historical migration to Morkovik

Trade Practices:

• Ritualized bargaining protocols incorporating traditional phrases
• Ceremonial blessings of new trade partnerships
• Custom of including small gifts with major transactions
• Specific hand gestures used during negotiation to signal intentions

Pregnancy Practices:

• Pregnant women wear special protective amulets of darksilver
• Expectant mothers record their dreams in special journals, believed to contain hints about the child's future
• Community "nesting" gathering where women create items for the baby

Birth Rituals:

• Traditionally attended by female relatives and a midwife called "Životdárkyne" (Life-giver)
• Father and male relatives wait in separate room, crafting a small wooden raven figure
• First cries of the baby are recorded and interpreted for omens
• Umbilical cord preserved in salt and kept in a special container

Naming Ceremony (Jmenodar):

• Held on the 9th day after birth (9 being Vranmatka's sacred number)
• Child presented to community at temple or home shrine
• Three drops of water from three sources (rain, sea, and spring) placed on child's forehead
• Three names given: a personal name, a family name, and a "dream name" known only to family and the child themselves
• Small raven feather tied to the child's cradle for protection

Seventh Year:

• First formal introduction to Vranmatka's teachings
• Child receives first dream journal and learns recording techniques
• First participation in Festival of Whispers with a minor secret to burn

First Journey:

• Around age 12-14, youth undertakes symbolic journey
• For coastal communities, first voyage on fishing or trading vessel
• For inland communities, first pilgrimage to significant temple site
• Return celebrated with community feast where youth shares observations

Adulthood Ceremony:

• At approximately 16-18 years
• Youth presents craft project demonstrating skill mastery
• Recites family lineage and community history from memory
• Undergoes dream vigil where first adult dream is recorded
• Receives adult clothing and permission to court and participate in adult decisions
• Specialized Initiations:
• Shipbuilders undergo "Kýlkřest" (Keel Baptism) when participating in first ship construction
• Sailors face Sea Testing on first independent voyage
• Temple initiates experience "Přijetí perutí" Wing Acceptance when formally entering service

Land Burial:

• Body washed with water containing nine sacred herbs
• Dressed in best clothes with personal items and a written copy of their most significant dream
• Three-day wake where community members share memories of deceased
• Burial in stone-lined graves facing east (toward sunrise) with wooden marker
• Year-long mourning period for close family marked by wearing black armbands

Sea Loss:

• When body cannot be recovered, symbolic burial using clothing or personal items
• Special section of cemetery called "Mořskýsad" (Sea Garden) for these memorials
• Annual remembrance ritual at shoreline on anniversary
• Dreams about the deceased carefully recorded in temple archives

Memorial Practices:

• Memory Candles lit on significant dates
• Preserved lock of hair or personal item kept in family shrine
• Stories and songs about the deceased shared during gatherings
• Belief that ravens appearing during memorials carry the soul's messages

Religious Taboos:

• Never killing ravens, considered messengers of Vranmatka
• Avoiding disrespect to the sea (no spitting into water, no casual disposal of waste)
• Never burning dream journals or records
• Prohibition against entering temples with deliberately hidden truths
• Speaking disrespectfully of the dead

Social Taboos:

• Breaking a sworn oath or promise
• Refusing hospitality to travelers without cause
• Disrupting community gatherings with personal disputes
• Claiming another's dreams or experiences as one's own
• Turning away from someone sharing genuine grief

Practical Taboos:

• Beginning journeys on inauspicious days
• Building ships without proper blessing rituals
• Ignoring repeated dream warnings
• Using another sailor's personal tools without permission
• Speaking the true names of dangerous sea creatures while on water

• Legend of the Morkovar Vodnik
• The First Scarred: Keepers of the Threshold
• Founding of Ravenmoor
• The Discovery of Darksilver

Vranostav the Navigator
Legendary founder who led the original migration to Island of Morkovik following the ravens. Established the first settlement and the earliest temple to Vranmatka. His navigational charts are still preserved in the main temple.

High Priestess Temnyslava
Reformed and codified Vranmatka worship during the early Republic era. Created the Vranotalmud (religious codex) and established the ritual calendar still followed today. Known for having prophetic dreams that saved the community from numerous disasters.

Shipmaster Bourimir
Revolutionized shipbuilding by combining Republic techniques with traditional Ravenmoorian methods. Created the distinctive "vraníkýl" (raven-keel) design that made Ravenmoorian ships faster and more seaworthy than their contemporaries. His designs enabled the expansion of trade networks.

Dream-Sage Nocnik
Developed the system of dream interpretation still used by temples. Created the first comprehensive dream dictionary and established the practice of community dream circles. His writings form the core of dream-lore studies.

Morka the Defender
Led the successful defense of Morkovar against a major pirate siege in 124 SE. Her tactical innovations included the harbor chain and signal system still used today. Established the tradition of warrior-women in Ravenmoorian society.

Ravenmoorians value a beauty aesthetic that combines practicality with symbolic elements connected to their environment and beliefs. For women, pale skin with high cheekbones and dark hair is considered classically beautiful, often likened to Vranmatka's own appearance in visions. Men are admired for strong builds that show capability in sailing and physical labor, with well-groomed beards being a sign of maturity and wisdom.

Both genders commonly incorporate raven imagery into personal adornment. Jewelry typically features darksilver, often fashioned into feather motifs or circular designs representing the cycle of life, death, and memory. Tattoos depicting stylized waves, ravens, or protective symbols are common among sailors and those who have undergone significant life experiences.

Ravenmoorian society maintains distinct gender roles with considerable overlap and flexibility:

Men traditionally handle external affairs including shipbuilding, fishing, trading, and defense. They are expected to be stoic yet not silent - the ability to tell a good story or compose verse is highly valued. Women traditionally manage internal affairs including household administration, child-rearing, craft production, and community organization. They often control family finances and make many practical decisions about resource allocation.

The religious sphere sees more equal representation, both men and women can be clergy. However, the highest priests can be only a female as it is believed that men could not serve Raven Queen properly with clear mind.

Courtship in Ravenmoorian culture follows a structured yet romantic tradition:

1. Prvoznak (First Sign): The interested party sends a small gift that represents something about themselves - often a carved wooden object, a poem, or something they've made.
2. Dvaznak (Second Sign): If interested, the recipient responds with a complementary gift. If not, they return the original gift with a small token of appreciative rejection.
3. Trovyrok (Third Declaration): Upon receiving positive response, the suitor must declare intentions before both families with a formal request to court.
4. Vranostezka (Raven's Path): The formal courtship period lasting 3-12 months, involving shared activities, family gatherings, and increasingly personal gift exchanges.
5. Snovidecni (Dream Sharing): Near the end of courtship, couples participate in a temple ritual where they share a symbolic dream and their interpretation of it.

Public displays of affection are modest but not forbidden. Hand-holding and brief kisses are acceptable, while more intimate expressions are kept private.

Ravenmoorian relationships emphasize complementary strengths and shared responsibilities:

• Marriage is viewed as a partnership where each person contributes their strengths while supporting the other's weaknesses. The concept of "Dvakryl" (Two Wings) represents how partners must work in unity, like a raven's wings, to stay aloft.
• Fidelity is strongly valued, with adultery considered not just a betrayal of spouse but of community trust. However, relationships before marriage are viewed more liberally, with young people expected to have several courtships before finding a suitable match.
• Divorce exists but is uncommon, requiring temple mediation and a formal "unbinding" ceremony. Divorced individuals face several social stigmas and may remarry, though second marriages typically have simpler ceremonies.
• Same-sex relationships are not accepted and such act is considered unlawful. If two person of same gender are ever seen in a relationship, they are expelled from the community.