The State of the Chronicles: May 2009

We covered daily life, food, fashion, and beginning to discuss mealtime rules in Sekiya.

We also gained two or three more followers, and were added onto the blogroll of Fantasy Debut--thanks, Tia!

We'll also be hitting 200 posts of work very soon, so thank you all for your support!

Meals in Sekiya, Day 2

What distinguishes a formal, high-court dinner from an ordinary meal, besides quantity and variety of food? How do formal, high-court manners differ from everyday ones?

A formal meal has a number of courses, and the guests are served by rank, meaning that the host/head of state is served first.

Meals in Sekiya, Day 1

Returning to the subject of food....

Do men and women, parents and children, servants and master, eat separately, or does everyone eat together? How is status displayed at the table (seating above or below the salt, near or far from the head, serving first with the best, etc.)?

Everyone eats together, with the guest of honor seated at the left end of the table. If there is no guest, the head of the household will sit next to that seat, and that seat is left empty (it is assumed that the High Goddess is the guest in this case)

Sekiyan Fashion, Day 13

Last question on this topic:

How do non-human fashions reflect the habitat and physiology of non-humans? Do mermaids have a nudity taboo, for example? Do dragons dress for dinner?

Elven clothing tend to be lighter so that they can move freely. By contrast, dwarven closets tend to have warmer clothing to protect against the harsh cold of the mountains. Avri and fairy clothing tend to expose their wearer's backs to allow room for their wings, and those outits where their backs have to be covered completely have places for the wings to come out.

Sekiyan Fashion, Day 12

What colors and combinations of colors are thought to look well together, or to clash? Do opinions of this vary from race to race?

Cool colors paired with neutral or sparkling colors or warm paired with a appropriate cool or neutral color are said to look good to any Sekiyan, while too many overly bright colors or colors that clash on Earth also clash on Sekiya. Elven and fairy opinions on clothing tend to skew these concepts towards colors found in nature.

Sekiyan Fashion, Day 9

What types of decorations and accessories are common?

Rings and pendants are the most common accesories, but bracelets, earrings, circlets, and gloves are not uncommon. Usually, accessories will have a gem set in them that confers a beneficial effect (called a buff) on the wearer, but some of them are also known to boost the wearer's magia temporarily. (all four of our heroes have at least one accesory on them.)

Sekiyan Fashion, Day 8

What styles are considered tacky and vulgar, and what is stylish?

What is tacky:

--clashy, garish colors (eg. neons with a dark color that doesn't go well)
--polka dots
--spikes

What is vulgar:

--see through clothes
--clothes that show skin (unless the wearer is an avri)

I've likely covered what is "in" on Sekiya's Eastern Continent before, but if I haven't tell me.

Sekiyan Fashion, Day 7

What materials are appropriate for the climate? What cloth (e.g., silk) must be imported, and is therefore used only for expensive upper-class clothing?

Leather, cotton, wool, and linen are most often seen on the Eastern Continent. Silk and velvet are seen more in the upper class, but velvet is more likely to be imported, since the avri lands have a strong silk industry (but it is still pricey to obtain)

Sekiyan Fashion, Day 6

•What are current fashion in clothes like? In hats? Jewelry? Shoes? Do such fashions differ for humans/non-humans? From country to country?

Reds and flower patterns are "in" currently on the Eastern Continent, with mage's hats and teardrop pendants currently "in" in the hat and jewelry departments. Non humans do not have distict trends themselves, but they will provide their own spin on what is "in" for the humans. The other continents (which I will show you when I finish the arc on the Eastern Continent in the story) have their own fashion rules

Sekiyan Fashion, Day 5

How many changes of clothes can a normal person afford? A noble person? A peasant?

A middle class person has enough clothes for at least 5 different outfits, while an upper class person might have enough clothes for two week's worth of outfits. A lower class person might have enough clothes for two or three outfits plus one more for a special outfit.

Sekiyan Fashion, Day 4

Are there sumptuary laws, defining who can wear what? What are the penalties? Who decides when changes are needed? How often are they adjusted?

No--clothing from other classes are often used in theatrical performances and in children's dress up chests.

Sekiyan Fashion, Day 3

Are the dyes for certain colors -- purple, indigo blue, etc. -- rare, making cloth of that color more expensive and/or reserved for nobility or other high-status people?

No, there are multiple ways of getting each color and shades of each color

Sekiyan Fashion, Day 2

Are certain clothes customary for certain occupations -- e.g., military uniforms, judges' robes, sports team uniforms, etc.? How much variation is allowed? Could a scholar wear a fluorescent green robe as long as the cut was right, or would that be too much? Is it color or style that is most important?

The dragoons, judges, the guard, Seers, sports teams, and scholars all have their traditional clothing, but the dragoons and scholar's traditional costume (dragon scale armors sets and a graduate-like robe, respectively,) are only ceremonial, only being worn in battle or for special occasions. Different regions and races will have different colors, but neon green isn't one of the options--the color options lean towards dark colors. (Sports teams, however, could wear neon green with no problem.)

Sekiyan Fashion, Day 1

What do people wear? How expensive is it? Can the material be produced locally, or must some or all of it be imported?

Leather and cotton factor heavily into most Sekiyan's clothing, as both are easy to produce. Fabrics like silk and velvet (seen in upper class clothing) need to be imported, although the avris have a booming silk industry.

Sekiyan Food, Day 10

Last question on this topic:

What foods do non-humans like, and how do these differ from those favored by humans? Are some foods poisonous or distasteful to one species that are delicacies or necessary to another?

Elven and avri diets lean to more of a plant basis (elves because they believe forest spirits can take the form of animals, so you need to be careful which squirrels and rabbits you shoot. Avris, meanwhile, need a lot of carbohydrates to keep up the energy to fly) Dwarven diets, by contrast, are more meat based due to their location (very few plants survive in the mountains, so dwarves consider plant based food a treat)

Fairy diets are the most ecletic--while those that have Others adapt to the Other's diet, faries that don't serve Others eat fruit, plant parts, and wild game (including meat from animals other races wouldn't consider eating, such as mice and bats)

Sekiyan Food, Day 9

When food is in limited supply, who gets first crack? The laborers and farmers who have to work to produce more, or the children who are the next generation, or the wise and revered elders?

The poor get priority when food is in short supply, as they need it the most

Sekiyan Food, Day 8

•How is food preserved for use during the off-season--smoking, canning, drying, etc.? How reliable are the methods used--how often does "preserved" food spoil?

Food is preserved in an ice enchanted storage building after smoking or drying. The ice magia enchanting this building is very strong, so once your food is inside, it likely will not spoil.

Sekiyan Food, Day 7

What is the food like? What herbs and spices are readily available, and which must be imported? How common/expensive are imported foods and spices? What spices are commonly used? Do people tend to like highly spiced food, or not?

Savory and succulent describes a meal on Sekiya, with parsley, mint, oregano, basil and cilantro being the most common. Imported spices can run anywhere from 30 gold pieces into the thousands of gold pieces depending on what you're buying. (so sage, a fairly common import spice, would cost 30 gold, while the more exotic elven and fairy spices run into the thousands of gold. Herbs and spices typically cost 10 gold for one sprig and 20 gold for a bundle of it. While Sekiyans do love spices, they don't like it TOO spicy. (so if you tried to feed a Sekiyan hot buffalo wings, for example, they likely would not eat it.)

Sekiyan Food, Day 6

•What foods are considered peasant food? What foods are staples, commonly eaten every day? What foods are rare? What foods are normally cooked/eaten raw?

Bread and eggs are considered lower class food, but despite this, they, along with fruits and some kinds of cheese, are staples of any Sekiyan cupboard.

It is rare to have meat or another food product from a fantasy creature on the menu at all, and meat from dragons is particularly special--and only eaten on holidays and festival days (meat from most dragons tastes like a stronger form of beef or chicken)

Fruits, cheese, and some vegetables are safe to eat raw

Sekiyan Food, Day 5

Is there a safe supply of drinking water, or do people (including children) drink ale or beer exclusively because "water is unhealthy" (i.e., contaminated and will make you sick)?

Clean water is plentiful and availiable in Sekiya, usually recycled from human waste or occuring naturally.

Sekiyan Food, Day 4

•What dishes would be considered typical of this area? What wines or beers?

On the Eastern Continent, elven cooking holds a huge influence over other dishes, so fruit and veggies play a major role. What meat there is usually comes from wild game, with farmers and some of the lower middle class eating most of the beef and chicken

Having said that, a typical menu for a Sekiyan meal (assuming it had 5-7 courses) would look like this:

--Bread course (with a number of butters and cheeses for topping)
--Salad course (with whatever greens were in season)
--Soup course
--Entree course (usually wild game accompanied by veggies, but beef and chicken are not unheard of)
--Dessert course (usually a cake or a pie, but tysal will be brought out if it is a special occasion)

Wines made in the avri lands are said to be the best, with the dwarves claiming the title of the best beers.

Sekiyan Food, Day 3

How many meals are considered normal in a day? When are they served? Which are substantial, and which are smaller? Are certain foods (e.g., eggs and bacon) reserved mainly for a particular meal (breakfast)?

Sekiyans get three square meals, plus smaller snacks if they feel hungry in between meals. Lunch and dinner tend to be the bigger meals (some races consider lunch the big meal, and others consider dinner the big meal).

Typically, breakfast is served shortly after the house's occupants wake up, lunch around noon, and dinner around 6 PM; but the daily schedule of the particular family may make mealtimes earlier or later (the largest meal of the day may also begin earlier or later depending on who you are eating with and how elaborate the meal is)

Food may be eaten at any time, so even on Sekiya, it's normal to see someone having cereal at 7 PM (so to speak)

Sekiyan Food, Day 2

When a guest arrives, is food or drink offered immediately, after an interval, or only on request? Is there a particular food or drink that it is customary to offer a newly arrived guest? A guest who is departing (stirrup cup)?

Sekiyans will ask if you would like food or drink after you have arrived and gotten comfy. The guest has the option of turning down this request if they have already eaten on the way. If food is offered, it is usually a fruit and cheese platter, although meats are not unheard of.

Sekiyan Food, Day 1

What dishes are considered holiday food? What foods/drinks are associated with particular holidays, events, (e.g., funerals, weddings) or times of the year?

When Lafisavia comes around, Sekiyans always look foward to consuming the elven candy tysal, or "sweet crystals". Unlike snow cones on Earth, tysal has a larger similarity to rock candy. You do not know what flavor the tysal is until you bite into it.

Tysal is also eaten at weddings, to wish the couple a sweet life together. This form of tysal is mint flavor (symbolizing a fresh start), and it is customary for the couple to take the first bites from the tysal before offering it to the guests

Life in Sekiya, Day 9

Last question on this topic:

How early do people get up in the morning in the city? Country? Are clocks common, or do people tell time by the sun or by listening for the church bells?

City folk are usually up by 8 AM, while country folk can up much earlier (eg. 5-6 AM) While clocks are unheard of, sundials are more common, with temple bell towers tolling the hour and the half hour.

Life in Sekiya, Day 8

How do people cope with various disasters--fire, floods, volcanoes, plague, etc.? How common are such disasters?

Fire, flooding and the occasional monster attack are the disasters Sekiyans need to worry about most. When a fire or flood happens, teams are sent to provide for the affected, help clean up, and prayers are offered for all affected and for those that died.

In the event of a monster attack, an extra step is added: learn about the monster and send someone to go kill it.

Life in Sekiya, Day 7

What are plumbing and sanitary systems like? Who builds and maintains them? How reliable are they, and who do you call when the drains back up? How do they differ from city to farm?

Indoor plumbing exists, but the drain pipes are magically infused so that liquid waste is recycled into drinking water, and solid waste is recycled into compost. They are very strong, and their backing up is relatively rare, but plumbers are on standby in case it happens. Cities have a large sanitation network, while in the country, the network is not that elaborate

Life in Sekiya, Day 6

In what ways does furniture design reflect the customs of people (example: beds with bed-curtains for privacy in medieval keeps where servants wandered through rooms without warning; chaise lounges as common furniture in a society where people are accustomed to recline rather than sit, etc.)?

The chair at the left end of the table is more elaborate than other chairs--this is the guest of honor's chair. On nights when the host doesn't have a guest, it is left empty and others are discouraged from sitting there, under the assumption that the High Goddess is the guest.

This turns up again in the living room, where a couch is reserved for a guest, but if the host doesn't have a guest, it is reserved for the host

If a Sekiyan wants to imply that the guest is not welcome, they simply refuse him the chair or the couch.

Life in Sekiya, Day 5

What is furniture like--big and blocky, delicate, simple, elaborately carved or decorated? What is it mostly made of--cloth, wood, stone, etc.? Are certain things (like chairs with arms) reserved for high-status individuals?

Furniture starts out simple in the lower classes, and made from wood. Middle class furniture is a little more elaborate, and made from more exotic woods. Upper class furniture is often made from exotic woods, ivory, and marble, and decorated with flashy designs and gems.

Life in Sekiya, Day 4

What do people in general look like? Would a blonde (red-head, brunette) stand out in a crowd? Someone 5' tall? 7' tall? Do non-humans?

Humans, elves , and avris stand about 5 to 6 feet, so a 7 foot tall being would definitely stick out. Dwarves, avris, and fairies would be the only ones that would stick out--dwarves and faries for their size, and avris for their wings. Although reds, blacks and browns are the most common hair colors, with blonde becoming increasingly popular

Life in Sekiya, Day 3

What things are considered luxuries--chocolate, coffee, cotton, flush toilets, spices?

--Jewelry
--Certain fabrics (silk, velvet, etc.)
--Certain spices (cinnamon is one of these)

Life in Sekiya, Day 2

How much social mobility is there? Is it easy or hard for a person born a peasant to advance to the middle class, or for a middle class person to advance to the upper class or nobility? How much resistance would there be? Would such a person ever be accepted socially?

It is relatively easy to move up the social ladder, but it is more likely to happen if you work for someone of a higher class--do a good enough job and your employer will provide for you. That said, moving up the ladder doesn't usually happen overnight.