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.