CULTURE AND SOCIETY
|
|
CULTURE AND SOCIETY |
|
|
This page is divided into the following sections:
Click on the section names to return to the top of the page. History | Geography | People | Powers | Other Things THE BATHSThe people of the Rus are quite clean-living. Everyone uses public or private baths at least once or twice a week. The bathing process consists of a steam sauna followed by a dousing in cold water or snow. It is alleged that the ghosts of the dead sometimes use the bathhouses at night, while people sleep, and so people tend to avoid them during the hours of darkness. THE CHURCH OF THE FIREBIRDThe Firebird is worshipped as the patron creature of Moscow and the Muscovite Rus through the Church of the Firebird. She is considered to embody direction and divine guidance, providing a beacon for her worshippers, as well as for being the originator of everything that led to the creation of the Forest, and of Moscow. Elena Prekracnaya is venerated in her own right as the reason for which Koschei the Undying was overthrown and the Forest made, being seen as embodying inspiration. Ivan I, as the person who acted to create Moscow and the Forest, is venerated as the builder, the person whose strong right arm turned guidance and inspiration into reality. Churches to the Firebird exist all across the Rus, and most cities have many of them. Many of them are also monasteries/nunneries, and many of those house warrior monks and nuns who defend Moscow from those who would threaten it. They also house groups of Miracle-workers who use the powers of the Firebird to protect the Rus against its enemies. They all have interiors that are very highly decorated, with frescos of many kinds covering every square centimetre of the interior. Some of these are of saints, others of more commonplace scenes. One particularly striking feature is that the interior reaches all the way up into the dome or domes of the church, and inside each dome there is usually a huge painting of a member of the Holy Trinity of Firebird, Elena and Ivan I, staring down into the church. The Firebird is believed to be able to look out through the frescos at the people inside the church. There are no pews. All churches are lit with candles. This means that in many places the frescos and so on suffer from the ill effects of smoke. All Churches of the Firebird have an Iconostasis which separates the main body of the church from the altar. Covered with Icons, it is intended to stop physical sight, but to allow the spiritual sight of the worshippers through. The colours of the domes of a church have meaning, as follows:
The number of domes also has meaning:
Some churches are funded by merchants. These often have large crypts, which serve as warehouses for those merchants. Many churches are not symmetric structures. This is also intentional, and is based on the assumption that symmetry is the enemy of beauty. Most churches, particularly those found in the countryside, are made of wood rather than stone. Some people whisper that, given the history of the Church and Ivan IIs actions against his father, Ivan II should be reviled and got rid of. Avvakum is rumoured to be one of these people, but no-one has ever been able to prove it to his father's satisfaction. The 'sisters' of Elena Prekracnaya (Adaliunda, Chekhinia, Eupraksiia, Gaianiia, Kogorshed, Konstantiia, Liubava, Milava, Pansemna, Siuiun-Beka and Vakhtina) are also highly regarded in the Church. Many of the lesser but still important entities descended from Ivan I and created with the Forest are also worshipped by the Church. These include Baba Yaga (Mother Damp Earth, also known as Matushka, the soil), Grandfather Frost, his adoptive daughter, the Snow Maiden, and the Beast Tsars. The hierarchy of the Church dislikes those who kill relatives. These sorts of actions can lead to Miraculous powers being reduced or lost altogether. However, given Ivan II's recent actions this aspect of church teachings has been rather downplayed in recent centuries. The Church requires devotion, but not utter devotion. It does not require chastity by its priests and nuns. Likewise it does not require them to abstain from alcohol. Priests and nuns may also marry. However, moderation is encouraged. There are two branches of the Church, the 'white clergy', urban priests who work among non-Church people, many of whom are rich and respected, and the 'black clergy' who make up the monks and nuns of the Church, having given their lives and property over to the Church. In terms of Miracle-working skill the white clergy are often more powerful on an individual level, but the black clergy work better together and so are more powerful en masse. The head of the Church is the Metropolitan, currently Ignati Sadkovitch Roskov. He lives in the Moscow Kremlin. Below him are the Eparchs [effectively bishops], each of whom presides over an Eparchy [a diocese], which is usually a large area, often an entirely Clearing within the Forest. Within each Eparchy, smaller regions are presided over by Yepiskops. Monasteries are run by an Igumen [abbot]. They vary from the utterly luxurious to places full of harshness and mortification, with all possible variations between these extremes existing.
THE DEADIf the spirit of a dead person is to pass on as it should, the proper funeral rites must be carried out. Even a priest with no power of Miracles will know these, and be able to allow the spirit to depart as it should. Many priests working together can perform the proper rites for many dead at once, such as those lying on a battlefield.
ENTERTAINMENTSThere are, of course, a wide variety of entertainments and diversions available in a city such as Moscow. These include, but are not limited to:
Many of the more competitive entertainments are, of course, accompanied by a good deal of betting. THE FLAG OF MOSCOWThe Muscovite flag is the Firebird, in gold, holding the orb and sceptre of Moscow, on a red field. On its chest is a shield depicting Ivan riding out in search of the Firebird.
The backs of portable Muscovite Icons usually have the same design, but with the rectangle vertical rather than horizontal. FOODMany types of grain are grown in the Rus, and used to make bread of many different types and other things such as porridges and pastries. These last two can be sweet or savoury. Root vegetables such as turnips and beets are widely eaten. Fruit is widely grown. Berries, nuts and fungi are harvested from the fields and woods when in season. There are large numbers of different types of fish in the rivers of the Rus, and equally large numbers of types of game animals hunted in the fringes of the Forest. Domestic animals such as cows, pigs and sheep are eaten, along with things like milk and cheese. Horses are only eaten in times of extreme famine. Domestic birds include chickens, geese, ducks and cranes. Meats and fish are preserved by salting or smoking. Vegetables are often pickled. Porridges and pastries can have almost anything in them. Things such as potatoes, tomatoes, maize and peppers do not exist in the Rus. Exotic fruits and vegetables are sometimes (very rarely) available when a trader brings them, usually preserved, to Moscow. There are many types of alcoholic beverages produced and consumed within the Rus. GENDER ROLESMale and female roles in Moscow and the Rus tend to be quite traditional. Men work in paid employment to support the family while women stay at home to produce and raise said family. However, there are no laws requiring such behavior. And thus, by desire or necessity there are any number of examples of strong-willed, talented, lucky (or unlucky) women and girls being as good as, and rising as far as if not further than men in trade, the trade guilds, the church and/or the military. GUILDSThe organisations controlling the skilled crafts practised throughout the Rus. They are at the centre of all handicraft organisations and make it very difficult for those outside them to gain access to materials or knowledge, or sell into certain markets. The Guilds have strong controls over the knowledge of their craft, and crafts include most types of more advanced Magics. Their members generally progress, over their careers, from apprentice (who is bound to a master, usually for a fixed term of seven years) to craftsman, journeyman (who is normally be self-employed, but cannot employ others, and who often travels to other places to learn from other masters, helping disseminate knowledge within the Guild), and eventually to widely-recognised master and grandmaster. They hold a monopoly on their trade in the places in which they operate and are responsible for the regulation of their trades, controlling wages and labour conditions. Town authorities are represented on the guild meetings and thus have a means of controlling the Guilds, at least to some extent. [See Wikipedia on Livery Companies for a list of possible trade guilds.] HOSPITALITYAll the people of the Rus are hospitable to visitors, offering them food and shelter as required. THE LANGUAGERussian is spoken by the people of Moscow and the surrounding areas, and also by those of the Courts of Kiev. However, it is not a universal language, and in many parts of the Forest it is not understood. There is no such thing as a universal language in this setting. It is possible, however, for Miracles to give languages to people, or for Magic to allow comprehension, either directly or via items. Miracles can likewise allow languages to be removed from people... MERCHANTSA very significant group of non-nobles, merchants are protected and encouraged by the Tsar. The highest ranking merchants, appointed by the Tsar to handle trade in monopolised goods, are known as Gost (plural Gosti), and are often exempt from many taxes. MUSCOVITE CHARACTERMuscovites in general are none too optimistic. Indeed, they tend to be quite cynical, with a dark view of the world. Most people believe that something bad could happen at any moment. Clever villains can defeat foolish heroes. No-one believes that the world responds to fairness with fairness - that there is any intrinsic fairness or justice in the universe - and no-one would consider corrupting their listeners by spouting such rubbish. Even so, Muscovites can love and laugh with the best of them, though their humour tends towards the dour and black. MUSCOVITE LAWMuscovite law divides into three types:
Under exceptional circumstances exile to some far-off part of the Rus is used as a punishment. This is most often for what would be considered political crimes. The law is written and changed on the order of the Tsar. However, it is enforced more locally. The Boyars, priests, mayors and various Merchants Guilds rule on the behaviour of those below them and punish them appropriately. The only exception to this is in the case of Serious crimes, when the perpetrator must be handed over to the representatives of the Tsar for interrogation, trial and punishment. And within the Oprichnina the law is always enforced by the Oprichniks, regardless of any other considerations. Crimes among the Boyars themselves are tried by the Duma, or, more and more frequently now, by the Zemskiy Sobor.
MUSCOVITE CLOTHINGBasic dress for Muscovites of both sexes consists of the rubakha, a long shirt (knee length for men; ankle length for women), worn over long, narrow trousers that are tucked into ones boots. These are gathered at the waist with a cord known as a gashnik. The rubakha normally has trim on the collar, cuffs and hem. A belt, fastened on the left, is worn over it. In formal situations a highly embroidered collar, the ozherel'e, is attached to the rubakha. Male and female attire differs mainly in the details of cut and decoration. Over this basic dress is worn a caftan, usually unfastened, and sometimes fitted at the waist. The caftans of rich people reach to the ankle, but to keep them out of the dirt and mud caftans are never longer than this. Everyday and work clothes are usually only knee-length. Richer caftans have a highly embroidered collar, the ozherel'e. All caftans are fastened at the waist with a cord belt, or with buttons. Poor people wear a homespun coat, the zipun, instead of a caftan; richer people wear a zipun over their caftan. Another caftan or long-skirted coat, an odnoryadka, okhaben' or opashen', is worn over this. Items of outer clothing are often slit above the elbows, with the arms emerging through the slits. The hanging sleeves are often richly decorated with highly embroidered pieces of fabric known as voshvas. In cold weather a myatel, a type of combined cloak and jacket, is worn over all of this. Over the myatel goes a korzno, a fur-lined cloak of heavy cloth draped over the left shoulder and fastened on the right breast with a large ornamental fastener, the fibula. All Muscovite clothing which uses fur is fur-lined rather than having the fur exposed on the outside of the garment. The nobility also wear a winter or summer shuba, a long, wide long-sleeved coat of decorated or patterned material that is put on over the head, with a high standing collar. They may also wear a sheepskin or leather jacket, the kozhukh, which is fur-lined and expensive, often being decorated with river pearls and embroidery. For ceremonial occasions a loose long-sleeved fur-lined tunic, the feryaz, is worn over the rubakha (for merchants) or caftan (for people of higher rank).
[For more on real-world medieval Russian clothing see here or here.] MUZHIK (PEASANTS)The majority of the population of the Rus, they are not bound to the land, or to their position in society. With work and effort they can become rich and move up the social ladder. They can also move around as the economy and their needs dictate. Most muzhik live in izba.
NAMESPeople have three names: a given name, a patronymic, and a family name (surname). They are generally presented in that order, although the patronymic is sometimes omitted. The patronymic of a person is based on the first name of their father, and always succeeds the first name. A suffix meaning either 'son of' or 'daughter of' is added to the father's given name to form the patronymic. Males generally use '-ovich', while females generally use '-ovna'; if the suffix is being appended to a name ending in a soft consonant, the initial 'o' becomes a 'ye', giving '-yevich' and '-yevna'. Surnames are generally inherited from one's parents, although women often adopt the surname of their husband. Some Russian surnames have different forms depending on gender; in general a woman's surname will generally end in an 'a'. The patronymic is not so feminised. See all the Family tree of the Muscovite Royal Family for examples of this, and Wikipedia for more details. See also the List of Russians on Wikipedia for some examples from the real world. REGALIAAll of the Muscovite Royal Regalia were made for Ivan I when he first took the throne of Moscow. The Regalia is largely adapted from that which Koschei the Undying used when he ruled the Kremlin. The Muscovite Tsar wears the Wooden Crown, an ornate thing carved in minute detail that nonetheless seems to be made of a single entirely naturally-grown piece of wood. On the front is a large 'Forest opal', the only gem of its kind, which glitters with all of the colours of the Forest, and which seems very 'deep' when looked at. The second item of regalia is the Orb. Emblematical of monarchical rule, the Orb is a wooden ball some six inches in diameter with a golden band about its equator and two more meeting at its poles. Atop it is a golden representation of the Firebird. Thirdly, there is the sceptre. Made of the same wood as the Crown, this too is topped with a golden representation of the Firebird. It represents authority. The Tsar sits on the Throne of Trees. This is an ornate throne of living white birch wood, almost like ivory, which has living branches growing out from the back, and scenes of battle and hunting carved - or grown - into the wood. RESPECTThis is a very important matter. Nothing will be done without the proper respect being given to people. Lack of respect can mean anything from whatever it is simply not being done up to whoever is disrespected actively trying to kill the disrespectful person. Back to the Top |
