Things I think of when I'm sick at 2 AM (Patreon)

The Morish culture.

For More from Ambernathi culture... the Mor.

Mors originated roughly a thousand years ago as settlers from Lithicus began moving inward through the Evand mountains and into the Kor river basin.  Originally known as the Moer, the culture dropped the Lithican spelling and adopting a more compact Ferran spelling.  Mors extend from Morethi inland into the eastern territories of Ambernathi, south into northern Dennath, and north into Pallad.

Unlike other ethnic groups like the Eld, Mors frequently come into conflict with their neighbors and each other, though said conflicts rarely escalate to spilling blood.  However, unlike their Lithican ancestors, the Mors rarely had the option to retreat into their fortresses for a generation.  Mors learned to fight for their independance, and to be more flexible in their dealings with other cultures.  The Mors have the most friction with the Hruds to the north, but get along well with the Dhen to the south, the later being far more nautically inclined.

Mors stand, much taller than average Ferrans, at 6'2 to 6'6 and are broad shouldered and waisted.  Mors have the Lithican pale skin tones of the Caers, and like their Lithican ancestors posses fair hair colors.  Dark haired Mors are the result of interbreeding with the Dhen, and darker skinned Mors from interbreeding with the Elde.

Morish culture is entirely meritocratic.  Their leaders are elected through a series of contests and elections.  Leadership is those best suited to the job.  The best hunter leads hunting parties.  The best sailor is captain.  This can be jarring when somone hires a Mor ship crew only to discover they select their own officers.  As a result, Mors rarely put much stock in family or clans.  This has separated them from their Caer origins significantly.  When there is a question of competence, a challenge is arranged and terms agreed upon.  If one party refuses to accept terms, they may be forced to forfeit.

Most families are matrilineal, with women owning land and property and men wedding into her family.  Unlike Lyonesse, where gender roles are codified, Mors generally accept anyone if they are capable.  A woman who works hard is just as worthy of being in charge as a man.  However, certain fields are gender dominates.  Women are concidered to be superior farmers, herders, and crafters, while men are better soldiers, sailors, and hunters.  Exceptions exist in both, but these are generalized roles.

While mediocrity is tolerated, disability is not.  Mors crippled in accidents or war often throw themselves off sea cliffs or eat poisonous berries in the woods rather than die a humiliating death.  Elderly drink poison when they feel they can no longer contribute to the household or community.  Mors who are demonstrably sub par will find themselves brutally bullied and harassed to either take their own lives, or to leave the region for more hospitable areas.

A significant Mor tradition are festivals, but unlike celibrations, these are more like informal contests in which individuals can display their prowess.  Competative baking, weaving, feats of strength, boxing, wrestling, and sword fighting are common, but almost anything can be contested.  Winning renown at these festivals is paramount to social standing and mobility, and a Mor that refuses to participate will find themselves rapidly ostrasized and expelled.  This leads many young Mors to seek out new fields of contest, such as magic or cooking or even flower arranging.  All that matters to a Mor is that they are skilled at it.

Festivals are frequently the root of marriage between Mors, which are far looser than in the Korian kingdoms.  Marriages may be for a set time, usually five to ten years, and may be renewed or dissolved at that time.  Marriages may outline a number of children, income, tasks, or property.  A man or woman can enter into as many marriages as they like, leading to some truly convoluted family trees.  Traditionally, marriage is heterosexual due to children requirements, but it would not be unheardof for men or women to wed.

Mors have a fondness for quarry work, and a dislike of mines.  Their stature makes them ill suited for the latter, and the deposits of marble of granite, though not as fine as in Lithicus, are frequently mined by Mors.  Mors enjoy statuary, and one can find carved stones all over a Morish community.  Morish fashion is usually reflective of the climate, though Mors generally do have a tolerance for cold.  Morish have a general nudity taboo in any place that isn't dedicated to washing, though many competitions are done naked to ensure magic is not being employed.  

Unlike other cultures, Mors have no taboo against magic, but they do against magic being used to enhance a skill.  A person using magic to be unnaturally charismatic will be strongly ostrasized, if not attacked.  However, if someone is skilled at juggling fire, then so be it.  Because of the meritocratic society, 'dabblers' in magic are strongly disencouraged... with fireballs if need be.  Mors place no distinction on types of magic.  So long as the caster knows what they are doing, most Mors are content with their actions.

Morish religion is of the Twelve and One, with a few subscribing to the One Faith.  Most Morish venerate the Lord as 'the Father' and the Lady as 'The mother', describing them as human avatars.  Morish religion is largely superficial, as there is no really way to quantify who is 'best holy person'.  The job of cleric is respected, but a skilled healer is more valued than someone who can merely recite holy prayers, even if they do heal injury.

Morish food is heavily skewed towards fish and goat.  Due to a lack of pastureland, Mors turn to the sea for their food, and an all important crop: the Loo.  Often mocked for its fecal appearance, Loo is a tuber that can grow up to three feet in length in a single year.  It's extremely starch rich, loaded with vitamins, and can be prepared a wide variety of ways.  If left unharvested, it will form a twenty foot high bush that produces looberries.  Raw, unripened berries have a diuretic effect, but ripe berries in the fall go to a variety of preserves.  Mors are also avid picklers, preserving food in brine for months.  It is said that Morish cuisine is an acquired taste.

The Mor trade via a complex bartering system.  Property is marked with the owner's name, but then can be traded and retraded.  A person may buy a shovel, use it for a week, and then trade it for a goat.  Over a year, the shovel will exchange hands several times.  The owner, however, may ask for it back... provided they can find out who has it... and it is generally good form to return it.  This has lead to some families owning a vast collection of tools lent out all across the region, and some will actually put a higher value on these.  If someone wishes to own an object perminently, they must find the owner and offer some perminent exchange, usually of coin, for the right to remove the name and add theirs.  Some Morish property, like a house, may have hundreds of names scratched into the door frame from the various owners.

Mors do accept coinage from other lands, but they have very little gold or silver on their own.  This leads to the use of brak, or stone tokens.  Flat, circular, thumb sized pebbles are scratched with the owner's name and can be given in place of money.  However, it is generally unwise for a Mor to use too much brak, as a person is said to be allowed to legally beat a braklender with their own brak.  This beating is commonly referred to as brakrupcy.  If the lender survives the beating, the debt is considered forgiven.

The Morish language is an overlap of Korrish, Eldish, Western Caertongue, Dhunish, and Hradish.  As such, most Mors are functioning polyglots, but speak with distinctly strange accents.  They may substitute one language for another, and often will litter their speech with foreign words to keep a third party at a disadvantage.  Morrish does have its own simple vocabulary, for local and personal terms.

Okay.  Gonna go die now... bleugh....