Frill
This is a description of a race of people that live in the world of Threa, the Frills.
Appearance-wise, the Frills are quite standard looking, with five-fingered hands and feet and a wide range of builds and heights. The color of their skin ranges with various tints and shades of cyan. Their hair and eye are colored in shades and tints of blue Additionally, their hair clumps into sections that appear like spikes. Typically, they have three to five sections in the back, one section covering each ear, and two or three sections in the front. They may have other smaller sections.
Frill society is a matriarchy. The Matriarch, her family, and minor families in her court, rule their territory. The Matriarch and her family, as well as the Matrons and their minor families, are known as the Kin class. The Kin are the ruling class, donning elegant clothes in blacks, greys, and browns. The Matriarch herself wears a black and orange coat. There are two other classes, the Wards and the Drudge. The Wards work in service jobs such as cooking, storekeeping, and guarding, among others, and wear simple and elegant clothes in red and purple. The Drudge are the labor class, engaged in mining, construction, farming, and other jobs, and wear crude and resilient clothing colored yellow and olive. Of note are the differing builds; Drudge tend to be the tallest and most muscular, with no difference in height between males and females. Wards are of average stature with average builds, ranging from slim to heavy, with females shorter than males. Kin can be of slim to obese builds, with females being the shortest, while males have the same height range as both Wards and Drudge
A unique characteristic is that they have a very broad comfort level regarding temperature, experiencing a wide range of climates from arid desert to sub-arctic conditions as if they were room temperature.
There are two populations of Frills. The smaller one, currently ruled by three matriarchs, lives in an arid desert, harnessing subterranean resources and water. This isolation is simply due to the difficulty in reaching them, though their presence is known. Only a few well-prepared merchants, diplomats, and adventurers can reach them, but they do so regularly. The second, larger population, with seven matriarchs, lives in the mountain tops of Blue Mountain. They are fully isolated and self-sufficient, with only a handful of explorers having reached the summit of Blue Mountains and returned. As such, the mountain population is nearly unknown to the rest of the world; only from dated accounts of long-passed explorations can they confirm their existence, let alone whether they continue to exist. The Desert Frills are known, receiving a few visits throughout the year.
Because their land is otherwise inhospitable to most other races, they don’t suffer from external attacks into their territories, especially the mountain Frills. Instead, any territorial conflicts are internal, as the Matriarchs compete for power. As such, they have a limited military consisting of guards, with their weapon of choice being the Bo staff. They deal with common crimes and may help their Matriarch in sabotage and striking blows to their rivals.
The establishment of the two populations is long forgotten. Long ago, a smaller Frill community lived in a western swampland. As war broke out, they were pushed further east until they eventually settled in the current desert they occupy today. The desert’s impassibility provided a large degree of security from the raging wars. However, for a splinter group, the desert was not secure enough, so they continued eastward until they reached the foot of the Blue Mountains. They took their chances and climbed up the perilous mountains, eventually settling the mountaintops. This history is lost to everyone; the populations don’t even know the other one exists, with the mountain Frills being so isolated that they don’t dare to climb down.
The territory ruled by a Matriarch is called the House, named after the Matriarch family. Cities and towns are referred to as Houselets, named after a Matron. A Matron is either another female in the Matriarch’s family, or from another Kin family. Villages and farms are referred to as Chalets. Typically, a Ward governs a Chalet, but a Drudge can also assume those positions. The name of the House can change if a minor family, headed by Matrons, successfully supplants the Matriarch. Class mobility can only happen through marriage, with the husband adopting the wife’s class. The most common mobility is of a Ward female marrying a Drudge male, assuming the new Ward class. However, this is rare, with other permutations even less so. This means only males have class mobility, with only usurpation and coercion being viable means for females to change class, which is already challenging since their physical builds are widely different. A tall muscular Drudge could not pretend to be a short, elegant Kin, though it has happened once or twice.
The name of a House can change if a minor family, headed by Matrons, successfully supplants the Matriarch. Class mobility can only happen through marriage, with the husband adopting the wife’s class. The most common mobility is of a Ward female marrying a Drudge male, assuming the new Ward class. However, this is rare, with other permutations even less so. This means only males have class mobility, with only usurpation and coercion being viable means for females to change class, which is already challenging since their physical builds are widely different. A tall muscular Drudge female could not pretend to be a short, elegant Kin, though it has happened once or twice.
Frill naming convention consists of a personal name and a family name chosen from a pool of names. The family name is passed from the mother, and the number of syllables indicates their class; Kin have three-syllable family names, Wards have two, and Drudge have one. Additionally, the territory of the Matriarch, referred to as their House, carries the Matriarch’s family name. For example, the House of Firida is ruled by the Firida family, with Viola Firida being the Matriarch. Benlio Nivet would be a Ward name, and Felia Fir would be a Drudge name.
The mountain Frills effectively live in an island. They live on the peaks above the cloud line. They don’t venture into the thick clouds to descend the mountains. The few who have done so, never returned. It is unknown if they made it down, or perished along the way
on the mountain frills. They live above the cloudline of Blue mountain. there are 5 large peaks that rise above the cloudline. these five peaks are populated. the peaks are connected by strong and impressive bridges and zip line carriages. one peak is connected to the other three, thus serving as an important hub. This central peak is the richest and most powerful ruled by one matriarch. the largest peak is ruled by three matriarchs. another peak is ruled by two, and the smallest is ruled by just one. they have sufficient farming and ranching industries for food, clothing and materials. but limited mining. because of the sub arctic temperatures, water is permanently frozen as a type of rock. it is this rock ice that they mine, not other stones or metals. they use rock ice as a building material. it can be remelted to basically any shape. it can also be distilled into drinking water. Deposits of Rock Ice are always growing, the water rises from the base of the mountain and freezes when it reaches the top
They live above the cloudline. While otherwise extremely cold, the weather is extremely calm. There are no clouds above them, so there is no precipitation at all. Sun always shines in the day, and moon and stars are always visible. The wind tends to be calm and gentle. During spring and winter, the cloudline rises. Sometimes it may raise a few inches, sometimes it can completely cover the peaks
The cloudline is ever present, blocking their view on what is below. Only for maintenance on the bridges, does anyone venture below the cloudline. and they don’t venture beyond the support columns, in fact there is a safety barrier around each column. anything beyond the barriers is unknown. the clouds are very thick, and it covers about half a mile down. it hides many sheer cliffs. many who have venture have simply fallen down one of those cliffs, either to their end, or simply unable to climb back up. additionally, the predators that hunt in the area are really good at seeing thru the clouds. There have been explores. those who have returned, simply didn’t go that far. those who haven’t, either perished, or simply didn’t returned, they made it down the mountain, couldn’t go back up, and continue exploring the vast new world, if they went down the eastward of blue mountain, there is another isolated area. the southern snow fields. the southern snow fields is surrounded by very harsh waters at all sides but the west. where Blue Mountain is located. It is populated by another race of people, the Imoh, which are even more isolated than the Frill. those who survive descending the west side of Blue mountain have the entire world open to them.
The Imoh are beyond the scope of this description. The items relevant are that the Imoh do know about the Frill. About every couple of decades, a frill descends from the mountain, either an adventurer, or they fell and survived. on the other hand, no one knows about the Imoh, as anyone would either have to cross Blue Mountain, or navigate the harsh waters surrounding it, and return back to tell about the Imoh. The Imoh themselves are perfectly content not exploring beyond. Any frill that ends up with the Imoh are welcomed, and end up living the rest of their lives among them. also the Imoh are shorter than the Frill
For the Desert Frill, they live in an arid desert. Which is nearly inhospitable. There are neighboring kingdoms of other races that occupy the desert lands surrounding theirs. as such, they are landlocked, but they are OK with that. They don’t seek expansion, and their neighbors don’t want to expand into the harsh desert Frill lands. Trade and diplomacy is common between the Desert Frills and their neighbors. just that their neighbors need to invest in a way to keep themselves cool. The Desert Frills are able to mine underground resources, stones, metals, gems and precious stones and metals. The also mine underground water in aquifers. They have limited farming, mainly fruits and spices. They import a lot from their neighbors, in turn they export their underground resources. There are currently 3 matriarchs, there used to be four, but the fourth line failed to have an heir. A long conflict ensued between those who wanted to reestablish the line, and the other matriarch who wanted that territory. Eventually the two matriarchs ended up splitting the land from the fourth line. there are those who still hope to reestablish that fourth matriarch line
Matriarchs have full control of their own house. Nothing stops them from seeking counsel from one another. The matriarchs are equivalent to queens in an absolute monarchy. Daily life varies between classes. The Kin (Noble class) have a lot of leisure time. Thou they still have to deal with governance. Depending on the situation, they may have a day of open audience, were there subject come to their halls and present their problems to the Kin so they may make a ruling on the matter. The Wards (Service, Military) tend to the Kin. Cook their food, provide clerical and administration service, as well as guard and enforcement. To be at the beck and call for the kin. They do have some number of days off . the Drudge (Labor) work from sun up till sun down, every day in which ever occupation they hold. They have two large festivals each year
Explorers and Legends: How are the few explorers who venture below the cloudline viewed by society? Are they celebrated, pitied, or seen as reckless? Are there any famous explorers whose stories have become legends among the Mountain Frills? No one that ever descended the mountains has ever returned. The few that have gone below the cloudline and returned did not venture far enough. Many of them are charlatans, spinning fantastical stories of the world below the cloudline. very few Mountain Frill that have descended on westward side of blue mountain have encountered a desert frill. no desert frills have successfully climbed blue mountain.
Legacy of the Fourth Matriarch: What was the impact of the conflict over the fourth Matriarch’s territory on the Desert Frills’ society? Are there still lingering tensions, and how do different factions feel about the possibility of re-establishing the fourth line? her former subjects have a variety of opinions, from how she was better than the new matriarch, that they are better without her, to that it make no difference. Some of her Kin remain loyal to her, even making claims to be the rightfull ruler, but others have have embraced the new matriarchs, for better or worse.
Trade Relations: What are the specifics of the trade relations between the Desert Frills and their neighboring kingdoms? Are there particular goods that are highly valued, and how do these trade relationships affect the balance of power among the Matriarchs? The desert Frills import a lot of food from their neighbors, especially the Lor. Since verry little can grow in the arid desert. In turn, they export the stone and metal they mine from under the sands. The matriarch control different mines, different materials.
Technology and Innovation: How have the Desert Frills innovated or adapted their technology to thrive in their arid environment? Are there any unique inventions or methods they use to manage resources like water, food, and minerals? No, The frills are just hardy people. They have a wide range of temperature that they feel comfortable. And require little sustenance. They do mine water from underground aquifers.
Inter-Population Awareness: While the Mountain and Desert Frills are isolated from each other, is there any awareness, however faint, of the other population’s existence? Perhaps through ancient stories, vague legends, or even rare artifacts? The mountain frills have no idea what lies bellow the cloudline, much less another population. The desert frills do have an idea there is another population somewhere. Every couple of decades or so, A mountain frill that survive the decent, ends up encountering the desert frills.
Cultural Practices and Beliefs: What are the core cultural practices or beliefs that unite the Frills? Do they have a shared mythology or religion, and how does it manifest in each population’s day-to-day life? Their mythologies do have shared elements, as they were a single population in the past. They originate from a swamp in the west and were pushed eastward. Some stayed in the desert, and the other ones were further pushed up the mountains. One particular is the highest deity. They share the same name “Arilys”, and many stories as well. However, the Desert Frills represent her with the moon (the desert is more vibrant and cooler at night), while the mountain frills represent her with the sun (otherwise nothing would survive so up high in the mountains.).
Marriage and Family: How are marriages arranged in Frill society, given the rigid class structure? What are the expectations for family life, and how do these influence the social and political landscape? Marriage within the class is common place. So is a marriage between a Drudge and Ward, with the drudge becoming a ward. Ward don’t join the drudge family. Kin females can choose any they want, but it is rare for them to chose someone who is not a Kin. Kin males can also marry anyone, but they get demoted to their spouses class. Drudge are more egalitarian in their domestic and family roles. Male wards take care of most domestic and family tasks. This is also extended to the Kin, as it is the wards that tend for the Kin, the raise their children too. male Kin are consorts to female Kin. they hold no more power than their female companion allows them to wield. can be the same as hers or none at all.
Conflict Resolution: How do the Frills handle internal conflicts, both within and between the Matriarchs’ territories? Are there established laws, duels, or other traditional methods for resolving disputes? Wards have an guard branch that take care in maters of enforcement and security, they answer to the matriarch other matrons. It is the matriarch and her matrons (royal court) that make decrees as they each see fit. The matriarch can overrule any of her matrons. They are the lawmakers, judges and juries. The guards are the executioners.