[center][b]Raeldar ~ Cultural Information[/b]

	Located in the southern most region of Formaroth, Raeldar is a mountainous swath of land. With mild summers, harsh winters, and thick coniferous forests, filled with elk, bears, wild-cats, and the occasional badger, Raeldar is not an easy place to live. In the northern region of the kingdom, Raeldar has gentle rolling hills, and great forests that stretch for miles, with immense mountain ranges in the south. A majority of the civilians live in the northern area, as it is easier to raise crops, herd sheep, and build a house on flatter land. However, in the southern region of Raeldar, there are a numerous amount of civilians that live in remote villages with the foothills of the mountains. Such is a place that Aurelia Vyncetta was born and raised {current High Magister}. From the snow-capped mountains, crystalline rivers flow through deep ravines before making it out to sea. This is the only place in Formaroth where the rivers run north instead of south; the reason for this is due to the elevation of the mountains in the south, that the land going north is at a lower elevation. There are also pockets of lakes that yield a wide variety of fish. 

	Another thing to note about Raeldar is its archaic ways, and teachings. Most people in Formaroth would consider Raeldar to be very backwards in its thinking, as they tend to raise their people with traditional ways. 

[b][u]Local Foods[/u][/b]

[b]Roasted Pork Belly[/b] ~ A favorite dish served year round, or when pork is available, it is usually served with sauerkraut, and boiled potatoes.

[b]Meat Cakes[/b] ~ These are rough, large cakes of ground beef, seasoned onion, garlic, and salt.

[b]Baked Duck[/b] ~ A duck is placed in a fire brick oven, inside a cast-iron dish. The duck is seasoned with the atypical seasonings, such as onion, garlic, and salt, but also includes, thyme, and dill. Potatoes, onions and cabbage are cooked in the dish as well. This meal is normally accompanied with freshly baked bread, such as rye bread.

[b]Fish[/b] ~ Either smoked, or fried, fish is very popular to eat as it is readily abundant. With many choices to choose from, a few favorite choices are those of salmon, pike, perch, and herring. It is normally served with lemons, which are harvested in the summer time before the frost comes. Pepper is a favorite seasoning to have on smoked fish as well.

[b]Mead[/b] ~ Raeldar is known worldly for their mead. They have many different types of mead, some spiced, some with a fruity flavor, these meads are typically high in alcohol content, and will put anyone under a table if they are not a heavy drinker, or an alcoholic.

[b][u]Customs[/u][/b]

[i]Midsummer Festival[/i] ~ Starting on the Summer Solstice, a day of festivities lasts until the following sunrise. The day consists of mead drinking contests, dancing that last throughout the day and well into the night (much like Valentine’s Day, this is the time when unmarried men, and women come together to dance in hopes of finding a partner.), children often dance around a large pole erected in the center of the festival, with ribbons fastened to the top. At the end of the night, there is a large bonfire to commemorate the end of midsummer. Everyone present stays around the bonfire until it dies out, and remains until the sun rises. They often toss items into the bonfire to bring them good luck, such as love letters, coins to bring good fortune, a cupful of blood from a particular livestock (such as pig, cow, sheep, oxen, etc.) to bring more births into the year; farmers often save a portion of last year’s harvest to toss into the fire to bring about a plentiful harvest.

[i]The Great Hunt[/i] ~ Every month, a group of noblemen, and commoners gather in various towns, and villages to set out on a weeklong hunt. Their purpose is to find the finest specimen, be it deer, elk, or bear. At the end of the week, the hunters come back to town, where special game wardens await the return of the hunters, and they record information pertaining to size, height, weight, species, bodily measurements, gender, and the rarity of such a find. When the information has been collected, the game wardens assess the kills, and give out a large sum of money to the victor.

[i]Sauna Bathing[/i] ~ For those that live in Raeldar, during the cold winter months, the people bathe in sweat lodges, built next to a water source. As it would seem odd to other people of Formaroth, the citizens of Raeldar bathe together, even with strangers. When they are finished soaking in the sweat lodges, they run outside and jump into cool springs, lakes or rivers. If someone is invited to join another person in a sauna, it is seen as impolite to decline their offer, and considered offensive and rude. 

[b][u]Clothes[/u][/b]

[i]Nobles[/i]

As always with the nobles of any kingdom in Formaroth, the noble class are richly dressed in comparison with the lower classes. Here, men keep their hair kept short, to the jawline, or cropped like a Caesarean cut, as they see long, loose hair, to be dirty and grounds for lice infestations. Men of the upper class dress in doublets, or leather jerkins. In the warmer months, they trade in their winter leather trousers for hose. The men of noble family’s wear necklaces bearing the male head-of-house insignia, along with eloquently designed signet rings. Men prefer to wear tall leather boots year round, for not only is it fashionable, it is relatively comfortable, and it is easy to distinguish them from the lower classes. The women on the other hand, while equally dressed in high quality fabrics, differentiate from the lower-classes as well. They wear their hair in ringlets, loose curls, or hairstyles where their hair is piled high upon their head in intricate braids, plaits, or covered with jeweled, or pearled coifs. Women often wear elaborate dresses consisting of silk shifts, a cotton dress, tight bodices with a corset to hold it in place, and a fashionable, patterned surcoat. They wear silk hosiery under their dresses, with silken slippers too match. Most women do not venture far outside of their abodes for they are busy with learning how to better domesticate their homes for a possible suitor, although this is not limited to these skills, as the more liberal women take it upon themselves to further education in different areas. During the winter months, men and women alike wear heavier clothes made of the finest quality of wool to be found in Raeldar. It is often as well, that they wear fur cloaks, the preferred choice of fur varies from family to family, but the popular choices are bear, elk, deer, and the occasional, wolf or fox (though these are often more than one piece sewn together due to their smaller size.).

[i]Middle-Class[/i]

For the somewhat better off in Raeldar, they are able to afford higher quality wool in the winter time, and during the summer time, they wear clothes made of fine cotton. As with all of the middle-class throughout Formaroth, they can be found wearing the occasional piece of jewelry, such as a copper ring, or corded pendant. Their style of dress is relatively similar to the peasant folk, but of course the sole difference between these two classes, is the higher quality of fabrics used in their clothes. Men still wear their hair long and free, although some choose to keep it tied back with a leather cord. The women wear their hair in more elaborate braids and plaits, with occasional bonnet, scarf or some type of headdress worn for the married women. 

[i]Peasants[/i]

The peasant folk of Raeldar dress in simple, wool clothes. Most families in Raeldar own sheep, as it is an essential commodity for providing clothes, and blankets during the chill of the cold winter months. Men wear long tunics that fall to their knees, and women wear simple dresses with aprons over them. They were simple leather shoes. In the winter-time, clothing is typically the same, although they dress in layers. The women are particularly good at knitting, and provide their household with thick mittens to keep out the cold air. Also, during the winter, the men and women switch to leather boots stuff with sawdust, or shorn wool to keep their feet from freezing, along with thick wool cloaks to keep out the fierce, biting wind. Most men wear their hair long and loose, while the women keep their hair up in braids. 

[i]Legends[/i]

The Hunter and The Wolf

	Many people in Raeldar are hunters by nature, on one such occasion, during the early eras of Formaroth, a strange occurene happened to a man by the name of Hemli. He was a hermit, and lived deep in the coniferous forests before the mountain foothills. The locals knew of him, though many avoided him, for they felt he was a strange man; this was not the case. His wife, and son had passed away from hayfever when Hemli first married her years ago. He spent his time ever since, wandering the deep pine forests. One day, in the woods, Hemli came across a curious scene. Before him, caught in a trap, lay an injured wolf. The creature was splendid, with a brilliant coat of white fur, and vivid, golden eyes. It lifted its head, and uttered a soft whimper. Hemli could not bear to see the wolf die in the iron bear-trap, and without thinking, freed the wolf. Struggling to its feet, the wolf could not make an escape, and collapsed exhausted on the ground. Approaching with care, Hemli lifted the wolf off the ground, as it offered no sign of struggle, and carried it back to his cabin.

	For two weeks, Hemli cared for the white wolf. Its paw was mangled from the teeth of the trap, and left a horrible gash, along with a broken bone. To prevent infection, Hemli used a poultice to heal the wound, and prepared clean bandages every morning, and night. When the wound had healed over, the bone remained broken. There, Hemli fixed a wooden splint for the wolf, who had curiously let him tend to his wounds without fuss. Throughout the nights that the wolf remained in his cabin, Hemli would leave every mid-morning to go for a hunt, catching grouse, squirrel or rabbit. When he returned, he would prepare a meal for the wolf to eat, which the creature ate readily.
When the time came to return the wolf to the forest, Hemli carried the beautiful creature back to the spot where he had found it, unsure of where its den lay. As he set the wolf down, and turned to go, the wolf gave a short bark, drawing his attention back to him. 

“Dear Hunter, you have cared for me like your own child.” The wolf spoke.
Hemli was equally surprised to learn that the wolf could speak at all, and stared with his mouth agape.

“Fear not, for I am the Guardian of the Forest. I presented myself to you, in hopes of seeing if you would pass a test, and pass it you did. You have shown me great care while I was injured, like I was one of your own. I have known you for a long time, Hemli. I know of your sadness, for I hear it in your footsteps wherever you walk through my forest. I wish to offer you a gift of your choosing, whatever it is, I will grant it.” 
Hemli dropped to his knees, overwhelmed that the wolf was the guardian of the forest, and even more so that the wolf wanted to reward him for his kind behavior. He cast his eyes before him, upon the decaying leaves of the forest floor. He could have anything he wanted, wealth, fame, a woman to love, anything his heart desired. Lifting his head to look into the gold eyes of the wolf, Hemli gave one answer.

“I wish for immortality.”

“Then so be it.” The wolf approached the fallen man, and placed his paws upon his bent knees, there the wolf touched his muzzle to Hemli’s forehead. A mist encompassed the two of them, before the wolf stepped away, and sat on its haunches.

“I have combined my soul with yours. Together, we are bound for all of eternity. I am bound to this land, and you may not leave here ever again, to travel to distant places. You can only die, if I die, Hemli. You, and I are the guardians of this forest now, we shall walk together for years to come, and you shall never be alone anymore.” [/center]