Traits

TRAITS

>Perfumed...
This group cares very much about smells. Nobody goes anywhere without some kind of perfume, not even to labour or war, and there is an elaborate "language of smells". The rich purchase the rarest of perfumes to signal their status. Courting lovers use blends with a dozen hidden meanings. Those with an interest in politics keep a sharp nose out for faction markers, while socialites show off their skills by cleverly complementing their friends. The meals are disappointingly plain, however, so as to not obstruct guests' olfaction. While foreigner PCs have little hope of blending in, they can make a killing trading spice or questing for dangerous ingredients.

Plain of the Restless Feet
The people of these plains use dance as a form of communication. They can speak although they have broken and very thick accents and will default to using gestures more than words when speaking with outsiders. Wearing shoes is considered an insult (the plains are flat and covered with soft dirt and grasses so shoes aren't explicitly needed, especially for people who don't wear shoes from birth). Walking is walking but any rhythmic moving of the feet is to them a word or phrase, a simple two-step could say that you want to kill their elders if you time it incorrectly.

>...of ancient tales
This group cares about myths and stories above all else. Any social contact is mediated by the participants' opinions of their closest legendary relative, as traits are assumed to pass fully through the blood. For people of unusual species, that could mean that the one known tale about someone of that species colours everyone's opinion of you. It is a dreadful faux pas to claim a kinship without sufficient justification, though mere barbarism to claim not to know your ancestry. New stories take a while to gain common acceptance, and self-serving stories about supposed glorious ancestors are met with understandable suspicion. Though of course, if the community witnesses an act worthy of legend directly, that story is immediately established, for good or ill.

>Of the Silence
Due to the presence of an old-gods monastic order having a large influence on the culture which was misconstrued over time, What started as a handful of traders mastering a Monastic sign language as a work around to carry on communication with the wealthy religious sect and its vow of silence evolved into a regional belief that the spoken word is sacred and that ones life has only a limited number of words they can speak before they perish per God's Plan. Day to day mundane activities are communicated via a sign language, but there is a spoken language, used much less infrequently, usually reserved for what the speaker feels is truly important.

Their strongest insult is "I won't listen to you."

>Laughing-bells
This species is incapable of laughing. Since this is a handicap in their dealing with other species, they have taken to carry around small iron or silver bells, that they ring to symbolise their own laughter. Their own tradition of humour is alien, or possibly non-existent, so you can spot those who have few interactions with other species by their tendency to ring their bells at inappropriate times. The more socially adept, however, might well ring their bells "accidentally" when a haggling opponent names too low a price, and then act confused when told it wasn't a joke.

The player/GM is encouraged to bring an actual bell and act it out.

>The Marked
While working for someone it is mandatory for you to receive a tattoo of your contract/agreement on both your and your employers skin. This originally began as a way to prevent contracts from being violated, changed, destroyed or ducking out on debts, but grew to the point where no one will use any other method. Removing the tattoos is a long process involving various alchemical ingredients and reagents, so long term business partnerships and deals are far more common than short term compacts. One can easily tell how busy/successful a person is by their tattoos, the rich often having their entire body covered in writing. PCs without these tattoos will be seen as bums with no job, and those with decorative tattoos will be looked upon with curiosity for what contract these images/symbols may describe. Obviously this means any job they get will have a fee associated with getting a tattoo and possibly getting it removed, so they should perhaps haggle a bit on the high end for jobs.

>Artifacts
These people only trust what they can see and touch, therefore they always carry around some sort of proof of what they've done or where they've been. Sometimes they even offer up these "artifacts" to one another as a way of sharing their lives. A small child being sent off for the day's lessons may come back home with a little piece of charcoal. A man who's been gone plowing the fields all day may give his intended a small stone from the dirt he was working to show how dedicated he is. Any travelers who come to this town and do not give proof as to where they've traveled or what they've done will be distrusted immediately and may be discredited as liars.

>Salty -
This species has lived near saltwater for so long it has adapted to thrive on it. Their food, primarily salt-saturated molluscs and algae, is almost beyond other species' capacity to swallow, and their water doubles as a disinfectant. They perceive freshwater as nauseatingly sweet, only served in small flavoured glasses at feasts. Well aware of other species' differences, they kindly offer their guests large jugs of freshwater to soak their food in. They export long-lasting food. Sailors famously bring some of the species' bread with them on long trips, dearly hoping they will never have to use it; "he has eaten the [species]'s bread" is said of someone down on his luck. A member of the species living far from home is likely to demand a good bit of salt as part of their wages.

>Masked...
Here no man may walk maskless. Each mask is given at the coming of age ceremony and contains extensive information about its owner and their accomplishments. As the people age their masks become more and more complex, each detail telling part of the story. As one progresses through life it becomes more and more taboo to act outside of the expectation your mask sets for you- if an elder breaks out of their personality then they will be cast out immediately. Minor punishments for crimes involve making additions to your mask which will force one to act or be perceived in an inconvenient manner.

>Chessmaster
At the centre of the chief's manor is a room that contains a large board of precious stones and metals. Every year, all nobles compete in a complex week-long board game, the winner of which becomes the new chief. The game is a mock civil war: the board is a model of all territories controlled by those nobles, and the pieces are their servants and troops as they were when the game began. The game therefore rewards both real-world power and a fine grasp of game mechanics. Foreigners will come across a multitude of oddities, such as rickety watchtowers in the middle of nowhere, fields divided into very peculiar shapes, or peasants reaping their crops in heavy armour, that are signs of a noble trying to get some in-game advantage at minimal real-life cost. Which could be an issue in case of e.g. a real-world invasion. Should the PCs arrive near game time, they are likely to receive good (if short) hiring offers from nobles who wouldn't mind a few extra pawns on their side, and may have to prove their piece's rank by demonstrating their prowess to skeptical judges.

>Won't eat/drink in public
Had some fun with this one during a few campaigns. Only the underclass - untouchables - barbarians eat and/or drink in public. Everyone else only eats and drink in private, in the company of immediate family, or in the company of life long friends.
Taverns have dozens of curtained booths rather than a huge open room. Restaurants are much the same. When forced to eat in a mess or in the field, soldiers tie a kerchief over their face like Wild West bank robbers thus shielding their mouths from others.

>Of blazing skies
This culture abhors the day, their skin reacting violently with sunlight. Wanderers and foragers, they tend to split up and travel vast distances during the night. Bombastic and extroverted, they use intricate fireworks to communicate across valleys and mountain ranges. Seeing as everyone can see conversations, when nearby each other in real life they think that anyone who whispers or talks privately is conspiring and the act i is seen as socially unacceptable

>Of the feast
This culture is very focused on eating and food. Cooks are top-notch, and most stores are filled to the brim with strange meats, rare spices, and obscure plants. The race of this culture will try to eat or attempt to cook almost anything, from breaded grill tentacles to their own fingers, and there are whole black markets dedicated to creating new meats with alchemy or buying the flesh of dead adventurers. The warriors of this race are known to go into battle with small bottles of condiments and small knives so they may harvest and eat the flesh of fallen foes, earning them a fearsome reputation.
Those who are unwilling to try new foods are considered rather drab.