Type none Culture
Changes since version 1
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NOTE: This is compiled by a player from multiple comments on the Underspire Discord; many things here may change over time at staff discretion!
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# FACTS OF LIFE
## HOUSING
Housing is controlled by the authorities that rule over any given floor. In Suburba, the slums, the allocation…the residential area known as Arcadia, a subset of Delos (the name for the guild-owned floors in general).
And of course, members of the Great Houses[Great Houses](great-houses) live in mysterious luxury on the lower floors, collectively referred to as Palatine.
## FOOD AND DRINK
In the slums of Suburba, food is primarily produced by the vats of the Kolkhos,[Kolkhos](kolkhos), the collective farmer's association. Efficient crops like tubers, insect protein, soy, algae, and mushrooms are heavily processed into pastes shaped, dyed, and flavored like…Upper-class and noble individuals might be lucky enough to eat the more luxurious genuine produce grown by House Amari instead.
On the meat side, Mythos[Mythos](mythos) produces a great quantity of cultivated meat, known colloquially as 'vatling'. Sixers might have access to actual animal meat, but even these animals are still genetically engineered for efficiency.
There are no specific 'bodies' of fresh water in Deshret, but water is still not terribly…MEDICINE
Life in Deshret can be brutal, with both illness and injury being very real possibilities. Lost limbs are typically replaced by cyberware, despite Sepulchre's[Sepulchre](sepulchre)'s disapproval; biological replacements are available but out of the price range of many.
Mental health is poorly understood; someone delusional is likely to end…to survive in Deshret. Literacy in Shinar, the basic language of Deshret, is widespread - learning other languages tends to be on-demand, however. (See [Languages](https://agora.underspire.net/t/language/61)[Languages](languages) for more information.)
Further schooling beyond primary years is typically handled by an apprenticeship model, particularly among the guilds. For example, A would-be doctor… what is considered acceptable. You might well see black powder firearms comparable to muskets in play alongside fully modern and lethal weaponry, for example.
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# SOCIETY
## SOCIAL STATUS
Social status is conferred on people by employment status and/or House affiliation.
**Great Houses:** At the very top …and way of life, with their own agendas and factions separate from the guilds. (For example, they tend to rely on the enginers of The Calibri[the Calibri](the-calibri) rather than Vulcani's[Vulcani's](vulcani) professionals.)
This class is really a blender of people, from criminals and outlaws to disgraced ex-guilders. Some slummers hate the guilds, some don't; some slummers hate the state, some don't. The Coterie,[The Coterie](the-coterie), the criminal syndicate that rules the slums, is the only true authority over them all.
## PREJUDICE AND IDENTITY
Modern-day notions of identity very…and funeral doom.
The Houses also have their own musical tastes their wealth allows them to patronize. For more details, check out the [Musical Inspiration](https://agora.underspire.net/t/musical-inspiration/59)Inspiration](musical-inspiration) page.
## HISTORICAL INFLUENCES
What would the average Deshret citizen know of the world before the Burning? Not a lot - their understanding of old-world culture would be garbled, incomplete, and with a profound confusion between myth and reality.
For example, mythological creatures like elves and dragons - when people are even aware of them from old salvaged books or films - might be believed to have once been real, rather than fictional creations.
Identities like "European" or "Chinese" would be viewed in the same way we view fictional ethnicities from sci-fi novels today... mysterious cultures with no …
Line by line
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Life in Deshret is complex, vibrant, and messy. Its details depend heavily on the floor in which you live, an important indicator of your social status.
NOTE: This is compiled by a player from multiple comments on the Underspire Discord; many things here may change over time at staff discretion!
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# FACTS OF LIFE
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Sixers - members of the Six guilds - have access to better housing in the residential area known as Arcadia, a subset of Delos (the name for the guild-owned floors in general).
- And of course, members of the Great Houses live in mysterious luxury on the lower floors, collectively referred to as Palatine.
+ And of course, members of the [Great Houses](great-houses) live in mysterious luxury on the lower floors, collectively referred to as Palatine.
## FOOD AND DRINK
- In the slums of Suburba, food is primarily produced by the vats of the Kolkhos, the collective farmer's association. Efficient crops like tubers, insect protein, soy, algae, and mushrooms are heavily processed into pastes shaped, dyed, and flavored like natural food. One particular tuber known as pith is often processed into pithmeal alongside dried fungi and used to make bread, frycakes, and similar products. Upper-class and noble individuals might be lucky enough to eat the more luxurious genuine produce grown by House Amari instead.
+ In the slums of Suburba, food is primarily produced by the vats of [Kolkhos](kolkhos), the collective farmer's association. Efficient crops like tubers, insect protein, soy, algae, and mushrooms are heavily processed into pastes shaped, dyed, and flavored like natural food. One particular tuber known as pith is often processed into pithmeal alongside dried fungi and used to make bread, frycakes, and similar products. Upper-class and noble individuals might be lucky enough to eat the more luxurious genuine produce grown by House Amari instead.
- On the meat side, Mythos produces a great quantity of cultivated meat, known colloquially as 'vatling'. Sixers might have access to actual animal meat, but these animals are still genetically engineered for efficiency.
+ On the meat side, [Mythos](mythos) produces a great quantity of cultivated meat, known colloquially as 'vatling'. Sixers might have access to actual animal meat, but even these animals are still genetically engineered for efficiency.
There are no specific 'bodies' of fresh water in Deshret, but water is still not terribly scarce due to geothermal sources and excellent recycling systems.
…
There is, in fact, a simulation of natural human weather. It would seem eerie or uncanny to modern-day humans, as it is a little too synthetic and perfect. Of course, to the vast majority of citizens of Deshret who don't venture surface-side, it's all the weather they've ever known.
## MEDICINE
- Life in Deshret can be brutal, with both illness and injury being very real possibilities. Lost limbs are typically replaced by cyberware, despite Sepulchre's disapproval; biological replacements are available but out of the price range of many.
+ Life in Deshret can be brutal, with both illness and injury being very real possibilities. Lost limbs are typically replaced by cyberware, despite [Sepulchre](sepulchre)'s disapproval; biological replacements are available but out of the price range of many.
Mental health is poorly understood; someone delusional is likely to end up with their delusions being classified as either heresy or revelation. This isn't to say that there's no concept of mental illness, but Mythos would typically view the matter as "is there a problem with the body or the soul?" The closest thing to therapy available would be the guidance of Sepulchre's priesthood.
## EDUCATION
- Most everyone in Deshret receives at least some education, courtesy of the creches operated by Sepulchre. There children are taught the basics of faith, history, and the general knowledge needed to survive in Deshret. Literacy in Shinar, the basic language of Deshret, is widespread - learning other languages tends to be on-demand, however. (See [Languages](https://agora.underspire.net/t/language/61) for more information.)
+ Most everyone in Deshret receives at least some education, courtesy of the creches operated by Sepulchre. There children are taught the basics of faith, history, and the general knowledge needed to survive in Deshret. Literacy in Shinar, the basic language of Deshret, is widespread - learning other languages tends to be on-demand, however. (See [Languages](languages) for more information.)
Further schooling beyond primary years is typically handled by an apprenticeship model, particularly among the guilds. For example, A would-be doctor would find themselves apprenticing for a fully-fledged member of Mythos, and in time hoping to attain that status and train their own apprentices in turn.
…
What is different is the way people understand and interact with technology. The inner workings of tech are abstracted to just about everyone who isn't an exceedingly high-ranking Guild member; even people who professionally interface with these systems view their most complex inner components as black boxes.
The level and sophistication of available technologies also varies hugely, due to resource limitations and the downstream effects of Sepulchre's control over what is considered acceptable. You might well see black powder firearms comparable to muskets in play alongside fully modern and lethal weaponry, for example.
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**Yeomen:** This is a very broad class of individuals, encompassing contractual workers who aren't fully guilded but serve the Guilds or Houses. This could range from people supplying the Guilds with materials to the gardener of a Great House's estate. Benefits like housing, wealth, or influence might come your way as a Yeoman, but in general they're the quintessential 'middle class'.
- **Slummers:** The slummers of Suburba have their own culture and way of life, with their own agendas and factions separate from the guilds. (For example, they tend to rely on the enginers of The Calibri rather than Vulcani's professionals.) This class is really a blender of people, from criminals and outlaws to disgraced ex-guilders. Some slummers hate the guilds, some don't; some slummers hate the state, some don't. The Coterie, the criminal syndicate that rules the slums, is the only true authority over them all.
+ **Slummers:** The slummers of Suburba have their own culture and way of life, with their own agendas and factions separate from the guilds. (For example, they tend to rely on the enginers of [the Calibri](the-calibri) rather than [Vulcani's](vulcani) professionals.)
+
+ This class is really a blender of people, from criminals and outlaws to disgraced ex-guilders. Some slummers hate the guilds, some don't; some slummers hate the state, some don't. [The Coterie](the-coterie), the criminal syndicate that rules the slums, is the only true authority over them all.
## PREJUDICE AND IDENTITY
Modern-day notions of identity very much do not apply in Deshret. Concepts of race, ethnicity, etc. are irrelevant; there is no society-wide meaning ascribed to the color of one's skin or the shape of one's features. There can be specific stereotypes - for example, House Vesalius' ruling family is notoriously pale - but they don't reflect a broader notion of what is virtuous or desirable.
…
The majority of society would likely listen to Symphony's heavily-promoted and mainstream music, leaning toward hyperpop, dark synthpop, synthwave, alternative r&b and hiphop. But Sepulchre's religious music instead borrows from a melded tradition of influences like Gregorian chants, Byzantine chants, Orthodox music, neoclassical darkwave, ritual ambient, drone music, and funeral doom.
- The Houses also have their own musical tastes their wealth allows them to patronize. For more details, check out the [Musical Inspiration](https://agora.underspire.net/t/musical-inspiration/59) page.
+ The Houses also have their own musical tastes their wealth allows them to patronize. For more details, check out the [Musical Inspiration](musical-inspiration) page.
## HISTORICAL INFLUENCES
- What would the average Deshret citizen know of the world before the Burning? Not a lot - their understanding of old-world culture would be garbled, incomplete, and with a profound confusion between myth and reality. For example, mythological creatures like elves and dragons - when people are even aware of them from old salvaged books or films - might be believed to have once been real, rather than fictional creations. Identities like "European" or "Chinese" would be viewed in the same way we view fictional ethnicities from sci-fi novels today... mysterious cultures with no bearing on everyday life.
+ What would the average Deshret citizen know of the world before the Burning? Not a lot - their understanding of old-world culture would be garbled, incomplete, and with a profound confusion between myth and reality.
+
+ For example, mythological creatures like elves and dragons - when people are even aware of them from old salvaged books or films - might be believed to have once been real, rather than fictional creations.
+
+ Identities like "European" or "Chinese" would be viewed in the same way we view fictional ethnicities from sci-fi novels today... mysterious cultures with no bearing on everyday life.
Old Earth language influences do survive in Shinar, the common tongue of Deshret, but they've been so chopped-up and combined they aren't traceable/recognizable.