Grapelanders
An Aracellian prince fights against the Sadafi in the Battle of Helaclossus.
“Joy swept across the field once the battle was over, albeit with a tinge of sorrow. The Sadafi had finally been halted in their advance of the motherland, causing many to rejoice in the aftermath. The battle cemented our people’s independence and freedom from any incursion through a small sacrifice.
Even so, was it?
Mothers and fathers of those who fought and fell would weep that day. The Sadaf had taken their people, their children, their lives. The Elves have taken the lives of many and the Sadafi even more. As we continue on in our daily lives, I only hope our people recover from this stain and prove themselves to be a resilient kind, free from stress or pain.
Gods above, give us strength.”
- Hrōþiland (Roland)
Introduction
Culture
Clothing
The Aracellian usually have sumptuary laws restricting their choice of clothing but will sometimes deviate outside of the norm. At the lowest level of society, the farmers and peasants as a whole, men will wear breeches and a linen shirt. They also wear wool hose to cover their legs with leather shoes though did not always have to due to the leather soles inlaid within the hose. Sometimes men will wear doublets to cover the shirt and hose.
Women wear a woolen chemise alongside a kirtle or cotte that reaches the ankle or the floor. Women also wear overgowns over the kirtle that may have hanging sleeves alongside a belt. Sometimes women wear sleeveless overgowns instead, albeit for lower class women in society. Women will most likely wear headdressed such as hoods, hats, hennin, coronets, or a circlet. It usually depends on the scarcity of the material alongside the person’s rank in society.
Both men and women wear turnshoes, a soft leather shoe designed to give the wearer comfort that sometimes has its toe extended into a long point. Outside, the person will slide pattens, a wooden-soled sandal-like clog, over the shoe since the turnshoe itself is not waterproof.
Architecture
The architecture of the Aracellian differs amongst the set layers of society. Cathedrals, temples, and churches show the grand and beautiful architecture of the people and their dedication to the gods. They use rib vaults and flying buttresses in order to distribute the weight of the stone to help stabilize the building, allowing for magnificent centers of worship.
In the middle class, streets are lined with houses that are built with the jettying technique, allowing for the streets to be wider and the house itself to have more area. Streets are usually very narrow and due to such, the Aracellians had to improvise. They are also timber-frame, allowing it to be easily built. The lower class are usually outside of the main cities and are rural farmers who live in small thatched roof houses centered around a hearth. They will have sheds or barns outside that hold either supplies or animals.
The upper class live in grand castles and forts, built with circular towers and small windows for the maximum amount of protection. They are based off of the original Primean castles they are used to. In the center is a keep that can still be defended even if the walls and other buildings are captured. The windows that scatter amongst the walls sometimes are shaped like a cross for crossbow bolts to be shot out from.
Cuisine
The Aracellian take great pride in their cuisine as it is known greatly across Reveia for its artistry. Meat slices are cut onto a plate while sauces are thick and seasoned heavily alongside flavored mustard. Pies are used as a container rather than actual food, allowing for a multitude of selections. At the end of a dinner dessert is served through dragées, spiced wine, and aged cheese. Poultry, livestock, and fish are used for most meats. Though pigeon, squab, and game are used by the upper class.
Art
Aracellian art is bountiful and includes illuminated manuscripts, frescoes, stained glass, tapestries, and panel paintings. Countless depictions of stories regarding the Trium is shown through all of these mediums, albeit usually only kept in holy places due to the cost of sponsoring artists. Even so, there are instances of secular art in middle to upper class homes.
Music and Dance
The Aracellian will gather a group of dancers and hold hands together in a circle while singing. This type of dancing is called ronde in Aracellian. It is not limited to men or women and they may engage in it together. Music in Aracellian society is very important as they even have schools dedicated to the very practice of it. They learn instruments such as the cythara, which is similar to a lute in that it has a long neck though sometimes includes the lyre and harp. They will also use Tambourin à cordes, a zither which is a large box that has strings strewn across it that can be plucked. A vielle à roue, also called a hurdy gurdy in Common, is a string instrument that emits sound by a hand crank that is turned which rubs a wheel against strings. Flutes, graïles, and bagpipes also are used within music.
Politics
Due to Primean and Elven influence, the Aracellian have an interesting mix of views on their society. Women are held in high regard and are usually the head of households due to their ability to continue the next generation. These matriarchal views stem from the Elves’ pre-existing cultures in the 1400s BR. It then influenced the Primean and Aracellian views, even if they do not like to admit it. Even with this liberal viewpoint, their politics contrast with a focus on authoritarianism and strict hierarchy. They believe their Queen/Roi is given divine right to rule by the Trium as she essentially represents the Mother in Reveia.
Religion
The Aracellian usually follow the Free Circle Sect as it lines up with their liberal takes on society and hierarchy, challenging the Church while upholding the State. Even if the Free Circle Sect is technically egalitarian, the Aracellian in particular prefer women over men.
Folktales and Stories
Aracellian literature is renowned worldwide and has been at the forefront of literary innovation since the publication of its first great epic. Their stories are most often written in prose, rather than verse, and deal with the courts of kings, great knights, and other such honorable feats and heroes. Romance plays a major role in these works, portraying chivalric morals as grandiose and extraordinary.
This is in contrast to common Aracellian verse poetry, which is customarily performed by their composers and is very popular in the social settings of the elite. These are often sung to music, though less commonly are performed without it.
History
The Origin of the Aracellian 1423 - 1385 BR
A history of the Kingdom of the Grapelands, compiled by contemporary writer, Ragenfrid Anscarid. He was a combatant during the rebellion, giving him a first-hand account of the war and its intricacies. Thusly tasked by Roi Wulfefundis Viellery, the first Duchess of the Aracellian, to be the historian that penned the history of their people at the time, he was the originator of the name the “Grapevine War.” Ragenfrid died in 1373 BR, soon after he had finished his writing in the city of Aracellia.
“The First Kingdom, composed of Delaclossus, Daxissos, and Pheranthos formed once we had broken the chains of our previous masters. The greatest of us slaughtered the remaining, loathsome, elves without any fear or regret, which allowed us to push them across the Grapevine. In honor of those of us lost in the fray, I will hereafter refer to the conflict as the “Grapevine War.”
Marescallus Oeneus freed our homeland of Aracellia, alongside Cholsey, dismantling the Deledwyr dynasty and giving our glorious and magnificent Roi Wulfefundis the land her family, the house of Viellery, should have owned since the beginning of time.”
“A reorganization of the Kingdom occurred soon afterward, with the house of Barcia, under Dux Arianna, acquiring the southern provinces, the house of Rorgonid, under Dux Adeltrudis, holding the northern provinces, the house of Etichonid, under Dux Hildemunda, guarding the western provinces, and finally Roi Wulfefundis of house Viellery cementing their rule in the central and western provinces.”
“King Arsenios accepted our Roi’s fealty, which allowed us to enter into the First Kingdom peacefully in 1390 BR. Our King, Arsenios, integrated the Cumo into our society peacefully, expanding the realm that was once the Elves’ domain into a homeland for humans. King Arsenios then attacked Entenor to which we responded and fought alongside in kind. In the end the war only caused bloodshed and destruction, neither side coming out on top.”
“Finally, our people had a place exempt from cruelty, harshness, and brutality, giving us the chance to be civilized and follow the Trium without any hindrances in the way. I pray to the Gods that they may allow us to live under our own race for the rest of our lives and keep the house of Viellery last for the rest of time.”
The Reveian “Peace” 1365 - 1148 BR
A history regarding the peaceful era of the First Kingdom, written by Cheldric Reginar. He was a fervent pacifist, hoping to warn future generations of the bloodshed of the past. The man still took issue with the Elves, as their institution of slavery was only extinguished a few centuries before his time. With his writing, he denotes the ferocity of the Aracellian people while warning against overaggressiveness. The man was an independent writer, a priest of the Trium Church in Siremont who vouched for coexistence.
“After the devastation of our lands at the hands of both the Entenor and ourselves, the focus of our vengeance shifted to the dwarves. The Drachencount of Ruddleburg ravaged Doldur completely without supervision. It was a massacre, reminiscent of the days under the Elves. The Drachencount wasted many of the lives of his own people on nothing, slaughtering even more dwarves because of it. He took hold of Triumism and used it against them with supremacist thought, desecrating the religion and ruining it. Many civilizations of dwarven descent were entirely eradicated from Reveia’s soil, ruining any chance of friendly relations.”
“With the Fae’s help, we managed to deal with the disagreements between our people and the Heartlanders. Thankfully in time due to our fight with Eastroam continuing to wage on. Even with their attempt to keep us unified, Drachenheim slowly began to drift away from solidarity. Their disturbing change of heart has caused them to become traitorous in the Kingdom and I urge the Aracellian people to not harbor their supremacist ideas.”
“The Elves we once defeated consolidated once more as the Kingdom of Llamnia, their abominable presence appearing in Reveia once more. Their leader, Teithorion, was a respectable man regarding military matters but his race caused his downfall. The Sadafi took on the southern provinces of the Kingdom, attacking our border villages. A number of Aracellian soldiers were sent down as a detachment, hoping to stop their incursion. Due to our bureaucratic negligence, some armies were unable to arrive in time, showing the issue with our decentralized society.”
“Finally, the Elves had arrived at our border in the Heartlands, albeit not near enough to reach Aracellia. The view of human supremacy began to grow even further, the Elves’ ideologies seeping even further into us Humans. Drachenheim now spurs Wightian rebellions against our friends the Fae in the west, betraying them even though they helped save us from our common enemy.”
“Oh Gods, let our iniquity not cause you to curse our race. Keep the Elves at bay as we must fight but remind the people that those who have not wronged us should deserve kindness and safety. We may now rule the world as the Elves once did but we must not fall into their ways.”