Life in Rivermark is full of song, with glorious and joyful hymns taking their turn in between grim and proud battlefield chants. It is a life shaped by water and gold, by blood and pride, by the respect and politeness and countless small favors that keep honor satisfied and communities living and working together. The folk of the River are proud and righteous and bitterly spiteful when they are wronged, but they are also kind and gracious and remarkably generous with the prosperity that flows so readily from the land and the waters they belong to. They are the sword raised against the evils of the world, the crown that brings order to chaos, the song that sparks joy within even the hardest of hearts.
The people of Rivermark are descended from two very different cultures: the proud and warlike Cairnfolk of the highlands along the Kingdom’s borders, and the passionate and mercantile Rivelin of the lowlands near the nation’s heart. Pitted together by geography and forged into a single nation by diplomacy and necessity, the two peoples have grown into something greater and more glorious than the sum of their parts. From the Cairnfolk the Rivelin learned the importance of honor and of strength, while from the Rivelin the Cairnfolk learned the power of trade and the importance of living life to the fullest. They still squabble amongst themselves like temperamental siblings, but will join ranks instantly should an outsider so much as look at any of them crosswise.
The folk of the hills learned long ago that the only way to survive when surrounded by enemies was to be strong, to make any attack against them more trouble than it was worth. The ways of war and logistics are treated as if they were a national past-time, with Lances of fighters competing against each other in grand tournaments and up-and-coming strategists and commanders testing their mettle in the massive Guerre de Bâtons that occurs every five years. Not every Marcher has a taste for combat or the training to take up arms, but every one of them understands the necessity of war when an enemy approaches. Whatever their station or skill at arms, when war is on the horizon every Marcher will find some way to help their House and Kingdom stand strong against whatever might threaten them.
Honor was already a core part of Rivelin culture before the Redcrown Kings unified the nation, but the Cairnfolk took the ideal of it and built a great code upon that foundation, forging it into something close to its current form with a focus on debts and the repayment of grudges. This was originally a means to prevent bloodfeuds between Clanns from spiraling out of control, but over time it became a core part of the new nation’s moral compass, something that every Marcher understands at an instinctual level. Of course, Marchers are just as liable to do underhanded things as any other folk — the difference, at least as they tell themselves, is that Marchers always know that there’s a cost to evil deeds, and that the folk of the River will never cease trying to ensure that that cost is paid by evildoers, whether in blood or in gold.
The Rothlin River’s flow through the nation, and the supernatural ease with which folk can travel up- and downstream along its waters, has always tied the Rivelin people together in culture and in trade. The river brings prosperity and life to all along its banks, and has a mystical power to it that resonates in the hearts of the people who live nearby. The first Riversages were children of Rivelin kings, preaching the philosophy of the flowing waters and how to turn hardship into plenty through hard work and clever dealing. As the Rivelins joined together with the Cairnfolk this tradition echoed across the nation; in modern times every Marcher has some sense for the flow of coin and a nose for a deal, as well as a healthy respect for those who can create a profitable enterprise out of small beginnings.
Rivelin culture has always had a spark of romance and passion at its heart, and this has filtered out into the culture of the Kingdom as a whole. Whether it be breaking into song when the mood takes them, exulting in a romantic whirlwind, pining after an unrequited love, or yearning for glory and acclaim in their chosen field, Marchers live loud and joyfully whatever their station in life. In their eyes life is too short to live it cold and withdrawn from the light of the world; better to burn brightly and experience it fully than to play it safe and miss your chance to enjoy all that the world has to offer. Unsurprisingly, this exuberance often flies directly in the face of the need for politeness in Rivermark society, and so Marchers must balance their urge to live a life full of passion with the need to live an honorable life alongside their fellows; how exactly to strike that balance is the subject of many a song, tale, and treatise of Rivermark philosophy.
What do Rivermarkers value in people?
Pay. Your. Debts. If you make a deal, stick to it; if you must break a deal, own up to the failing and find some way to compensate the other person appropriately. If you do something that would harm another, ensure that you make up for it in a way that is equal to the harm done. Further, do not tolerate any who show dishonorable conduct — call them out, let their names and reputation be marked to all and sundry with how they have broken their word and welched on their debts. Rivermarkers have a unique understanding of the word “honor,” focusing on doing right by other people in general but specifically on making sure that all of your debts are paid up. If someone has red in their metaphorical ledger, and they aren’t making an effort to correct the failing, that person is viewed as untrustworthy or a mooch, and tends to be shunned as folk learn more about their dishonorable behavior. It’s worth noting that “honor” doesn’t preclude doing awful things, in the Rivermark perspective, only in ensuring that you are continuing to try to make amends and pay back the debt afterwards; a murderer can be viewed as “honorable” if they admit their crime and work hard in penance for it, just as saintly soul could be viewed as “dishonorable” if they welched on their debts and spent the money on feeding orphans instead.
Give freely of yourself, your wealth, wisdom, and work, to aid your neighbor when they are in need, and in time you shall reap the rewards of the just and noble. Rivermarkers applaud generosity, and are famously willing to give strangers their last piece of bread in winter. Partly this is due to the widespread faith in Tekatli’s Golden Spiral, the philosophy that giving and helping others ensures that they will be able to help you in turn. But it is also a way of constantly measuring how secure a community is in its current economic situation — if people are hesitant to help their neighbors, that’s a sign that something is wrong, and that the elders and organizers of the community need to step in to take action. Rivermarker generosity noticeably does not apply when dealing with enemies or those who have slighted them — there is zero expectation that someone must be generous towards a person they believe will use that generosity against them, or who has been rude or ungracious to them.
If you’re going to do something, go all in on it. Work hard, party like there’s no tomorrow, love enthusiastically, and try to seek out the passion in everything you do. Marchers of all stripes throw themselves into whatever they are passionate about with all their heart; when they don’t have any particular passion to pursue in the moment they will find a friend or House-member and help them pursue their passion. Love and hate are bound up in this idealization of passion as well, and make for many a heart-twisting tale of romance, angst, and settling of grudges.
The best way to avoid having to pay redress for a grudge is to never be the cause of one. Rivermarkers have perforce become a very polite people, simply to avoid causing grudges from popping up everywhere like daisies after a spring rain. Rivermarkers judge each other and anyone else they deal with by how polite they are, how careful they are to avoid accidental offense, and how easily they apologize when they commit such an offense — those who take sufficient care and have the social adroitness required to prevent the creation of unwanted and unnecessary grudges are admired, while those who are frequently rude and won’t apologize for it are quietly avoided as being uncouth and dangerous. Even the most rustic of Cairnfolk has a rough kind of politeness to them, and is willing to quickly make apologies when they give offense.
There is a time and place for apologies, for compromising in order to make peace. However, every Marcher has a point past which they will not be pushed, where they draw a line in the sand and refuse to bend or apologize or back down. When a social contest results in manipulative attempts to create a grudge or extract reparations, most Rivermarkers will spit in the face of the person attempting it, and damn the consequences. When invaders are at the gates and demand a hefty bribe to walk away, Rivermarkers throughout the generations have laughed in the face of certain annihilation, telling their attackers to come and take it. To give in and bend before an enemy’s demand or manipulation is to accept that they were right, and Rivermarkers simply refuse to do such a thing. Philosophically, they will always struggle against the dying of the light or an “inevitable” defeat, and in social situations they will never allow someone to take advantage of them if they can possibly help it. Even if they can’t stop whatever is coming, they will plot and scheme — sometimes to an unhealthy and self-harmful extent — to ensure that their enemies pay a steep price for their actions.
Personal and family names in Rivermark fall into two general categories: Rivelin names, which resemble real-world French names, and Cairnfolk names, which resemble those of real-world historical Scotland. There is quite a bit of blending between these two naming traditions, however, as the two cultures have been living and working together for quite a few centuries within the umbrella of the Kingdom, which can give rise to odd-sounding mixtures.
Rivelin names do not have the “de” prefix that is commonly found in real-world French names. The “Mac” prefix in Scottish names is an old form of “child of” in Cairntongue, rather than the real-world origin of “son of”; it’s used as a general part of the familial name, rather than every Cairnfolk child having a family name based on one of their parents’ names.
Nobles frequently have many family names, especially when they are descended from a multitude of different noble houses; cramming more than two or three last names on after your first name is generally considered overreaching and a show of poor taste, however.
Beyond the personal and family names, however, every Rivermarker defines themselves by what House they belong to, putting a sobriquet such as “of Maison Leclère” or “of Clann Matharnach” after their family name. If their House is a cadet branch or subservient member of a greater House, or in service to a particular noble, they append an additional sobriquet with an “à’” or “ap” prefix to denote that, such as “of House Leclère à’Matharnach.”
Rivelin: Xavier Bissonnette, Damien Auguste, Gaston Allaire, Richart Malconquat, Evrard Marchant, Angeline Thibault, Flore Beaubois, Giselle Lefrançois, Katherine Allee, Avelina Troyes
Cairnfolk: Seoc MacCaog, Pàrlan MacLianain, Eòghan Siosalach, Malor Segalen, Tadeg Glanndour, Cotrìona Robasdan, Caitlin MacCruimein, Mòrag Andarsan, Siùsan MacDhubhaig, Beitris Deòireach, Lili MacPheadrais