Life in the Empire seems like an incredibly orderly, structured thing. Imperial citizens are born into a social rank, given the tools they need to succeed at whatever role they seem skilled at, and then strongly encouraged to excel and improve their station. The Imperial Civil Service records everything so that nothing goes to waste or is left unaccounted for, and the Provincial Governors ensure that the laws are enforced justly and promptly and that peace and order are maintained. Many people from other nations find this kind of all-encompassing order stifling, but the Vauldans revel in it, feeling like it offers support and certainty that they can use to rise to their fullest potential.
The truth is that life in the Empire is a constant pursuit of excellence, both personal and societal. Vauldans are constantly striving within the bounds of their social rank, or Strata, seeking to rise up to the next level by proving their skill, strength, and determination to the powers that be. Warriors train diligently to become better fighters and tacticians, mages practice their spells and study tomes recovered from the Deep Stacks so that they might expand their arcane knowledge and power, and craftsfolk work their trades day in and day out to build their skills. Discipline, hard work, and a determination to be better tomorrow than they were yesterday drive them forward, building themselves and their society into something that will stand the test of time and turmoil. The order of the Empire is a solid and unshakable foundation that they depend upon to build that future.
Vauldans are a notoriously direct people. They prefer to speak their minds, and don’t see honeyed words or white lies as being necessary except when dealing with foreigners who would take great offense to being spoken to without a heap of flowery prose. They aren’t necessarily rude — politeness and courtesy are necessary for an ordered society, after all — but they rarely sugar-coat what they’re saying, preferring to stay silent rather than speak a comforting lie. In conversations they tend to cut to the chase, and appreciate it when those they’re speaking with return the favor and avoid bogging things down with small talk or empty courtesies. Even their politicians and merchants tend to be plain-spoken and unapologetically direct in their dealings, preferring to make their case with clear logic rather than misdirection, flattery, and fast talk.
Honor is a core part of every Vauldan’s self-worth. Your word is your bond, in Vauldan culture, and contracts hold a critical role in the Empire’s legal and social fabric. Lies, deception, or breaking a contract without doing the utmost to attempt to uphold it are all seen as stains upon someone’s honor, and one’s status in society can drop precipitously if they become known as a liar or oathbreaker. The Vauldan sense of honor also includes a distinct aversion towards aggressive actions — manipulation, theft, and violence for personal gain are seen as tools of the Old Empire, and are considered dishonorable and despicable. As a people they rarely make the first strike in a conflict, and they despise those who use underhanded means to enrich themselves.
However, while Vauldans strive to live honorably, they are not afraid of getting their hands dirty. While their honor demands that they not steal or strike the first blow, they also believe very firmly in preparing for conflict as thoroughly as possible. Should someone pick a fight with them, Vauldans want to ensure that they can finish it in as swift and decisive a manner as possible. Moreover, the Vauldan sense of honor and fair play tends to disappear when they are defending their family, community, or nation; in such situations they believe that anything is on the table, no matter how despicable they would consider it if they were to do something for personal gain. Threaten something or someone a Vauldan loves, and you risk unleashing all of the devious viciousness that they have carefully repressed as a society for the last two and a half centuries.
What do Vauldans value in people?
Order keeps things functional, keeps things moving forward. Chaos, anything that disrupts this order, harms the functioning of society and will eventually lead to the nation failing over time. This is a fundamental understanding amongst Vauldans, a concept buried so deep in their blood and bone that they never think to question it. Vauldans love their systems of rules, and are incredibly resistant to bending or (Gods forbid) breaking them. Those who do break the order of society — who cause mischief, cut in line, disrupt business, rebel against the rule of law — are viciously ostracized if they do not either immediately repent and reform or present clear and cogent arguments for why the rules need to be changed to make the system as a whole better.
The path to excellence is endless and grueling; one must be disciplined in order to achieve greatness, and the Vauldans place great stock in those who have the grit to keep trying, practicing, and training, no matter how hard the path forward might be. Natural talent and lucky accidents of birth are seen as gifts of the gods, but in the eyes of most Vauldans a person’s true worth is measured by how hard they’re willing to work to improve upon that foundation. Those who rest upon their laurels for too long tend to be replaced in their positions. Even once they reach a point in life where they are comfortable and don’t have a desire to climb any higher, most Vauldans will still continue to work, train, and learn what they can in order to keep their skills sharp and themselves capable of holding that position.
Vauldans have a peculiar view of strength from the perspective of many other nations, putting much greater emphasis on the ability to remain steadfast in the face of adversity than in the ability to slay a Lindwyrm single-handed or some other great feat. They value fortitude, of spirit, mind, and body, over pure brawn or cunning, believing that strength that can last is far more important in maintaining the Empire than the might of great warriors or sages. They are not shy about pointing out weakness and fragility in one another, either, as they believe that to allow weakness to remain in a part of the Empire, no matter how small, is to invite the decay that beset the Old Empire and almost led to the nation’s destruction, that any place where moral or physical corruption could set in must be rectified before it can actually cause problems.
The knowledge of how to do something, how to make something, is precious in Vauldan culture. Whether it’s how to build a building, brew a potion, run a business, or anything else, Vauldans prize that know-how and will go to great lengths to preserve it and pass it on, or to recreate it if it has been lost. They are not great inventors like the folk of Faen’miir or Sunderwyl, but what they do learn they keep, steadily growing their knowledge-base through experience and acquisitions of knowledge from other lands.
Wealth does not appear from thin air — it must be made, through wit, sweat, and whatever luck you can make for yourself and that Fate is willing to bless you with. Those who are prosperous are admired in Vauldan society, both for their wealth and for the effort and ingenuity that went into generating that wealth. However, while the rich may be admired greatly, such high regard comes with high expectations of generosity, that they never be stingy and always strive to find ways to share their prosperity with those around them by offering opportunities that will allow their fellows to gain prosperity of their own. Those who excel at this are exalted as Benefactore, “those who create prosperity for all,” and praised at public banquets by the Imperial Governor or even the Throne themselves.
Vauldan names tend to be a blend of Italian, Byzantine, and Roman names. Most Vauldans just use a personal name and a family name, though some add a byname after their family name that denotes what Order they belong to, preceded by a “di” prefix. Those who are still members of the Legions-proper use their Legion’s honorific, i.e. a member of the 3rd Legion would put “di Salamandras” after their family name.
Order names tend to be much more varied and descriptive than personal or family names. Things like Whisperkeep, Ironhill, or Pyrewatch are all perfectly acceptable names for Orders, as are Ad-Lucemi (”towards the light”) or other Latin translations or latin-sounding names that are descriptive of the Order’s history, mission, or composition.
Dwarves or the children of dwarves often use their Clan name as a middle name, with the prefix “do’” to denote that they’re just part of the Clan rather than in its line of inheritance. In the case of a noble with multiple family names, the Clan name goes immediately before their last name.
Members of the higher Strata often use multiple family names to show how long they have been able to maintain their position, tacking a new one on with each generation. Doing this is sometimes seen as a mark of overweening pride in your bloodline, though, and many nobles refuse to allow their children to use their entire family name until the child has proven themselves capable of serving the family or striking out on their own. (Please note, though, that no individuals with more than one family name have ever become Veilwalkers; those who reach a Strata at which they can reasonably make use of this naming custom have too much weight in the world through sheer familial power to become Veilwalkers.)