I'm looking for some ideas and insight into really breeding some life and variety into the various cultures of Eberron.
I think that it's important that when the player characters experience a new culture, it should feel like a different culture. And not just in a way that's "Well, they are more war like than you guys" or "they ride dinosaurs". I'd like some traditions and rituals, and I'd like to hear if any of you have any cool ideas? Or stuff you do in your campaigns?
Some examples. I've stolen two traditions from the L5R RPG. One is that upon meeting a new person, for a planned meeting of course, you bring a gift. You try and give the gift three times, and the first two the recipent of the gift must say no. And must accept the third.
And there's a ritual every time.
"I present to you this gift. It is a humble gift, but it is all I have, and I want you to have it"
"No. This gift is way too great for me, I cannot accept it".
And so on, and so forth. Something like that.
I'm not sure where to put that ritual, I'm thinking maybe the dwarves or the Aerenal.
The other is that when you visit a persons house (or in Eberron, when you travel with a halfling nomadic tribe), if the head of the household brakes bread with you, you are under the protection of the house for three days. The members will do what they can to make you feel safe, and you should not expect any danger from any household member.
Anyway. Throw in your own ideas and opinions.
Rekko
You can read Five Nations and Races of Eberron for customs and traditions along with the City of Stormreach and Sharn books. Are you looking for something in particular?
Rekko
Looking for what you guys are doing. Got the books, I'd like something beyond that
When the PC embarked on the train, an Orien employee(?) asked the traditional "Tickets please" only for my player to be reminded to use the famous "Eh... no ticket" with a laugh when he would eventually throw an enemy out of the wagon in the upcoming combat.
Seekers in Karrnath are organizing perilous pilgrimages within the Mournland to test themselves and their faith in the Blood of Vol. There, they experience something akin death and come back, if they do survive, illuminated by the voyage. Of course, adventurers are hired to augment their chances of returning. The few who returned are said to have a better understanding of life and what to do with it, thus making them closer to their Divinity Within.
Rekko
Dragonborn have a formal greeting they use when meeting other Dragonborn. It is said in Draconic and translates to "Blood and Honor."
Members of the Druidic Sects or others whose religious convictions focus on the earth itself sometimes take leadership roles in their faiths. When a person like this becomes recognized as a spiritual leader it is common custom to refer to them as "Speaker" when in a more formal setting. This is similar to referring to someone as "Father" if they are a Catholic priest. The idea comes from them being "Speakers of The Earth."
In my campaign Warforged have gotten their very own nation and have begun developing a culture all their own. These Warforged refer to themselves as "The Children of Earth and Fire." Their bodies are made from the Earth (metal, wood, stone) and they are animated and given life by Fire (magical spark of potency.)
Couple quick things:
Dragonborn have a formal greeting they use when meeting other Dragonborn. It is said in Draconic and translates to "Blood and Honor."
Members of the Druidic Sects or others whose religious convictions focus on the earth itself sometimes take leadership roles in their faiths. When a person like this becomes recognized as a spiritual leader it is common custom to refer to them as "Speaker" when in a more formal setting. This is similar to referring to someone as "Father" if they are a Catholic priest. The idea comes from them being "Speakers of The Earth."
In my campaign Warforged have gotten their very own nation and have begun developing a culture all their own. These Warforged refer to themselves as "The Children of Earth and Fire." Their bodies are made from the Earth (metal, wood, stone) and they are animated and given life by Fire (magical spark of potency.)
Very cool. I really like the Speaker thing, definitely going to steal that one.
I'm also looking for stuff that'll involve the players more. People calling eachother stuff is cool, but it's kind of disconnected from the players. Acting out the social rituals of another culture can be a very cool challenge, and helps breath life into the world. In my opinion.
One of the PCs slipped it on his finger, and showed it to every orc patrol they came across. None of the PCs spoke Giant, so all they knew was that whenever they showed it to an orc patrol or the like, the orcs started at them with confusion and horror, some of the men backing away.
Two sessions later, the PCs finally find an orc--an old rice farmer--who can speak a language known by the PCs. The wizard (not the ringbearer) asks him in their mutual language what the ring signifies.
"It's what we orcs give to our wives, so that other orcs will know we're on our honeymoon and not to interfere."
The two male PCs thought about this for a moment, shrugged, and decided that given the number of combats it had saved them from doing, it was worth it.
I had not intended for the ring gag to go that far, I figured one of them would ask an orc what it had meant sooner, or they would succeed on some History checks or something, but no... they still carry that ring, rather than have sold it, and use it when confronting new orc tribes on different islands.
Also, they bought a gnome-sized barrel full of blue paste that was used by the orcs like henna for mehndi, and went through a great deal of effort re-entering the gnome's crypt (necromancer) to return the gnome's prank their own way.