This will be a catch-all thread for articles about everyday life in the Federated and other miscellany bits of Volk culture. Check back for new tidbits, because there will be a lot of material that will go in here!

Jump to a specific article:
 Clothing
 Food & Cooking
 Horses
 Dogs & Cats
 Flight
 Education

Food & Cooking
Because the Volk prefer to use blue fire, most of their cooking is done at a relatively low temperature. Breakfast and lunch are often prepared at room-temperature for portability, while dinner is cooked slowly throughout the day. Professional cooks who work for the rich are more adventurous, but even they avoid the hotter shades of fire as a safety precaution.

For the working class, food must be efficient and portable. Hearty foods that can be served quickly or eaten on the job are the staples for breakfast and lunch. Stews, roasted meats, and other slow-cooking dishes are served for dinner when the whole family can gather and eat at a more leisurely pace. To avoid spending too much time in the kitchen, most Volk women have dedicated “cooking days” where they do all of their boiling and baking, preparing foods that will be served at room temperature for the next few days. They also do a lot of canning, drying, and preserving. Foods that can be prepared in bulk and stored save precious time during the workday.

While the rich can afford more luxury in cooking, they do not spend a lot of time eating. Unlike many cultures, food is not an essential part of Volk gatherings. Feasts and similar festivities are usually considered wasteful; the wealthy only host banquets for extremely special occasions or to please foreign guests. Instead, the rich use their money to hire full-time cooks that can prepare more elaborate dishes.

The Volk’s diet consists primarily of grains and meat. Much of the Volk’s farmland is devoted to grains, making grain cheaply available for all classes. The Volk in the southern half of the region obtain most of their meat from farm-raised livestock, while men in the northern edges still do extensive hunting. Some estates will send out parties to the north or east to hunt once or twice a year. The Volk will cook almost any kind of meat; it is not unusual for the poor to trap various small animals to supplement their diet.

Most estates maintain fruit and vegetable gardens. Master gardeners are promoted for their ability to coax non-native plants to thrive in the south’s soil. Additionally, most families with even the smallest bit of land will grow gardens of their own to supplement their wages. Serfs that do not have any land will grow a few plants in containers or windowsills. If their house is made of sod, they might grow plants in their kitchen floor or train vines to climb up their walls!

Horses
The Volk love horses. The open terrain of the south is ideal for horses, and the Volk use the animals in all aspects of life. It is rumored that there is a horse for every human in the Federated. Families with money invest in as many horses as they can afford, keeping their own stable if they have land. While the poor cannot afford to own horses, most landlords maintain stables large enough to supply all their workers with an animal for use on the job.

The Volk are taught to ride at a young age, and most Volk learn excellent horsemanship skills simply by being raised around the animals. A basic understanding of the animals is considered part of a standard education, even more essential than reading and writing. Horse trainer and caretaker are extremely stable occupations; however, since most serfs are decently competent with horses, there is much competition for these roles.

The Volk use minimal tack when riding. Most Volk are trained to jump on a horse and ride without any preparation at all, and many love the organic freedom of riding bareback. Many trainers and riders prefer to communicate with body language and voice commands rather than controlling the animal with a bit. Simple reins and blankets are fairly common, while some of the rich use saddles for comfort. Persons in authority, particularly military captains, will use a colored or embroidered blanket to indicate their rank. Because the Volk do not practice much metalworking, they rarely shoe their horses; their rock-free terrain and careful care make shoes non-essential. The rest of the Volk’s tack is made out of leather and cloth.

Volk women ride astride when traveling alone or working. If a woman rides double with a man, however, she rides sidesaddle sitting in front of the man as a reflection of his authority over her. A lady also rides sidesaddle if her horse is being led by a man. When a woman is riding on her own horse as part of a mixed group, whether she rides aside or sidesaddle depends on the situation. If the occasion is formal or recreational, she typically rides sidesaddle. If she is working or traveling, she may ride astride for practicality.

The Volk use horses in almost all aspects of life. Much travel is done by horse; no distance is too short to ride. Farming is done with instruments drawn by horses. Horses haul burdens, raise construction, and turn wheels in mills. The Volk hunt and fight from the backs of horses. They are especially skilled with horseback archery, but they avoid hand-to-hand combat on the beasts because they consider it impractical and unethical. People with resources have built a lucrative business selling horses; the Volk’s expert training and breeding make their horses famous all across Erde.

For everyday use, the Volk prefer standard horses bred to fit the job. They rarely keep pegasi, because they have no use for flight and the winged beasts require more room. Horned horses are considered impractical for work, but persons of rank ride horned horses to indicate their authority. The system varies between estate, but tricorns are generally reserved for landlords; dicorns for military captains; and unicorns for supervisors and persons of wealth. The Volk will breed other types of horses for sale, however; one of their specialties is pigmy unicorns, which are prized in other cultures as a novelty pet.

*wants a pet pigmy unicorn*

Maybe you should draw/photomanipulate one.

Airianna would be better at that, since she's the unicorn drawing expert. But I suppose I might could try...

Oh, don't do that to me. I'm really in love with the youthful, innocent, springy personalities of her elemental unicorns. I'm so tempted to write about them, but I think that's a little out there for Erde.

Flight
The Volk have never been very fond of flying. The majority of their ancestors came from Germanic-speaking regions where the dragon, a feared enemy, was the only native flying animal. When adventurous pioneers sought to emigrate to Erde, they hired raubvogel from nearby regions to carry them. Another prominent group came in ships leveraged by a combination of giant and dragon power. The giants, little better than slaves, had the strength and size needed to manage the great winged beasts.

Neither of these partnerships lasted long after the immigrants arrived on Erde. The giants rebelled and broke off to form several independent tribes, most notably the Rot-haarig. The giants continued to partner with dragons, and they later used the beasts to attack the Volk during their various wars. Both the Rot-haarig and dragons remain a hated terror to the Volk.

Relations with the raubvogel fared no better. The pioneers civilly parted ways with their hired travel companions, and the giant sentient birds took to the woods. As both species multiplied, the Volk began to covet the birds’ trees for wood. The Volk cut down the forests and forced the birds out, and skirmishes erupted. The Volk won and succeeded in ousting the raubvogel to the central regions, except for one patch of woods – the Wald. Located near the northern border of the Federated was a sector of mobile, semi-sentient trees. The birds banded with the malevolent woods and succeeded in defending their territory. To this day the Wald still stands, a dark and hostile place avoided by the Volk.

As a result, the Volk have a distrust of anything that flies. Even insects and small birds can devour crops, the lifeblood of Volk culture. Consequently, the Volk are averse to flying and are often wary of heights. They rarely build structures over one story tall, even the landlords’ palaces – which unfortunately does not help the overcrowding in estates. They are not accustomed to climbing the rocks that frame their western and northern borders, and they are deathly afraid of the southern edge of the world. The faded stone continues to crumble, sending chunks of earth plummeting through endless space – a thought that forms the Volk’s worst nightmares.

Additionally, the Volk are not skilled at climbing or jumping. This ineptitude is not so much a result of their fear of heights as it is a side effect of their level terrain. There are no trees to climb, and there are no obstacles to jump horses over. When faced with an obstacle that must be scaled, they would rather knock it down or go around rather than climb over. This puts the Volk at a distinct disadvantage when fighting on uneven terrain. Ditches and dykes are very effective defenses against them, and even something as simple as a fence can slow an advancing cavalry on horseback.

I added a paragraph to the end of the "Flight" article, upon some recommendations from Jay.

If those defenses have been used effectively against the Volk in the past, wouldn't they train their soldiers to overcome man-made obstacles such as ditches and fences? Or do they not have an organized army, in which case only some officers might have such knowledge and training?

Those methods haven't been used extensively against the Volk in the past because historically the Volk have only fought amongst themselves, on their own turf. So they wouldn't have encountered those methods enough to make it a regular part of their training.

Also, you're right - they don't have an organized army. Each estate has their own army which is organized to the landlord's liking. So it's possible that some soldiers or horse trainers have taken it upon themselves to learn how to jump, but for the most part, they've never needed the skill.

However, should the Volk start clashing with people outside of their borders in, ahem, future books, that information will be useful.

Education
The Volk learn for the sole purpose of advancing themselves in society. There is no cultural standard for a “well-rounded” education. The Volk do not learn anything they don’t believe will help them get a better life, so most people focus on learning only that which pertains to their profession.

Education in Volk culture can be found in two places – at home and at work. Basic life skills are taught at home, which generally includes a simple understanding of numbers and letters. Literacy is common, but it isn’t required for many professions. All other education is found on the job. There are no schools or organized classes, partly because no one is willing to take the time to share their knowledge. Teaching is not a paid profession, and most people would rather advance their own job than train someone else.

As a result, most people learn their profession by working. Either they start at the bottom with the basest role and work their way up the ladder, or they find someone benevolent enough to train them. Fathers are often willing to train their sons and daughters to follow in their footsteps because of the mutual benefit, so it is very common for children to pursue the same occupation as their parents. Some professionals are willing to take apprentices if the assistant is profitable to the master.

Consequently, most of the Volk’s knowledge is passed down by experience and word-of-mouth. Very little information is recorded. The only notable professions that require bookwork are those of scribe and messenger, who may have writing reference materials. Because these references are expensive and rare, scribe and messenger are some of the most valuable jobs in an estate – and also some of the most difficult to get into.

There is no set age at which a child is expected to start training for their profession. Most minors are not pressured to work unless they can work alongside a parent. Children are expected to be fully functional adults with the necessary life skills by the time they come of age, with adulthood being based on physical appearance. Once a child looks like an adult they are expected to act like it and are considered equal with all other adults in the workforce. A child may then move out or pursue a job without discrimination. Most children are not officially “hired” until they come of age, but many of them have already chosen their profession and begun developing the necessary skills. Because of the rising popularity of employment for women, girls’ opportunities for educations and jobs are almost equal to that of boys.

Interesting, Philli So, what about the difference between a strenuous job like farming or blacksmithing and an easier one that required less strength/manliness like a waiter at a restaurant (assuming the Volk have restaurants, that is ) - would a boy be able to start work sooner for something that required less growing up to do?

What are common professions for girls/women to hold?

eru

*laughs* This is a medieval estate system (I don't think "estate" is the technical term... "fief"? "Vassal"? Can't remember) where serfs work for a landlord that owns all the land. No restaurants.

How early a boy could start work would vary depending on the occupation, his personal aptitude, and the opportunities available to him, yes. Theoretically a child could start working as a toddler alongside their parents, or they could do small jobs for someone else. A child can have a "job" if there's an opportunity for them, though it might not be "official." It's case-by-case, but yes, a lot of people could get started pretty early.

Theoretically almost all jobs are open to women now, but I think you'd see them most in craftsmith-type jobs such as pottery, cooking, weaving, etc. That's something I'd mostly decide on a per-book basis.

Thanks for the comments!

Well, I assumed there weren't restaurants but I couldn't think of another non-strenuous job off the top of my head

OK, that makes sense Are women and men considered fairly equal, then?

eru

*laughs* I figured.

Yes, at this point in time, they essentially are. It's been mentioned here and there in other articles, but in short there's been a shift in culture towards women working. It's becoming fully acceptable for all but the well-off women to hold jobs and never have kids - or never marry in the first place. The result is (or will be, perhaps in the future) a decline in population. Even now there's increasing competition between men and women for jobs in an already saturated market... Fun stuff.

Ah, I get it. Cool

Clothing
The Volk believe in practicality, and that dictates their clothing styles. A piece of clothing that was high-maintenance or interfered with the wearer’s ability to work would be considered foolish and ostentatious in Volk culture. As a result, all of the Volk’s clothing is plain and practical, with simple shapes and very few ruffles and layers. Garments are generally cut loose to allow freedom of movement and to keep the wearer cool. Because many serfs receive clothing as part of their wages from their landlord, many garments are made with a “one size fits most” mentality, making adjustable features like drawstrings and belts preferred over fitted styles. Pockets are a common feature for carrying tools of the trade.

For men, loose peasant shirts and simple pants are the prevailing style. Women generally wear skirts and blouses because of the adjustable fit, but the fortunate can afford custom-made dresses. Robes are considered a luxury item for men and are favored by the rich. It is unacceptable for a woman to wear a robe, but shawls are viewed as both practical and beautiful. Both genders wear simple shifts for nightclothes. Babies and young children are also dressed in shifts, and young girls often dress in simple shift-like dresses until they reach their early teens.

Because of the mild weather in the south, the Volk use very little outerwear. Most are fine with getting wet and will not dress up even in the rain. For people that can afford them, cloaks are used for protection and are considered a good extra layer for travel, but the cloaks are rarely hooded. Vests are considered an acceptable and fashionable extra layer for all occasions. Men’s vests are always v-neck, while women’s vests have square or round necks. Vests are usually one-piece or laced, but the well-off can afford buttons and clasps.

The Volk do not attach much significance to the appearance of one’s clothes and therefore are not very concerned with beauty. It is considered frivolous to spend resources superficially embellishing a garment, like embroidering; instead, embellishment is either practical or worked into the design, such as elegant stitches on the seam or sewing a pocket with patterned fabric. Fashion is of little concern; styles rarely change and are generally the same on all social rungs. Even the rich do not waste money on fancy clothing; instead, they invest in finer materials or splurge on functional embellishments such as elaborate buttons. Those with the money – or skilled women – take pride in having their clothes fitted.

Similarly, the Volk are not obsessed with keeping their clothes clean and tidy. Clothes are washed only as often as necessary, and they are rarely ironed. The Volk do not mind stains or patches on their clothing; stains are a sign of hard work, and repairs extend the life of a garment.

Because the Volk do not judge beauty based on physical figure or clothing, they do not find immodesty to be attractive. The Volk’s standards of modesty stem primarily from practicality, and also from the idea that indecency is distracting and therefore unproductive. Both men and women must be covered to the knee even in night clothes, and women are never seen in pants. Men wear shirts with sleeves at all times, but they are allowed to have loose necklines and can leave their vests unbuttoned. Women are expected to have tops with sleeves and decent necklines, and they must have either one layer under their shirt or a closed vest on top. It is considered immodest for a woman to wear her vest unbuttoned.

Linen and cotton are staple fibers for Volk clothing because of the warm climate and ample supply. If space permits, the Volk will raise various animals for wool, but they generally salvage most of their animal fiber and fur from animals trapped in the wild or livestock slaughtered for meat. The Volk love earth tones and use a lot of undyed fiber, but they are also fond of the color blue because they use blue fire for daily life. They are also comfortable with green because of its organic nature. Purple is associated with mourning because purple fire is used in cremation, while the warm colors of red, orange, and yellow are avoided. Warm colors represent the hotter shades of fire that the Volk don’t dare use, so the colors symbolize war, rebellion, and carelessness. Armor and flags are the only acceptable use of warm colors in Volk culture, to represent strength and independence. Most Volk fabrics are plain or have a subtle pattern; loud or elaborate designs are considered distracting.

The Volk wear very few accessories. Aprons are a staple to keep clothes clean between washings, and they are used to carry tools along with pouches and utility belts. Jewelry is almost unheard of; the idea of wasting materials on useless adornment is appalling to the Volk. However, the frugal Volk will salvage otherwise useless materials, such as shells and pottery shards, into adornment for clothes and tools. Teeth and feathers from deceased pets and livestock are often saved for decoration, and horsehair is used for brushes and woven into belts and bags.

Boots, usually made out of leather, are the most common footwear in Volk culture because of their practicality and durability. For around the home, clogs are popular, especially for adult women; the leather or wool upper is replaced as necessary while the wooden sole is sanded and repaired. Some women will wear simple flats, especially if they cannot afford boots. The Volk do not wear much by way of socks or other leg coverings, and many are content to go barefoot.

So awesome, epic sleeves are out of the question.

Unfortunately, yes. Although, I can see them wearing robes with fairly loose sleeves. However, they would be straight-cut (like Jedi robes, as Varon put it), not artful like some medieval dresses.

Dogs & Cats
The Volk love dogs and cats. Both species rival for the Volk’s favorite domesticated animal, out-numbering even horses for prevalence. The animals are well-suited to the Volk’s lifestyle and terrain; dogs, like the Volk, like to keep their feet on solid ground, while cats share the Volk’s skill of being swift and stealth. The Volk have domesticated a variety of species from all around Erde and have trained the animals to be both companions and beasts of labor.

The Volk love to keep dogs as pets because the faithful animals provide companionship as well as being useful on the job. Dogs are trained to herd, track, and hunt and are sometimes used in criminal justice to sniff out thieves or missing persons. Dogs’ sense of smell is also used to help identify bodies after a battle. Serfs traveling without a horse will often use dogs for light pack animals.

The most common use of dogs in Volk culture, however, is as guard and attack animals. Estates often employ watchdogs, and soldiers usually keep a canine companion. Some armies even maintain whole regiments of specially-trained dogs. Most families have a dog to protect the home and keep an eye on children when the parents are busy or away. Persons of rank often have one or two dogs by their side as bodyguards, and serfs working alone or out in the field or traveling take a dog with them for safety.

As such, the Volk prefer large breeds of dogs that have the power to take down a man and carry a burden. Some smaller breeds are used in homes where space is limited. The Volk aren’t concerned with the appearance of their dogs and don’t care about breeding; they prefer hardy, low-maintenance shorthairs and don’t mind scruffy mutts and mixed breeds. Even though their dogs aren’t necessarily beautiful, the Volk still salvage the coats from deceased pets for clothing and decoration.

By contrast, the Volk are fond of cats more for their beauty than for their companionship. Cat fur is highly prized, and the Volk admire the living animals for their elegance and deadly stealth. The Volk are more particular about their cats’ breeding and are willing to invest the time in maintaining long-haired breeds. The cat is viewed as a symbol of both beauty and power, making them a frequent motif in Volk art.

Cats are used primarily as hunting and attack animals. Small cats are kept to control mice and other vermin; most estates simply allow cats to wander the grounds, rather than families keeping their own as pets. The larger breeds of cats are used to hunt wild animals and take down enemies in battle. Some Volk have even trained the largest breeds to carry a rider.

Cats disagree with the Volk on one point, however – heights. The Volk loathe heights and don’t make a habit of climbing. Their feline servants, however, are all too eager to explore trees and rooftops. Because the Volk value cats for their beauty, they tolerate this behavior, standing in awe of a cat’s ability to right itself if it falls. The Volk will even train cats to prowl the areas they themselves are not willing to explore, such as having cats attack from trees or oust intruders from the low mountains on the western and northern borders. However, it is considered a sign of bad luck if a cat knocks something down while up high. If a cat gets stuck in a height, it is usually shot and killed where it is; the Volk assume that such an inept cat is an inferior animal and an omen of ill fortune.

It's interesting that cats are liked best for impractical reasons, due to the Volk's practical culture.


I've never heard of that being done in our world, but in a fantasy world, it's certainly possible.


That would have to be a very big cat...


How does that work? It seems like a climbing cat would often knock bits and pieces of things down.


Wow.

Yay, comments from the animal enthusiast!

Yes, it is interesting, but I figure Volk culture shouldn't be completely one-sided when it comes to practicality. Hair is another area they are less practical on, because they judge a person by their hair. Cats, however, aren't totally impractical - they aren't just kept for decoration, but are used to hunt. In fact, a cat's sleek and deadly attitude is what the Volk admire most. A cat is beautiful but deadly (to something small enough for it to pounce on), so the cat is a symbol of power and majesty to the Volk.

I might change the longhair thing, though, partially because most wild cats are shorthair anyway to my knowledge... Although, since the Volk are fussy about their own hair, it makes sense that they might be fussy about a beautiful cat's hair...

Hey, they use snow leopards in battle in the LWW movie, and the girls ride Aslan. So it's not an original concept.

Cats are very sure-footed, so I think one can walk heights without knocking stuff down all the time. Also, the Volk would probably keep their pet cats off things like shelves and counters. The "barn cats" are mostly going to be on places like rafters and rooftops, where they're not liable to knock something down anyway, and you aren't going to get a big cat like a lion climbing on a shelf.

Thoughts?

That makes sense.


They could have bred pets to have long hair.


Girls weigh less than warriors, plus Aslan was huge. I'm not saying that riding big cats couldn't work, just that realistically it's not as simple as it seems. Training war cats is perfectly reasonable in fantasy, however.


I was thinking of trees and mountains mostly. Bits of bark and sticks might fall easily from a tree, and small rocks might fall from rocky ground. Cats who knocked something down in a domestic setting could work, though, since they would be trained not to, and it could be considered a bad sign if they did. So maybe it's just considered bad luck if they knock something down indoors? Also, perhaps it's considered bad luck if a cat of any size doesn't land on its feet?

*is fascinated* I love the idea of riding cats.

Good thoughts, on longhair. I'll have to ponder that as I develop breeds.

I haven't designed any specific cat breeds yet, so I wanted to leave the riding possibility open. If I design a cat breed big enough, I'll go with that. If not, I'll just take it out.

Ah, I see what you mean. No, I don't think bits of bark and loose stones would count. I meant like knocking something off a shelf or loosening a tile from a roof. (Assuming they have tiled roofs... just an example.) Something that's big enough to notice, or something that causes damage. Loose bits of bark wouldn't hurt anybody.

That's a good idea, about a cat hurting itself from a fall. I might add that.

Thanks! Glad you like it, Aleena.

Sounds good.


That makes sense.

Thanks!

I've been pondering some of your thoughts, and I think I might tweak the article about hairstyles... which will affect this article slightly. We'll see where that goes when I work through it next week.

That will be interesting to see.