Culture of
The Vivid Vale
Customs
Meals
People of the Vale often prefer to eat outside in fair weather, enjoying the year-round moderate climate that the Vale provides. Most homes and dining establishments have a dedicated outdoor eating area where people gather to socialize during meals.
Games and Contests
People of the Vale have many contests that revolve around agriculture in some way. Races between lump or mound ranchers are common events, where participants prod their livestock to drive them to the finish line as fast as possible. Produce measuring contests are common events as well, such as weighing especially large fruits or measuring the length of tree links. More creative contests exist tool, especially flower arrangement contests, which are usually held during festivals that involve The Verdant King, directly or tangentially.
For more physically inclined events, target shooting is commonly enjoyed with both ranged and magic weapons as the focus. Duels and races are sometimes held, but are less popular, save for duels between conjurers, which offer an alluring spectacle for common viewers.
Festivals
The Three Rulers
Each new year begins with three days of The Three Rulers, where each of the major institutions of Rootrun take turns displaying their capabilities in consecutive festivals. It begins with the Rootrun Militia on day one, featuring tests of skill, athletics, and combat prowess. Day two belongs to the League of Magi, who show off dazzling displays of magic and cryture feats while presenting their discoveries from the past year to the public. The Viridian Order ends the celebration with day three, where the Order's enchanted gardens are opened for the public to see, while The Verdant King and his agent crytures tend the gardens.
Bloompeak
Bloompeak takes place in the early spring, celebrating the blooming period of flowering plants. It features a day-long festival with games, food stalls, and dancing. People often wear masks and costumes inspired by crytures to the festivities.
Dawnreap
Dawnreap celebrates the first harvest season of the year, in the early summer. It's celebrated with a day of feasting, and most people also use the opportunity to gather their organic waste from decomposing crops and bring them to the Viridian Order for communal composting.
Conquest of the King
This is the largest celebration in the Vale, celebrating the binding of The Verdant King and the triumph of Arthur Oakthorne and his companions. Conquest of the King is celebrated with a week-long festival that begins with a parade through the villages, where the conjurers of Rootrun display their crytures for the common folk. the following days are filled with various feasts and tournaments for conjurers of different skill levels.
Duskreap
Duskreap is a mirrored celebration to Dawnreap, but takes place after the second harvest season in late fall. It follows the same traditions as Dawnreap, but the feasts feature food from the second growing season.
Rootwake
Rootwake takes place in the beginning of winter, and is a day of remembrance for the dead. People of the Vale visit graves of their family members and plant flowers atop them, then gather for a feast with their families.
Law
Enforcement
The Viridian Order handles the enforcement of laws, but they usually aren't out and about looking for offenders. Only after a crime is discovered or reported do they take action to investigate or make arrests. Active patrols may be placed for festivals and during peak times of some busy places, such as markets or taverns, to intervene if things get out of hand.
Administration
The local lords of the villages have the ultimate authority when it comes to bringing matters to court and administrating justice. Many of them delegate this responsibility to trusted subordinates, especially for lesser crimes and personal disputes.
Punishment
Property Crime
Theft or destruction of property is usually punished with reimbursement for the property, plus an additional payment to the victim, from half the property's value up to the full value, depending on the severity of the crime and repeat offenses.
Regulatory Crime
Public regulations cover a wide variety of things, such as waste disposal, food standards, public conduct, resource usage or tax evasion. Breaking them may result in fines, short imprisonment, forced labor, or some combination of the three.
Violent Crime
Using violence against another person can lead to varying punishments, depending on severity. If no lasting harm is caused, the offender may be imprisoned for a short time or be subjected to public humiliation, with forced labor being saved for the most egregious examples. If serious harm was done, they may also be forced to compensate the victim until they are healed enough to return to work. Inflicting a major lasting injury or death could receive severe punishments such as exile or execution, without extenuating circumstances.
Cryture Crime
Since bound crytures are subject to the conjurer's bond, any crimes they commit are automatically attributed to their conjurer. If a conjurer repeatedly uses their crytures to commit crimes, they may have their crytures confiscated and dissolved into essence. Unbound crytures are not so easy to control, but their owners are expected to pay for any damages they cause, and violent ones are put down with little hesitation. Using a cryture to commit a crime is considered an aggravating factor and may lead to harsher punishment.
Religion
Religious beliefs of Rootrun's people is strongly informed by divine revelation from The Verdant King, as recorded by Arthur Oakthorne and interpreted by scholars of the Viridian Order.
Values
The Viridian Order promotes diligence, creativity, timeliness, and community as the most valuable virtues.
Rites
Compost Offering
Farmers gather the waste from their crops and take it to Viridian Order for communal composting
Family Garden
Flowers are planted to represent family members
Gravetrees
Families plant a tree on a person's grave when they are buried
Seed Toll
Replace any plants that are harvested for resources
Soil Rest
Farmers are expected to skip planting for 1 season every 3 years
Death
Rootrunners believe that those who die in the vale are under The Verdant King's care in the next life. The quality of their afterlife is said to be better for those who worked hard, respected the land, and created more than they consumed.
