Culture of Utlia

Utlian culture has been formed by the nations geography, history and religious context, along with the Grand Calming in recent years.

History

The island of Utlia has had permanent civilization for around 2750 years, with the city-state of Tela being the first proper society. Many states popped up after Tela but the two notable ones were Unlaunen and Kelna, quickly expanding city-states that became the Frish and Eutan kingdoms respectively. These two kingdoms grew close due to a mutual hatred of the smaller but wealthier, more advanced Tela, Dirn and Lesyhan in western Utlia. In 1102 TT the Eutan and Frish kingdoms merged in the Utlian unification. The newly unified nation annexed the Tela states and became the dominant force on the island. Following the unification, Eutan and Frish culture merged into Utlian culture as the two identities became less divided. In 10 TT The Utlian Civil War, or Utlian Revolution began

Visual art

Paint

In Utlia, visual arts have been categorized by chronological era, there are 4 eras, centered around the time since Utlian unification. In order they are Pre-Unification, Early Unification, Late Unification and Post-Unification. The most renowned artists in Utlia come from the Early Unification period, with Lyremen Shote sparking an artistic renaissance with his impressionistic and often abstract works.

Pre-Unification

pre-unification art is largely defined by a divide in style between the Eutan and Frish art movements. The Eutan approach commonly involved broad visible strokes and depictions of light. The style was most commonly applied to landscape works in the Eutan kingdom, as paintings of landscapes were sought-after during the peak of Eutan wealth. The Frish style of painting focused on intricate, detail-oriented works, commonly still-life or portraits.

Early Unification

Early Unification as a movement was defined by Lyremen Shote and his merging of the Eutan and Frish styles, his atmospheric paintings are considered some of the greatest works in Utlian history, nearly all of them being held in the Liamia Domaine Building museum wing.

Architecture

In Utlia there are two main categories of architectural design, Unification and Post-Revolt. While other styles and design philosophies exist, most notably the Azztanist variant, these are the two most common in modern Utlia.

Unification style

Unification architecture is generally made up of brick buildings with stepped gables, within cities these usually take the form of row-houses, with the exception of Orena-Ut nearly every major Utlian city contains a historic center full of these buildings.

Post-Revolt style

This style of design has little to do with the Utlian Civil War, predating it by 20 years. The style involves large, blocky concrete structures often in non standard shapes or layout. The style became much more popular after the revolution ended in 6 TT, with major government buildings for the new government being built in the style.

Performance art

Folk music

Utlian folk music is defined by string instruments such as the Kereya, an 8 string lute-esque instrument played by either a single user or as part of a Kera trio.

Contemporary and electronic music

In modern Utlia, genres of music based around noise and electronic instruments are among the most popular styles of music. Mrael, a genre based on making rhythmic or musical sounds out of an array of radios, it eventually evolved into its modern iteration, commonly fusing these radio sounds with traditional instrumentation. In 12 PC it was found by a Bureau of Statistics poll that Mrael was the third most popular genre across mainland Utlia.

Dance

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Theater

In Utlia Theater was a massively popular form of art and entertainment prior to the advent of radio. The most popular form being Balmor Ereset, a style of play based around stunt heavy practicality, these humorous plays usually focused on a character who cannot catch a break and will constantly seem to be injured or in pain. In Tinlea-Ut the Tyrar Drama Guild was one of the biggest organizations in the city prior to its dissolution in 4 TT. The guild was known for their high quality plays focused on dramatic story-lines, as opposed to the comedic Eresets common throughout Utlia.

Lifestyle

Clothing

Traditional Utlian clothing generally includes coats or robes, called Liarn, these are commonly given floral patterns on the design for both men and women. Under the Liarn is usually a simple shirt and trousers of wool or brenya hide. Boots are common especially within the interior of Utlia.

In modern Utlia, Liarn are still a common sight, the modern iteration of which is usually cut off around the waist.

Cuisine

Utlian cuisine is heavily based around seafood and specifically crustaceans, many popular or important meals feature primarily crab or lobster, served with a side such as bread or fruit. Other popular foods include Brenya meat, vegetables such as Hera or Lawrp. Utlia has a large alcohol industry, the most popular type being Eiyye, a kind of alcohol brewed from immature Hera plants, it is the national drink of Utlia. Non alcoholic beverages are also popular and include things like Myloe fruit juice, Coffee and water.

Religion

The most dominant religion in Utlia is Azztanism, it is governed by the Azz'marin and is a monotheistic religion based on Azzta, a colossal mor-crab that came from the cosmos and chose Utlia as his domain. Within Azztanism he is seen as a protector, believers in Azztanism have shrines to the deity or one of his Morsote in their home. It is standard practice for an Utlian to visit a town or city shrine and eat a prayer meal atleast once a week, the day does not matter.

Science, technology

Radio

Upon the discovery and utilization of radio in Utlia during the 50 TTs, it became a large source of pride for the Utlian people, as it was seen as the peak of Utlian advancement. Many propaganda images produced by the state include imagery of radio towers or arrays.

Medicine

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