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. In 1 PC the storms calmed and Utlia began to interact with other nations, leading to cultural exchange. In 5 PC the country replaced the Uewen with the Haracalnde as the national calendar.

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. In the 650 TTs Uenyet Lyreset began a series of paintings inspired by Merriyem culture, these became incredibly popular, being shown at galleries and exhibitions across Utlia to widespread praise, these became the most expensive paintings in Utlian history in 4 TT, when they sold for roughly 8000000 dolare.

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.

Azztan architecture

The architecture around Azztanist Shrines is notably unique from any other architectural trends, with each Morsote in Azztan canon having a distinct style and design.

Kiyrn style

Shrines to Vyren Kiyrn are most numerous in Azznin and Mountange. The style itself is based around his fascination with the unknown and the nature of Utlia itself. The buildings feature primarily earthy toned wood and roofs, sourced mostly from the forests of Azznin. The feasting hall of a Kiyrn style often features local maps, historic artifacts related to the Kiyrn family, or a simple compass; the gardens contain Myloe fruit and Ereve trees, picked due to Vyrens admitted love for the fruit and the pink colors of the ereve.

Wycalt style

Shrines to Wycalt are most numerous in Wynlia and North Utlia. The style is based upon Wycalts rejection and eventual acceptance by the Eutan people. The buildings are built to seem aggressive, with sharp points and statues of murdered creatures decorating buildings. The grounds themselves are stocked with semi-free-range Brenya roaming. The feasting hall of a Wycalt shrine most often includes a large fireplace, paintings of Telan depictions of Wycalt, as well as bones collected by the shrine overseer.

Azzmia style

Shrines dedicated to Azzmia are most common in the Capital Region and Mountange, the shrines themselves were designed shortly after her death. They focus on her outgoing approach and ability to rally support. The primary change in Azzmia style buildings is that the feasting hall is outdoors, with a covered roof. The buildings themselves are colored much lighter than Wycalt or Kiyrn shrines, with nearly pastel colors as opposed to the other Morsote's earth and charcoal inspired palettes.

Sculpting

Sculpting became popular among young artists in the late 120s TT and is largely considered a fad by contemporary art historians. Despite this, many sculptures stand, almost all of which were made out of Sutye, a kind of stone commonly chosen for its durability. The majority of sculptures built during this time were statues of historical importance, such as Utyr or military leaders.

Performance art

Music

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

While cultural dance never became a common tradition in pre-unification Utlian states, usually attributed to the many dances and rituals involving dance performed by the Telan states, it is not non-existent in the Utlian people. The most notable being the folk dance Reuieneset, performed during the annual week of bloom, a national holiday which involves circular movements and singing over the course of six days.

The Merriyem have no folk or traditional dancing in any cultural records of the people.

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 in 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.

Merriyem cuisine

The Merriyem diet is not too different from the common Utlian's, the main differences being cured Grylbo as a staple food, Merriyem style coffee instead of standard Utlian brewing, and the usage of fish native to the rivers and coasts of Mersenite land.

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. National broadcaster NRUK was established by the royal government in 56 TT.

Medicine

Shortly after the Utlian Revolution, the now in power Braia administration began to invest heavily in medical research, this was part of a push to bring back policies favored by the second Liamia dynasty. The end result of this investment was the already somewhat advanced medicinal wing of Utlian technology becoming one of Utlias most advanced and sophisticated sectors. Doctors and medical specialists are among the highest paid professions in Utlia.

Pop culture

Much of Utlian pop culture in contemporary, post-calming time is considered an evolution or is rooted in the culture of Utlias past, primarily its folklore and written fiction. Popular literature, radioworks, stories and art can all be traced to these past traditions.

Literature

Utlian literature has a long history, even prior to the unification of Utlia in 1102 TT, the Frish and Eutan kingdoms would trade stories, either printed on scroll-like paper or bound in Brenya hide. The Adventures of Nyis, which began its series publishing in 82 TT is often considered the most recognizable piece of literature in contemporary Utlia. In 31 PC a study headed by Ilyare Uert found that 1/3 households on the Utlian mainland contained two or more books in the series.

Other popular literary works include The Exile of Aspheyeat (published 849 TT), Heron of Useyt (published 23 TT), both of which are included in the Utlian National Cultural Register and are considered "works of the people" by COUR.

Yeatia

Yeatia, or radiowork is an artform brought about by the rise of radio in the 50s and 60s TT, and one of the most popular forms of entertainment on Utlia. Yeatia is defined by storytelling, often accompanied by music, field recordings, sound collages, and other auditory effects to create an atmospheric experience for the listener. Originally these were broadcast live and were closer to a radio version of an ereset but as home-tape technology improved, the quality and complexity of Yeatia has as well.

National identity

Prior to the calming, national identity was not a discussed topic, as there were no other nations and post unification, the Eutan and Frish became merged to a point of the Utlian people being one group. Post-calm however the discovery of other people-groups, nations and ideologies spurred the development of a national identity. Much of this identity is based around Azztanism, technological advancement, Utlian work ethic, and the place of Utlia among other world powers.

Keo communities

Keo communities are a kind of subculture in Utlia, usually defined by a similar taste in music, fashion and culture; these communities also typically spring out of specific districts or neighborhoods of Utlian cities. Individual Keo differ greatly, though the term is generally attributed to cultures formed around and after the 20s PC.