concepting different Argonian cultures

[KuKulzA]

concepting different Argonian cultures
now all of them have roots in the Hist-worship as they are in a sort of symbiotic relationship with these great spirit-trees...

however I think the cultures should be split into...

Imperialized Culture - probably Argonians inpoor imitation of Imperials, blending some of both with Imperial being the dominantly expressed. Many will be poor, wearing and using Imperial goods, but speak like 'Argonains'. Some of the higher Archeins will speak perfect Cyrodiilic, and that is a status symbol in itself...
Coastal Culture - they are the most seafaring of the Argonians but keep to the coasts. Their culture is centered around trade, fishing, and wealth. They probably have abundant resources, and anything they don't have they can sail to the other regions (via inland waterways or on the coasts) to get it. Perhaps they take after the Kothringi, and their best chiefs are the ones who most evenly distribute the wealth and keep the prosperity. They probably have thanksgiving-type festivals and potlaches...
based roughly on Nookta native americans and Hawaiians, their real strength is their larger communities and their daring in the stormly Padomaic ocean
Jungle Culture - probably the most warlike culture. They excell at hunting and guerilla warfare and fight with Dunmer a lot. They are mostly likely led by the best warleaders in their tribes and probably take more readily to foreign goods, but more specifically weapons.
based roughly on Taiwanese aboriginies (headhunting) and Matis native americans (amazonian tribe) and maybe elements of Mayan warriors, their greatest strength is definitely their warrior-skill
Marshland Culture - they live in the center, and have a culture devoted totally to Hist and spirituality. Shamans likely rule the society. They probably live just in the roots of the hist and travel by boat. They probably have the least 'civilized' and closest to their ancestral customs.
based roughly on nobody, they are most unique from outside cultures, and have developed in almost total isolation, they have the strength of having the most authority and 'wisdom' of all the cultures and its the traditional council holder (Helstrom) as its the most ancient and the root of the others
Woodland Culture - they live on the western border where the land is slightly better for farming. They are mostly peaceful as the quiet Imperial rule allows them to trade crops and yet remain independent, plus they are less confrontational. Maybe their civil chiefs are their leaders, as they can try to control trade and broker peace.
based roughly on Cherokee native americans, their strength would be their adapting of outsider influences without compromising their culture
Parchlands Culture - this evolved due to the fact a large part of the southwestern area had become more of a lightly forested grassland since over-farming and deforestation had changed the land. This is probably a hunting culture, probably quite defensive since they have Archeins to contend with. The best hunter or warlord is probably the leader.
based roughly on Masai of Kenya and African Bushmen, their strength would be their fierceness and ability to adapt to an environment other Argonians simply pass through or go around
Mangrove Culture - probably a semi-peaceful forager group. They probably hunt and gather along the mangrove waterways, but centuries of pirate raids have made them fearful of outsiders, maybe making them live in the trees but finding food along the mangroves. There is limited farming of certain plants.
based roughly on African Pygmies, like the Mbuti, their strength is really their xenophobia, they fear outsiders and are well suited to their land, finding ways to evade pirates and Archeins
Riverlands Culture - fishermen and smalltime farmers and foragers. These guys live in reed huts and beaver-den-like villages they control what little trade there is between northern and southern and western tribes because they live above the migratory routes of the root worms. Their leaders are varied and they are not exposed to any extreme of good or bad, and have relatively plentiful lands (in terms of what Argonians might want) and have mangrove and parchland tribes as buffers gainst the Archeinsand their lumbering and farming ventures
based roughly on Marsh Arabs and Seminoles (and other Florida native americans), their strength is their numbers and control of many of the waterwaysa dnt eh underwater ways



what do you guys think?
every culture will have its own type of architecture, and when I say based roughly on, I mean only roughly :yes:



here is a map to show what I mean...



I see an ancient diaspora where the central marshes and forests grew too crowded eventually and small bands sought out younger Hist in other regions, risking their souls as they believed it, to find a new place to settle... you'll see that this ancient migration was gradual and that no doubt there are smaller numbers of Argonians outside of the center. Also the Riverlands and mangrove cultures are closer to the original Marshland culture, while the Woddlands and Jungle are more similar, and the Coastal is more unique, as it's the only culture on the open sandy shores and salt-marshes (southern coast is full of mangroves). Of course in more recent times the Argonians have also been headed back in, due to invasions and settling, and many that weren't able to stay as tribes assimilated into Imperialized culture

now keep in mind they are not united... every tribe is a tribe, loyal to its Hist and its Hist loyal to it... but every culture constitutes a grouping that would more readily aid each other. However in general the Argonian people do not have too much in-fighting as their is land enough for all, but if a tribes DOES enter another's territory, there MAY be fighting. Also, each tribe has a main village were the oldest of their tribe's ancestor Hist are

[cruxvader]

sounds interesting. super cultural shock for any traveler though. There are more cultures here then in vvardenfell

[KuKulzA]

Originally posted by cruxvader
sounds interesting. super cultural shock for any traveler though. There are more cultures here then in vvardenfell

yea.... but remember Vvardenfell is an island and district... and has a population that likes a stagnant culture and will fight to keep it that way...
where as Black Marsh is a large province in which the native population has slowly and gradually developed different cultures based on their geography and the time in which they left the ancestral interior...
and plus, if everything was great, they wouldn't leave the interior...
but overpopulation in the fragile ecosystem is bad and the Argonians can sense that... and of course Murkwood... a very dangerous place to live close to... the early migrating Argonian must have felt it was dangerous enough to leave their old homelands and live in the jungles or mangroves or on the coasts...

no doubt we'll be showing how damn dangerous Murkwood can be