Menti

The Menti are a group of people identified with the Mentian Empire, sharing the common Mentian language - though regional dialects vary, most of them are mutually intelligible. The Menti mostly follow the Qinism religion, a native-born dragon worshiping religion. They are descended from the Macen that originated in this area. Amongst the four broad groups of Menti cultural groups, the Dun Menti are the most prominent.

General Information

• Primary Faith: Qinism
• Language: Menti
• Locations: Mentia
• Minority: Kadrush.
• Races: Mostly Water Macen, with Earth Macen in the East, and Fire Macen to the south.
• Inheritance Law: Male-preference primogeniture.
• Slavery: Menti in general don’t accept chattel slavery of macenlike races, but see no problem with indentured servitude. Opinion on chattel slavery of beastkins varies, but recent attitude has grown to favor it.
• Name Generation: https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/anglo-saxon-names.php, https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/old-high-german-names.php, https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/german-renaissance-names.php

Cultural Traits

• Avid Wildsmen: Fishing and hunting is integrated into Northern Menti culture, with many participating in it for recreation and livelihood. This is exceptionally prevalent in Rapugnordum where there are plenty of wild game to be hunted.
• Hospitality: Menti are known for their hospitality and generosity toward strangers - especially if travelers regale them with tales and pay.
• Beer Culture: Menti are known for their love of alcohol - especially beer and ale, and are known for the quality of their beer.
• Artisanship: Menti are famed for their artisanship, and depending on their regions they are famed weavers, potters or carpenters.
• Work Hard, Play Hard: Menti are known for both their dedication to hard work - and strict separation of work from celebration. Their celebration tends to be lavish and involves many people, plenty of alcohol and feasting. Work and happiness is extolled as a virtue in Northern Menti culture. Vagrancy and idleness is frowned upon.
• Charity: Menti are very charitable people, and value both conspicuous and subtle charity. It is seen as unbecoming to not offer travelers and the poor help - though the latter is conditional on the helped working hard or suffering genuine hardship - if a Menti believes someone is in a bad spot because of laziness, charity is often refused.

Cuisine

Mentian cuisine is split into two broad groups: North, and South. Both groups have a diet based mostly on wheat, barley, beans and supplementary meat. Barley is usually served boiled in salt, wheat is universally ground into flour and baked into bread. However, Silnari influence had led to a prevalence of some kinds of pasta in the north. Pastries fried in lard are extremely common and very popular, often sweetened with honey when available.

Menti uses chicken, pork and mutton extensively in their diet depending on the region, with beef seeing less prominence. Menti makes great usage of sausages and ham. Lard is the primary source of fat in their diet, with vegetable oil being very uncommon. Fishes are not common in the Menti diet outside of regions where they are in abundance.

Drinks are primarily beer, with wine becoming more popular as you go south into wine-growing territory. Beer tends to be lightly flavored with fruits where available. Menti wines are light, with sparkling wine being particularly popular - full-bodied wine cannot be produced in most of Mentia. Roasted barley tea is a popular summertime drink throughout the country.

Coffee - imported from the south, is extremely popular amongst the middle - upper class of Menti society, and it is a common everyday beverage in the south, overtaking some alcoholic beverages in popularity. Coffee is usually flavored with milk where possible, usually in the south and with honey. And with sugar imported from the Silnarian in the north. Very few Menti drink their coffee black - unless they are poor.

Mentian cuisine are based on German cuisine.

The most famous regional dish includes:

• Menti Stew - a hearty dish of eastern origin consisting of barley, bread pieces, rabbit meat and snail in a hearty onion-based soup,
• Hisha Bowl - a dish of southern origin consisting of meat of all kind thrown together in a bowl with hefty serving of barley, and
• Three-Tailed Chicken - a dish consisting of roast chicken torn by hand seasoned generously with green onion, ginger, and a savory-sweet sauce on crispy skin.

Naming Language

The naming language for Mentian place names is Old English / Anglo Saxon. Influences from Germanic, Brythonic and Irish language is taken where needed. Names of Christian (John or variance) or Roman (Chester or Castrum etc.) should be avoided where possible. Less obvious loanwords from Latin (i.e. Draca for Dragon) are fine since it will be too extensive to avoid all Latin influenced words.

Most prefixes / suffixes are based on actual words.

By traditions (These refer to CARDINAL DIRECTION and not political entity) :

• South Mentia is the most conservative part, name should almost exclusive uses Old English influence, except in the West.
• West Mentia have heavy Brythonic influence thanks to Ombu. Using a mixture of Old English + Welsh / Scottish Gaelic as you want
• East Mentia can uses outright Germanic names.
• North / Middle Mentia is influenced heavily by Silnarian, uses mixture of Old English + Irish / Celtic loanword.

Place Prefix / Suffixes

Old English / Germanic Origin

• Burh - Fortified place, Burg for Germanic
• Wic - Village, Abode, Dwelling Place
• Low - Place / Dwelling (royal)
• Merc - Market
• Lend - Land
• Berg - Mountain, East Mentia
• Mearc - March - Mark
• Forda - Ford
• Worth - Worth / Value

Other Origins

• Dun - Fort, Brythonic

Vocabularies / Other Words

Directions

Based on Celtic / Irish:

• East: Oir/Soir/Thoir
• West: Iar
• South: Deas / Dass / Teas / Tass
• North: Tue / Tuath / Tuaith
• Up: Suas (Soo-uss)
• Down: Sios (Shee-uss)
• Left: Win
• Right: Swi

Descriptors

• Boga - Bow
• Cyne / Kyne / Kyning - King
• Earhum - Arrow
• Eoh / Eor - Horse
• Tam - Limber
• Iser/ Isern - Iron
• Hulga / Hull - Hill
• Heah (Old English) Hoch (Germanic) - High
• Lynn - Lake
• West - Waste / Empty
• Seothan - Strong
• Ea - River
• Ber - Barley

Prepositions

• An - On
• Of - A

Subgroups

The Menti can be divided into four more specific cultural sub groups, each of which having some cultural traits that differ from the main one.

Duni Menti

Duni Menti are considered the baseline culture of the Mentian, and mainly inhabit the area of Rapugnordum and Nizdum. Traits includes:

• Culture of Learning: The Duni Menti have produced a large number of famous philosophers, poets and mages throughout Mentian history, and have a strong literary tradition.
• Splendous Priesthood: The Duni Menti has a relatively temple and religion-centric life compared to others, and value it more than the other cultural subgroup of Mentia.
• Heavy Cavalry: Duni Menti are famed for their heavy cavalry.

Agani Menti

The Agani Menti mainly inhabit the western areas of Mentia, in the foothills, mountains and forest of Menhoashidum. Traits includes:

• Frontier Culture: As holder of a wild frontier and one that is often raided or subject to violent conflict with Ombuian, Siuian or even fellow Menti, Agani values self-reliance, outdoor skills and archery.
• Marriage at Will: Agani Menti has a very liberal attitude to marriage, widow remarriage and divorce.
• Famed Rangers: Agani are famed rangers, scouts and users of longbows.

Horbez Menti

The Horbez Menti refers to a cultural group of Menti mostly inhabiting the East region, formed from Menti settling east and integrating and clashing with the native Earth Macen of the region. Many Horbezian have Earth Macen lineage instead of the common Water Macen lineage. Traits includes:

• Terrace Farmer: Horbez Menti are skilled terrace farmer and have carved many terrace farm on the slopes of Loravukerva, making the best use out of steep farmland
• Artisan Culture: Horbez Mentian artisan are particularly renown smiths and sculpture maker, helped by the plentiful availability of metal and quality marble in the regions
• Lacto-Vegetarianism: A large proportion of Horbez Menti participate in Lacto vegetarianism or approve of it, seeing it as virtuous to refrain from eating meat and only consume animal products.
• Premature Slaughter Taboo: There is a taboo against premature slaughtering of animals for most Horbez Menti. Eating babies of young adult animals that have not reached full weight is frowned upon - even if you are a noble.
• Skilled Bowman: The Horbez Menti are skilled users of the composite bow.
• Medium - Heavy Infantry Centric: Horbez Menti has an infantry centric culture with a focus on well equipped soldiers and bowmen.

Hisha Menti

The Hisha Menti are the second largest group of Menti, inhabiting the south. The Hisha Menti have taken heavy cultural influence from Siui, and is the only sub group with a significant following of Kozartism amongst their midst - with some followers of Safaism too. Many South Menti have Fire Macen instead of Water Macen lineage. Traits includes:

• Large Clans: Hisha Menti organize into large patrilineal clans, some of which have over tens of thousands of individuals. They are not necessarily blood-related, as many of them consist of unrelated people who adopted the clan name of their overlord. Smaller sub clan tends to form and there’s clan under clan, with clan affiliated with a greater clan lineage above them until they reach the level of the next sovereign lord
• Agnatic Solidarity: There is a general cultural preference for keeping power within the patrilineal clan, and as a result first cousin marriages are encouraged and allowed. Arranged marriages are common.
• Agnatic Preference: Unlike the rest of the Menti, where inheritance prefers males, most inheritance law or tradition here outright exclude females.
• Gerontocracy: Elders are old, and wise, and therefore they should hold power. There’s preferences for electing the brothers of a deceased monarch or noble as ruler rather than their direct descendent.
• Fortified Villages: Clan often build fortified compounds around which life is centered with shared fields and farmland.
• Communal Culture: One is expected to be quite loyal to their immediate clan and family members, and those who don’t follow can expect to be exiled.
• Communal Construction & Irrigation: Hisha Menti are skilled constructor of aqueducts, irrigation channels and wells, and expect most people in their community to participate in the building.
• Equestrian Culture: Like the Duni Menti there is a great equestrian culture. Influenced by people from the south and nomadic culture, there is a greater usage of heavy horse archers and composite bows in this area.

Wyndish Menti

Wyndish Menti lives in the Wynland basin, east of the Mendi Mountains. They're named after the wine that is cultivated and drunk in their land - indeed of all of the extensive Mentian group they're probably the most enthusiastic about their wine. Many of them are also bi-lingual and speak Silnarian, unlike other Mentian.