I already have some hopes for where they are taking Tulnar culture in the game, so this thread is mostly just for discussion and further inspiration.
Disclaimer: People can obviously roleplay their Tulnar however they want, or not at all. This is just for fun and lore.
1. What we know
To get the full picture of what we know, read the
wiki on the Tulnar, but to list a few pertinent points:
- The Tulnar is a combination of four major races and many minor races that were left behind on Verra after the apocalypse.
- The Tulnar religion is a combination of religious beliefs of the major races as well as pagan beliefs of the minor races that evolved over time as they coexisted together in the Underrealm.
- The Tulnar society has more of a caste like system, where based on what physical features you show, based on where your ancestry and lineage lie between the races that came together to make the Tulnar, kind of determines your order in that caste system to a degree.
- There are three main themes to Tulnar appearance: Simian, Bestial/Feline, and Reptilian
- The Tulnar have lived and evolved in a sealed pocket of the Underrealm for thousands of years.
2. Random Speculation
Like I wrote in my
Artistic Influence of the Tulnar thread over a year ago, I don't really have a clue if they are making up something completely new, or if the Tulnar are inspired by some existing real world culture like the other 8 races are, even if they won't directly say it. From the wiki:
But in a similar fashion, their cultural markers are also going to be a culmination of different influences, so they're very differently constructed culture than what is found in the other eight races.
The caste system immediately makes me think India, Nepal, Sri Lanka. Hinduism is a very polytheistic religion, which makes a TON of sense for the Tulnar with all the different races being forced together in a big underground melting pot. I wouldn't be surprised if Intrepid is inspired by that, consciously or subconsciously. Check out some pictures of Ganesha for example.
Just like Sanctus was cut off from the Essence, I speculate that the sealed underrealm pocket for the Tulnar was also cut off. My guess is the reasons are two-fold: 1. Corruption can't spread if there is no Essence, and 2. since souls act as conduits of the Essence, any use of magic can be tracked by The Others and The Ancients, and they would be able to direct any Ancients already on Verra to where the Tulnar are hiding. In other words, I think Tulnar society has also been completely magic free, similar to life on Sanctus.
3. The Caste System
Based on real world caste systems, I think the following isn't far fetched for Tulnar society:
- Social stratification: Castes are divided into ranked categories, and individuals are born into and remain within their caste, especially since it's based on ancestry and lineage.
- Hierarchy: Castes are ranked, and members of higher castes have higher social status and more privileges than those in lower castes. We might even see ranks within the castes, based on ancestry and lineage.
- Endogamy: Marriages and social interactions are restricted within one's own caste. Personally I hope they deviate a little from this, but it also makes sense to include it.
- Occupational specialization: Castes often have specific occupations that are traditional and hereditary. I am not sure exactly how I would want this structured though. It could be broad groups like military, artisans, and priests/scholars for example.
- Discrimination: I hope they skip some of the discrimination we see prevalent in real world caste systems. It makes total sense that lower castes face social, economic, and political discrimination from higher castes, I would just rather not see too much of it in the game.
4. My personal hopes
I would really like to see a sharp contrast between the brutish and bestial looks of the Tulnar and their culture. I don't want a primitive tribal culture, I want a structured and sophisticated culture, with a focus on learning and philosophy and combining that with the more martial side of things. Scholarly warrior poets, if you will, where they also enjoy doing things like tending to glowy mushroom gardens and making art simply because it's pretty and inspiring.
I hope the caste system isn't too hierarchical. I hope it's a culture where they understand the importance of the interdependence of the different castes, where they can work together and even interact socially, even if they mainly stick to marrying within their caste.
