➼ | The Grottans are kept as a relatively small community, as anything large may prove unsustainable for their way of life. The recognized leader of Grotte is Torbjörn Kveldulf, the first to declare it home. The community is a democracy, so decisions are always made by the collective people living within it. The leader simply speaks for Grotte, mediates between disagreements, and ensures the codes are upheld by all.
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➼ | Outsiders are usually not tolerated, and will be sent away unless they have something to offer in exchange for hospitality and a share of the food - otherwise it will be defended and they will be treated as a threat if not. Should visitors manage to have a prolonged stay, they are expected to hunt and gather with the community for the duration of their time within Grotte.
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➼ | The Grotto has several overhangs which shelters the rest of the cave below it from the elements, dense vines drape over the edges which conceal much of the commune from prying eyes above. The only way of entrance and exit is by traversing a very large tree root, climbing stubs affixed to it in order to ascend and descend. There is a plentiful spring from which fresh water is gathered to the far edge, and the Grotto also boasts a hotsprings, which is used by all to clean and groom themselves. Grottans see it as a great gift from the land, a cornerstone of their home that is graced and dedicated to one of Theodra’s tenets. Let not your body fall into disrepair, for the way of the sloth is a disrespect to the lands that allow you to live.
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➼ | Grotte’s primary architecture consists of yurts which can be broken down and built up rather easily. They are constructed of natural materials such as leathers, furs, wood, and bone - the cave flooring within them insulated with moss, foliage, and hides. There are five main yurts, each designed to hold craftsmen and their materials & tools, these yurts can comfortably house two people, but can fit up to four for a family. Should a Grottan not have a particular crafting skill aside from hunting, their designated lodging is within the communal hunter’s yurt; the largest of these structures; which can comfortably house six people. Housing is primarily meant to be a place for sleep and storage, much of the day is spent in the common areas crafting, cooking, processing, bathing, training, sparring, and socializing - or out in the wilderness hunting and gathering.
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➼ | Tools and materials are shared. If a material is taken, it is expected that the amount taken or more will be supplied by the person who has used it within a short period of time. If a material is running low in stock and difficult to supply, but one wishes to take it nonetheless - it is decided as a community if their intentions with the material is worthy. If a tool is used and is broken, it is expected that the person who used it will replace it dutifully. Greed is a great affront to all within Grotte, and any who show signs of it will be put back in their place by the rest of the community. If the offense is severe or repeated often, exile or putting the culprit down is likely what will prove to be satisfactory.
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➼ | While Grottans reject materialistic values - weapons, armor, the clothing on backs, and certain trinkets are some of the only things truly considered personal property due to their association with the one that wields, wears, or has made them - these things also tend to have an irreplaceable quality to them because of their uniqueness. Beds are also considered personal property and space, and to lay in a claimed bedding area is disrespectful to the one who sleeps there. Crafts tend to also be personal property until they are traded or sold - which must be a mutual agreement between two parties. One cannot make a craft and simply take another they like in exchange without communication. Overall, it is generally known that one should not touch another’s personal items. It is also recognized that claiming ownership over more than what one needs is frowned upon - the entirety of one’s true belongings should be able to be carried with them in travel.
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➼ | Grottans have a diet consisting of what is available to them. Venison, wild hogs, rabbit, squirrel, birds, amphibians such as frogs, freshwater fish from the nearby river, etc. are the most common sources of meat hunted in the bounds of their wilderness. As for gathering; bird eggs, large insects & snails, crayfish, mushrooms, wild onion, varying roots, berries, fruits, nuts, and herbs are collected. Overall, the community has access to a plentiful and hearty variety in their dietary intake. The community uses handmade ceramics, earthenware, and clayware to cook and store their food - with only a very sparse amount of metal cookware that are shared amongst their whole. Grass & wooden baskets are very prevalent for storing gathered goods.
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➼ | Hunters who are not craftsmen will usually trade materials they’ve come across and/or a gathering service in order to acquire a craft from them. Often in order to replenish supplies, Grottans make crafts and hunters get together and decide on what is considered ‘excess,’ to travel and sell these things to a nearby civilization. With the coin gathered, they find materials needed for craftsmen and purchase them to bring back to the community. Generally, Grotte only has things the people within it have a need for. Products of vanity and indulgence aren’t very often brought into their home, as it disrupts the way of life it embraces.
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➼ | Should people within Grotte have a disagreement or dispute, and it is decided that it cannot be resolved in a simple way, it is expected for them to duel within the pit until the drawing of first blood/submission, no weaponry or tricks used - only what nature has given them (fists, teeth, nails, kicking, choking, etc.) Afterwards, the emerging victor earns the acknowledgement of being right in their side of the dispute.
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➼ | It is expected that all who are brought into the community worship Theodra, but it is not required. What is required by all Grottans is that her tenets are heeded and applied to their daily lives, as her wisdom is the great inspiration in which their ways adhere to. Usually as a part of being accepted into the community, the new blood leaves an offering at her altar as a rite of passage. Theodra’s shrine is the only permanent structure within the Grotto, to cement her influence and claim over it.
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➼ | Arcane Magic is forbidden within Grotte, and thus mages are never welcomed into the community. Should Grotte receive a mage visitor, they are treated with the same expectations as any other guests - but certainly watched more closely. The presence of magic increases the risk in which nature is corrupted around this sacred establishment due to Planar Convergence.
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➼ | Heavy armor is frowned upon in Grotte and isn’t often seen, as it tends to be ill fitting with the ways of Grottans. It is viewed as gaudy, excessive, and too cumbersome for forest life - limiting their camouflage, how well one climbs, and how well one uses their senses. Not only is it considered obnoxious, but it is also seen as cowardly to be adorned in an entire set of plate armor (or otherwise) in the woodland. Light armors are much more often observed; with the use of leather, hides, fibers, bones, etc. such materials are incredibly accomodating to Grottan life.
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➼ | Pets aren’t seen within Grotte. There are no domesticated animals, including livestock and horses. It is expected amongst each of the Grottans to traverse the wild lands by foot, by climbing, by swimming, etc. for each of them has hands and feet, a body to utilize; to train, to maintain. Domestic pets such as cats and dogs aren't kept simply because they do not fit within the culture of Grotte, observing them as beasts on their own - and not to serve man.
More to come such as climate, flora, fauna, etc.
