Editing Landsoftheblacksea:Main Page/realms/veniri (section)

= Society & Culture =
Veniri is a land where money talks, and wealth (or more properly, the ability to generate it) is the sole judge of social status. This leads to a number of interesting facets to Venir society that are different from practically anywhere else in the Lands.

This said, the social classes within the Kingdom of Veniri are as follows, which will typically follow levels of wealth for members therin:

* ''Gente Vecchia'' – The Nobles of the Great Houses 
* ''Gente Nove'' – The Members of the Lesser Houses
* ''Patrone'' – The clergy & leaders of the Church
* ''Mecanti'' – Merchants not belonging to a Greater or Lesser House
* ''Artigiano'' – Craftsmen & Skilled Laborers
* ''Armanus'' – The Military and Warriors
* ''Contedino'' – Peasants & Unskilled Laborers
* ''Sporcizia'' – lit. “filth” – beggers, criminals, and other unfortunates

Knowledge and wisdom are not prized and revered traits in and of themselves in Veniri; neither are exceptional talents in music, athletics, fighting, art, or any other pursuit. The only measure of success is material wealth and the power that it brings in the form of being able to better generate more wealth. Oddly, ostentatious displays of wealth in ones clothing or in lavish parties are the sign of one who is not truly wealthy, but merely wishes to be. The true Venir knows that social status is related to the power that wealth brings, rather than the coins themselves. Expansive estates, well guarded and fortified; a large and powerful force of guardsman that are loyal to the house; holdings and buyers in other countries that are trustworthy and consistently bring in profit; and having friends in high (and low) places within the Venir Court and the judicial system are all important if one expects to be nobility, and are the signs of a true Venir merchant noble.

One will never know a Venir nobleman or woman by sight; the standard dress in the Kingdom of Coin differs based on marital status: For married individuals, normal dress consists of plain robes, of black, grey, or brown, slit up the sides to allow the arms free movement, for both men and women; robes are sometimes embroidered with a bit of color at the sleeves and hems, but never in an ostentatious manner. Married men wear tall hats that lean slightly forward, of a color to match their robes, which are tied under the chin when the weather is fine, while married women are usually adorned in simple black hats or black scarves, sometimes highlighted with colored embroidery. Both sexes don heavy wool cloaks, lined with the fur of bear, otter, mink, or beaver during the long cold Veniri winter months. Shoes for both sexes are usually soft leather boots.

Unmarried folk usually wear clothes that are more tailored; they reveal the form, but little else. Men wear shirts and breeches, with hose beneath, and jackets of leather or cloth, sometimes with embroidery. Women favor long dresses, belted at the waist to accentuate their figures, with hanging sleeves. Embroidery is limited to hems and cuffs. Unmarried men and women do not wear headgear except in winter, when fur-lined hoods for the cloaks are used by everyone.

The only exception to the rather drab garb of the Venir is in the wearing of jewelry. Gold jewelry, particularly that of Dwarven or Elven manufacture, is in great demand, and both men and women wear some ornamental jewelry; for the poorer Venir, it may be a simple gold ring that they inherited from their father; for a rich Venir merchant, it may be a heavy golden necklace that was made in Ülmirüdhurm before it’s terrible fall, worth thousands. When traveling, the folk of Veniri tend to adopt whatever clothing is common in the lands they are operating in. To be identified as a Venir merchant is generally to make one’s self a target of thieves and brigands, and so caution and prudence usually dictate the fashion when traveling.

Due to the lack of obvious indicators of social status, moving about in Veniri society is a tricky proposition, because there is a very high degree of attention paid to status, etiquette and protocol. Fortunately, almost every rule of Veniri society derives from one simple precept known in Veniri as “The Golden Rule”: He who has the gold makes the rules. This means, in general: The poor defer to the rich; the rich defer to the richer; and when in doubt, the person who is paying for it gets to decide.

Slights and offenses are rarely brought to the judiciary amoung the members of the noble merchant houses; rather, offenses and injuries are handled via vendetta (bloodfeuds), which are fought outside of the laws. When a member of a noble house is insulted or offended, they will issue a private challenge or warning to the offending noble house. Responses can range from a time and place to duel to resolve the matter once and for all, or simply a note with the sign of the crossed daggers, indicating that the vendetta is on, and will only end when one house pleads for mercy from the other. Vendettas can range from bloodless affairs where the battle is fought by pirates and brigands in far-off lands that destroy the opposing houses ability to trade, to wicked running battles that leave the city streets splashed in blood as the houses trade murders with each other. Vendetta are generally not interfered with by the Law or the Courts, unless they overflow onto the general populace (vendetta may only exist between noble merchant houses), or unless they grow so violent or large that they cause a general downturn in Veniri interests (business is business).

Veniri is a merchant nation. As such, a traveler could enter the country speaking practically any known language, and somebody could be found fairly quickly who could handle the translation chores. However, anyone who wishes to rise in Veniri society must know vox mercanti, the ancient language of trade and commerce that is the ancestor of the common tongue spoken throughout the Lands. All contracts and legal documents are written in vox mercanti, and all court proceedings, government meetings and high-level trade negotiations are done in that language.

== The Noble Houses of Veniri ==
'''Di Genti:''' Traders in foodstuffs, particularly exotic and expensive foodstuffs. House Di Genti has a virtual monopoly on the trade in lucrative spices from Issyria, Jhon, and the Forbidden Isles, and therefore its influence is larger than what the wealth of the house would normally yield.

'''Fatrazzoli:'''

'''Machiatti:'''

'''di Venir:'''

'''Viento:'''

'''a’Lombardi:''' House Lombardi is known far and wide as the premier merchants of cloth, clothing, and other wearables - including soft armors (leather & studded leather), gloves, shoes, slippers, boots, belts, and goods made from hides and leathers.  They do not trade in metal armor, shields, or weapons - at least, not on paper.  House Lombardi has made arrangements with the finest weavers and silk-spinners in the far reaches of the lands, including Iruzhin, Chandrahaar, Jhon, and even Niahar and Issyria.  They consistently seem to have the finest quality cloth and fabric, and have ironclad arrangements with the Guilds involved in the production of all these goods.

'''Puscatale:''' House Puscatale is the current Royal family of Veniri, headed by His Most Resplendent Majesty and Most Treasured Protector of the Merchant Houses, Giamo Puscatale