Vaikan cultures

Dhragolon culture is very rich and many of the original ones dating back to the Second Era are still present today. It is mostly based upon the principles of honor and balance. Before the Fourth Era, there were hundreds of different cultures on Ucharpli though over the course of thousands of years of cultural exchange, they have slowly merged together. Despite this, one can still easily see the cultural roots of the ten realms of Ucharpli, each reflecting a distinct style.

Dhragolon names
Dhragolon names consist of several names. A title which denotes what kind of job they have. Family name, decribing what bloodline they are from. A personal name used to identify individuals within a family. Lastly, a suffix to their name which describes what sort of personality they have.

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When the Toxgolon, or Karnasaurs, arrived in Ucharpli towards the end of the Second Era, some Latin names had begun spreading throughout the Dhragolon populace. However, the Dhragolon predominantely use Yallvusian names which have spread just as far across the world.

Titles
The Dhragolon today can employ themselves in any job they wish provided they have the skill. A Dhragolon is employed in a job with such category, the title of the job becomes a part of their name. Such title goes before their family name.

Employment titles

 * Rustiagar (Leaders) - The leaders are the ones who are in charge of the kingdom. These include the Council of Ucharpli and all ambassadors. However, the monarch has a unique title which is simply "king" or "queen"


 * W'karra (Workers) - This class consists of the main stream population. They consist of the ones that gather raw materials. W'karra range from miners to odd jobs. As these Dhragolon have the most physical experience aside from the Peace Keepers themselves, they are the first source of drafting population.


 * Paxursza (Peace Keepers) - The warriors of the Dhragolon. The majority are members of the Federal Legion.


 * Dormeckithia (Philosophers) - These are the thinkers of the Dhragolon. They are the ones that provide inspiration for the people.


 * Altasza (Artisans) - They create the entertainment and art for the Dhragolon.


 * Dormesithia (Scientists) - They study the universe and develop new technologies.

Non-employment titles

 * Wanderer - A Dhragolon who is unemployed and looking for work.


 * Young - A Dhragolon under the age of 70.


 * Old - A Dhragolon who has permanentely retired from his/her job.

Suffixes
Prior to the establishment of the current naming system the Dhragolon used, suffixes denoted a basic characteristic of a Dhragolon such as their abilities or where they are from. Today, it is used to describe a Dhragolon's personality. They either serve to reflect honorable or notorious deeds.

Examples

 * Hero of the Dhragolon - A suffix bestowed to Rustiagon Dralla for his victory against Altus Banya


 * the Honorable - A suffix bestowed to any Dhragolon warrior who has proved to be the best example of any.
 * the Tyrant - Bestowed to Altus Banya for his cruel ways.
 * the Cowardly - Bestowed upon a Dhragolon who runs away from the battlefield.

Conduct
Generally, Dhragolon abide by several rules of conduct. It was a direct result of their brutal life style in the past and has become a standard in Dhragolon culture during the Fourth Era. They abide by Krayhan's principle of maintaining the balance.

Emotion Suppressing
It is considered improper to express emotions in public, especially negative ones. The Dhragolon believe that negative emotions are the single cause of many conflicts, which of course upset the balance. When not under control, emotions can consume an individual's mind - one of the primary reasons why the ways of the Dark Warriors were forbidden. Revenge and grief are believed to result in more deaths than needed.

Notably, King Rustiagon Karrel went against this form of conduct to avenge his father who was killed by the Harbingers.

Trust Reluctance
The Dhragolon are always slow to trust any other species considering the fact that upon entering space, they were greeted with many empires with evil intentions. Being too quick to trust may cause unwanted conflict.

Equivalent Exchange
As the Dhragolon believe in Krayhan's principle of balance, it is generally interpretted that in order to obtain something, one must give something of equal value. Thus, the Dhragolon are not known to be compassionate. If the Dhragolon help someone, they expect a favor in return in order to maintain the balance.

Typical life of a Dhragolon
Individualism and self-fulfillment are central to Dhragolon culture. However, balance still has to be maintained.

Dhragolon are taught basic survival skills at age 10 (a Dhragolon would only be roughly three feet tall at that age). It is emphasized that should a Dhragolon be left on his own, he will be able to fend for himself. After that, it is up to the Dhragolon's guardians for guiding him until age 30 where the Dhragolon is expected to live on his own. After being taught life skills to suceed, a Dhragolon is obligated to return the favor by doing something for society which usually is as simple as getting a job or going to an academy where they can prepare further. The academy that they go to depends largely on their own interests as well as family tradition.

After becoming stabilized financially and having reached maturity at age 104, it is customary for a Dhragolon to search for a mate. A Dhragolon is responsible themselves for finding a mate and would often wear an amulet to indicate that they are searching for one. Males and females would each have their own unique amulets; during marriage ceremonies, the bride and groom would attach their amulets together in place of a kiss.

In times with low population counts which was very common in the Second and Third Eras, finding a mate was absolutely mandatory. Forced marriages and even having multiple husbands were not uncommon back then, but today it is highly discouraged and viewed as barbaric.

Once a Dhragolon finds a mate and has children, they are responsible for preparing them just as they were prepared by their parents. Once these children reach age 30, the Dhragolon parents would often go back to their jobs. What they do with the rest of their life is up to them.

Duel tournaments
Smaller scale conflicts between nations would be settled through enormous duel tournaments were held taking place over several years. (Of course, larger conflicts may result in full-scale wars.) Technologically, not much has changed when it comes to ground battles as the sword and armor technique is still used today. Of course, the armor's materials have been improved.

The nations in conflict would battle it out without anyone getting killed. Mock wars were held within arenas made of stone. If someone were to die, even by accident, the one who suffered the loss automatically won the conflict as it was the ultimate penalty. Sometimes, this may even fuel furthur disputes and the duel tournament may turn into a war. The rules for the Duel Tournaments are documented in a pamphlet known as "Manual for Duelling". The author is unknown but it dates back to as early as the time when Altus Xurtag ruled.

After Yallvus conquered Ucharpli, duel tournaments became obsolete as conflicts were now geared towards more violent alien races who had no intention of participating in duelling. Today, duel tournmanents are primarily for entertainment purposes to honor Dhragolon culture.

Entertainment
Many consider Dhragolon entertainment to be primitive compared to other races. This is because they have not evolved much entertainment-wise.

Competitive Dueling- This originated after serious duel tournaments became obsolete which was approximately around the time the Dhragolon entered space.

Airball- Some Dhragolon with developed wings have their own sport which is similar to soccer, but takes place in the air. Dhragolon that do not fly sometimes participate while wearing jetpacks. Some variants include orbs that automatically move.

Challenge Puzzles- The Dhragolon, being a wise race, developed their own ways to challenge their minds with a wooden puzzle that bears a resemblance to both a Rubik's Cube and a slider puzzle.

Footracing- The most common entertainment is where Dhragolon compete to see who is the fastest runner.

Art and music
The Dhragolon are renowned musicians having composed some of the best songs in the galaxy. The Dhragolon had simple, wooden instruments consisting of what resembles flutes, drums and tambourines. The music style was similar to that of Native Americans. However, since the late Altus era, music has evolved to sound more orchestral. In some concerts, the audience closes their eyes to become "one with the music" entering a calm, soothing mental state.

Visual art is quite different from most other races. All paintings or drawings are monochrome with a blue hue. This is most likely because Dhragolon cannot see brighter colors.

The Dhragolon are also great writers. The usual format for Dhragolon stories includes allusions to legends of Ucharpli with a moral to abide by. Larger works such as epics usually end with the hero giving his life to save others. Pure fiction is uncommon as it is standard practice to retell previous legends and tales in a new reimagined form.

Food
Dhragolon food tends to be simple, nothing too elaborate. Dhragolon chefs use the principle "less is more" which means that simple food tends to be the best tasting. A simple piece of Eletar meat with a bit of spice with a side of biscuits will often makes for a great meal.

For drinks, alcoholic beverages are rather surprisingly the norm. Wine is considered the standard drink to have with a meal, though Dhragolon over the age of 100 will often substitute it for mead or rum. The Dhragolon have built-in special mechanisms that allow them to resist alcohol poisoning making such drinks safe. However, children under age 100 have not developed such mechanisms except towards wine, which makes mead and rum illegal for anyone under the age of 100.

Burial customs
The Dhragolon believe that if a soul remains in the mortal world for too long, it starts to become tormented reliving the worst moments of their lives over and over again. The Dhragolon make sure that any soldiers that die will do so honorably to prevent this terrible fate.

A funeral service can be either burying or cremating. It is believed that when a Dhragolon is buried in the ground, their soul can reincarnate into another individual. Burying is often chosen instead of cremating during times of war as it is believed that a soldier can continue to fight honorably in death just as he/she did in life.

When a soul is ready to be released into its final resting place, a funeral pyre is built of logs covered in holy oil. When the fire burns out, the ashes of the individual are scattered into the wind, freeing the soul from the mortal plane. (The remains of dead kings are kept in the Sacred Catacombs deep under the Castle Hall in case they need to provide guidance to future kings.)

Legends
Much of the Dhragolon's storytelling is based upon myths and legends. Below is a list of them.


 * The Lair of the Garmatox


 * Legend of Nolara


 * The Power of Knowledge

Numbering System
The numbering system is used first by Yallvusians and was actually introduced to the other provinces. The Dhragolon have a total of eight fingers, so a Dhragolon adds the next digit at 8. Similarily a human has ten fingers, so at 10 they add the next digit.

Calendar
The calendar consists of ten months. Ucharpli take 365 days to orbit so 365 days are spread across the calendar.

Months
Enya

Yenta

Szerla

Cki

Akka

Szarock

Xurtag

Churtag

Nurtag

Wintag 

Days of the Week
There are 8 days in one week.

Holidays
There are not many holidays, but there are a few days that are usually recognizable.

The first day of Enya is often celebrated as the beginning of the new year.

Wintag 26th is referred to as Jamzeze Day, being recognized as the birth of Jamzeze. It is a time of celebration.

Akka 3rd is known as Reverence to Souls, a day where the souls of dead ancestors are honored. In Dhragolon culture, death is not a time of mourning but rather a time of reverence and sincerity.

Szarock 10th is known as Yallvus Day, which celebrates the founding of Yallvus.

Miscellaneous Facts
The Dhragolon are much unlike other races of the galaxy with different ways.


 * Their surname comes before their first name.


 * The Dhragolon have no flag.


 * To do a Dhragolon salute, quickly raise your right hand to the edge of your left shoulder.


 * To do a Dhragolon nod, quickly drop your head so that the chin meets the base of the neck; a head shake is done by quickly turning your head to the right and raising it 45 degrees.


 * In place of a hand shake, Dhragolon put their hands together and do a slight bow.

DFM Anthem
The anthem of the Dhragolon Federal Monarchy is titled "Story of Rauch". It is a hymnal written shortly after the beginning of the Fourth Era. When performed, it begins with some loud drums and church bells. The lyrics are sung by a choir of 100 Dhragolon.

Glor Krayhan toh sa Tiz alt (x2) (Praise Krayhan for all his works)

To ra cret anleo ta sen uwen Krayhan fleh haleh en (In the beginning, we were beasts until Krayhan flew from the heavens.)

Fo tehal se pika Ti lor Ti flah tor hal ra kaz dan sor (When atop that mountain he roared, He took off to the skies and soared)

Er tiz om anth der sen Dhragolon Dan hus tiz ronor mes sen kon (Heard his loud call we Dhragolon And thus his faithful word we spread)

Menya thora'ia wun haz Banya nek koh menya laz (Many millenia went by, Evil Banya spoke plenty lies)

Fusro ta kus ko ta henta Bu tal ra li nanind Dralla (Balance was upset, war was here, But there stood a man named Dralla)

Rus'szath ih ra nan haleh Krayhan Ti ak ra uch mas ra alszay (Chosen warrior in the name of Krayhan He led the world against the oppressor,)

Ti trisza dan on parsza tiz Ak sen hal ra ner ti ren miz (He triumphed and people praised him Led us to a new age he did.)

Kwes Dhrakapuon ta haleh Tiag Krayhan za gid sen hal faleh (What Dhrakapuon are from Krayhan shall guide us to find out)

Glor Krayhan toh sa Tiz alt (x2) (Praise Krayhan for all his works)

Prophecies
Some giften Dhragolon psychics have foretold major events, writing them down thousands of years before they actually occur. One particularly daunting one is the following:

The Dark Prophecy
"Thousands of years beyond, the following will arrange themselves perfectly: the Nether, the bringer of light, the mortal realm, the thunderous realm, the mossy realm and the ringed realm. When that occurs, a noble, favorable king will have left his throne to the heir who bears cleaved reception. Brothers and sisters will fight with each other and with the beings of the stars. Chaos beyond the mortal realm will erupt leaving all realms to be devastated."

The first statement is most likely referring to a syzgy. In Dhragolon culture, this is often referred to as the Galactic Apocalypse or the Dhragolon Civil War. Many Dhragolon were frightened when the Yallvus Revolution broke out; many believed it to be the end of the world, but there was no syzygy at the time so the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled.