The Daroon
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Commonly referred to as "Easterners," or the "Shang," the Daroon are one of the largest human ethnic groups found on Corwyn.


The largest Daroon populations are located in the Far East; within the nations of Kurand and Yamada, as well as the Forbidden Hills.

The Daroon people are divided into three ethnic subgroups: the Shang-Tsu, Shang-Li, and Shang-Dao, each with their own distinct customs, traditions, and languages.

Appearance


Daroon men and women usually appear short of stature and physically frail, with slender hairless bodies and sallow skin.

Daroon have predominantly black hair, bright almond shaped eyes of either brown or black. Their skin color ranges from yellowish-tan to a deep brown.

Outlook


Many Daroon are philosophers and artisans, but others are simple farmers and traders. Daroon folk love culture, poetry, and reading. Daroon believe their ancient culture is the only bastion of civilization on the world of Oris.

This belief chiefly derives from the fact that the Daroon civilization is thousands of years old, and is based upon the ancient empire of Shang-Zhou, that existed over five thousand years ago. Daroon arrogance is nurtured and codified in the society of both Kurand and Yamada.

Daroon folk are extremely traditional, believing in order and discipline. Most haughtily believe they are the chosen race of the Gods, and hold their culture and traditions above all others. In fact all other peoples are considered simply: "Jing-Dao" (barbarians) Daroon folk revere educational discipline and support many monasteries where philosophy, history, and martial combat are taught.

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There are strongly held class and gender divisions set up in Daroon society, with a person's station at birth playing a crucial role in how he or she is measured by Daroon society. Although few Daroon speak openly about a strict class based system in their society; most Daroon live out their lives according to their station, risking social expulsion or even imprisonment if they do not adhere to societal norms. Daroon dwelling in the lands of Kurand and Yamada view themselves as superior to all other other humans races and even to those Daroon who dwell outside the Far East.

One of the most important aspects of Daroon culture is maintaining family honor and pride. Losing face is considered the worst of cultural sins, and most Daroon would do anything to avoid such. Saving face demands that all Daroon treat others as they present themselves, regardless whether such facades bear any resemblance to the truth. One a person or family loses face, they often lose their status and can be relegated to a lower social class within Daroon society. Privacy is therefore a precious commodity, for it allows individuals to act as they wish without outside scrutiny, which could result in such social punishment. Daroon also place great importance on hospitality and manners. There are strictly defined rules and benefits for both guests and hosts.Guests cannot inflict harm on their guests, and are protected by a sacred tradition of guest right under the roof of their hosts once invited in.

The social classes of Daroon society are in order from highest to lowest; The Ruling Class, the philosophers, the oracles, the Military, the Clergy, the Merchants, the Artisans, the Laborers, the Farmers, and lowest; slaves. Only women are are allowed to marry above their social class and all such arrangements are strictly scrutinized within the Daroon culture.

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Daroon Characters


Some Daroon are drawn to adventuring in hopes of finding quick wealth that will allow them to return to a life of luxury, and thereby improve their social station. Other human races view Daroon as avaricious, lazy, pampered, and arrogant. In truth most Daroon seek nothing more than a lifestyle of comfort and the respect of their peers. Daroon men and women can easily become characters of any player class, but most prefer to become fighters, monks, rogues, or wizards.

Languages


The Daroon people speak Sha-Teng; a unique eastern language, that has over 1,000 dialects. It is extremely rare to hear this exotic language outside the Far East region of Corwyn. This language is most commonly spoken throughout the nations of Kurand and Yamada, as well as the Forbidden Hills.

The Daroon peoples of Kurand and Yamada speak this language, and only a few outside traders even understand it, as it is very different from all other languages. It is unlike any western speech, as it is oriental in nature; using symbols rather than an alphabet. The Daroon written language is one of the few on Corwyn that does not use the common alphabet.

Daroon Names


Common male Daroon names include: Akeno, Akiro, Amashiro, Aru, D’Noi, Fujiro, Hanzon Kenzo, Marui, Matsu, Mori, Ori, Saburo, T’Doi, and Yoshiro

Common female Daroon names include: Akira, Amida, Dara, Chan Ming, Gita, Jin, Li Jing, Lila, Mai, Narumi, Sari, Veta, Xiang Mi

Use of Oracle Bones


One important aspect of Daroon culture is the use of Ortacle Bones. These bones are usually pieces of ox, horse or sometimes human bones used which were used for pyromancy – a form of divination magic. This ancient divination magic began in the Shang Dynasty of ancient Kurand. Only certain shamans and elder oracles are allowed to practive this ancient divination art in Daroon society.

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The Oracles or "Diviners" would submit questions to either their ancestors or ancient deities regarding future weather, crop planting, the fortunes of those around them, military endeavors, and many other important topics. These questions were carved onto the bones or shell in an oracle bone script using a sharp, sacred tool called the Shen-Shu. Intense heat was then applied with a metal rod until the bone or shell cracked due to thermal expansion. The oracle then interprets the pattern of cracks and immediately makes a sacred prophecy about the event.

The sacred oracle bones used by Daroon Shamans are passed down from generation to generation; many bear the earliest known significant corpus of ancient Daroon writing and contain sacred historical and religious inscriptions upon them.

Ethnic Subgroups


The Daroon are divided into three ethnic subgroups: the Shang-Tsu, Shang-Li, and Shang-Dao.

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