Culture of the Owl Republic

{To Lore Archive}

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Writing System

Modern writing system: https://files.catbox.moe/d244cc.pdf

/who/ used multiple scripts and alphabets before it settled into it's modern form, one of these is a recovered form commonly refered to as "Owl-A", in this text comes written details about the Republic's religious belief, it looks like it was equally as disconnected and unorganized as it is nowadays. Due to how quickly systems changed in the early moments of the Republic, it was thought lost until an intrepid reporter managed to rediscover it as he was writing for the national newspaper.
Old alphabet: https://files.catbox.moe/maxb04.png

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Foodstuffs

The Republic's main consumption is potatoes and meat. The potatoes were found in the hills the land and mass farmed to assist the logistical difficulties that the Republic faced in its early wars, the potato managed to keep starvation away thanks to the ease of planting in any terrain, large yield results, and its high nutritional value.
Meat on the other hand remained a harder to produce product, as the wars didn't allow for much cattle to be farmed or imported. After the wars thought, both potato and meat production were focused on and increased in order to properly feed the population, the preferred meat is cattle and goats, these two animals can easily survive in the hilly terrain of the lands, although goats are a lot more free-range than the cattle is. The export of meat to other states aside from those directly neighbouring the Republic only recently took off due to the difficulties in maintaining it cool on long trips be it across sea travel or through the land.

Other crops aside from potatoes do exist to a lesser degree, mainly wheat which is used for bread baking, small amounts of sugar beet for local sugar production, gathering berries is often done as a communal activity by many of the Republic's rural areas. Experiments with cash crops generally failed due to climate and terrain concerns.
Due to a relative shortage of wheat(sicne most wheat farms are state-owned and yields stockpiled in strategic reserves), urban bakers and rural farmers use boiled potatoes or potato flour to stretch out the wheat flour. Although potato bread doesn't last as long as wheat bread, due to its moist and fluffy texture it's one of the national food of the Republic, a staple besides the usual beef and potatoes. Bakers working in the joint /nasa/-/who/ industrial bakery also make potato rolls for the republic's burger chains. The airy buns are perfect for hamburgers due to their pillowy texture, sweet flavour and crispy crusts when toasted.
Greenhouses near urban centres cultivate crops that don't grow as well in the republic's climate such as exotic fruits like pineapple, they are limited in number and only serve the demand of wealthier citizens.

The Republic does not hold the need to import food, it is the exporting nation for its neighbours, although rarer foods and crops are often brought by the richer citizens that wish to try more exotic food and by researchers that are looking to study and improve the agricultural production of the nation. The diet for the average citizen of the Republic is healthy and varied enough to avoid any malnutrition problems.

The cuisines of the Republic are divided by climate and geographical lines. In the West, the food reflects the diverse agriculture and food source afforded by the region's warmer, sunnier climate and coastline. Fish and other bounties of the sea are widely available even in areas further inland(albeit in a still limited radius) thanks to improvements in transportation methods. Fruits like peppers, olives and tomatoes are featured heavily in the cuisines of the Western lowlands. A wide variety of culinary fruits like citruses and prunuses are planted in the West as well, so their presence in dishes is notable, most common in desserts. The importation of rice from nations like /morig/ and limited farming in the west aided the spread of rice consumption, but it's still far behind potatoes and wheat. The cuisine in the East appears more rustic, mostly consisting of soups and stews. Since most Eastern arable land is used for grazing and potatoes, hardier vegetable crops are grown. Freshwater fishing and hunting are important supplemental protein sources for people living in this area, although the continued industrial exploitation of resources saw a moderate decline in such activity.

Due to the material shortages during the founding war and the general nature of the people, the cuisine is quite simple. You wouldn't find any half suckling pigs stitched with half a hen in the country. Dishes are mostly no-frills with basic or no garnish. And chefs try to let the natural flavors of the ingredients come out, so milder, warming spices preferred like nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon. The Republic's food is generally low in spices but perhaps contradictingly, its citizens do enjoy heat a lot. Every dining table isn't complete without a bottle of hot sauce. Originally made as a hobby by an officer garrisoning a Naval fortification in the West, The vinegary Tsubasco sauce is popular among both soldiers and civilians.

Due to the Nameless One's affinity for sugary treats, festivals dedicated to the Nameless One are heavily associated with sweets. The 3 main types of sweeteners used in the Republic's traditional treats are fruits, honey and beet sugar. The bee farms in the Republic's rural areas provide the nearby villages with pollinators for their orchards and honey to sweeten their cakes. Although the Republic's refineries have massively improved the purity of beet sugar produced in the country, honey and fruits are the most common in rustic, ye olde style of sweets such as honeycake and compote because the association of beet sugar with a foul taste. Newer styles of sweets are made by patissiers in the cities, these kinds of sweets often incorporate new, exotic ingredients like cocoa, brownies and coffee cakes are popular choices for hoomans to enjoy with their caffeinated drinks.

Despite the Republic's reputation for a rather simple style of cooking, placing satiation and nutrition over presentation and flavor, its sweets are some of the best in the world. Weekly fares in towns smell like a giant pastry store, with cakes, biscuits and sweet bread lining the stalls. The public gardens and Fairgrounds in cities would set up carts selling various kinds of candies to the visitors. Even the most impoverished peasants would make sugary desserts during celebrations of the Nameless One. Making and consuming desserts echo the stories told in the scriptures, about the sweet gifts the Nameless One received from the beneficiaries of her knowledge and protection. As the citizenry regards these kinds of communal activities as signals of the progress and prosperity of their society, it's also about giving thanks to the good that civilization brings and to the Nameless One herself.

Typical etiquette for eating is considered informal and flexible, as long as you eat the right stuff and don't make a mess no one will tell you anything, often workers will have mid-work lunches so that they can re-energize in the middle of the day. This also traduces itself to the political upper class, as most will simply sit down along with friends or family and eat what they've prepared without paying much attention to proper etiquette. It is to be mentioned however that most people will not speak at all during their meals.
Host to a growing working class, both in number and income, cities in the republic have developed a restaurant culture. Bistros serve more well-off workers(often white-collar) looking for meals that are closer to home-cooked and high-end establishments serve the wealthy and middle-class citizens. Though most still workers fill their stomachs in canteens of their respective factories.

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The Brilliance of the Hamburger!

If you are looking for the marvels of civilization then look no further! We have reached the single most important step into human development. With a brilliant approach to the way foodstuffs are produced, you will never be satisfied after a taste of Republic hamburgers! All you have to do is step into one of the many burger places in any of our cities and have a bite of true power.

Hamburgers are crafted with the ultimate combination of ingredients only possible thanks to the power of civilization, with finely baked breadbuns that could make your mouth water just by smelling it, multiple juicy vegetables like tomato, lettuce, and even gherkin if you can believe it, such delicious onions that even the goddess Aqua would blush, all that is already hunger inducing, but let's get into the "meat" of it, the steak! as fresh as possible too! many hamburger joints have small places where they keep cattle, that in addition to our well made ice boxes means that the steak is always safe for consumption, not only that, but in addition to steak you can also ask for grounded meat done with the newest techniques in the making of the culinary masterpiece.

So what are you waiting for!? come now and TRY IT OUT!

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Alcoholic Drinks

Different types of alcoholic beverages are made in the Owl Republic. In the lastest survey conducted jointly by the Department of Economics and the Bureau of Health in 1125, different types of Beer and Vodka are the most consumed drink by volume, with wine coming in next.

Traditionally, Hooman beer are made with smoked malt and gruit. The type of wood used in different parts of the country also varies. The most famous beer made in the Western Republic uses a mix of apple and beech to impart a fruity and nutty taste to the unfermented wort. Some parts of the East also used peat to smoke their malt as well, which gives it a deep, earthy and slightly burnt taste that pairs well with grilled and pot-roasted meat that is often consumed in the region. Gruit are used traditionally to flavour many of the brews in the Republic. Though many kinds of Hop plants are native to the region, their use was never discovered until after the Founding War, brought in by both immigrants and renewed trade with the outside world. The popularisation of hop use is partly due to the preserving effect they have to the beer, which began to be traded across the vast landmass that constitutes the Republic. In the aftermath of the post war trade boom and unification of the East and West, beer making in many parts of the country has gradually conformed to be more standardized. Though gruit have not fallen completely out of use, as many breweries and independent brewer, bars still produce and use their own gruit mix. The more bitter herbs are taken out or reduced, and the dried herb mix are usually added later than the hops to preserve as much of its unique flavor as possible. The use of gruit is a reason Republican beer can enjoy a premium compared to other types of beer in the international market. More modern types of malting kilns have long been made and used in the Republic, though the traditional method of wood smoking is still preserved despite the penchant of novelty and innovation in the country. Sometimes traditions have a reason to remain, the wide selection of beer styles that such a mix of techniques allow is perhaps one.

Vodka is made traditionally with grain. Though spirits distilled from potatoes or a mix of grain and potato became the dominant type in the last two centuries. Some styles are flavored with spice berries. This type is often made into a table drink by pouring it into a pitcher with mashed berries, then diluted with water. Most traditional vodkas are barrel aged, the lightly charred wood gives them a nice aroma and flavor. Most are consumed on their own, chilled in a cellar, or poured into a pitcher full of cut fruits. Aged Vodka similarly also fetch a high price not only due to the use of local herbs but also its aging process. The rocking motion the liquid content undergoes at sea makes Republican Vodka unique compared to many other aged spirits. Its consumption as a luxury item is especially noted in the Eastern Continent.

Wine production is mainly concentrated in the West historically. Though the fertile valley in the maritime climate of the North East has become one of the most profitable wine region in the country in the recent decades. While its consumption is lower, its culinary use is notable. Traditionally a large portion of the must are used to make vinegar instead. The large scale drinking of wine only became more prominent from foreign demand which resulted in overproduction.

While brandy isn't traditionally made on any scale, pomace brandy and other types of fruit brandy are consumed in many parts of the Republic. Apricots, Apples, Berries and Peaches are made into a sweet spirit that is often purchased as gifts. Sugar beet molasses are used to distill a bitter tasting brandy in some rural communities. Sugar cubes are often added to make it less unpleasant. The unique flavor of the drink makes it a social drink, where the experience mattered more. It is seen as a bonding exercise to finish a bottle with your buddies.

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Clothing and Fashion

Thanks to weather conditions, the clothing most preferred by the population is simple, warm, and covering shirts and long pants, with the use of gloves and boots, and the common face covers that most of the population decides to use. A lot of these face covers are paper bags and similar things. Generally, the more the face is obscured the better. There is a lack of color in the clothing, with black and muted browns, blues, and greens being the preferred and most common color seen on the typical working class.
As an interesting note, the population seems to have little to no division in men and women's clothing, with some women sometimes using warm skirts and dresses, most still use the shirt and pants combo. The common face covers and the use of coats and cloaks can make it difficult to determine the gender of someone that's just walking the streets. This lack of division is theorized to have risen when the Republic simplified its production lines during the early wars and the clothing manufacturers were made to produce soldier wear, this soldier wear then filtered back into the civilian population.
Clothing is usually made of wool and linen.
Brown cloaks are in use by state workers as standarized uniforms, these are modeled after the one used by the nameless being that is worshipped by the Republic, however, they are simplified and lose the symbols that should be in place, so in the end it still just looks like a brown coat with a green inside.
The gloves and mittens typically worn are often white or black, and are made from wool. The most common design is a repurposed form of army gloves.
Boots are often made of leather and in the shape of adapted combat boots, socks are rarer, so footwraps are used instead. Other shoes are used, with an enphasis on flexibility and warmness.

While the working class does not really have formal wear, most have some sort of variety of simple long sleeved shirts. The upper class allows itself to be more eccentric in the clothes they use, althought still following the muted colors from the rest of the population.

Owl feathers are popular decorative items that are used in lucky charms and wind chimes. In the military, the wearing of owl feathers denotes the rank of officer. All feathers are derived from the domesticated owls and occasional encounters in the wild. Finding one is considered a sign of good luck even more so than spotting a live owl. Feathers are commonly used as a stake during bets or even duels(well or just common bar brawls), with the victor taking them away as trophies. As intentional injury and capture of owls are punishable by boiling tar, none are willing to risk their lives for an otherwise relatively common item.

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Traditional Clothing

Aided by technology, centuries of population movements and mass manufacturing, the fashion taste of the Citizens has become relatively homogenous. A young couple living in a port town dresses much like another pair that lives on their pasture in the East. Though the traditional garb of the many groups that preceded the Republic has a varied selection of clothing, many of which are still worn today. Even though they have been deemed obsolete have left their mark on the country's fashion sense.

A common item that was worn in the pre-Republic is the fustanella [need conlang name]. It is usually worn with an outer layer. While in the Mediterranean zone, most wear a simple short sleeve tunic, the East has a considerably more diverse set of outer layers. The South East prefers a woolen opened vest that's adapted to the hotter climate. People living on the Prairies of the North East wear a snug fitting waistcoat that sometimes features a medium lengthen sleeve that comes down just before the elbow. The people living in the Temperate forests in the North West adopted a mix of long to medium sleeved tunics and sleeved waistcoats with a deep but in the middle.

Different lifestyles also led to different forms of fustanella. Western ones has the longest kilt, which covers much of the leg as pants are for eschewed and leather leg wrappings are worn instead. Most of the Eastern fustanellas are paired with pants to suit the needs of a saddle, though the practice of leg wrapping is shared with the East. The pastoral lifestyle also spawned a divergence of design. Whereas the West and North West have kilts that is uniformly pleated, many Eastern shorter fustanella kilts have cuts placed strategically to aid movement when mounting a horse. Eastern fustanellas are also not pleated near the cuts.

Belts were already popular in the North East by the 400s, but the widespread adoption would wait until the next century. Before that, the West use a mix of leather wraps and strings to both secure their tunic and underlayer, with the string also acting as a place to hang pouches and tools. Pelts and leather are also used for the Pastoral and semi-pastoral people under the Rrat Mountains but most in the region use the colorful plaid cloth as a waist wrapping instead.

Male and female versions of the fustanella mainly differ in the fitting and combination of clothing items. Most of the fustanellas for females in the region have a wide, funneled sleeve that ends just before the elbow. Whereas male fustanellas are more varied in sleeve shape. The dress shirt and skirt are also more fitting near the waist, though the more snug designs that most feminine shirts have today only emerged after the 930s. Depending on the role or occupation they take, the length of the skirt also varies. While some North East and Eastern skirts can be ankle length, most only come down to the knee like ones worn by males. Other than a tunic, women in the West also frequently wear a shawl indoors. In the East, Northerners style a longer, open waistcoat while southerners usually wear a vest similar to their male counterpart, albeit usually with a decorative shoulder pad with braided knots hanging off the shoulder. Women living in the North Western Forests may ware long, larger apron-like clothing that comes up to the chest which also serves as support when lightly fitted.

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Marriage, Gender and Traditional Society

Multiple generations make up the traditional family unit in the Owl Republic. It is also the most basic level of social organization, at least before the rise of industry both allowed smaller families and pull the bigger ones apart. The hierarchy in the family also gives us a glimpse into how the more complex social structure of the Early Republic might have arisen.

The order of respect given to an individual is primarily based on age. Also in both the family and wider community, women are usually the more respected group not less due to their longer life span but also the respect for maternal figures prevalent in the region. This veneration for mothers is present from the Western Great Forest all the way to the Prairies under the Rrat mountains. The geographical features, Forest, Mountain and sometimes rivers are universally anthropomorphized as maternal figures that gave birth to and nourish the people. This characteristic can still be seen in today's worship, where the Rrat mountains are still visited by many pilgrims that do not subscribe to the Goddess of Entropy. And by the frequent mention of mountains in poetry or religious texts related to the Nameless One. Even if mothers are respected within the family, it does not necessarily mean they are leaders, in particular as Chiefs in the East. As the Chief are usually elected based on merit and influence, depending on the temperament and culture of a specific Chiefdom, male Chiefs may be elected more than female chiefs. The traditional role of herding is also more heavily associated with male members of the community. Despite this, family elders, usually female are regularly consulted for their opinion. A custom molded by the traditional belief of communal and social harmony. The more developed Western city states flips it over its head. Material contribution to the community and knowledge is how potential leaders build influence and clout. In this setting, female governors are more often chosen. But the more sedentary lifestyle have also given rise to more gendered and rigid conception of the roles one should play in both the family and society. Even when the West still hold female citizens in high regard, as male citizens enter more profitable and powerful roles, the scale of political power tilted more to one side. The more centralized and longer ladder of hierarchy in the West means ruling is usually more based on consent than consultation. The Societies of East and West create a peculiar dichotomy.

Romantic and pragmatic reasons have always been the driving force of marriages that are strictly monogamous in both East and West. Unlike some other societies, marrying off one's children does not entail a strict reciprocal relationship. It has been theories that it is due to the more egalitarian view on sex and gender that has been historically popular in the region. In the harsh environment of the pre-Republic, everyone can be a useful member to the family, and thus value is only placed upon the skillset they bring and the need of the family that's receiving the new member. Negotiation often occurs after the couple had made an agreement to marry, though violent conflict can arise during and after the marriage especially when one side failed to follow the agreement. When a member leaves the family to join another, a long ceremony that symbolized the children had "fledged" is performed. Marriage is less of a political tool in many of the Chiefdoms and city states since once a member of the family had "fledged" they also no longer belongs to it, even though personal contact is still frequent in many cases, depending on the geographical distance. While in a personal sense they are still a part of their original family, it does not oblige any side from committing more than the initial agreement. This fact is also influenced by the deep suspicion many family elders have of anyone that could become a "tyrant", when a family or group becomes too powerful and breaks the Golden Rule, and thus the communal spirit.

In the West, marriage becomes a little more complicated. While in the East, different occupations are less gendered and mostly depend on personal aptitude, the Women and Men in the West often have to endure some resistance when they enter occupations that are usually not taken up by their gender. This entails a sharper divide of social roles, not just between socio-economic classes but also gender, even if the tradition of the region promotes egalitarianism. Though it does not give rise to many ideas of the supremacy of one gender or sex to the other, which again is often explained by cultural norms and mythology of the region. The shaper divide of social roles means the "exchange" of family members becomes more restrictive. Written or oral laws are taken as the highest authority rather than the mediation of chiefs and elders. The closer physical space of the Western communities emphasizes the marriage ceremony itself rather than the fledging ceremony. Cakes and sweets are often consumed.

The more egalitarian thinking of sex and gender would be reinforced by the Founding War. As poets and writers praise the perseverance of the Women in the homefront, taking up the work left by their husbands and brothers, or fierce female warriors fighting for the sake of the Nameless One. Though the number of men in the political scene still outnumbers women slightly, Cizek's research on the subject of voter perception of the sex of candidates shines a light on this particular topic, though it still requires much investigation.

Maslova, Chesna. “Intersection of Marriage and Politics: Gender and Tradition in the Owl Republic.” Notes from the Anthropocene 9, no. 2 (June 8, 1204): 135–46.

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Folk Tales

1. the Sandman
   In the darkness of the night during full moons the division between the soulpath and our reality is at its weakest, the sandman crosses into our world to pay visits, a wicked being, you may be doing an essay or catching up on the newspaper and he'll surely appear! With all the care in the world, he'll treat you nice, get you comfortable before he strikes, Huzzah! it's suddenly morning and you didn't get to finish that oh so important work you had... You sure do feel well rested thought.
2. Jabberwock
   Oh what a brutalliant day it seets to be.
   Let yourself clight and frill for a jab at it.
   The Jabberwock won't be pealfed at me.
   But I'll clack it up with my bladient Vorpal.
   Just as the Unknown did so in a gest past.
   Kris blade ot and belk 3 mountains, pal.
3. Ghosts
   Some people seem to live lifes full of grudges and resentment, others just don't seem to care too much about death in the first place, some believe this causes them to appear in the world even after death, be it to carry out their grudges or simply to hang out a bit more in the world, maybe they somehow managed to find their way out of the soulpath, or maybe there is more to the mind of a living being that we think.
4. Hero Watson
   the legendary usurper of time, who challenged the gods and made a nation for herself, a human hero of grand proportions, the Nameless being watched and spied with great fascination until she could learn more about such a character. From their many interactions with each other, it'd be easy to confuse them for sisters due to the care they give each other.
5. King of the mountain
   King Monty,the charismatic hidden king beneath the mountains and hills, along with his court of eccentric characters, all old friends of a certain vagabund with no name, it is even said that she stole the crown sitting a top of the king as a gift for him.
6. Bean juice fairy
   Access to coffee has been rare across the Republic, that is until the mass importation of coffee from Anya-Petra Global, with this powerful substance that allows one to mantain themselves awake even after hours of intense strain be it mental or physical, it has quickly become a beloved drink of anyone from the working class to those of the upper classes, it comes with a danger however, if you consume too much coffee you might attract the attention from a malicious fairy, it will implore you to keep drinking coffee even when you don't need it, addiction is a serious issue after all, but you could certainly be addicted to more harmful things, so there's nothing wrong with pouring another cup I'd say.
7. Everywhere System
   Not quite a folk story, but commentary of how the nameless being would appear in multiple stories and legends across the continent even if she had no real business being there, generally having small lines and doing things that might be considered somewhat amoral.
8. Sunken city
   In her quest to learn more from the world, the nameless being once found information about a supposed sunken city that was protected by the Lady of the seas, many attempts were made to breaking in and finding out more, but the Lady was always there to stop her, ultimately, the nameless being swore that she'd remember it, and one day she will pay, nothing much came from these threats however, thought they did manage to keep the Lady on edge.

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Entertainment and Street Culture

The population tends to be somewhat quiet, with a strong preference for small and sharp responses, if you walk by in the streets, no one will greet or try to bother you, and most people expect the same, this does not mean that the population is unfriendly or unreceptive as most will still reciprocate the greetings. It is to be considered that the population tends to be rough, crude and irritable, and thus fights can commence easily, tipically after the street brawls the involved will simply carry on with their path, althought sometimes grudges are kept between the participants. The guards try to interfere as little as possible whenever brawls happen, but will be forced to if the situation gets out of control. As a fun fact, martial ability isn't state sponsored, but it's very common among the population thanks to the large amount of veterans that wend back to civilian life and spread the techniques they learnt in their service.

The traditional music of the Republic uses drums at its core, with very heavy drumming being preferred, and vocals to carry the melody, other instruments are in use to aid in the carrying of the melody or to outright replace the vocals when no capable vocalist is present, the cello is also a favorite of many musical groups.

People often go to the pubs to drink and have a good time, this does result in a higher than usual amount of bar brawls and guards are often placed nearby to stop them once they get violent enough.

Theather plays are somewhat uncommon, and famously bad, ironically, this makes them a good tourist attraction as people want to see just how bad they are, comedy plays are the usual.

The Republic sometimes organizes public games.

In the rural towns and villages in the hilly east, children and youths participate in games where they chase down large owl-like land birds with bats. This practice seems to stem from a folk tale regarding a fanatical follower of the nameless one, barging into a local temple with a bat and claiming the nameless one is among the female worshippers. Historians cannot ascertain whether the story really happened but this game remained one of the most popular children's games in the republic. In cities and villages in the east where there's no such bird, children playing as the 'bird" are dressed in cloaks instead.

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Baseball in the Republic

A sport brought from the nation of hawks, baseball became popular in the Republic to the papers a hooman reporter did on the results of the game during his breaks, generating enough interest in the Republic for him to go back and decide to become a teacher for the sport in various cities of the Republic.
Soon enough a variety of university and amateur baseball clubs formed in various places, these teams would then have games played with each other and attract audiences if it was considered a game between good teams.
The game is popular with the army and the navy too, the 2 branches will organize their own leagues and then will have their winning team face off against the other branch.

Currently there is only a single organization attempting to standarize the sport across the Republic, the "Republican Baseball Federation", their main apports have been the standarization of the ball shape and bats used, and the standarization of a good playing field. Wooden bats are in use and the current ball has 108 stitches on the cowhide leather, used to cover the core made of cork and made to weight about 150 grams.
Thanks to the efforts of the RBF a few factories have popped up that do game materials to the standards established, cheapening their price heavily, as before the factories it was quite expensive.
Game reports get checked into the library by a few aficionados of the sport working under the RBF.
The game gets played by children and adults everywhere in the Republic, tipically with handmade balls and wooden bats. Access to regulation balls is still too expensive to spread to the common population. But the wooden bats can be well carved by local lumberjacks.
Due to the grassroots nature of the RBF they often enlist the aid of local aficionados that enjoy the sport to have everything marked down, and invite clubs to help discuss official rules and techniques. This has made some in the RBF dream of a future where everybody can enjoy the sport at a truly professional level, such dreams are still far away thought.

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A Culture of "Watching"

"I like to watch" isn't the motto of the Owl Republic, but those who don't know the true motto would be forgiven for assuming it is. Regardless of whether it's a Hoojisan observing the young man his granddaughter's taken a liking to or a hunter getting so focused on his mark's actions he forgets to pull the trigger, watching other entities is a much-beloved pastime.

During the Founding War, scouts were highly valued for their observational work identifying a Schizo Horde’s location, behavior, and other such things. These scouts and their findings were believed by some to have contributed to the establishment of the RID to catalog the findings and, according to the belief of less-than-reputable conspiracy theorists, act as a filter for information, deeming what was fit for the populace to know and what was forbidden.
In the modern day, hunting is a favored hobby even among some of the urban population. Though much has been written on the subject of hunting in the Owl Republic, what is relevant to the topic at hand is that all Hoomans are taught from a young age to keenly watch their prey before taking any shots, so as to learn the habits and other behavior of their prey.

Additionally, a commonly-held yet hotly contested belief among the Republic’s population is that The Nameless One doesn’t truly reside in the Heavenly Realm, but rather observes her people from within the Physical Realm in the guise of an owl. Those who do ascribe to this hypothesis often set out in search of Her in the belief that encountering The Nameless One will grant them a boon of some sort.The origin of watching is currently believed to be multifaceted, with the above factors being largely agreed upon to be the major contributors to its continued popularity.

Much like the scouts of old, many hunters of beasts, fruitless seekers of The Nameless One, and other watchers take care to document their findings. This has led to the Owl Republic having vast knowledge of its wildlife, such as the mating habits of the Bubon Ursus and the dietary biology of the Flightless Strigea, among various other bits of information.

Inevitably, some have taken the act of switching from watching wildlife to watching tourists and citizens of the Republic. Though foreigners on occasion claim to file complaints of unease due to a feeling of being watched, criminal penalties are rarely pursued unless further actions are taken by the watcher.

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Fairgrounds

To accommodate the growing population in cities and towns, fairgrounds were established to divert the flow from the increasing cramped temple districts. But as time goes on, these fairgrounds had become more permanent, opening every weekend or even all week in the bigger cities. These locations usually host water or human-powered rides, like pleasure wheels or simple cart rides. But in cities like the Capital and Eulhaven, chuubanite and steam-powered rides are slowly being introduced, curiously even faster than the industries in the Republic. This is perhaps due to the Nameless one's proclamation of "Theme parks" being the peak of civilization (scholars and priests have deduced it's a kind of location performing a similar role to fairgrounds). Aside from fairgrounds, cities often host Botanical or zoological gardens too. Developed from gardens owned by academies, Zoological gardens keep various animals, not just native species like Bubon Ursus but foreign ones like Akimeras from Matiyotl or even Death sloths of Moriji (exact details on how the Eulhaven Zoological Garden managed it is still a subject of curiosity by the media). Sweets and game stalls are a common sight in such locations.

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Discrimination in the Republic

While the Republic's humanist rethoric and doctrine is propagated to and by the population, this very same population holds multiple beliefs that are considered discriminatory against others, generally this discrimination is directed against foreigners and those that do not comfort to social norms.

Those in the frontier and port cities are not nearly as disriminatory when compared to those in the industrial and inner cities, it is reasoned that this is because the population in those cities are more in contact with foreigners than other places of the Republic. Going over neighbouring and sister countries can show that there are general trends to observe.
When regarding the druids because of their particular features of branches and plant life in their body being more off-putting to the population, some frontier towns are varied in how much they tolerate the druids for some are more aggressive while others are much more accepting of their features.
The Sanallites don't face discrimination as they are seen as more comforting towards the Republic's culture due to their large suits, and there's not enough sanallites to actually create an impression from the general population towards them.
The mountain monks are seen in a very good light due to their percieved wiseness and healthy relations between various religious temples of the Republic and the various orders of the mountain monks that engage in diplomatic dealings.
There is strong discrimination towards kronies in part due to the cold relations between the Owl Republic and the Kronie Oligarchy and in part due to the different cultures and bad history. Even in the port city they are looked down upon by the general population and in the inner country are the target of violent crime.
The Hoshiyomi are well liked due to the relations between the navies and the fact that they are a good market for the farmers and merchants of the country, who then spread their good experiences towards the general population.

The social norms and culture of the Republic is very relaxed if quiet, and allows its people much freedom on the ways they wish to act, however, if one starts to become more socially unbearable and starts acting in ways that may be considered annoying by other civilians then that person may start facing discrimination and insults by others.

Those that are not human face much stronger discrimination than those that are human, perhaps because of the very same humanist doctrine of the Republic. Humans that hold strong non-human features face varying degrees of opposition according to the extent of their changes.

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Festivals/Celebrations

Day of Souls and Ghosts

Taking place in the middle of fall, and at the last day of month 10, it is an official holiday practiced universally in the Republic.
This celebration consists of multiple activities depending on region and local custom, but all of these have consistence among them, these being the following.
First is the visitation of cemeteries and organization of festivals in these guided by the local graveyard keeper, people will go on to visit the graves of their loved ones and ancestors, along with various offerings, these offerings often vary, from a thing that the deceased loved to a potato or turnip dish, less commonly, an entire bottle of beer may be left alongside a person's grave if they had died young or were known to have a love for alcohol. Objects of significant religious worth may be given if an afterlife is considered by the local temples.
The graveyard keeper often also recieves offerings, mainly food and alcohol, weaponry and tools are also given to aid in the defense duties of the keeper, money, while discouraged due to traditions surrounding the graveyard keeper, is still accepted.
Second is the festival proper, often right besides the graveyards, the people will set up local shops and games around, commonly these shops are sweets and goods from the locality, cinnamon candy and pastries will often be given the shape of ghosts and creatures of national folklore such as chimeras and the jabberwock for more elaborate sweets. Caffeinated pastries one such notable product from these, often given the shape of yellow and red rodents.
Public games, such as singing and poetry competitions are done, contestants are encouraged to touch upon morbid themes with a humorous touch, and puppet plays are popular attraction of the events where puppeteers will recreate a mythological story to which they add their own personal touch and twists.
An interesting tradition that is presumed to have been inherited from deadbeat inmigrants is the use of pumpkins as decoration, as the weather allows for pumpkins to be planted everywhere the practice became relatively common, but losing some of its religious connotations, as a form of trying to keep in line with the homeland, they may ask the local graveyard keeper to light up the candles inside such pumpkins.
The tipical schedule these festivals follow are from 18:00 to midnight
The celebrations tipically vary from cities to towns, and from what the local temple practices. In cities, the celebrations are large events where they might extend out of the bounds of the cemetery and into the city proper, in small towns and rural areas however, multiple communities will often have a regional graveyard where they will have to travel to celebrate, thus, they tipically end before midnight.

The religious part of the celebrations are a lot more varied, especially due to the lack of belief in an afterlife sustained by various temples, if the local temple promotes the belief of an afterlife, it will tipically be in the form of the soulpath, the path that the dead take either to reincarnation or to a spiritual reintegration into the world, souls, however, need a guide, lest they be lost and unable to reach their goal. Owls generally take the place of guide, however, due to religious connection the Lady of Death, one of the mentors to the nameless one, is also represented as giving guidance to the souls on their path. Since the nameless one was also educated in the ways of the soulpath, she may also provide guidance to lost souls that fall behind the Lady of Death, wearing a white sheet made from cloth of the veil of the lady of death. Good actions may get you reincarnated, but not many temples observe a punishment in death from bad actions, instead simply being absorbed into the world.

Other places that do not consider the traditional soulpath instead do Ghost-Well. Where the dead may somehow be able to regain their sense of self from being absorbed into the ground and turned into ghosts, never really represented as malicious, the ghosts will play pranks and drink inmense amounts of ethanol until they are pacified and return to the world. Here the lady of Death and the nameless one will instead take the role of ghost hunters, along with the graveyard keeper who will prepare the grave for arrival.

The festivity changes plenty in cemeteries for those that died without family, for soldiers, and for those whose body was never recovered, graveyard keepers will instead make a single small wooden object and put it besides the grave for each and every grave they guard, visitors will come by and be given one of the wooden objects and take it home with them. The exact meaning of this tradition is not known, but it is fiercely protected by graveyard keepers against temples and others that ciriticize its role in the festivities. As graveyard keepers have a very real and powerful legal status, they can decide how certain celebrations may take place and interrupt temples who they deem as too intrusive.

Once the festivities are over, the graveyard keeper will clean the cemetery and collect food that may have been left, most of the food will be donated to groups of people that need it. Along with whatever the graveyard keeper decides to keep for himself.

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Sugar Rush Week

The final stretch of the Founding War was brutal and saw many casualties. A census was taken after the war’s end to assess population levels and economic stability of various municipalities. Results of the census suggested a population deficit to the degree that many smaller towns and villages were deemed to be at risk of having an insufficient workforce to sustain themselves long-term. In an effort to bring struggling communities together and to help the population move on from the horrors it endured during the Founding War, Parliament passed a bill calling for “600 Hours of Celebration” to mark the anniversary of the war’s conclusion. This event would lead to one of the most widely beloved festivals in the entirety of the Republic.

The rousing success of 600 Hours of Celebration led to calls for it to be an annual event. Though there was support for such an action both within Parliament and among the general populace, the initial event was deemed too logistically demanding to be repeated annually. A compromise was reached to establish a seven-day event initially referred to as “Victory Week” before the name was eventually changed to what it is today.

The name “Sugar Rush Week” is derived from the large amount of sweets baked and consumed during this period. Cakes are by a wide margin the most commonly-made confectionery and is associated with the festival, though other pastries are prepared to varying amounts. Many of the Republic’s most prestigious bakeries made names for themselves with their ability to provide for the celebrating populace during the initial 600 Hours of Celebration.
As the increase in population over the years began to threaten to overtake the production of wheat and import of sugar, many bakeries made adaptations to ease the burdens on both their supplies and their workers. Examples of these include a reservation system for cake orders up to half a year in advance, and temporary workplace hires to alleviate pressure on the workers.

The primary reason for these cakes is to provide for the receptions of the festival’s numerous weddings. After it became recognized that those who married during the 600 Hours of Celebration had long and happy marriages and several children, people came to believe that getting married during that week would bring happiness and prosperity. This has led to countless unmarried Hooman couples seeking to marry during Sugar Rush Week, and even led some married couples to seek divorce so they could remarry specifically during the festival.
Due to the toll this took on priests, officiators, and others, actions were taken by Parliament to curb the sheer number of weddings that took place. The first method was to hold group marriage ceremonies to be held solely during Sugar Rush, but due to pushback from those claiming the mass ceremonies lessened the experience the practice was abandoned. In its place Parliament enacted a reservation system for weddings wherein an engaged couple sign a wedding agreement in triplicate before a government official on a specific day in which to marry, with a hard limit of no more than 50 weddings officiated by any one officiant per day. On average, a wedding officiant is responsible for overseeing 37 weddings on a given Sugar Rush Week day.

In addition to weddings, parades are a recognizable aspect of Sugar Rush Week. They typically take place on the fifth day of the Week. Wedding officiants are exempt from work on this day.
The theme of these parades is universally that of the victories during the Founding War. As such, those marching in the parade are to dress as troops did during the War. An exception to this is the parade marshal, who wears a red-crested helm. Rolling stands holding up works of soulful works of art depicting various Founding War battles relevant to the location hosting the procession. As the parade takes place, the parade marshal yells “AVE!”, to which the rest of the procession and the crowd respond in kind. After this exchange, one of those marching recites a piece of oral history concerning the War. Embellishment is welcome. When the recitation is complete, the parade marshal yells “AVE!” and the cycle repeats until the parade has marched its path.

Ending on the eleventh day of the year’s eleventh month, Hoomans celebrate their unity by banding together outside the limits of their towns and cities singing folk songs. Though what songs sung specifically vary by location, Just the Two of Us proves to be a constant among all who participate.

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