The Brass Coast culture and customs

Family

Family is of paramount importance to the Freeborn. They live in extended family groups covering several generations and are tight-knit, relaxed with each other and ferociously loyal. Occasionally Freeborn will extend the privilege of family membership to valued friends, long-term employees or waifs and strays - these adoptees are whole-heartedly welcomed and are treated no different from blood family. An insult to one family member is an insult to all - a friend to one family member is a friend to all. To the Freeborn, betraying their family is unthinkable.

The great weight that the Freeborn place on familial loyalty does not extend to others, even of their own nation. The Freeborn are loyal to their tribe and their nation, but they make a point of disclaiming any responsibility for the wellbeing of others. They do not regard themselves as obliged to help the poor or the sick, the disposessed or the homeless. They may be as charitable as they please, but they refuse to accept that it is their responsibility to care for others.

Names

Freeborn names follow the pattern “firstname” i “minor family” i “bloodline/major family” – so if a Freeborn is a direct member of a major family, his or her name will be shorter.

Sample names:

• Ahraz i Contero i Riqueza
• Iñes i Guerra

Freeborn names are primarily Spanish/Mexican in flavour, with a bit of Moorish thrown in.

Hospitality

On the Coast, food and drink is only offered freely to family. Because of this, the offer of hospitality creates the expectation of obligation; in a sense you are offering guests a place in your family which obliges them to respond accordingly. Since most Freeborn habitually avoid favours and social debts but all Freeborn enjoy hospitality, both giving and receiving, the custom is always to offer to pay before receiving refreshments. A Freeborn approaching a tent of revelry might ask the price for a seat at the table. A token price of a ring or two indicates that they are very welcome to join, a price in crowns indicates that the meeting is private and the Freeborn should look elsewhere, but an exorbitant price in thrones is a deliberate insult.

Despite the ritualized nature of the exchange, actual payment is required. To the Freeborn mind, it is the payment that ensures that no further obligation exists on the part of either party. For close friends or clearly impoverished a Freeborn might offer a fine meal for help with the dishes or even an afternoon's work. It is easy to be itinerant in Freeborn society, so long as you don't mind working for your supper.

Koch

Koch is the traditional drink of the Freeborn, but every family has its own recipe. Each family carefully guards their own recipe for Koch, and there is a common belief that to give away its secret is to give some of your good luck to another. In most families Koch is a dark is a bitter but uplifting brew that is sometimes sweetened with honey or sugar. It is very rarely alcoholic, since it is intended to be drunk as a family and when business is being discussed. Indeed the taking of Koch before the opening of trade negotiations is considered not only polite, but beneficial to the coming talks.

Contracts

Written contracts are exceptionally important in Freeborn culture. The best contracts are short and succinct but clearly identify the obligations of both parties. To the Freeborn mind, making an agreement commits the integrity of their soul to the deal, if they contract to do something their reputation is at stake if they cannot carry through. For this reason almost all enduring contracts include fiscal clauses for default. This is not meant as a lack of commitment, but simply to avoid being a hostage to fortune, should circumstances change and make it impossible for the parties to complete the deal. However, the Freeborn see no shame in going back on contracts written, particularly if a better deal comes along, provided the default bonds are paid.

Art

Art, particularly calligraphy, is highly valued in Freeborn. They value books but treasure those that are beautifully illuminated. To the Freeborn, every aspect of writing is an important artistic statement, the language used should be articulate and possess a lyrical quality, the letters and words should be written with bold ink strokes on beautiful paper or parchment that is then decorated and illuminated. Given their emphasis on deals, it is perhaps no surprise that the Freeborn even like well written contracts and they often display particularly fine examples on the walls of their homes, especially ones that had great sentimental or fiscal value.

Relationships

Freeborn society does not favour men or women but tribal and familial lines are always matrilineal and while men may marry into a Freeborn family and tribe, women may not. If a Freeborn woman marries then her husband joins her tribal family. Marriage outside the tribe is relatively rare. Much more common is for Freeborn men and women to form a temporary attachment. These attachments are romantic or physical in nature, but with no assumption that they will last for life. In fact with some pairings there is no assumption that they will last more than a night, an attitude that some outsiders find scandalous.

All marriages – and indeed most extended attachments – are formalised with a contract in which each participant lays down the parameters of the relationship. A marriage or relationship contract commonly covers matters such as the duration of the relationship, the rights and responsibilities of the participants, the expectation of fidelity, the division of shared wealth both during and after the relationship ends, and at least one clause covering how the relationship may be ended prematurely by either party. This rather cold-blooded practicality around matters of the heart is just another manifestation of the Freeborn's fiscal approach to life. These contracts ensure that both parties know the value the other places on the attachment. Not all attachments require a contract, but if a relationship is going to last for more than a few weeks, it is usually a sensible precaution against misunderstandings.

Funerals

Freeborn dead are wrapped in spice-infused wraps and then burned. The resulting ashes are scattered on the sea, or on the winds of the plain, depending on the family's wishes. Old tradition says that those lost at sea take new form as dolphins who will guide and guard lost ships, but no-one really believes it these days.