People
The people of the Talon Isles have no overarching word for themselves and generally identify more
to their individual settlement or island than towards a single national identity. To outsiders however,
their single cultural identity is obvious and the most commonly used term to describe them as a
group of people is simply “Islanders”.
The defining feature of these people is the strong naval tradition and focus on fishing or maritime
trading as a means to earn one’s keep. When living in an archipelago heavily reliant on the
interrelation of the various islands, sailing rapidly becomes a skill that is picked up by most. This
pride and respect for the waves and the ships that sail them is present throughout all inhabitants.
Socially, the Islanders are not a united group, or nation. They identify only tangentially with their
race and language - while someone may speak and look similar, they’re not known, and therefore are
foreign despite the cultural ties. The strongest bonds are instead those of the town or settlement in
which they live; a hamlet will be an extremely tightly bonded community, nearly entirely
unwelcoming to strangers that aren’t on good terms with at least one of them. These bonds of
loyalty are often further solidified by adoption - extremely common in the Islands is the tradition of
taking the last name of the settlement’s leading figure. Due to these strong ties to their settlements
and the others within them, rarely does anything less than marriage or tragedy result in people
moving out.
This particular quirk changes in the larger settlements, due to the inconvenience of not being able to
know everyone - as long as you look Islander and act Islander, you’ll be treated as a resident and
friend, simply from the assumption that you live in the same place. While foreigners as a whole are
viewed distrustfully initially, this is regardless of race. A Moor or Caparii will become as welcome as a
human, provided that they do the same things. Only towards Greylings and Earthspawn is a greater
dislike harboured, for their part in serving Grief combined with their bestial appearance.
Physically, the islanders are marked by their dull hair and eyes, tending towards earthy tones for
both. Pale skin, and the lack of such to properly tan, are indicative of most who inhabit the far
north, and this holds true for most Islanders. Their builds are in no way outstanding, finding
themselves, on average, at heights of 5 foot 10 inches and weighing 9 stone 7 pounds (178cm, 60kg).
Braiding is common among all, whether male or female, and rarely will you see a man in the Islands
beardless. Calloused hands, simply due to the hard lifestyle all have to lead this far north, are another
commonly found feature and only in the truly rich landowners can a hand without the evidence of
hard toil be found.
Language
The language of the Islanders is rapidly dying out in favour of the more widely spoken Common - in
fact, native speakers of this language are few and far between. The cultural heritage of this language
still remains in the form of multiple loan words and situationally depending on the occasion. Titles,
places and the occasional phrase are still in the old language, often kept as a formality. This is most
obvious in the titles the council holds, but other such examples are found in the names of the
islands, such as The Chain also being known as Cadwyn and Blackstone also referred to as
Caladbolg.
Religion
In the rocky hills of the Talon Islands, it is generally believed that the gods should be worshipped as
their need arises. Some may favour a god over the course of their lifetime due to profession or
upbringing but the non-existence of an organised religious viewpoint among these people is a
defining point in their behaviour. There are, of course, gods which simply by their nature prove to
draw more followers and, vice versa, gods who are less follows.
Jax, as the god of trading, is crucial for the economy of Hierax to flourish, and so merchants and
upper casts of the society alike worship him and make small sacrifices to his success. Even the poorer
fishermen often look to Jax to bring them safe travels, as the sea can be a wild beast, and the rocky
shores of Talon Islands are quick to devour those unlucky enough to find themselves under
unfortunate winds.
Both Jishrim and Skraag are generally less revered, for they are at heart evil, and both of them go
against the ancient mottos of the Knights Radiant, who centuries ago founded House Hawklight.
Suffer Not the Dead to Live - and with this chant, the knights of Hawklight would bravely charge
into ranks of undead, their acts of bravery a thing of legend.
Despite the fact that many among the Islands strive for knowledge, and the historical records stored
in Blackstone are among the most detailed known (simply due to the age of the House Hawklight),
Silas is not revered as a God. A false deity, born of the evil demons of Grief, who long ago sought the
destruction of Altera - such a creature is certainly not worthy of any worship. This is perhaps the
most outstanding point in the religious practices of the Islands.
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