Well, for one the people of Cheliax live under a demon-worshiping totalitarian regime. They are fed propaganda about peoples from other nations and, therefore, tend to be xenophobic and paranoid. Also, Chelaxians are obsessed with their station, no matter what their station is. For instance, the leader of a household of slaves would hold that station as a mark of pride and defend it bitterly even though he is still a slave himself.
The Taldane seem to be more of a group that you would think of as coming from a more "standard" fantasy setting. I figure this because the Taldane language is Common for all intents and purposes. These people are centered around regions like Brevoy, so they are no stranger to cold and bitter winters. They are sort of outdoorsy people, without the gypsy angle of the Varisians.
I don't know if there's a book on the Taldane people yet but there is a little book on Cheliax and the PDF is pretty cheap and I recommend it.
Well, for one the people of Cheliax live under a demon-worshiping totalitarian regime.
I think a local Hellknight representative would like to have a few words with you.
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Well, for one the people of Cheliax live under a demon-worshiping totalitarian regime.I think a local Hellknight representative would like to have a few words with you.
Indeed. It's devil-worshipping. For some grubby peasant, there might be little difference, but for the devils and demons themselves, as well as the wealthy and powerful in, say, Cheliax, that is one hell of a difference.
Well, for one the people of Cheliax live under a demon-worshiping totalitarian regime.I think a local Hellknight representative would like to have a few words with you.
Sorry, devil-worshiping totalitarian regime.
Well first off, Common (Taldane) is the common tongue in both Taldan and Cheliax. That Cheliax had its own language is and was a typo, according to the Paizo publishers anyhow. Taldane has its own sourcebook witch is quite good.
For the cultural differences... Imagine Chelaxian common folk as French
common folk; and Taldanes as English common folk. That is how they are drawn an alluded to. The Prince of Taldan looks like a sniveling prince john... Taldane has its Byzantium ish ness, and its English ish ness... and Cheliax has its France before the Revolution, and during the hellfire club years... but the peasantry is very British vs French :) Watch Le Miserable for a look at the cities for the peasants in Cheliax. But remember the cities are dark red and black gothic... And I think that Taldan would be very Robin Hood Britain. The peasants might be Monty Python Britain complete with the dung on their cloths ;)
Yeah, is it my imagination or was every single ethnicity in the Inner Sea guide described as acting "superior" or "arrogant" in one way or another as a primary character trait? It started to grate on me.
For the cultural differences... Imagine Chelaxian common folk as French common folk; and Taldanes as English common folk.
I get that. For Cheliaxians I have also drawn influence from the later Roman period when corruption was commonplace. Specifically looking at the Spartacus series on Starz. That show is a good example of how a lawful evil household is run.
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Yeah, is it my imagination or was every single ethnicity in the Inner Sea guide described as acting "superior" or "arrogant" in one way or another as a primary character trait? It started to grate on me.
Every single ethnicity/clan/what have you in every single game book across all systems is described as acting "superior" or "arrogant" in one way or another as a primary character trait. No real change there.
For the Chelaxian lower classes at least there are some glimpses in the Hell's Pawns serial that ran in Pathfinder #25 through #30.
As I've explained the Taldanes to my players, Taldor is basically fantasy Britain as it imagined itself to be, the shining jewel of civilization, etc. Of course everyone wants to be nobility, or at very least the upper crust who can reasonably aspire to be elevated to the nobility, either by marrying into it or else by being granted arms by the emperor, but even the lower classes do this too. Everyone has some story about someone who is discovered to be a lost heir or else a Cinderella figure whose "true nobility" shone through so strongly that some prince just had to marry her, overlooking all the ugly stepsisters and political matches and so on that would be more common.
Beyond that, even the lower classes--the servants and gardeners and so forth--take great pride in being citizens of Taldor, thinking it the finest nation in the world, etc. and there are customs set in place so they can reasonably thing it so--servants balls, parades for the populace, all the rest.
Cheliax? Far less pleasant for the lower classes. I think more like Nazi Germany if the Third Reich had really come about, except with the Cult of Asmodeus instead of National Socialism.
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Yeah, is it my imagination or was every single ethnicity in the Inner Sea guide described as acting "superior" or "arrogant" in one way or another as a primary character trait? It started to grate on me.Every single ethnicity/clan/what have you in every single game book across all systems is described as acting "superior" or "arrogant" in one way or another as a primary character trait. No real change there.
Every single ethnicity/clan/what have you in every single nation on Earth is described as acting "superior" or "arrogant" in one way or another as a primary character trait by some other ethnicity/clan/what have you. Welcome to Homo sapiens.
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As I've explained the Taldanes to my players, Taldor is basically fantasy Britain as it imagined itself to be, the shining jewel of civilization, etc. Of course everyone wants to be nobility, or at very least the upper crust who can reasonably aspire to be elevated to the nobility, either by marrying into it or else by being granted arms by the emperor, but even the lower classes do this too. Everyone has some story about someone who is discovered to be a lost heir or else a Cinderella figure whose "true nobility" shone through so strongly that some prince just had to marry her, overlooking all the ugly stepsisters and political matches and so on that would be more common.
Beyond that, even the lower classes--the servants and gardeners and so forth--take great pride in being citizens of Taldor, thinking it the finest nation in the world, etc. and there are customs set in place so they can reasonably thing it so--servants balls, parades for the populace, all the rest.
Cheliax? Far less pleasant for the lower classes. I think more like Nazi Germany if the Third Reich had really come about, except with the Cult of Asmodeus instead of National Socialism.
Well, I disagree on Taldor. It's more like medheval France. Taldan society is divided in THE BEARDED, composed by Royalty (the nobles, hereditary titles generally decadent or at best trying to emulate some of their ancestor's achievements, at worst corrupt and ineffectual fops; one may be rised to royalty by the Grand Prince, but this almost never happens)and by the Senatorial Class (functionaries of the State, prefecture governors, important bureaucrats, it's more common for common people to be rised to this station if they work hard and they can call in some favors with their betters) and UNBEARDED (the rest of the population, 99% of it actually, which means the unbearded may be rich merchants or street beggars, they have the same right in front of the law, which means no rights at all; the unbearded can advance socially through promotion though, they may please a member of royalty or a powerful senator and get their sponsorship, or more commonly, enlist in the massive Taldan military and eventually be promoted to the ranks of the bearded... if they survive that long and please their superiors). Bearded class people have the legal right to grow and groom a beard (as a sign of their station), unbearded can't do that and an unbearded grooming a beard is going to be treated as a criminal if found out.
Hope this helps