So I am planning an outlaws of Alkenstar Game. Now Alkenstar has a lot of Victorian steampunk / wild west aesthetics Which I do like. I do like the cowboys, saloons, ranchers, airships, etc. But what I want to do is have more aesthetics of the region tie into the fact it is in eastern Garund, it lays between Nex and Geb, and travel to Jalmaray or further afield to Vudran or the Mwangi expanse is possible. So I want to add these elements to Alkenstar to make it more fitting to the region it is.
One thing that the books do talk about is how Alkenstari don't really drink Alcohol all that much due to the influence of the Church of Brigh but they do consume lots of Tea. Which is something I do plan to use.
Still I am curious what other ways one can improve the aesthetics of Alkenstar to have more garundi, vurudni, dwarven, mwangi and so on that fit the region. advice is welcomed. :)
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There's actually very little in the way of Mwangi aesthetics in Alkenstar for one very simple reason - the bloody enormous mountain range in the way. It increases the effective distance between the Impossible Lands and the Mwangi Expanse from "right next to each other" to "long and incredibly difficult mountain crossing, or long and incredibly dangerous underground travel". Makes immigration a little difficult!
As for a more blended aesthetic, how about waistcoats with back panels of Jalmeray silks (perhaps in the style of watered silks, or shot silk with a pattern), or a fashion for skirts printed with Katapeshi techniques? From Nex, there might be enchanted fabrics, like the glamourweave of Eberron, or strange, custom-built fleshwarp pets (definitely not also designed as scrying targets, oh no!). Geb mostly exports food, so I'd expect their cultural influence to be more in the direction of "default staple grains" rather than more overt blending.
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Why the heck does Brigh care about alcohol??
It isn't like clockwork things can get drunk.
:eyeroll:
I'm not sure even androids can get drunk.
You don't want drunk people operating heavy machinery... or building your very precise clockwork.
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Why the heck does Brigh care about alcohol??
It isn't like clockwork things can get drunk.
:eyeroll:
I'm not sure even androids can get drunk.
To note this is specifically the Alkenstari Brighite church's view, the Goddess may or may not care at all. but it is such a fun detail that I think helps makes things neat. Saloons that are tea houses.
Impossible Lands says this:
Alcohol isn’t commonly consumed by more traditional Alkenstari. The influence of Brighite philosophy, promulgated by widespread distribution of the Brighite text Logic of Design, has led to the categorization of food and drink into logical and illogical groups. In Alkenstar Brighite thought, alcohol, which reduces precision and lucidity, is an illogical beverage, while coffee and tea, as drinks that give energy and alertness, are considered logical drinks. The famed Alkenstar ice wine is produced almost exclusively for export to Geb and very rarely consumed in the city. Visitors and recent migrants aren’t expected to abstain and can purchase a wide range of liquid refreshments in Alkenstar’s many taverns and taphouses; in all these establishments, Donguni soldiers drink on the house, in recognition of their invaluable contributions to the city’s foundation and defense.
The book also describes the different tea and coffee practices for Smokeside and skyside. with different sorts of teas and teawear. It also mentions that Geb exports various teas to Alkenstar which is neat.
I do plan to use this because it is neat.
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The Impossible Lands book also mentions people in Alkenstar City having couscous and green tea for breakfast, which suggests North African culinary stylings. The mentions of elaborate coffee rituals during Surgetime also makes me think of Turkish coffee - actually, considering how into coffee and tea Alkenstar is, going for a very coffeehouse-and-cafe style dining style seems appropriate. Maybe add some flatbread, yogurt, and richly flavoured stews (not too capsaicin-spicy though - I would bet the Brighite lot sort "enough spice to make you cry" onto the "illogical foods" list)
There's actually very little in the way of Mwangi aesthetics in Alkenstar for one very simple reason - the bloody enormous mountain range in the way. It increases the effective distance between the Impossible Lands and the Mwangi Expanse from "right next to each other" to "long and incredibly difficult mountain crossing, or long and incredibly dangerous underground travel". Makes immigration a little difficult!
Yea, I knew about the mountain range but wasn't quite sure if there would be or wouldn't be. Humans and other ancestries are pretty well travelled so I figured there might be some but okay.
As for a more blended aesthetic, how about waistcoats with back panels of Jalmeray silks (perhaps in the style of watered silks, or shot silk with a pattern), or a fashion for skirts printed with Katapeshi techniques? From Nex, there might be enchanted fabrics, like the glamourweave of Eberron, or strange, custom-built fleshwarp pets (definitely not also designed as scrying targets, oh no!). Geb mostly exports food, so I'd expect their cultural influence to be more in the direction of "default staple grains" rather than more overt blending.
ah, the silk and other clothing from nearby lands and fashion I think can work. One thing I do want to do is making the various NPCs less white looking.
The Impossible Lands book also mentions people in Alkenstar City having couscous and green tea for breakfast, which suggests North African culinary stylings. The mentions of elaborate coffee rituals during Surgetime also makes me think of Turkish coffee - actually, considering how into coffee and tea Alkenstar is, going for a very coffeehouse-and-cafe style dining style seems appropriate. Maybe add some flatbread, yogurt, and richly flavoured stews (not too capsaicin-spicy though - I would bet the Brighite lot sort "enough spice to make you cry" onto the "illogical foods" list)
Oh yea, that works. I do like food here being different and north african / middle eastern helps sell things. having the food at the saloons be like this and dropping the whiskey for teas I think would be cool. Or maybe I can keep the whiskey as one of the dwarven influences?
Plus coffee is still very western. Looks to all the coffee I consumed as Arthur Morgan in RDR2 :P
Alkenstar should also have a bunch of dwarven influences from Dongun Hold, so I should double check the sections on Dongun Hold to see how it is.
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Why the heck does Brigh care about alcohol??
It isn't like clockwork things can get drunk.
:eyeroll:
I'm not sure even androids can get drunk.
Brigh is working to prevent the rise of Mom's Friendly Robot Company. An ultimately futile pursuit, but even gods need a hobby.
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Brigh is working to prevent the rise of Mom's Friendly Robot Company. An ultimately futile pursuit, but even gods need a hobby.Why the heck does Brigh care about alcohol??
It isn't like clockwork things can get drunk.
:eyeroll:
I'm not sure even androids can get drunk.
Probably as good an explanation as any other I've seen so far.
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Plus coffee is still very western. Looks to all the coffee I consumed as Arthur Morgan in RDR2 :P
Coffee-drinking began in the Middle East and spread into Africa long before it hit Europe or any cowboy's boots touched North America - I think you're doing it a disservice by writing it off here! Anything 'foreign' enough to have been condemned to the Pope as a "Muslim drink" could hardly ever be Western in my eyes.
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Plus coffee is still very western. Looks to all the coffee I consumed as Arthur Morgan in RDR2 :PCoffee-drinking began in the Middle East and spread into Africa long before it hit Europe or any cowboy's boots touched North America - I think you're doing it a disservice by writing it off here! Anything 'foreign' enough to have been condemned to the Pope as a "Muslim drink" could hardly ever be Western in my eyes.
Oh I am not writing it off. Just the opposite. I was reminded of how well it fits in with the western genre in general so it is one of those things that fits overall both in blending western and eastern garundi aesthetics. I am agreeing with you. :)
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Plus coffee is still very western. Looks to all the coffee I consumed as Arthur Morgan in RDR2 :PCoffee-drinking began in the Middle East and spread into Africa long before it hit Europe or any cowboy's boots touched North America - I think you're doing it a disservice by writing it off here! Anything 'foreign' enough to have been condemned to the Pope as a "Muslim drink" could hardly ever be Western in my eyes.
Coffee has a really cool history actually. Definitely recommend learning about it for those who are unfamilar.
Plus coffee is still very western. Looks to all the coffee I consumed as Arthur Morgan in RDR2 :PCoffee-drinking began in the Middle East and spread into Africa long before it hit Europe or any cowboy's boots touched North America - I think you're doing it a disservice by writing it off here! Anything 'foreign' enough to have been condemned to the Pope as a "Muslim drink" could hardly ever be Western in my eyes.
And the cultivation of coffee beans began in Ethiopia, though the first record of the drink was from Yemen.
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Part of the reason I suggested looking into Turkish coffee specifically is because the Impossible Lands book calls the coffee preparations "intricate," and a Turkish-style preparation of finely ground (sometimes on the spot) coffee and water heated specifically in a basin of hot sand is the most intricate coffee ritual I'm aware of that doesn't require the invention of the espresso machine. (you can also absolutely do a less elaborate preparation over a fire, for cowboy coffee)
Some other culinary ideas: remember couscous comes in both sweet (often served with honey, sesame and fruit, particularly dates) and savoury (with vegetables, chickpeas, and stew) - it's a very versatile dish, as befits a major staple. The mentions of thick milky tea being drunk by the industrial workers makes me think of spiced chai (you could possibly also lace it with something with a little more kick, hidden in the spice mix and picked up off the black market...). Actually, I bet they keep the tea hot by putting it on the boilers or steam pipes, because the factory barons sure as hells aren't shelling out for an employee kitchen! The agriculture section mentions figs, pomegranates, and dates, so generally Middle Eastern and North African cuisine seems like a good starting point - but it also mentions avocados, so getting some South American stylings is also a good plan (I don't know if there is corn, though. The eternal question of Golarion's Fantasy Columbian Exchange!).