Dress: Light, loose floating clothes, sort of greco-roman in style. Chiton, chiton and trews, toga, peplos, sandals or low boots depending on the climate. More clothes are worn in the cooler north, where styles grade into those worn in Gallacia. More clothes are worn in public situations than in private where both men and women may wear only a simple tunic. For long trips into the desert the Achaeans adopt the burnoose of their tribal kin. Fabric is light: linen, cotton, or silk. Each piece is generally a single color (or white) with bands of cloth or geometric embroidery around the edges.
Language: Closest to that of the Hill peoples of the Korous mountains, the Achaean's speach has been strongly influenced by the language of the Western men and to a lesser extent by Eastern gallic. They use an adapted version of Imperial Script to write their alphabet. The symbols are more simplified and geometric than those used elsewhere and a few have been added to convey unique sounds.
Kinship/Family: Extended families with a great respect for the elder members has been carried over from the Achaean's days as semi-nomads. They have bi-lateral inheritance, with the male side generally dominant. The families are patrilocal brides go to live with their husband's families. Each couple will have an average of 3 or 4 children, who are treated with open affection. Women are not generally invloved in politics, but may well work in the family business and can own property. Women can also initiate a divorce. Widows especially have a great deal of freedom and though married women usually defer to their husbands, tradition sees a marriage as a partnership and calls a man who ignores the wisdom of his wife a fool.
Government/Authority: Since their tribal days, older people (grandparents) have been highly respected. This tradition continues with the oldest couple in a family making it's private and business deciscions and controlling the family business. The same trend continues into political life where these same successful men are often the oligarchs who rule the town.
Religion/Philosophy: Very little religion. The educated, urban Achaean is a humanist who believes that man is the measure of all things and that the world is knowable. There is some ancestor worship that takes the form of simple offerings left at graves and family shrines. Also popular among the lower classes is the formulaic worship of a benevloent sea god, Manuon/Manon/Mannanon. Recently the somewhat taoist and stoic Elven beliefs have been attracting more educated Achaeans.
Magick: See above. The Achaeans practice a very logical, mathematical form of magick that is particularly good for creative magickal devices, runes, geometrically precise circles of power, etc. This form of magick grew form the Ahcaean belief that the world can be understood by men and that men are capable of manipulating it via known rules as they can iron or stone or wood. They are generally skeptical of emotional, ecstatic, religious magic, believing that the powers are capricious and man is far better off relying on his own gifts in all but the worst situations. While Achaeans don't have the religious fervor that motivates other peoples to revile demons, they non-the-less fear them for their abilites and consider the summoning of them to be a crime on par with arson, unjustified killing, and other acts of destruction. Demon summoners are generally assumed to be up to no good -- a summoner who used his demons for good ends would be and enigma. Achaeans do recognize the difference between demons and elemental spirits, and do sometimes summon the latter.
Arts: Achaeans are a very creative people. Their music consists of multi-part acapella songsin some cases, accompanied or unaccompanied instrumental music in others. Instruments include simple pipes and flutes, reed-based woodwinds, drums, rebecs, and bells and small cymbols. Most public performers are men, and alto and soprano parts are sung by boys (such activities are definitely unladylike). Achaeans also have a vigourous and bawdy tradition of street theater which is gradually becoming more popular in the north of the continent. Female actors are generally considered to be prostitutes as well, even if there is no evidence of such on their part. Visual arts in Achaea consist of bronze or marble statues and frescos. While the achaeans love geometric design and often paint their houses in bright colors, they favor a naturalistic and optically precise style for the painting of scenes or sculpting of animal or human forms. Favored scenes are tales form Achaean legend and paintings of sea-life.
Way of Life/Professions: The Achaeans are very mercantile. They are known for always getting the best in a bargain and for being very good lawyers (which just about says it all). Banking is the new big businness in Achaea, and their promisary notes are usually honored in Mithraea, the Marches, Sienova, and the urban areas of Galacia. Scientists and scholars are well respected, as are architects, shipwrights and other skilled craftsmen. The proffession every parent wants his or her son to be good at, however, is politics, which is by far the favorite pastime in Achaea. The achaeans are also a very humanist and body-centered society. They love athletics of all sorts, form soccer like games, to swimming and running competitions, sailing and rowing races, mast-climbing feats and more. They are not as focused on strength-based or combative contests as are the Gaels and Mithraeans.
Cultural Background Skills: Basic math, possibly advanced math or accounting. Administrative skills and two or three assorted academic skills. Many upper class Achaeans will have a magickal skill or two like reading runes or attunement. The men will also have skill in at least one light weapon: rapier, short-sword, dagger, etc. A lower class citizen will still have some reading ability and the skills of his chosen trade.
Differences Between Northern and Southern Achaeans: The Achaeans have fierce loyalties to their home city, its food, dress, and form of government (oligarchic, republican, etc.). But there are some general differences between northern and southern Achaeans. The Northern achaeans have a cooler, wetter climate. The fear drout less and generally have stronger economies. They have also escaped most of their southern cousin's strife with the Empire of Man. This has led to their having a more optomistic and liberal culture. Blood sports are frowned upon more, while in the south they are very popular. Debt slavery is used less often as a means of recouping debts, and women have more personal freedom. In the South, society is more patriarchal and conservative. Women and chihldren are restricted more in their activites, laws are harsher, and the culture retains more of the feel of that of the neighboring hill and desert people. There are fewer northern influences in the south. Northern dress and architecture is rare. The people are generally a bit shirter and darker skinned, and many still speak with an accent that northerner's call "sandy mouthed."