Life in the Wonder is slower in pace than in many other nations. There is far less emphasis on output, and more on the process of the craft. Crafted items are made to last, just as trees are planted to outlive the planter. There is a national mentality that things endure if they are looked after, regardless of the lifetimes of the individual owners along the way.
From the outside, there can be the expectation that Wonderfolk are always wise, always stalwart, always steady. Always… a little dull. From inside though, there is a softness and humour that they enjoy using to break this facade. Perhaps this comes from the necessity to be a barrier between the brave and naive Averlaise and the cunning and ambitious Valdraeth – as a people they have had to maintain balance. This is particularly seen during the annual festivals; when the pressure is off, and the work is done, they give themselves entirely over to joy.
Values
They value honesty, because nothing can be fairly decided when one side is harbouring untruths.
They value freedom, because a person bound to a life they have not chosen cannot grow into themself.
They value family, whether blood or bond, because a person cannot thrive without a network around them to teach them how to first survive.
Talent should be watered, until skill is the fruit of labour.
The poison around you should be understood, both the poison of the forest and the poison of the mind, so neither can strike unexpectedly.
Food
More than perhaps any other nation, their lives are guided by the seasons; there are times of abundance and times of scarcity, so planning is necessary to make sure everyone has what they need. When in season, herbs and foraged food are available in massive quantities – too much to process to keep – so the call goes out throughout the land when the first berries, nuts or wild cereals are found to be ripe. What follows is a setting down of tools and common collection of foragable foods, called “Grazefeasts”, where all enjoy the bounty of their biome together, eating as much straight from the bushes as is kept for later.
Beyond what can be foraged, many of the settlements in the biomes have gardens surrounding them where small amounts of other crops can be cultivated. Herbs grow in abundance around every pathway, and spices are harvested from the loneliest regions of the Wonder’s reaches.
Though birds and insects are everywhere in the Wonder, humming through the air, there are few animals that are native to it. Those that are are no mere mundane beasts but escapees from rifts to the magical Spheres; most often Fable and Earth, but Water and Athria as well. There are also a smattering of livestock animals, usually goats and cows that were bred from Urdrevan stock centuries ago, and have taken on some of the nature of the forest; their pelts as mossy as they are furry.
Death
Wonderfolk have a respect for the Reaper, the God of death and mercy, that permeates much of their society. The cycle of life and death is everywhere around them, and though very little reaping goes on in a nation without agriculture, they understand the common word for the God that takes those away whose time has come, as with the turning of the seasons.
When a Wonderfolk dies, their body is taken to a part of the forest in need of regrowth, and a tree planted above their plot. It’s widely believed these trees grow faster and stronger depending on the balance the deceased brought to the world – those who were fiery of temper grow trees that are similarly temperamental, while those who were slow to act are slow to bud with each new spring.
These trees sometimes are gradually formed into shrines, especially when many have need to be buried at once, with new coppices springing up from their remains. Sometimes a Groveheart will build a small shelter in these areas, to ensure that no underdwellers rise up to throw off the balance to the land nearby.
It is common to give the belongings of the dead to those who have the least, with items made from the hands of the deceased kept for sentimentality, as proof of their personal craft.
National Festivals
Cascade
The festival of the spring Cascade cannot be set by the calendar, just like much of the Wonder’s turning of the seasons. It marks a point in the year where the River Edda bursts its banks and floods most of Æbelgard, up to twenty feet deep in some areas. Much of the region that is affected has only temporary buildings at the flood level, built upon pontoons that raise as the flood levels do. The rest of the town and outlying villages were the first to practice the building of treetop houses, which became a network of paths and ladders during Cascade.
It is unclear where the water comes from – some posit it is the purest of waters, straight from the magical Sphere of water, and the sheer variety of creatures that make their way through the nation during Cascade would go some way to support this. Selkies, Kelpies, even the Kelp Dragons that are only native to the Meering are sometimes spotted grazing on the unfamiliar foliage to their homes. Visitors and pilgrims from the other biomes are common, settling in spare rooms and wayhouses built for the purpose which are used as storehouses the rest of the year.
The Cascade lasts a little over a week in most years, and is marked by a total relinquishing of day to day duties. Canoes are raced, fish are caught, the cobwebs of winter are quite literally washed away. The entire lifestyle changes. For many people of Æbelgard, it is the only sea they ever see.
Realm Festival
Summersend
Summersend, or Summer’s End, is a festival that aligns with the harvest celebrations across the Crownlands. Unlike Avereaux and Valdraeth however, who celebrate the abundance their golden fields and expansive orchards offer at this time of year, Wonderfolk see the end of summer as a reminder to prepare for Winter, and gather the stores needed to endure the changes that come with nature’s bounty.
Thornsthorpe was once a particular hub of activity during this holiday, with its pine forests and peaks of gusting wind that could be particularly cold. Since its recent loss, the refugees from Thornsthorpe who have travelled to the other three biomes have brought their traditions with them, inviting others from the Crownlands to fill the gaps left by the stores they once gathered from the Peaks of Rue. It is a festival that is growing and evolving with its people’s needs.