Roleplaying Serrainers
by Karl David BrownSerrainers live in a very unusual place so it is little wonder that they have some unusual cultural norms. What follows is typical of Serrainers but not universal.
• Serrainers are not scared of heights.
• A machine malfunctioning dangerously is just an accident and not anyone's fault.
• Gnomes and the working classes speak with a broad dialect. Use ‘be’ for ‘can’ or ‘are’ or ‘is’, ‘me’ instead of ‘I’ and ‘ o’ ‘ instead of ‘of’. Drop the ‘g’ from ‘-ing’.
• Common expressions: ‘a lark day’ a day with clear weather, ‘have a lark day’ a farewell, ‘giant’s trousers’ large fluffy white-gray clouds, ‘down with the giant’s trousers’ uncertain weather with grey clouds below and some clouds above, ‘gremlins in your meddling box’ may you get confused and mess things up, ‘may your sprockets spark’ good luck!
• Corpses are just objects that can be bought, sold, and used. You may or may not find animating or eating corpses distateful but it isn't evil. Just keep the receipt when you buy one from the next of kin!
• Patriotism is high. Serraine is the most impressive and sophisticated city in the world. It is a citizens duty to defend the city.
• A careful being with a strong will can avoid being charmed. Being charmed is treated as just an embarrassing incident unless the harm done is grievous.
• It’s fine to make loud noise any time of the night or day. Serraine is a noisy place and Serrainers sleep through loud noise.
• You are used to sphinxes, pegataurs, nagpa, harpies, gnomes, faenare, tabi, and gremlins walking the streets. Some may have distasteful or annoying habits but you are all Serrainers together.
• Gremlins are not citizens. They are treated more like naughty street-orphans or stray cats. Immigration control tries to stop them coming back into Serraine.
• Evading tax collectors is popularly regarded as a city sport.