Sohldar ethnographical questionnaire

Sohlodar Ethnographical Questionnaire

Dr. Zahar’s Ethnographical Questionnaire was compiled by Padraic Brown and can be found in the files section of the Conculture group at Yahoo. I'll be filling it out intermittently.

Questions of Place

(a) Describe the geography of where your society calls home.

Sohlodar, the land of the Sohloshan, is located around the great lake known as the White Sohl, its tributary rivers Helender and Yahandar, and the river Linender which drains the White Sohl into the ocean, known as the Black Sohl. The Helender has its source in the Kejbrispeng mountains to the north, near the city of Kidil or Tidil. Between the Kejbrispeng mountains and the White Sohl lies the Doskoh or Green Plain, which is the main area of agriculture and settlement in Sohlodar. Where the Helender flows into the White Sohl lies Sohlel, the greatest of the three cities of Sohlodar. To the east lies Frohkehl, a desert plateau. West of the White Sohl the Linender river first flows through a rocky landscape before it reaches the coastal plain Xozdarkoh and empties itself into the Black Sohl under the walls of the city of Linel.

(b) Describe the climate your society deals with. How severe are their seasons?

The climate is rather hot and dry, although there is a cooler, rainy season when the Helender flows over and the Yahandar, which is dry at the height of the hot season, runs full with water. Most of the rainfall is over the Kejbrispeng, and the water is then relayed to the Doskoh by the Helender. It is the precipitation over the Kejbrispeng and the Frohkehl, transported to the White Sohl by the rivers, which makes the region, which would otherwise be a desert, amenable to agriculture (similar to ancient Egypt in our world).

The Xozdarkoh plain along the coast the soil is less fertile, so that the Lindeshan import their grain from the Doskoh area, but they keep their own sheep and cattle and have an important fishing economy.

(c) What kinds of natural disasters has this society gotten used to?

Mostly earthquakes and the Helender river occasionally changing its course. The bedrock of Sohlodar is of volcanic origin, but there were no active volcanoes in recorded history.

(d) What are the most commonly-grown foods?

Grain, vegetables and fruit.

(e) What are the most commonly-eaten meats?

Mutton and fowl. Fish along the coast.

(f) What foods are considered exotic or expensive?

Beef. The higher up in society you are, the more beef you eat, while at the bottom of society you usually eat none at all.

(g) What forms of alcohol are common? Rare?

Wine and beer are common. Wine is rare among the lower classes. Distilled spirits are unknown.

(h) Is there usually enough food and water for the population?

Yes.

(i) What is this place's most abundant resource?

Grain, vegetables, fruit, sheep (and thus wool), linen.

(j) What is its most valuable resource?

Diamonds. They are exported to foreign sea-faring peoples at Linel.

(l) How do people travel from one place to another?

On foot, horseback or horse-drawn carriages. Ox-carts are not unknown but usually not used for person transports.

(m) Are the borders secure? In what way?

Semi-secure, in that the land is surrounded by mountains, ocean and desert. The Sohloshan themselves invaded from the north at the beginning of recorded history, and there has been one notable later invasion.

(n) How many people live here?

Betweeen one and two million.

(o) Where in this place to they congregate?

The cities; mainly Sohlel.

(p) What part of this place do they avoid? Why?

The uninhabited area between the central plain and the coastal plain. It is haunted by outlaws and wild beasts.

(q) What are the most common domesticated animals here? And what are they domesticated for?

Sheep, used for food, clothing and leather. Goats, used for milk and leather. Fowl, used for eggs and food. Cows used for milk, food and leather. Dogs, used for guarding and herding. Cats, used for mousing. Horses used for transportation and racing.

(r) What are the most common wild animals?

Several wild bests are mentioned in the literature. Lions were both feared and admired.

(s) Which animals are likely to be pets? Which ones won't be?

Cats and dogs and the occasional lamb. Some upper-class people keep singing birds. It would be odd to keep e.g. snakes as pets.