The High Lorentish are the elvenized Human populace of central Lencenor. Mainly located along the Bloodwine River and around the Bay of Wines, they are characterized by their etiquette in court, their chivalry on the battlefield, and their romance in story-telling.
History[]
The distinction between High and Low Lorentish originates in the split between the Lorenti kingdoms of Redfort and Redwood and the old Kingdom of Enteben. The unification of Lorent brought Lorenti and Entebenics closer, yet the two cultures shifted again after the Siege of Lorentei. The rescue of the capital of Lorent by the elves and, later on, the union of King Ruben II and the elven lady Ioriel, brought about a cultural renaissance for both Lorenti and elves. This union melded elven customs with tales of long lost elven grandeur and the chivalric nature of the Lorenti to create a new kind of court standard, a High Lorentish etiquette, which crowned a deeply elvenized society. The High Lorentish wed the elves and created a half-elven nobility set apart from its Low Lorentish siblings.
Appearance[]
Due to the opulence afforded them by the Bay of Wines, the High Lorentish favour exaggerated and flamboyant garb. Always on the cutting edge of Cannorian fashion, the High Lorentish see their clothing as something that meaningfully sets them apart from other cultures, however those cultures would say the High Lorentish are doing little more than compensating for shallow personalities.
Society[]
The High Lorentish see themselves as a step above their human and half-elven peers (especially those of Gawed), but are too well-mannered to directly address this. Instead, Lorentish nobles will, in a tactful and diplomatic dance, outwit and undermine any foreign interlocutors. However the High Lorentish are also masters of flattery and when a foreign diplomat must be wooed, the Lorentish have no difficulty doing so.
They have a very rich cooking tradition, with the rich Bloodwine valley providing excellent lands for the growth of most vegetables, grains and fruits, with particularly ideal conditions for the growth of wine grapes.
Religion[]
The High Lorentish, like most other Lencori, have been devotees of Adean from the times of the Damerian Republic, an unbreakable link for the almost 1900 years since Crovan Spearsworn returned to Lencenor. Unlike their Entebenic cousins, however, the Lorenti that preceded the High Lorentish embraced the cult of Minara when the avatar ascended to godhood, and the goddess of joy soon took a place equal to Adean in the minds of many in the region.