The tea discussion brought up a lot of points about Kralorela that make it an unsatisfying setting for many Glorantha fans:
The over-reliance on China for inspiration seems to be the main sticking point. So I thought I'd create a thread for ideas to make Kralorela less "Fantasy China" and more a uniquely Gloranthan place.
A few ideas of my own:
Attitude: Kralorelans believe they are all dragon spirits incarnating as humans to further their own spiritual awakening. Devote Kralorelans obsess about enhancing their draconic self, which they call their "Egg." They try to emulate dragons in all things, including dress, diet, and ritual behavior.
Clothing: Kralorelans tend to wear items that invoke their Draconic heritage. Hats with long central fins are very popular, as are cloaks that look like wings, both feathered and scaled. (See Hawaiian noble hats for examples).
Food: Kralorelans eat a lot of roasted meat, heavily charred and spiced with hot peppers. They eat with their hands and tear the meat with their teeth in imitation of their draconic betters. They also like small animals that they can swallow whole, either alive or freshly charred. Favorites include small mice, fish, shrimp, and crickets.
Interactions: Kralorelans tend to be quite bellicose and loud in their personal interactions. A dragon takes what she wants! They argue and shout frequently. This is understood as normal to the Kralorelans, but can be quite disconcerting to outsiders.
Fire: Kralorelans love fire. Most towns have a central fire pit which is always kept burning, and all homes have a hearth which is likewise always kept at least smoldering. This can strain local resources and contributes to deforestation. Because of this, Kralorelans use very little wood when building or crafting tools, preferring bone, metal, and stone. Wood is for burning!
Music: Kralorelans love music, which reminds them of the beautiful multi-octave voices of True Dragons. To replicate the range of dragon sounds, they use large assembles of musicians called orchestras which play a combination of drums, woodwinds, brass, and stringed instruments. Every town has at least one orchestra, and competition between the various bands is intense and can lead to violins. Dancing to the local band is a weekly event for most. The dance which accompanies this sort of music is called FLING (and sometimes this name is given to the music itself). Fling dancers are usually couples and many of the moves are throws or lifts that imitate the aerial maneuvers of dragons. Another popular form of Kralorelan music is ROAR, percussive spoken word recitals sometimes accompanied by discordant music called CLAW. Finally, lately groups of young singer/dancers have become popular. The collectives, either exclusively male or exclusively female, tour from village to village performing tightly choreographed uptempo music focused on love and fighting for respect, drawing from Roar, Claw and Fling. This music is called KAHPOP.
Battles: Kralorelans see life as a struggle for dominance and frequently challenge each other to contests to resolve disputes. These contests can take any form, usually decided by the challenged. While combat is not uncommon, often these contests take the form of demonstrations of other skills. Dance-offs, feats of strength, cooking competitions, eating contests, showing martial arts forms, and even flower arranging can all be fields of battle for two disagreeable Kralorelans. Because in the end it's all about...
Respect: This is the most important virtue of the Kralorelans and one that must be constantly earned. Respect is earned by winning battles, living a bold draconic life, and by excelling in one's profession. Rivals constantly challenge each other to determine who's the best in a given field. Respect must be seized from the world with your claws and teeth!
