What sort of cultural stuff does each of the species have going on? Thanks!!
Hmm I think, maybe, this is a little spoilery?
You’ll learn some things that are written below in Chapter 2 and 3. The story will naturally take you to all four of the supernatural cities still standing. Chapter 3 will be with the Astraeus where you will be joining in on a festival, Chapter 4 with the Merfok, find out more about the Salamanders in Chapter 5 (but probably won’t be going underground until part II) and the Sylphs in Chapter 8.
Now, I don't really mind spoilers in general, so here's a preview of the cultural setting for the main 4 groups, below the cut for spoilers, if anyone else minds them:
Sylphs - as a general theme, think 1800 royalty but with warrior angels
The sylphs were initially nomads before their current monarchy started. They lived simple day to day lives and were scattered all across Zaellor (their world) in small packs, usually families. They were considered among the weakest creatures. They had no name of their own and were usually lumped together with the fairies, despite the more obvious differences (feathered wings, nomadic lifestyle and lack of magic dust).
Everything changed when Syl sacrificed himself to unite all the nomads under one rule, granting one of them the power to control gravity. The flying city of Mardaar was born and the sylph nation with it.
Once they took roots, they built grand buildings and took on a lavish lifestyle, but never lost their more practical spirit.
The Ruler is the supreme power figure, an embodiment of their martyr God, and their word is absolute in both political and military matters. They can also choose who the power will pass onto, not being constrained by bloodline.
Syllalia is their biggest festival, celebrating their martyr-like figure turned God, Syl. It is a celebration of self-indulgence and gift-giving, a practice to distance themselves from the simple life of their ancestors.
Salamanders - think Catholic church ran by giant dwarves of Moria
The salamanders are governed by a highly religious faction. Their system creates four classes: the ruling group, the nobility, the working class and the pariahs.
The doctrine starts from their creation myth, from the first four Salamanders that ruled over Zaellor. It is said that one of the four great rules, Cahanti, made a deal with Lacuna - the malevolent force at the core of the planet - dooming her people to go blind and mad, a trait still seen today in the golden-yellow eyes of some salamanders. Queen Thisaya stopped the affliction from spreading to the others and was named absolute ruler over the salamander people. Her blood was thought to possess divine powers and in time her descendants formed a ruling Council rather than having just one king.
The four casts were created in time, after the images of the three great salamanders and Cahanti, and influenced by the Council.
Only half of the Salamander city of Krenn'laris was transported to Earth, the majority of the working class being lost in the Event, forcing the nobility to take on more menial jobs.
Most of their traditions and celebrations focus on Thisaya and her achievements, with some minor holidays popping in for her descendants each year. There’s a yearly stage play that portrays the fight between Thisaya and Cahanti.
Merfolk - think GTA and industrial/cyber revolution
The Merfolk were the supernatural group most affected by the Calamity Event. The entire city of Talisant was at the bottom of the ocean before they were brought to Earth. So the merfolk found themselves on land, with very little access to their powers. To top things up, their entire royal family was lost somewhere in the transition.
New world, new terrain, no powers and no ruling class. The years immediately after the Event had been hard on them, with little time for keeping up with traditions and barely making ends meet. They were the first to surrender and plead for help to the humans. Many parts of the city had been rebuilt to sustain life outside of the water (simple things like stairs, elevators and windows that had no use before). There are now tourist resorts and fully human residences as well as mixed neighborhoods where supernaturals from all around Earth came for refuge.
The Merfolk never were particularly religious or superstitious. They used to live a quiet life in their habitat, cherishing the underwater currents that brought food more than any hero or god. There is a clash between the older generation that still remembers the life they had underwater and the youngsters that got a second chance at life only with the help of the humans.
They have adopted many human holidays, Halloween and Obon being some of the more popular.
They are currently run by a figurehead president put in place by the CCO, but it is widely known that the Merfolk mob is also pulling strings.
Astraeus - think high elves and divination
They are ruled by the Oracle, a supernatural being that dies and is reborn again within their numbers. They answer to, what they would call, an universal God of Creation that spawned all beings and that uses the Oracle as a messenger, through the prophecies sent to them.
They are thought to be both extinct and the cause of a different world shattering event that happened some thousand years prior.
They are a knowledge seeking people. A rite of passage to maturity is setting off into the world and returning a piece of new information to be added to the tomes. The practice had stopped when they went into hiding, but something changed when they were transported on Earth.
Aim’rian - The city of a thousand Stars - is a spiraling tower made entirely of light-catching crystals, where all the Astraeus reside. It was considered a wonder by supernaturals all around Zaellor.
Hope this answers your question. Let me know if you meant something else entirely, I tend to overthink @_@
