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A Human Traveler’s Guide to Atharia (Vol. XXVI)

(an excerpt from the fifth edition, year 5067)

There are many rules to follow when traveling; there are rules in regard to etiquette, culture, to everything. Some unspoken rules and practices of Atharia are as follows:

  1. Always bow in greeting to golden statues in the capital— these are senior deities that are believed to have been keeping Atharia safe for centuries.

  2. Don’t smile at strangers in the street. They will think you are trying to sell them something— or worse.

  3. Do not complain or make an unnecessary statement about the weather, the food, or (and especially about) the non-humans. This is basic etiquette yet many people find themselves forgetting!

  4. If someone asks how you are doing, always say you are doing fine. It does not matter if you are bleeding profusely on the street. Many spirits may try to take advantage of you admitting to lower morale.

  5. When leaving a social situation, you must explicitly say that you are leaving. People expect you to be back if not.

  6. Talking to higher-ranking people is non-punishable. Atharia is well-known for having their nobility bow down to the commoners. Do not fear going to the capital and striking up a conversation; you might very well be talking to a friendly duke!

  7. However, never look at nobility in the eyes as a human commoner unless you are spoken to or addressed directly. This may be read as a social etiquette yet it is never written down in scholarly rules scrolls nor is it a practice that is taught to children. This is established as a rule merely due to the fact that most (if not all) nobility have magic in their blood and, as a human, you must not be surprised by how much an elf or fairy can discover about you with eye contact. You know what everyone says: never give a spirit your name, and nobility your power.

  8. If someone mentions the current empress of Atharia and the ‘scandals’ she has been in, pretend that the person just flashed you— look very embarrassed until they stop. Every so often, someone starts this discussion and it never ends well. Avoid these situations at all costs.

  9. And most importantly, if you see the golden carriage of the Myrmorn family, run the opposite way and pray that Her Majesty did not see you.

Glory and blessings to Atharia!

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