Dorvish Culture

Dorvish customs are largely Christian-based. Marriage is normally traditional, either in a church or a court. Hospitality varies from region to region, with people from Dorvan famous for their generous hospitality while those from Miktar are known for their cold reception to guests.

Rural
Rural life, as in Miktar or Mothar, tends to be simple. Regular church attendance is not as common, as there may be a long distance to the nearest church. Agriculture is common, and gardening is a favorite pasttime.

Urban
Urban culture has developed greatly in recent years. As opposed to most countries, women tend to be the cultural leaders. There is a very strong youth culture conducted in Lormish, a mixture of Lormann and English.

Visual Art


Visual art in Dorvik is not very developed. Painting is uncommon. The nation has a strong history of sculpture, with sculptors like Kirso famous for their creations made of wood and metals.

Folk art is by far the most common form of visual art in Dorvik. Small carved creatures made of wood were originally worn as Druid amulets, but are now used for aesthetic purposes. In Mothar, many artists create small objects as a side-job or hobby, and may sell these in street markets in Dargun from whence they are exported.

Literature
Spoken war and love poetry were a common form of art in Dorvan and Mothar, but most Mothar spoken poetry was lost with the vanishing of their language. In recent times, some of these poems have been set to music in Lormann.

Some of the most popular literature in Dorvik is foreign. The most popular work sold is Kerolaend by Almad Yalzhengo, translated from Valruzian, followed by the Bible.

Probably Dorvik's most famous novelist is Boen Gujonsson (2234-2330), an important Kordusian novelist and Socialist, known for his historical novels set in rural Kordusia and for his essays on self-portraiture. The leader of Dorvik's political writers is Makira C. Kirim; her political books include Cruelty and Silence, a famous critique of the Dorvish left, for which she has been criticised by Mr. Gujonsson.

Music
Dorvik's national anthem is Beloved Homeland, Dorvik.

Folk Music
Dorvik's folk music is very distinct. Important instruments include the pipes, a set of small pipes attatched to one another with holes which can be pressed to change tone, and small drums carried in one arm and played with the opposite hand.

Classical
After Dorvik was united, classical music took root and is still played in several concert halls in large cities. Classical artists like Vorm and Morsit composed long pieces for the piano with small amounts of accompaniment from other instruments. Probably the most famous Dorvish classical song is Vorm's Fourth Symphony for Piano, Tuba and Triangle.

Contemporary
Singing has never been very popular in Dorvik, but it has recently taken hold. Short songs with strong beats are the most popular currently. The most popular musician is Haldor's Lae Greid, most known for his songs Hanna and On My Own. Also, there has been a recent craze for music in Lormann; this music tends to be more focused on lyrics and less on tune than those in English. Current music is played by KEV, Dorvik's most popular DJ, from Dargun.

Film
Film took off in Dorvik in the 2100s, and movie theatres are common. In recent years, "Lollyvirm", or Lormann-language film, has taken off, and there is a major film district in southern Fairfax.

Broadcast Media
There are 1248 radio stations in Dorvik*. Of these stations, most are in loose affiliations which use the same trademarks but are not united companies. The exception is Radio Free Dorvik, the founding group in Radio Free Terra, which also broadcasts in places like Kirlawa and Hobrazia. RFT also "subcontracts" some of its shows to other networks. There is a large independent-radio movement, and independent "community stations" can be heard across Dorvik.


 * *This number used to be higher, peaking at 2496. However, in 2339 legislation was passed banning non-government radio; the number of stations dropped from 2496 to just 50. This law was repealed in 2348; however, Dorvik's radio system has not fully rebounded.

There are also 309 television stations in Dorvik. Of these, 244 are cable "stations", which must be registered by county; this means there are 104 cable networks, most of which are owned by one of the large broadcasters. The remaining 65 stations are broadcast stations, and can be received without cable service. This number was higer before the 2339-2348 banning of non-governmental broadcast media. Although TV did not take as hard a hit as radio, it still is much smaller than it used to be, and the independent-television movement effectively died out.

There are several broadcast networks:
 * There are two national television networks, TVDorvik in English and LVDorvik in Lormann. They have 16 affiliates each.
 * National Broadcasting (NB), the largest, is only in English and has stations in all towns of notbale size. It has 11 affiliates.
 * Dorvik Broadcasting (DB) is the centre of a large entertainment empire and boradcasts only in English. It has 10 affiliates.
 * Lormann Meda is the largest Lormann-language network, and broadcasts across Dorvik, with 8 affiliates. It is notable for carrying Lormann-language soap operas, first popularized by Kananuvu's Joan Kirim.
 * Vilorm is the second Lormann-language broadcaster, but it is confined to Dorvan and Mothar. It has 4 broadcast stations.

Sport


By far the most popular sport in Dorvik is Ice Skating Badminton. It is played on an oval-shaped rink divided by a net, with each side trying to hit a "Kwon" across to land on the other team's court. The game is scored both based on number of "lands", or points scored, and on style - jumps and twirls gain extra points, especially if they result in a "land". Many young people play a more intense version in which style is not counted.

The game can be played outdors on lakes or ponds in the winter and in skating rinks in the summer. There is also a doubles version that is gaining popularity. The best Ice Skating Badminton team in Dorvik is the Haldor Falcons.

Cuisine


For many years, bread and other grain products have been the staple of Dorvish cooking. Fish normally provides the primary protein. Dairy is also very popular, and Dorvan is famous for its many exquisite cheeses. Root crops like beets (originally brought from Endralon) and potatoes and green vegetables like kale (a major ingredient in Piso Soup) round out the typical diet.

In poorer households, food is normally prepared simply, by broiling or baking. In more middle-class homes, food is cooked in fruit oils, like apple oil.

Although wine and beer are rare and do not ferment well in Dorvik's climate, hard alcohol like cider is popular. Apple and Maple based spirits are popular in winter, as they are very calorie-intense.

Many food luxuries, like chocolate, and even some more common foods like corn must be imported due to the cold climate and short growing season.