OnyxFacts

Ten Facts About the Onyxish

1. The Onyxish take secrets very seriously. In Onyxish culture are three oaths one may take, of different levels of severity, when promising not to reveal a secret. The first, the Oath of Whispers states that the listener will not reveal the secret unless a life is in danger or they are directed to by the Council of Secrets. The second oath, the Oath of Quiet states that the listener will not reveal the secret unless a life is in danger. The final oath, the Oath of Silence states that the listener will never reveal the secret. Onyxish fiction abounds with oathbreakers being punished.
2. Onyxish fashion tends towards dark colors such as purples, scarlets and blacks. Such fashions are often overly complex with multiple layers of velvet, lace and leather, buckles, ruffles, canes, parasols and ornately carved buttons. Onyxish fashion tends towards the formal, even in casual settings. Evening gloves, capes, hats for both men and women and dark glasses with onyx crystal lenses are common.
3. The Onyxish are also fond of old monuments. They have a tradition of performing specific devotions in front of monuments and insist that doing so confers temporary strength of arm, mind or heart. For example, someone about to perform a duel might spend an hour practicing their swordsmanship before a monument devoted to a great swordsman and come away feeling as if their ability to strike and parry has been enhanced for a short time.
4. Duels are regularly used to settle conflicts between individuals. By tradition, such duels are done with swords and usually to first wound. Duels to the death require official oversight from a member of the nobility. Usually, by the time such a thing can be arranged, tempers have cooled and the duel is no longer needed.
5. The Onyxish celebrate not one but three festivals dedicated to the dead. The first, the Day of the Restful Dead, is for celebrating the lives of departed loved ones and involves long vigils are family crypts and seances. The second, the Day of the Restless Dead, is to ward off and frighten angry and harmful ghosts and is celebrated with parades and frightening costumes and masks. The final festival, the Day of Impending Death, recognizes that death is inevitable for everyone. Grand costume balls with a theme of "how I want to die" are held and awards are given to the most inventive and gruesome costumes.
6. It is customary for the Onyxish to mark the passing of day into night with bells. Every evening, at sunset, bells ring throughout any Onyxish community.
7. Onyxish food is bright and spicy. The use of spices, onions and peppers are common.
8. Onyxish citizens traditionally take a short, half-hour nap after their midday meal as a way of conserving strength and preparing for the rest of the day.
9. Fortune telling is a popular pastime in Onyx. Few people claim to be an actual oracle, especially in the wake of the Obsidian Totem's destruction, but consulting either a professional fortune teller or a friend who has studied the art is common before making an important decision.
10. Oxynish spirits are traditionally distilled with flower and herbal extracts to create unique flavors. It is popular, especially among young Onyx adults, to add a small dash of a poison such as arsenic to a bottle. The small amount is usually not enough to do more than make one mildly ill and is believed to build up tolerance. Poison also happens to be the number one method of both suicide and murder on the Onyx Cryptocracy.