Aye, well, it was never intended to be a huge rip-off of existing cultures. Simply, I cannot imagine how to describe things without the context of: "They're like a bunch of Mexicans who speak with perfect upper-class British accents." Sure, I can change 'bunch of Mexicans' to 'dark-skinned, swarthy people'; but an upper-class British accent is very hard to describe in any way other than its name. The Kuznyetski are not Russians. However, they have Russian naming conventions and a funny little Russian accent. They also have Gypsy(Romani, not Pikey) traditions, traditional Celtic food, and a supercharged Nepleslian gun culture. Not really a direct rip-off of Russians, right?
Anyhow, I'm posting in this thread again because I've got an idea for a new 'ethnic' group. I don't have a name for them yet, but I'm thinking they're very tribal. Perhaps the descendants of ancient settlers who crashed in the Northern Expanse, now re-integrating into mainstream society as the mapped galaxy grows and expands. Loose morals pervade Nepleslian culture, and these guys are in my head very justice-oriented. To the point of vigilantism. Not exactly quakers, but certainly more chaste than the typical Nepleslian. I've already started writing notes on one segment of their society, the Oath Keepers. The Oath, by the way, is not just figurative. It's the name of the weapon they carry.
The thing is a hook-blade of sorts, like a reversed scimitar with a weighted head that has a blunt surface interrupting the sharped edge. And these jerks; well, they're basically the upholders of justice. They have set of rules which must not be broken, and very strict punishments for violators of those rules.
"A thief must have the flat of his hand hammered once with the blunt of your Oath."
"If you are detained by a just keeper of the law, you must surrender to him."
"One who inappropriately harms a child must have a ring carved around his fingers by the edge of your Oath."
And so on, and so forth. These dudes will be sitting in jail, peacefully awaiting their release so they can kill the next drug dealer or remove the ear of the next pawnbroker selling faulty merchandise. They will be a uncommon, yet frequent enough to be recognized sight on street corners. With their strange clothes and ever-present Oaths, they'd be just another odd facet of life in Nepleslia. I'm still working out the rest of the culture, though, and I'd really like a name for the bastards.
