Customs of the "Bastoker"

In the following text all writing in blue itallics is from a post by Caith on the Tapestry Forums and transferred with permission. All text in regular italliacs in from the official website.

Philosophy

Beyond the refinement of iron, the craftsmen of Bastok have made numerous breakthroughs with new kinds of metal, such as mythril, darksteel, and cermet. The research of Cid, a genius engineer, has led to the development of engines that utilize crystal energy and allow rapid advances in technology. The rich, spiritual culture of the Galka is rapidly being assimilated by the materialistic Hume lifestyle. To say that Bastok's culture has become predominantly Hume would not be far off the mark.

Bastok favors might, owing itself to the Galka and technology to Hume ingenuity. This has resulted in Galka often taking the jobs at require physical strength and Hume filling other spots. This has resulted in strife between the races while one lives in comfort and takes the most gains while the other does the hard labor. The Galka are murmuring their discontent making the climate uncomfortable with most of the races staying in different districts. The only other work Galka appear to regularly get with no problem is in the Republic's Military. Though Galka helped build the Republic they still hold onto their roots and recognize their cultural leaders, The Talekeeper and their Elders, with more respect than they do the Hume.

Art

Most of the artistic drive in Bastok comes from the Goldsmithing guild that use precious metals and gems to create exquisite pieces sought after by any person who has the gil. More practical Galka and Hume craftsmen carve intricate designs and patterns into the goods they fashion, most people finding the idea of having something purely for decoration to be wasteful, though in contrast to this many people do have wall hangings of scenery often times to make up for the lack of windows most homes have.

Living Standards

In recent years, the remarkable nation of Bastok has had the largest population explosion of any country (most notably in the Hume population), but due to limited space for residential buildings, the average citizen's home is small and uncomfortable. Also, most of the profit made from ore export is consumed by the need to import large quantities of food. For most inhabitants of Bastok, daily life can be a struggle--and food shortages are becoming a serious problem.

Architecture

The buildings of Bastok are primarily made of stone, a testimony to a fire that nearly wiped out the city. Waterwheels through the city provide an energy which fuels the lights found in the Metalworks and outlaying districts. This is a system developed by the High Engineer which plays on the mechanics of the crystal engines used to power the Airships. Nearly all the ground water of the Gustaberg is found under Bastok, which brings up this water using pumps and channeling it in the many waterways found through the city. With recent economic and political developments, the Galka have begun to convert the Mines district to a city within a city, opening up their own shops selling goods that directly compete with the rest of the city proper. It is becoming a tougher and tougher neighborhood by the day and the presence of few Hume officials has allowed various shady types to operate more freely in the District than they could elsewhere.

Cuisine

The harsh environments of the Gustaberg are very unsuited for any sort of crop. Bastok largely imports its foodstuffs from other nations and recently an explosion in the population is starting to create slight shortages. Bastokans are resourceful people however and many are turning to self-sufficient means such as gardening and fishing for their meals. Bread is a very large part of the typical Bastoker's diet, due to the nation’s control of the windmills in Konschtat and the control of flour milled there.

Education

Typically a Bastoker will learn how to read and write from their parents at home, after that depending on their chosen occupation a commoner is either apprenticed to craftsmen, enrolled at a guild, or thrown into the mines with a pickaxe. , though the latter is often more forced upon Galka than the other two. Though many humes still work the mines and are proud to do so.

Fashion

Bastok styles tend to be very plain, or have more of a copycat feeling with whatever is currently being worn in Jeuno. However one little girl who lives near the Marketplace has been known to be causing quite a stir with her daring outfits she plans for adventurers. Typically Bastokers favor earthy tones, and styles that are easy to work in.

Foreign Relations

Bastok is very open compared to the other nations, allowing citizens of other nations to blend in with the crowd. San d'Oria views Bastok as lacking in tradition and history due to the nations young age, many San d'Orians continually harbor a grudge over the Second Battle of Konchstat, as well as the Republics part in the Civil War, though grudges over that tend to only occur from the losing side. Windurst sees Bastok as misguided and a bit on the violent side, as the Republic continues to mount brutal raids against their Quadav enemies. This contradicts the Windurstian belief of attempting to befriend the beastmen and make former allies of enemies. Jeuno acknowledges Bastok as its parent nation, but outside of that has very few ties to the Republic.

Links

FF Wiki: Bastok

FFXI Offical Site: Bastok

FFXI Wiki: Bastok