Valduses

Valduses is a term used in fantasy worldbuilding to denote a fictional ethnolinguistic group. The concept appears across multiple works and games, each presenting its own details, and there is no single canonical valduses in real-world scholarship.

Etymology and naming conventions for valduses are not standardized. In different settings, authors invent roots and forms that suit their constructed languages or lore. Variants may appear as Valdus, Valdusen, or similar spellings, reflecting the flexible nature of invented nomenclature in fantasy worlds.

Geography and social structure are not fixed, and depictions vary by source. In published material, valduses are commonly placed in upland or border regions, but their exact homeland is often intentionally ambiguous. Their social organization ranges from clan-based or chieftaincy systems to more cosmopolitan or guild-affiliated communities, depending on the author. Economic bases described include pastoralism, mining, crafts, or trade networks, with interactions among neighboring groups shaping political dynamics.

Language and culture are separately crafted for each portrayal. The valduses’ language is entirely fictional, with phonologies and writing systems created to fit a setting, sometimes drawing on familiar language roots but not tied to any real tongue. Religious and ritual elements likewise vary, featuring ancestral veneration, nature worship, or synthetic belief systems.

In worldbuilding, valduses function as a flexible element to explore themes such as heritage, identity, and intercultural contact. They appear in novels, role-playing games, and video games, and readers and players should expect different interpretations across works.