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This page refers back to the Ailor Cultures on the Ailor Page. While these fall under Ailor Cultures, they are not exclusive to Ailor. Other people like Eronidas, Elves, and even Asha or Kathar, can be raised in these Cultures as the Regalian Empire is a cultural blend where multiple people live together in culturally distinct regions. Each of these Cultures is briefly explained, trusting that the player knows what accurate information to source from Wikipedia or other media, to avoid copying and maintaining vast sections of text from other places. It is possible for a Character to be of none of these cultures and to have their own distinct culture or a mixed culture, though these things are not recorded on this page for the sake of brevity. While many of these cultures have real life references that follow a particular inheritance (like how Dutch and modern German flow from old Germanic), the direction of Cultural development is somewhat different in Aloria. As such, this page will reflect the ancient cultures at the top, and the newer ones at the bottom, while also explaining how and where those Cultures fit within world history.
Velheim
Velheim is not strictly a culture in itself, but rather a term that groups together many similar cultures all coming from one root people. The Velheim Culture together with the Dunden and Thaler Cultures (though these have changed over time) is the oldest Culture hailing back from the Oldt Era days (what the Ailor refer to as their native home continent of Old Ceardia), almost 15,000 years ago. Much of Velheim history is intertwined with their Religion Fornoss, which can be sourced from that page. Most Velheim Cultures form unions together with others. As such, some of them will be grouped together when reviewed. It should be noted, while all these groups have different languages, because they all inherently come from the same ancestor, there is a great deal of intelligibility between them, so long as they speak slowly. Serdi is considered "more melodic", while Skodje is very "flat and simple", Ørsti is difficult to understand for the others because it uses a lot of old phonetics, and Dasigyl is considered "guttural" and difficult to understand due to their habit to drop vowels.
Hvali and Søri Velheim
The Hvali and Søri Velheim Cultures (light pink and red on the map respectively) have held the closest to their Old Ceardian roots, many of the Søri even being refugees who fled the destruction of the Ceardian continent many years ago. The Hvali and Søri are based on early medieval Swedish culture, and also speak real-life Swedish with the in-lore Language called Serdi. They are Fornoss worshipers, but out of all of the Velheim people, are less obsessed with their cultural freedoms and independence, and have adopted a number of cultural habits of the nearby Thalder and Dunden people. The Hvali and Søri mostly subsist on whaling (for the Hvali), and farming (for the Søri). Whaling is a very important cornerstone of Hvali culture, with whale bones and imagery being common in their works of art. Søri on the other hand have developed a very strong agricultural society that has mostly abandoned the militarist roots of the Velheim people. As such, whhile Eili and Vola worship can be found among the Hvali, the Søri mostly only worship the Eili.
Driksi, Nordi, Hvitsi Velheim
The Driksi, Nordi, Hvitsi Velheim Cultures (dark blue, light blue, gray-blue respectively) are sometimes also called "The Three Skags", because they were once all one people called the Skeggi. Skeggi as a Culture was violently destroyed by the Regalian Empire as they subjected the ancestors of the Driksi in the Regalian Archipelago, while the ancestors of the Hvitsi and Nordi fled to their western brethren to avoid becoming part of the Regalian Empire. The Hvitsi then split off from the Nordi when they too became subject from the Regalian Empire, and so in the modern era, only the Hvitsi remain outside of the Regalian borders. Each successive people has a lower opinion of the previous (the Nordi look down on the Driksi for being subjugated, and the Hvitsi look down on the Nordi for falling in turn). There is a great deal of "no true Skeggi" happening among the three Skag Cultures, but the reality is that all of them have long moved past what it means to be Skeggi, and become their own distinct people. These three Cultures are based on late-era Viking Norse, and also speak real-life Norwegian with the in-lore Language called Skodje. The Driksi are fiercely independent while trying to preserve their cultural independence from the Empire's homoginization, while the Nordi are more embracing of Regalian customs, while maintaining a strong militaristic sentiment. The fiercest are the Hvitsi, who reject all forms of modern civilization, and are considered barbaric even by Velheim terms with their customs. The Driksi have a very complex mortuary culture that has spawned most of the Fornoss traditions surrounding the dead, while the majority of the necropolises are also found in Driksi territory. The Nordi are famed warriors, with the Nordskag Kingdom having one of the largest armies in the Regalian Empire. And the Hvitsi are just remembered for hating everyone that is not them, including other Velheim.
Kaini and Hjordi Velheim
The Kaini and Hjordi Velheim Cultures (light green and dark green on the map respectively) are much more solitary than the other Velheim cultures, and far less interconnected with the wider world. Both Cultures are also at risk of being lost in the figurative sense, as many of them are converted to Urlan by the local Urlan tribes, causing them to lose part of their customs and traditions as they merge into the more melting pot Cultures of the Urlan. The Kaini are still somewhat free from this slow death-fate, having built vast fortifications on hilltops and cliffsides, keeping the Urlan at bay. Kaini are mistrusting of outsiders, and like a metaphorical expression of their walled cities, put up many walls in their own heart before they let anyone in. The Hjordi as a Culture are not expected to exist for longer than 100 years, as their populations have plummeted to the few thousands. Hjordi are considered the most rustic or hick among the Velheim, masters at being unseen and survivalist skills, but lacking the refinement of higher cultures. The Hjordi come from a truly inhospitable landscape, nearly permanently covered in snow and permafrost, with Urlan constantly hunting them to convert, and with strange cultural traditions like turning the dead into compost, and using their skins as wall art to remember their lives in the tattoos on their bodies. The Hjordi have a very nihilistic outlook on life due to the very high child mortality rate, and their average life expectancy being very low. Both the Kaini and Hjordi are based on late-Viking era Iceland/Greenland settlers, and also speak real-life Icelandic with the in-lore language called Ørsti.
Tryggi and Hedri Velheim
The Tryggi and Hedri Velheim Cultures (dark yellow and yellow on the map respectively) are remnants of a once larger Hedri Kingdom that spanned much of the southern coast of Ellador. Due to a combination of the Vampire Wars, Isldar Wars, and conflicts with the Dwarves, this realm was broken in two and isolated from one another, allowing distinct cultures to come into existence. The Hedri were once a great trader people, and the modern day Hedri still have kept much of this alive, hiding behind a massive wall they say was built by the Gods to keep them safe from what else lurks in Ellador. The Tryggi have adopted many Dwarven customs and beliefs, with their society intermingling with Dwarves that live underground beneath their Kingdom, sharing many resources and knowledge. Both the Truggi and Hedri are based on early medieval Danish, and also speak real-life Danish with the in-lore language called Dasigyl.
Suunvi Velheim
The Sunnvi Velheim Culture (isolated far south on the map) are an oddity that has been isolated from the other Velheim cultures for thousands of years. They were only recently discovered when exploration further south revealed landmasses to exist beyond Terra Incognita. The Sunnvi hold onto some of the old proto-Velheim customs, but have diverged very far indeed from the commonalities shared by the other Velheim Cultures. They are exclusively Vola worshipers, and have a culture strongly integrated with the summoning and bending to their will of Void Spirits. Their whole culture is brutal, tribal, war-like and seemingly crude to the female gender, a direct opposition with the gender-equality found in other Velheim Cultures. The Sunnvi are not based on any real-life culture, and speak a fantasy language called Suval, which only shared scant similarities with the other Velheim languages, and is not mutually intelligible. Sunnvi Velheim as a Culture are not currently playable, though Event Characters of this Culture may appear in Regalia on occasion.
Höge Velheim
The Höge Velheim Culture (purple on the map) is a very modern occurrence, in which The Nordi people of Nordskag have started emulating the High Cultures of the Regalian Empire, building large Manorial Estates, ditching furs and chainmail for brocade and wide dresses, and adopting formal aristocratic habits. This culture is based on 18th-century Swedish aristocratic Culture, adopting elements of Ithanian and Wirtem (French and German respectively), while still holding onto many traditions to do with Fornoss Religion and their Nordi roots. Many non-Höge look down on them for submitting to the civilized realms and abandoning some of their wilder habits, while the Höge consider themselves to be the first freed from the yoke of dying customs, and able to weather the erosion of tradition by modernizing. Höge Velheim still speak Skodje, but do so with more pompous regality and over-enunciated syllables.
Ithanian
Ithanian is one of the Regalian Empire's most dominant cultures with wide reach in every layer of society and also having a disproportional representation in the halls of power, along with its archrival Wirtem Culture. Ithanian is a culture in and of itself, but it also has so-called sister cultures which have diverged from the Ithanian main but remain closely related with only a few notable differences. Ithanian Culture came about from the peaceful mixing of post-Allorn Empire collapse Elves and Ailor coming together peacefully. The Elves saw the fall of the Empire coming and emancipated all their Ailor minorities (though kept all others in terrible second-class citizen conditions), which took enough pressure off a potential revolt, that the Ailor were thankful for this peaceful gesture. The Ailor population was uplifted and merged with the Elven population, where cultural exchange formed an entirely new culture that lies somewhere in between Allorn and Ailor in style. When discussing the sister Cultures, this text will mostly cover differences, as opposed to re-stating the same customs. When juxtaposing these sister cultures, Haute Ithanian will be referred to just as Ithanian, while the sister Cultures will always be defined by their adjective.
Haute Ithanian
When people refer to Ithanian, they actually mean Haute Ithanian or High Ithanian, but this distinction is merely performative, to distinguish it from the other sister cultures. Haute Ithanians (in light pink on the map) are the source root of all Ithanian culture, and also the most extravagant. Haute Ithanian is based on Versailles Court style French, and also speak real-life modern French with the in-lore language called d'Ithanie. Unlike many other Cultures, all Ithanian sister cultures also speak this language perfectly mutually intelligible, with only minor accent variations that allow Ithanians to recognize each other by tone alone. Haute Ithanian is a culture of rediculous excess and opulence, of showing off and being seen, of personal liberties and freedom of choice and of opinion and speech. It is a culture that engages in mindboggling traditions, like dining with the busts of one's deceased grandparents, or rejecting a dress after it has only been worn once, but refusing to give it to the poor. Haute Ithanian is a strongly matriarchal society where women hold all the power, and make all the decisions. Men are not debased to the point of misandry, but in some places can become objectified, such as gladiatorial rings or modeling shows that are commonly also called meat markets. It comes as no surprise that Haute Ithanian is obsessed with fashion and looks and above all appearances both in the literal sense and the societal figurative sense. Haute Ithanians are over the top, provocative, and the mortal enemies of the Wirtem Culture due to their strong opposing traditions and customs.
Toulonne Ithanian
Toulonne Ithanian (in lavender on the map) is a sister Culture of Haute Ithanian that came about due to a modesty and diplomacy movement on the far east coast of Ithania. While Ithanians are proud of their traditions, the merchants from the eastern cities found that their ostentatious behavior was difficult to stomach for the more sober and reserved other Ailor cultures. In their attempts to neuter some of the extravagance and strong expressions of Ithanian Culture as a whole, they diverged and created new traditions and customs. One notable difference is the Toulonne love for full body cover for women and men. Toulonne Ithanians wear wimples and headscarfs, as in their culture, it is believed hair is something intimately private and unknowable to outsiders. Toulonne women show no skin except for the face, believing that the fruit is all the sweeter when its wrappings are removed for the right person. Furthermore, while Ithanians are dominated by pinks and reds, Toulonne Ithanians prefer black, grays, and blues. A strong aspect about Toulonne culture, is their troubadour culture of lyric poetry in themes of courtly love and chivalry. Even though women and men dress extremely chaste, this is purely a deception, as Toulonne Ithanians believe in very open loving of a wide range of people and cultures. Out of all Ailor cultures, Toulonne is perhaps the most prone to polyamory. Another notable difference, is that Ithanian has a strong Unionist element, while religious freedom is extremely important to Toulonne Ithanians, so much so that a very wild range of religions are openly practiced among their people. Finally, the Toulonne Ithanians are the financial grease that makes Ithania so wealthy, they are more often the merchant class that interact with foreign lands, selling and shipping goods, and making barter and deals.
Burdigala Ithanian
Burdigala Ithanian (in burgundy on the map) is a sister Culture of Haute Ithanian that came about due to heavy mixing with Heartlander Cearden people in the Regalian Heartlands. While Ithanian is a strongly Imperial-themed culture, Burdigala has gone in a different direction and glorifies the concept of Feudalism and all this entails. They reject Imperial administrators and governors, and believe firmly in the administrative division and rule of barons and counts. Burdigallic culture is also considered more gregarious and kind natured than Ithanian, which focuses heavily on court intrigue, treason, and plotting. Burdigallic Ithanians are far more likely to host friendly drinking parties that other Ithanians might look down upon for appealing too strongly to the approval of commoners. Burdigala Ithanians are also more culturally centrist, while all other Ithanian Cultures fight great political theatre with especially Wirtem at court, the Burdigala enjoy changing sides and playing both sides off against each other. They are nominally Ithanian, but their fortunes mostly lie with their independent thought and action that can sway with the changing of political fortunes. Additionally, Burdigallic cuisine is considered experimental and unique, with distinct wine, mustard, and snail eating additions, fine gastronomy and experimental cooking being greatly prized skills. Finally, Burdigallic Ithanians are renowned patrons of the arts, especially tapestry and illuminated manuscripts. A Burdigallic Ithanian wouldn't be found dead without at least one court weaver or illuminator on retainer, and several volumes of illuminated historical accounts of their families, and their feudal subjects recorded in great detail. While Ithanians wear mostly pinks and reds, Burdigalians wear burgundy, wine, and brown tones, while the Chaperon and the Hennin are extremely distinct Burdigallic pieces of headdresses.
Perrion Ithanian
Perrion Ithanian (in dark purple on the map) is a sister Culture of Haute Ithanian that is relatively modern in comparison to the others, mixing strongly with Fin'ullen locals in the l'Elvellen Principalities. Perrion Ithanian's single most massive distinction is that unlike Haute Ithanian and its sister cultures, it is not matriarchal, and has a strong masculine theme. This does not distinctly mean that it is patriarchal, it means that they have a very high preference and worship of the concept of masculinity, regardless of gender. Butch-coded women are in fact also praised to this standard, and held to the same esteem as a hairy brawny man might. Perrion Ithanians perpetuate the chivalric traditions of Ithanian, but make them very might-makes-right dominated, and prefer a standard of roughness and brutish skill, over-refined and decorated grace. Perrion Ithanian is a power-driven culture where duels over honor or just to show superiority are extremely common. It should come as no surprise that Perrion Ithanians have mostly an army made up of sellswords and mercenaries, as opposed to the highly paid standing Ithanian army of conscripts and wage soldiers. Perrion Ithanians love all the same vices of Ithanian culture like fine dining, drinking copious amounts of wine, and spending obscene amounts of money, but they are far less obsessed with appearances, and just with self-satisfaction and control over the people around them. Their culture is born and baptized in war, and sieging of castles is something they are distinctly good at. Notably Fin'ullen Perrion Ithanians are considered land-oriented war elves, as opposed to other Fin'ullen being naval Elves, and make up a large segment of their population.
Ithanian Naming Customs
Ithanians have both simple yet complicated naming customs. While a simple first and surname are the common trend for ease of use, Ithanians also enjoy their so called “Nom de Court”, or their Court Name, which is a long construction. A Nom de Court starts with a first name, which for men is often like: Hiber, Jean, Francois, Guy, and for women is often like: Ella, Noulaise, Alaîs, Attenaïs, Julienne, Madileine, and so forth. This is then immediately followed by the so-called “Nom de Lune”, meaning Moon Name, as the moon has an important role in Ithanian culture. The Nom de Lune is derived from the month that the Ithanian was born in, followed by the term to describe the phase of the moon, described below:
- January is Javienne
- February is Vrière
- March is Marsalle
- April is Vrillaie
- May is Ailaise
- June is Huinousse
- July is Huiviesse
- August is Aoûte
- September is Ellaivre
- October is Tomaise
- November is Obraive
- December is Grande
- New Moon is Looxois
- Waxing Crescenti is Croissant
- First Quarter is Terrois
- Waxing Gibbous is Solarent
- Full Moon is Pouvoir
- Waning Gibbous is Illumin
- Third Quarter is Regalois
- Waning Crescent is Troissant
So for example, if an Ithanian male named Guy was born in December under the Full Moon, the name up to this point would be Guy Grande-Pouvoir. Following the Nom de Lune comes the “Nom de Coeur”, which translates to Name of the Heart. The Name of the Heart is chosen by the individual during their coming of age, and it always has to be a word that describes an emotion, item, animal, object or concept that they strong associate with. For example, if this Guy Grande-Pouvoir strongly associated with lions because they were a Lion’s Pelt knight, and they felt that lions would stand for courage, then his name would become Guy Grande-Pouvoir Lion Coeur. The Nom de Coeur must always be the chosen word or term, followed by the word Coeur. When the Nom de Coeur is complete, a surname is added, that signifies their family membership which for the sake of this example is Montvertu.
Then, finally, all Ithanians complete their Nom de Court with the “Nom de Noblesse”, or the name of Nobility. The word Nobility is a bit more widespread in Ithania, because the Ithanians consider themselves all to be noble as long as they are Ithanian, and ignoble if they are not. The Nom de Noblesse as such is less an aristocratic distinction held only by those of blue blood, and instead a widespread thing. The Nom de Noblesse must always be written this way: An animal chosen that they associate with or consider their spirit animal, followed by “de” (of), followed by the place they were born. So, for example, if this Guy Grande-Pouvoir Lion Coeur Montvertu was born in Theloise, and considered a dog his spirit animal, his full name would finally be: Guy Grande-Pouvoir Lion Coeur Montvertu Cien de Theloise.
Pre-Empire
Pre-Empire cultures are an eclectic collections of (mostly) extinct cultures that somehow still have an impact on modern day people. With the exception of a few of them, these cultures are all extinct, meaning it is not possible to play a "pure" member of such a culture, it should always be combined with another culture so that the Character may be more accurately informed by the Lore. Pre-Empire Cultures are unique, in that they can add hidden Mechanics to Characters that are not explicitly stated on the Heritage Page. Note also that these cultures have nothing to do with each other, and aside from two Cultures, all spoke different languages. This grouping merely categorizes them into a general sentiment that these people existed before the Empire was formed and sometimes before the Elves even arrived. Note, in order to use any of these Mechanics, your Character must be Ailor, or Half-Ailor.
Sarnan
The Sarnan are the best documented of the extinct pre-Empire cultures because a lot of their ideology, religion, and customs, ended up forming the bedrock for the Lothar Order and the Leutz-Vixe culture. The Sarnan were an Ailor tribe that existed in the modern day Tirgunn and Osteiermark region for millennia before the first Elves settled in the Archipelago, but kept themselves very limited to the larger Tirgunn woodlands, which covered much of the region before mass-population movements. The Sarnan were a peaceful people who nonetheless had a strong militarist element that expressed itself in highly Magic-purist sentiments, meaning they despised anything magic-related or Occult.
The Sarnan worshiped the Tree Father, a monotheistic Religion which held that the forest was ruled by a wise and ancient God who protected the people from the perils that lay outside of it. There are historical records that indicate that the Sarnan waged wars on the Etnar people at various stages in pre-metallurgy eras, but that the Etnar eventually abandoned the Genevaud region and moved further west when the volcanoes in the Genevaud Alps died down. The Sarnan people were stable, up until the birth of the Regalian Empire, and the arrival of Vampirism in the region.
Vampirism become the Sarnan's enemy number one, with Vampires taking a strong liking to this very remote and dark region. The Tirgunn forests were massive pine-woods which were almost permanently cast in a foggy and overcast darkness, where Vampires could easily hide and use their Vampiric powers to ensnare their victims. The Sarnan became legendary Vampire hunters under the guidance of the Kings of the Woods, the Pengast family. The Sarnan are credited with eradicating many pockets of Vampirism across the Archipelago, taking an unusual interest in the developing politics of the other peoples. The Sarnan would eventually face their downfall at the hands of the Dark Gods of Evolism and just brutal colonial policies by the Regalian Empire. After the first Skagger War, Wirtemcaller settlers started permeating in the area, and conflict between the settlers and the Sarnan was inevitable. The settlers chopped down many segments of the Tirgunn wald, and while the Sarnan tried to resist, the Wirtemcallers had the backing of the Regalian Empire whose might they could not resist. This coincided with the Dark Gods conspiring against the Forest God, legend having it that the Forest God was killed with a trick, and that the Pengast family became corrupted by the legendary artifact Coraveau, thus destroying the Vampire-hunting order from within.
After the Sarnan lands were fully occupied by the Wirtemcallers who expanded ever east, the population was aggressively colonized and bred out of existence. The Sarnan population was not slain, but quickly inter-married or displaced and dispersed to such a degree that their cultural cohesion was watered down. Many of their cultural habits and norms continued to survive though, because Sarnan spinsters were popular midwives and nannies, resulting in many of the Sarnan legends and folk tales being passed down to non-Sarnan children. Additionally, Sarnan genealogy continues to be noticeable in the present Leutz-Vixe Osteiermark and particularly Tirgunn population. Without fail, all Sarnan had intense orange-ginger hair, with a single silver-reflective streak that would remain consistent even in very advanced age and up to death. This particular coloration of hair ended up being a dominant trait, meaning that even modern inhabitants of the region with only minor Sarnan ancestry, can have this signature appearance trait. Many inheritors of this trait, however, dye over their silver-reflective hairstreak, as there are certain connotations with having Sarnan ancestry that are detrimental to upper-class society. Ginger hair colors are not unique to the Sarnan in Ailor heritage, but the silver-reflective streak and the vibrancy that their hair maintains even in advanced age, are.
Sarnan culture was very rural, with their housing being mostly made of log huts, they had a strong custom involving basket weaving and wicker puppet making. They would make wicker puppets for all manner of things, to mark territories, as tokens of good fortune, to burn as effigies, and to warn of dangerous locations. Phtalo-green and dark blue were often used in their clothing and paint, and long hair was a common style even for men. They survived on a high-protein diet of meat and gathered fruits from the forest, with occasional fishing. Trees, especially pine, were strong symbols for their people, and they adored music made with horns produced from the Tirgunn forest cattle, which would echo hauntingly in the foggy valleys. It is believed by modern scholars, that the Sarnan invented the crossbow for Ailor, and that all Crossbows in the modern era are based on their initial designs. Traditional Sarnan surnames always ended in "gast" or "nest", for example Sturnest, Margast, Ernest, Wentgast, and so forth. Some of these names have survived to the modern era, but especially among the aristocrats it is common to have a "fake" name to distract from Sarnan ancestry.
Etnar
The Etnar are an extinct culture of which barely any information survives. The Etnar originally lived in the Genevaud Alps, but were likely pushed out by the Sarnan and settled in the region that is known in the modern era as the Land of Fire in western Montania. The Etnar were a volcano-worshiping people of what can best be described as beast-men, though not in the Asha or Urlan sense. The Etnar were definitely Ailor, but were much hairier than Ailor. Men and women alike were covered in aggressive body hair that often only abated in their face, so much so that the other tribes often considered them primitive, despite them likely having discovered bronze and iron working before anyone else.
The Entar are nearly entirely extinct in the modern era, with practically nothing of their culture surviving. They were largely wiped out by a series of volcanic eruptions around mount Etnar, with only scant members surviving in adjacent lands, mixed into other tribes. Some modern Ailor still have or claim Etnar ancestry, with their most common features including extremely dense body hair, aggressive facial hair and top hair growth, yellow irises, pointy ears, and sharpened canines. Whether this implies mixed-ancestry of the Etnar is unclear.
Balten
The Balten are a still existing minority culture of Baltic peoples (including Finnish, Estonian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Pomeralian, etc.) that live in and around the Balten lakes. The Balten people were aggressively colonized by the Velheim settlers that appeared from the portals nearby, but maintained much of their independence and culture, and continue to thrive to this day as a minority culture in the Regalian Empire, even if they are a minority in their ancestral lands. Only on the isles of Ose do their populations retain majority numbers, and worship the old forest gods found in spirit-animals and forest protector beings. Balten speak a variety of languages that are not uniform or mutually intelligible, but all have adopted Skodje to speak to the local Velheim, as well as Common for the wider Empire.
Stormenn
The Stormenn are an extinct culture of Ailor of which barely any information survives. The name is often incorrectly attributed to the Stormenn Velheim who settled the region of Clannadh and Mannadh Alba, and moved south to make war with the Kintyr to push them out of these regions. These Velheim are called Stormenn specifically because they intermingled with the Stormenn people and took on many of their cultural customs. The Stormenn can best be described as giant-Ailor (though giant even is a bit of a misnomer since in general they were only up to a foot or two than the average Ailor). The Stormenn were stone carvers and menhir builders, creating vast structures of monoliths. They worshiped the mountain Gods, believing that each of the seven peaks of the Alban lands were a living God, and that the rumbling of earthquakes was their malcontent. They carved houses out of rock or lived in caves, but moved to living in stone-built houses when the Velheim arrived. The Stormenn culture is largely gone in the modern era, with only their stone-carving customs remaining among the Velheim who have Stormenn ancestry. These Velheim tend to be much taller than most Ailor, but with these body proportions also come physical ailments, sluggishness, and being clumsy. The Stormenn were not warriors, but artists, and while size gave them a certain advantage against the Breizh in conflict, generally the advances in weaponry and military techniques meant the Stormenn became easier to defeat even for short malnourished Breizh soldiers. When Ailor refer to "giants", they generally refer to the historical inference of the Stormenn. Ailor with Stormenn heritage lose Ailor Heritage Mechanic 5, and gain Urlan Heritage Mechanic 5.
Moeraslander
The Moeraslander are a strange now mostly extinct culture of pre-Anglians that arrived several millennia before Cataclysm. It is said in Aml Tribe legends (the inhabitants that would later become the Anglians) that the Moeraslanders arrived on great levitating slabs of black stone, and built their cities on top of these stones when they landed in the modern-day Morass and Lokinge regions of Anglia. The Moeraslanders were never treated as a foreign invader by the Aml Tribes, because both they and the Moeraslanders worshiped Dragons, just different ones. The Aml Tribes worshiped Regulus, while the Moeraslanders worshiped Umbra. The Moeraslanders without exception all had raven-black hair and blue-tinted lips and fingertips as if they were suffering from frostbite perpetually. They were a mortuary cult obsessed people who worshiped the concept of death, and found extreme beauty in decay and rot. This made the Lokinge and Morass region perfect for the Moeraslanders, as they were the Archipelago's most prime peat bogs, with plenty of dead things drifting in and out of the swampy waters. The Moeraslanders eventually were absorbed into the wider Anglian cultural grouping, and much of their customs were adopted into the wider Anglian cultural narrative. Anglian peat burials are one of the strongest surviving habits. Moeraslanders are nearly indistinguishable from the Anglian population, but very rarely an Anglian will be born with these blue-tinted lips and fingers. The Anglians call this Moeras-kusser, which refers to them potentially having Moeraslander heritage. If a person has Moeraslander Heritage, they must have this visual trait, and lose their Ailor Heritage Mechanics (but keep Ailor Free Packs) and gain the Allar Heritage Mechanics instead.
Irnus & Marnus
The Irnus & Marnus culture is a largely extinct culture that only has small pockets of survivors in the modern day, that do well to hide themselves. The Irnus and Marnus cultures were closely related, and both died around the same time when the Solvaan arrived and made war with them to purge them from the land they were colonizing. The Irnus and Marnus people stood their ground, and were subsequently mostly destroyed by the technologically and magically superior Elves. Nothing much survives of the Irnus and Marnus cultures, aside from the vague idea that the Irnus worshiped a Goddess of the Mist, while the Marnus worshiped a Goddess of the land, and also worshiped Void and Exist Spirits as some kind of holy being. It is said that Sinnavei killed both these Gods, and caused the Sollerian Mist to occur as a result of these Gods's deaths. Some Irnus and Marnus survived their destruction however, settling in the remote regions of west Anglia. Irnus and Marnus heritage cannot be visually distinguished, but they are still intrinsically tied to Solleria even if they live far from it. Those with Irnus and Marnus heritage lose their Ailor Heritage Mechanics (but keep their Ailor Heritage Abilities), and gain the Solvaan Heritage Mechanics instead, including their ability to transform into Mist beasts. Most modern Irnus and Marnus people continue to worship Spirits, and because Spirits have been tied mostly to Evolism, they take a more radical approach to Evolism that puts them at odds with Regalian Law.
Aber
The Aber culture is a still surviving and thriving culture of Pre-Empire tribes, though the category of Pre-Empire is not precisely accurate. The pre-Empire category includes peoples who have existed in the Regalian Archipelago for millennia, while the Aber are a fairly new arrival, and some could argue are themselves settlers much like the Velheim are considered. However, because they are so alien from the other cultures of the Archipelago, they are commonly added to the Pre-Empire culture list. The Aber arrived around the same time as the Velheim did, settling Talahm Gall while the Velheim settled the eastern portion of Kinwry and Pach Lallach. The Aber are based on real-world Picts, and called old Ceardia their home. They are exclusively Broken Gods of the Minor Faiths worshipers, with a particular emphasis on The Covenant, who they call Wolf-Mother. The Aber are a culture of Marken worshipers, both their Goddess being a Marken, and nearly half their population being Marken. Markenism among their culture is considered glorious and respectworthy, with all warriors choosing to become Marken, and many families proudly carrying the Marken infection among them. Many Marken temples exist in Talahm Gall, which is why the interior is generally considered very dangerous for outsiders, even those who are culturally close to the Aber people, like the various Cearden sub-cultures. The Aber are fiercely independent, and while they have their own language, most speak Common with a strong Scots slang bend, from the proximity of their Cearden neighbors. A Character with Aber culture is largely indistinguishable from their Cearden cousins, except that if they are Marken, they are able to speak like normal while transformed.
Tsaiqvanes & Krakimardik
The Tsaiqvanes & Krakimardik cultures are based on real-world Georgian and Armenian cultures respectively. There is little to say about them in the context of the Regalian Empire or Aloria as a world, other than the fact that they were early adopters of Unionism, but joined the Evintarian Schism. Unlike the Evintarians however, they did not migrate to Etosil and remained in this relatively remote mountainous region where they faced little to no prosecution from the Regalian state for their heresy. Even after the edicts of tolerance and inclusion in the Unionist Divine, these cultures remain somewhat isolated and self-sufficient, leading to their homelands often being referred to as monastery lands.
Arnt
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