Millenia of war, disasters, and running for your life have blended the human peoples of the Empire, though each of the original peoples can still be seen in some parts of the empire. Immigrants from other lands during the Age of Exploration and other ages have added to the mess.
They physically resemble Southeasterners, and dress much the same way, largely living on the islands of the Midland Sea. They have naturally wavy hair. They brought their signature dish shove to the Empire, and they largely live on pork and seafood, though they raise chickens for eggs. Divine magics enable them to grow plants which shouldn't be able to flourish this far north, like pineapples, taro, sandalwood, and various tropical fruit; their oranges help prevent scurvy all over the Empire. They are noted for their style of cooking pork wrapped in taro leaves, which taste like spinach. They trade fish for wheat to make the thin noodles which they also love. They have adopted the whole broccoli complex of vegetables from the Westerners, and love green onion as well.
Some of the hapless folk of Fortuna escaped to the Empire in the Seventh Age. They are still human in form, but have hair in unusual colors (purple, green, orange, black hair speckled with white stars); they are have the common olive skin of the empire; their eyes are also bright purple, orange, gold, silver, green, etc. Many become sorcerors. Some live in cities and others form villages in the countryside, usually copying the culture they are surrounded by. Their appearance seems to be dominant; any child they have looks like a Fortunan.
Outsiders usually mean the name as sarcasm. They live from the Golden Citadel to the Wild Wood's western eaves. The Holy Folk are about as dark as the Southeasterners, but with more of a yellow undertone, with curly dark brown or black hair and pale eyes, usually blue or grey. A few have golden eyes, which are considered blessed by the Sun or silver, blessed by the Moon. Such folk usually become priests. They raise cows and pigs, and have a huge love of seafood; it's common for inland villages to have a carefully regulated fishpond to provide fish for festivals if not daily eating. They cultivate rice and wheat, turning the wheat mostly into bread and noodles. Shalashala (granulated barley which can be used like rice) is also a popular dish in this area. They grow radishes, onions, squash, the herb known as the beefsteak plant (it adds a savory flavor to their food), yams, tomatoes, lotus roots, beans, harashi (a capascin containing pepper), burdock root, and sweet potato. They make a sauce, ranashi sauce, from harashi and beefsteak which they add to all sorts of things to give it a savory kick. They make rice wine, beer, and ale, though the rich import grape wines as well. Most food is some kind of sliced meat on noodles or rice, with pickled vegetables added. They wear colorful wraparound clothing, made from flax or silk, belted at the waist, often with leggings and sandals or boots. Makeup which accentuates the eyes is added for formal occasions and they have a great love of perfumes.
Imperials:** Those of thoroughly mixed ancestry are known as Imperials. They tend to have blonde, red, or light brown, curly hair, bronzed skin, and brown or grey eyes. Most Imperials keep their hair cut short, and men have short, neatly trimmed beards. They are especially the urban folk and their taste in food is eclectic, varying by city. Most are usually seen in workshop clothing, but at festivals, they wear imperial togas decorated with nature motifs. Around Glitterhaegen, Imperials grow beans, corn, and squash, the signature crops of the city.
A lot of these folk now live in the southeast, but they originally occupied the area around Drakkenhall (some remain) and east of Concord / south of the Queen's wood. Others dwell on islands in the Midland sea. They raise sheep and goats and pigs (with chicken for eggs) and eat huge amounts of fish and mutton. The ones who live at the edge of the Queen's Forest especially raise pigs, who forage in the forest. They grow oats, barley, wheat, and rye, and cultivate potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables; they also grow fruit trees and make huge amounts of preserves. They have blonde or red hair, sometimes light brown, usually allowed to grow long and braided, with thick but short beards on the men. They wear sturdy woolen shirts and pants and coats in winter with scarves and gloves. They have very smelly cheeses made from sheep and goat milk. Stews and soups are favored by them, though when working in the field, they pack preserves and kurmish (a condiment made from eggs, spices, and goat milk), cheese, dried meat, and bread and make sandwiches. They make ales and beers and whiskey as their primary drinks.
The Shali:** Western Cities have small communities of Shali; they have adapted in some ways to local affairs. They have dark hair; men cut it short and grow a neatly trimmed beard; women grow it out long but bind it up on top of their head most of the time. The Shali have adopted the Imperial garb of the toga for men and women, usually putting natural phenomena or stars on it. They have skin like Westerners, and eyes of orange, green, or blue; orange eyes are rarer and are seen as a divine instruction to become a trader and explorer. The Shali have tried to adapt their cuisine to what they can find here; most of their meals involve sliced meats on shalashala (a granulated barley dish) with salted vegetables or preserves, or fresh vegetables when they can get them.
Many Northerners now live in this region, but the traditional folk still form a majority from the Grandfather River to the Iron Sea. They love fish, but also raise cattle, sheep, and especially pigs. Pork is at the heart of southeastern cuisine. They also raise chickens, mostly for eggs, and giant chickens for meat. Imagine a chicken the size of a pig; the males, especially provide huge amounts of meat. Corn, beans, and squash are the heart of their diet; they grow it on mounds in which they bury the old and weak animals and sometimes animals caught in the forest. Southeasterners have a tradition of potluck dinners and of huge cauldrons of stew to which many families contribute bits. They grow and collect a vast array of herbs and spices and are the most fond of capascin-plants of anyone in the Empire. They grow many fruit trees and favor hard cider over other alcohols, though they make a lot of corn beer for daily drinking. Southeasterners look a little darker than Westerners (think Polynesia) with a reddish undertone. They have begun growing their long, straight hair, which ranges from light brown to black, long like the Northerners, though they usually don't braid it; they do like putting various kinds of jewelry in it, if they can afford it. Young men are clean shaven; men with children grow a short beard, men with grandchildren grow a long beard, though if it reaches the ground, they cut it a little. Women mark the same stages with forehead runes by makeup. Both genders use makeup to put other facial runes which indicate other kinds of status, like occupation or patron deity. They grow flax to make clothing; everyone wears pants and boots; men go topless in the warm season and wear a shirt in the cold season, unless they're hunting and then they put on a shirt. Women wrap their breasts, mainly to keep them from flopping about, rather than caring who sees them. In the cities, they wear a shirt to avoid problems. (Women going gathering in the woods also don a shirt to keep from scratching their skin.)
From the Golden Citadel to Glitterhaegen, the Westerners have a Mediterranean complexion with dark brown or black, straight hair, though people with money curl their hair as a status symbol. They wear tunics and leggings and boots,unless they are rich, and then they wear fancy, brightly colored robes. Their eyes tend to be blue or green. Westerners raise cattle, sheep, and pigs, with chickens for eggs. They grow barley, oats, rye, and wheat; along the Demon Coast, they raise olive trees, and in parts of the west, they raise grapes for wine. They also raise the whole cabbage family of vegetables -- broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, asparagus, brussel sprouts, etc. The poor eat a lot of porridge and bread and cheese; the middling to upper folk also make a wide array of noodles.
This version of the page was edited by John at 2020-06-02 01:42:52. View the most recent version.