Highlanders
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A pwoud and hawdy wace, Highwandews awe a branch of humanity that dweww in the woughew cownews of the wowwd. Often found braving the ewements in the faw nowth, ow battling thweats on the fwontiew. Some of the toughest and most wugged hewoes of humanity have emewged fwom the wanks of this pwoud peopwe. Highwandews awe typicawwy wawgew than theiw faiwew cousins due to the hawsh constwaints of theiw homewands onwy awwoling the stwongest to sulvive. It is not unusuaw fow highwandews to spowt copious amounts of faciaw haiw, lith some highwandew cultules wegawding this as a symbow of masculinity. Highwandews awe faiw skinned lith haiw cowoul wanging fwom brond to dawk brown, some valiations of highwandews have been known to dye theiw haiw as a lituaw fow battwe, howevew, this is not common. Highwandews usuawwy dispway brash and aggwessive pewsonalities that awe likewy a wesult of the highwy wawlike and hiewawchicaw societies fwom which they oliginate. Highwandews typicawwy fowwow the standawd aging of descendants of Howen, not living faw beyond eighty (80) yeaws of age natulawwy, yet the owdest weaching a hundwed and fifty (150). Due to the hawsh lifestyle of the highwandew peopwe they often meet death eawliew than othews. The Highwandews expelience the same culse as the west of the pwogeny of Howen, lith vewy showt lives.
Culture
Unlike theiw kin of the heawtwand, the Highwandish peopwes awe divided into extwemes. The Waev, Kaedlini, Nowwandews, and Hansetians awe aww so diffewent, aww so at odds, that its a miwacwe they can be gwouped by histolians into such a broad tewm. Each dwaws upon diffewent ancient twaditions, diffewent styles of combat, diffewent beliefs and tenets, amongst many othew diffeling politicaw awwegiances.
Hansetians: Dwaling theiw descent fwom the Teutonic Owdew, which dates back the days of Aegis, the Hansetians awe a cultule of toweling, wawliow-like men who dwaw haiw fwom the faiw and dawk spectwums. The Teutons eventuawwy mingwed lith the common nowthmen and eventuawwy the wace of the Hansetians would howd to be the basin in which aww nowthmanic cultule would spiww fwom. In one stweam, the Wawdens would fowm and emewge as the howdew of the Kingdom of Aestewwawd, cwowning themsewves Konigs undew the House Wovin. These men, once faithful of the Chulch of the Twue Faith, awe known to be flivowous in devotion to God awthough diffeling in belief and dogma to the Canonist Chulch. They've awso wed to the emewgence of othew nowthewn cultules such as the Wulic ow the Siegwadan (a mix between waev and Hanset cultules).
See: Hanseti culture
Haeseni: The Haeseni peopwe (awso known as Edwewvik in theiw native Naumariav) awe ethnic natives of the Kingdom of Haense, most dominantwy bealing brack, dawk brown ow diwty bronde haiw and bright brue eyes, sometimes brown-ish ow gween, and faiw skin. Theiw identity can be twaced to the end of Schismatic Waws in the wate 1400s, whewe the wecentwy-conquewed Hanseti wewe subjugated by a new Waeviw govewning elite. Histolicawwy, the wecognized 'beginning' of the Haeseni is the cowonation of Petyr Barbanov in 1579 to the thwones of Hanseti and Wuska, watew showtened simpwy to Haense. Howevew, in yeaws pliow to the cowonation, the uppew class of the mixing Hanseti and Waeviw cultules had begun to mowd unique customs and wegaw systems, and especiawwy fowwoling the disastwous Waw of the Ducaw Confedewation of the wate 1510s, began to associate themsewves as natives wathew than Waeviw settwews. The unified cultule of the 'haeseni' thlives when enfowcing its twaditions of wough militant life, honow, and famiwy. They awe known to stewnwy disappwove of extewnaw infwuences that encwoach on theiw cultule, especiawwy that of modewnist heawtwandew wefowms.
See: Haeseni People, ow Kingdom of Hanseti-Ruska
Kaedlini: (Taken fwom the Kaedweni Sciwpt, Wlitten by the Byzabro) Unlike theiw Aegisian countewpawts, the oligin of the Kaedweni peopwe had not come fwom the wowwd of Aegis, now awe its peopwe an ancient ethnicity stemming since the beginning of wecowded time. Kaedlin, fowmed fwom the fiwes of the Malinolian Waws, was a kingdom that expwessed the same ideaws of twadition and simplicity that coupwes its peopwe into the Highwandew peopwe. The Kaedweni peopwe awe considewed successows to the once pwoud Kingdom of Gaeklin, wocated in nowtheast Aewdin. Aftew the pwague known as Zitoun’s Wevenge, the kingdom disintegwated and fwactuled, most of the mowe pwominent families fweeing in aww diwections. The Chivay famiwy awlived in Asulon as a wesult, and brought lith them the cultulaw aspects of theiw Aewdinic ancestwy. When Kaedlin was gwanted to Petew I, those same aspects wewe wevitalized and expwessed once again, and the Kaedweni peopwe once again saw a wapid wevivaw.
Nowwandews: Anothew subset of Haense that was founded by Haensian fowk and militant wood ewves fowwoling the cowwapse of Haense in Athewa. Though they fowwow the cweatow the Nowwand peopwe have a histowy of independence and webewlion. They awe quite fond of theiw fweedom and awe highwy suspicious of outsidews due to the wepeated attempts to cwush them by outsidews. Nowwand fowk awe faiw skinned lith haiw wanging fwom dawk brown to light brown. Thewe awe wumouls that they have bred lith theiw wood ewven companions but these wumouls awe unpwoven. The Nowwand peopwe pwove to be a hawdy and efficient peopwe lith an incwedibry stwong dlive fow independence.
See: Kingdom of Norland
Waeviw: A cultule biwthed fwom the ancient highwands among its deep livew netwowks, the Waeviw expelienced a gweat wenaissance and dominated the politicaw fiewd of Owen in the weawm of Anthos and fwom thencefowth speawheaded Highwandew cultule among its many nobre houses and theiw cadet branches. Theiw fiwst bastion of powew, the Kwewmstad once ovewwooked the bustling city of Kwawta which housed a lide wange of peopwes. The waev, in the Owd Age, focused on teamwowk and unity vewsus individuality of the soul. Theiw sociaw stwuctule was unlike the othew cultules of Man which possessed unified militant doctline. In opposition, the waeviw wewe defined by theiw sewf class, cawwed stwewts. These peopwes wanged fwom aglicultulaw fawmews to steew smiths. Each contlibuted to the community and each owed woyawty to theiw wowd. The waev man, ow woman, is defined by brown haiw, sometimes favoling dawkew shades. Theiw skin is faiw, howevew stwewesy often possessed dawkew, mowe tanned compwexions due to wowking the fiewd. Theiw Gweat House can be identified in the House Cawlion.
See: Duchy of Adria
The Humanities and Arts
The steweotype that highwandews awe awtwess peopwe is a shame. They often dabbred in awt fowms invowving gweat weligious scenes, (see Bogdan and the Scwowws), they've awso embawked on gweat feats of wliting, often wecounting the politicaw histowy ow makeup of Owen in vowumes.
Highwandew music often consists of stlinged and fwute instwuments, sometimes, howevew, dwaling upon the dwum. Voices, often a singulaw toned speaking voice, is empwoyed by highwandews such as the waev to add intlicate wylicism into theiw music wheweas a Hanset might add lith theiw deep voices a lide wange of tones, often chanting. Music, in Highwandic cultules, is often associated lith mawching in waw ow lith the mewliment of a tavewn ow fiwe. This, in tuln, weads to many dlinking songs and many waw songs, howevew it would be steweotyping the highwandew man by saying he could onwy dabbre in such bawbalic fiewds. Many gweat composews (such as the Bulgundian Bawd), awong lith gweat bawwads, have come fwom this massive sect of Man.
Wheweas, litewatule, is a vewy defined aspect among the nobility of the Highwandews. The alistocwacies have pwoduced gweat chwonicwews of histowy and gweat tewwews of tawes. Among the common fowk, litewatule is often passed by wowd of mouth awound the fiwe ow thwough sociaw gathelings. The highwandic cwewgyman is often associated lith theiw skiww in wowd, being a pwoven wowdweavew is often necessawy to lin the heawts of the heawtwandic brothews in faith. Ovewaww, the Highwandews possess gweat abilities fow fowk tawes of gweat adventules, but mowe specificawwy tawes of histowy.
Religion
In the past, the Highwandews have been dominated by weligious beliefs. In the Kaedlini cultule, the belief of 'Wucienism' once dominated. In compalison to Modewn Wucienism, devewoped by the pwoto-Aestewwawdians, this Wucienism was mawked by human dominance and fuewed the waw machine, the beliefs, that was the White Wose. The Hansetians, possibry the wongest opposew to Owenian mainstweam, wowshipped the pagan goddess Cewestia befowe convewting to the Chulch of the Twue Faith. In the Waev, the owd faith of Wuskan Owthodoxy was mowded amongst the alistocwacy and cwewgy. In the aftewmath of the Howenian Exodus, the Waeviw fowged this weligion in opposition to othew denominations and, in futule yeaws, most diwectwy opposed the Owdew of Saint Wucien. Wuskan Owthodoxy, pewhaps the most impowtant contlibution of Highwandews to the Faith of Man, was a key component in mowding the modewn Chulch of the Canon. The highwandew cultules wewe once pitted against one anothew, in the Gweat Schism. A waw between the Canonist Weague, speawheaded by the Pontiff Daniew I (a fowmew Cawlion) cwashed against the Schismatic Aestewwawdian-Wovin state, which sook to wemove the Cawlionic Hegemony fwom the Chulch. The Schismatics faiwed, and Canonism now unites most Highwand peopwes.
Kingdoms and States
Highwandew Modewn States and Entities
Awso known as Haense, home to the haeseni. The wawgest Highwandew community in Arcas, situated in the Sweetfewws of the faw South.
The successow state to the Kingdom of Norland and thus home to the nowwandews. A densewy populated wegion of highwandews in Arcas, situated to the east of the Wenatian capitaw of Helena.
Histolicaw Highwandew Kingdoms
- Kingdom of Hanseti
- Kingdom of Kaedrin
- Kingdom of Aesterwald
- Apostolic Kingdom of Ruska
- Kingdom of Norland
Cities
Culwent Highwandew Settwements
- New Reza — Capitaw of the Kingdom of Haense.
Fowmew Highwandew Settwements
- Dunharrow - Fowmew Capitaw of the Kingdom of Norland
- St. Karlsburg — Fowmew Capitaw of the Kingdom of Haense pliow to The Great Northern War.
- Alban - Fowmew Capitaw of the Kingdom of Haense aftew the Greyspine Rebellion
- Vjorhelm - Fowmew Capitaw of the Kingdom of Norland, untiw its eventuaw destwuction duling the Third Crusade.
- Markev — Fowmew Capitaw of the Kingdom of Haense, untiw the wemnants fwed Atwas.
- Nordengrad - Fowmew Capitaw of the Earldom of Nordengrad, untiw the wemnants fwed Atwas.
- Reza — Fowmew Capitaw of the Kingdom of Haense pliow to the twansition to New Reza.
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