Heartlanders
The term Heartlanders can be a bit misleading at first, as it refers specifically to the people of Ysrai's Heart as opposed to people living in the heartlands of any nation. Heartlanders are a people who celebrate the vast swaths of pure farmland nestled in the deep, mountainous basin of their home, the aforementioned Ysrai's Heart, as well as the hero of the land, Ysrai. Though their festival, The Heart's Harvest, they pay tribute to the purity of the land, hoping to ensure its fertility for generations to come.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Most Heartlanders tend to speak only Alorean, though the elven races will also speak their respective racial tongues in addition to Alorean. Few Heartlanders go out of their way to learn additional languages, mostly due to the fact that they mostly all know Alorean anyway, and prefer to keep their lives simple.
Culture and cultural heritage
Heartlander culture stems from their agrarian roots, leading back all the way to both Reclamations. As they exist in Ysrai's Heart - from which their name derives - they are known for their production of staple foodstuffs from all around the mountain basin. Thusly, the people of the heartlands have become known for producing foodstuffs, ingredients, and recipes of exceptional quality.
Shared customary codes and values
Heartlanders majorly elect to lead relatively simple lives, thus possessing simple morals and customs. Heartlanders are generally civil when it comes to outsiders, though tend to prefer outsiders to leave them be and are known to punish outsiders who break their laws more harshly than their own. On a more specific basis, Heartlanders punish both theft and arson exceptionally harshly, presumably due to the mostly farming atmosphere.
Average technological level
Heartlanders possess a similar level of advancement to the rest of Ysrailore, though most of this advancement is specific to the mainline economic outputs of Ysrai's Heart, that being of course farming and trade.
Common Etiquette rules
Heartlanders are known for what they call "Temporary Hospitality," in which they will show general hospitality to outsiders usually for a period no longer than twenty-four hours, after which they will ask said outsider to move along and leave them be. Outsiders who defy this code will be gradually expunged. If the outsiders still refuse to leave, then they will be seen as criminal despite causing no crime, and summarily avoided. An exception to this rule are outsiders that have generally established good standings with the Heartlanders, traders, merchants, diplomats, and accepted heroes.
Common Dress code
Heartlanders generally adopt simplistic attire with natural colors ranging from browns and tans to greens and yellows. This helps them maintain their simplistic lifestyle, allowing them to move from fields to homestead without needing to change their attire. Although this can be observed in most Heartlanders, exceptions certainly exist as with all things.
Art & Architecture
Heartlanders are generally pragmatic in their simplicity, electing to build practical structures as opposed to what they see as gaudy nonsense. This extends to art as well, since most Heartlanders - except perhaps their Urbo-kin counterparts - do not possess any form of art within their abodes.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
In addition to the celebration of Reclamation Day, like nearly all other societies, Heartlanders take part in a festivities surrounding the summer months of Saerazel and Medezel known to them as The Heart's Harvest. Otherwise, Heartlanders seem to consume more calories than other cultures in surrounding areas, presumably for both the fact of their professions requiring intense physical labor and the prominence of of such foodstuffs in the area.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Upon birth, a Heartlander is toured around their parent's lands in an effort to spiritually connect them to both said lands and all those who worked upon it before them. This process used to serve to familiarize the infant to the lands mentally, though now only holds spiritual purpose once the folly of such was made apparent.
Coming of Age Rites
Heartlander adolescents are given a requirement called a Day's Harvest once they reach the maturity age of their respective species to be treated as adults within the community. This requirement is to fully harvest an acre of Veuse - symbolic of the life-giving properties of Ysrai's Heart - in a single day by hand, which can take the participants anywhere from hours to the full day to complete. If the participant cannot complete the task in a single day, they must wait until the next harvest to perform it again. Evidently, there do exist some examples of decades old individuals who still cannot complete the trial for some manner of reason.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Upon the death of a Heartlander, the body is transported to a funeral home designated by the family to await the funeral. Typical funerals usually involve a simple casket set upon a bed of dried hay or straw, then set alight in a pyre to resemble the ferocious burning spirit of Ysrai herself as she reclaimed the area from the demon hordes. The remains are then buried in an allocated spot of a family or public cemetery, whichever can be afforded.
Common Taboos
Generally, Heartlander taboos mimic the taboos of the species of which their people are comprised. Additionally, as they exist within Ysrailore, the usage of standard machines and technology is entirely outlawed, instead replaced by pure magical techniques or the use of Magitech.
Common Myths and Legends
Heartlanders typically follow the myths and legends of their people's component species, with The Four Great Heroes being chief amongst them.
Historical figures
Heartlanders typically possess similar historical figures to their people's component species, though namely The Four Great Heroes and especially Ysrai are their most prominent.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Heartlander ideals tend to vary in exactness from individual to individual, though for the most part they mimic their component species in this regard, such as Aloreans, Urbo-kin, and even the odd Aquo-kin on occasion. Although, most ideals of Heartlanders seem to include a preference for hard working individuals, presumably due to most of their professions being that of farmers or other physically laborious emploments.
Gender Ideals
Heartlander ideals tend to vary in exactness from individual to individual, though for the most part they mimic their component species in this regard, such as Aloreans, Urbo-kin, and even the odd Aquo-kin on occasion. However, regardless of gender, the propensity to work hard in order to achieve greatness is admired by almost all Heartlanders, with exceptions as with all things.
Relationship Ideals
Typically, Heartlanders will desire a simplistic lifestyle where they can work and live in peace. This form of doctrine filters into their prefered form of relationship as well, with both partners being equally required and requested to be employed in manual labor. This form of bond is not only simple, but also simple to form given the fact that most Heartlanders come from backgrounds and professions that include aspects of farming, carpentry, dockhands in Heartspire, or otherwise.
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Author's Notes
As with every writing endeavor, I would deeply appreciate constructive feedback, be it in the form of grammar corrections, naming ideas (which I have the most trouble with), or general questions or feedback about the world or anything within it. I thank you for your dedication of time to reading this article.