Illuskan (Ill-usk-ar)
Overview
Illuskan is the ethnicity of humans descended from the roaming hordes in the region of Illuskar. Illuskans were tall, fair-skinned people. Most had blue or steel gray eyes. Illuskans often have red or brownish hair, although some have blonde hair as well.Culture
Illuskans regard themselves as a strong, proud people forged by the harsh environment in which they dwell. They feel they have earned, through strength in battle, the right to claim the lands they have settled. Illuskans regard most easterners as weak and decadent, two much-despised traits. However, they are fair-minded and always willing to make exceptions for those who have proven otherwise. Illuskans themselves are bold and impetuous, given to proud boasts, the consumption of prodigious amounts of mead and ale, and quick tempers. Illuskans have little concept of class divisions, considering such artifices as an example of the weakness inherent in eastern cultures. Honor and prestige in Illuskan society are earned through displays of strength and martial fortitude. Both magic and commerce are regarded with suspicion, for both are seen as upsetting the natural order of things. Illuskans are expected to be self-sufficient from a young age. Those who must rely on others are treated well but not respected, although the elderly accorded the respect they earned before the debilitating effects of age set in. Those who hire strangers to do a task rather than do it themselves are considered suspect. Book learning is admired but not expected. Those who die an honorable death are burned in funeral pyres, preferably aboard a small ship pushed out to sea. Such ceremonies are believed to free the soul from its mortal tether. Although the inhabitants of Old Illusk venerated a pantheon of beast totems and passed this tradition down to the modern Illusk, at present most Illuskans worship the deities of the Ekrunian pantheon.Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Amafrey, Betha, Cefrey, Kethra, Mara, Olga, Silifrey, and Westra
Masculine names
Ander, Blath, Bran, Frath, Geth, Lander, Luth, Malcer, Stor, Taman, and Urth
Family names
Brightwood, Helder, Hornraven, Lackman, Stonar, Stormwind, and Windriver.
Encompassed species
