Description
The Inarans, inhabitants of the continent of Inara and citizens of
The Inaran Imperium, are a people that have endured much suffering and strife in their long and storied history - yet, in recent decades and centuries, have risen above the trials of their past to become one of the most culturally advanced ethnic group on the planet of Ea. Ordered, Lawful, and possessed of a rigid society where one's station in society and in life are of utmost importance, they are a people that see great value in living and dying according to their traditions and their own values - even unto extremes that other cultures would find asinine or utterly foolish. Above all, however, they are pious and devoted - and place great importance on honor and loyalty in all aspects of one's life.
Appearance
Overall, the Inaran people's fashion and general appearances are defined by their own rather prudish moral values - the unneccesary showing of skin is often seen as a sign of barbarity and savagery(Associated with the lower class or foreigners), so the Inaran people prefer to wear layered and well-covering garments regardless of the season. This is not to say that Inarans are of drab appearance - indeed, with all their concern about one's station and status their appearances tend to be, in their own subtle ways, clear and obvious depictions of the status and stations they hold; their garments bearing more intricate designs, subtle accentuations, or more fanciful adornments to indicate the wearer's importance. Going even deeper, the symbols present upon Inaran garb can sometimes represent one's very station - most obvious of these being the Dragon, which is a symbol often reserved for the most elite of nobility or mightiest of warriors.
All in all, Inarans care
deeply about their appearances - often keeping their hair in tight knots or pinned up in ponytails regardless of gender as a sign of their own reserved nature and even more simply local fashion trends while their garb, ranging from clothing to armor, tends to be adorned with countless symbols, decorations, and even animal parts such as feathers that each mean something unique or special depending on the area or sub-section of Inaran culture one hails from. To Inarans, they often reserve their more 'relaxed' appearances and dress exclusively for one's family or spouse in the privacy of their own home. What other ethnic groups would consider of little consequence is often a huge social faux pas in Inaran culture.
In terms of biological appearances and traits, Inarans are a unique bunch - their hair color tends to be almost exclusively darker or more earthen colors(Making brighter colors such as red, blonde, orange, and such nearly nonexistent), while their eyes tend to be wider and narrower than most other ethnic groups, their mouths and faces sharper and their noses smaller and flatter against their faces.
History
The history of the Inaran people has ever been one of strife and violence - perhaps even more notoriously than the histories of western countries of Corexus in many ways - and until the rise of
Tamamo-No-Mae and the formation of her country some 800 years before the modern day, the history of the Inaran people was one of constant schisms, infighting, and some of the bloodiest and most brutal wars that the lands of Inara or Corexus had ever seen. Indeed, so brutal and bloody was their history before the rise of
Tamamo-No-Mae that much of it has been lost - thanks in large part due to the extreme violence of the times destroying the rule of law completely and meaning entire decades or centuries of Inaran history were simply lost due to no cohesive system of rule existing to encourage the recording of history as sons butchered fathers, fathers enslaved sons, and every single Inaran for decades or centuries before the rise of
Tamamo-No-Mae was forced to slaughter and butcher their fellows just to survive.
In the current day, however, Inarans have thankfully been freed of their more bloody and violent natures - a part of themselves that has largely been attributed to the unique nature of Inara itself, as the land is known to bear an astronomical amount of local spirits whose energies and emotions often reflect in the land itself during times of famine or crisis; when the spirits of Inara are thrown out of balance, the citizens of the Inara are often easily overtaken by the tainted energies of their land and become similarly 'violent'. Regardless, thanks to the efforts of
Tamamo-No-Mae, Inarans have largely enjoyed a period of uninterrupted law and order that has lasted nearly a thousand years - and as a result have largely discarded their most bloody and violent pasts to emerge as one of the most structured and lawful civilizations on the planet of Ea.
Most recently, with the ascension of their god-queen
Tamamo-No-Mae into major godhood to become
Tamamo-No-Mae, The Dominator, the Inarans have been born anew as free to steer their own fate once again now that their God-Queen that had ruled for nearly a thousand years has left them - meaning that they now eagerly strive to prove themselves to their Goddess and rule the nation she left behind as honorably and lawfully as she herself did for centuries.
Culture
More than anything, the Inaran people are one utterly entranced with and obssessed by one's station in life - one's rank and title and station mean everything, and the trappings of ritual, of custom and tradition, are of utmost importance to them. As a people, they often associate loud and/or boisterous behavior with uncivilized barbarians - elegance, inwardness, and reserved stoicism are traits they most commonly associate with nobility, and these traits pervade and permeate their entire way of life; moving subtly and behind closed doors is a sign of great intelligence, and thus the higher echelons of Inaran society are defined by smiling politicians who do everything to maintain face and reputation even while slowly undermining and destroying their enemies with carefully laid plans. Even if all involved parties know of their disdain towards one another, it is of utmost importance to Inarans that an air of civility be maintained at all times.
As such, respect and obedience to the pecking order are vital to Inaran culture - one's public persona must ever be one of obedience to one's superiors and lords, and loyalty is a virtue expected unto death; to move and scheme, while encouraged, must be done far from prying eyes and in the company of one's trusted lieutenants until the very final moments when one's plans come to fruition.
Going along with their obsession with loyalty, honor, and an outward air of obedience and respect, Inarans are a people obsessed with death - viewing it as the best way by which one's life may be punctuated, or judged. To die well, to an Inaran, is just as important as how they live - a death done willingly to redeem them of dishonor is a great, great honor, and one they respect beyond compare. Going hand in hand with belief is a widespread Inaran belief in reincarnation - as most all of them are, if only in some small ways, faithful of
Tamamo-No-Mae, The Dominator (As she was their God-Queen for a Thousand Years before she became a true god), they believe so ardently in these ways of a good death and honor and loyalty because, to them, a good life will be rewarded by Tamamo when they return to her grip and are judged with a better life of higher standing and, if they were exceptionally well-lived, may even be blessed with being allowed to keep their minds and memories across lifetimes. This belief makes them nearly unshakeable in their beliefs - and relieves them in many ways of their doubts, for a life lived well no matter the circumstances will invariably be rewarded in the next life.
Unfortunately, with this love and honor also comes xenophobia - Inarans often view those of other ethnicities as "barbarians" and view them unfavorably, treating them with a great deal less respect and sometimes blatant xenophobia. While this has relaxed in recent decades, it is still an unfortunately prevelant theme of Inaran society - as well as intense class divides that often expect and even demand a level of deference that those of other ethnicities often considered moronic.
Above all else, the Inarans are a people of intense patriotism and with an overwhelming love of tradition - often to such a degree that to go against tradition is one of the biggest cultural sins an Inaran can commit. Highly religious as well, they are almost universally followers of
Tamamo-No-Mae, The Dominator - their beloved God-Queen who ruled their country for 1,000 years before eventually ascending into true Godhood a scant few decades before the modern day, leaving them to govern themselves for the first time since the country's founding well over a millennia ago.
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