Legerdier

The Legerdian people make up the majority of the citizens in Zorakin. Despite being harshly ruled by their nobles who are of Penner heritage, the Legerdians are still a joyful and content people. The typical life of an Legeridan are made up of hard work, toiling in the fields and paying their taxes. As the Legeridans have been ruled for so long by the Penner they have not developed their culture of their own, and are now more to be seen as a subsidary of the Penner culture.   The dialect the Legerdians speaks are very pronounced as they hardly use any short vocals.   Religion are very important for almost all Legerdians and this makes them more easy to rule as Den lysande vägen prefer people to stay where they are born.   History of the Legerdians.
As the Imperium Jorpagnia spread westwards they encountered large uninhbitated lands that seemed very fertile. The administrators of the empire quickly claimed them and gathered people from all over the empire and transfered them in large quantities to their new home. The discovered lands is the peninsula called Indar, which now makes up the eastern part of the Kingdom of Zorakin. The new farms where managed as large factories, where all workers lived in a central village and worked on the fields together for the community. The produce where owned by the empire and shipped away to other parts of the empire, and in exchange materials needed for the toil where imported from afar.   As the workforce of the farms seldom stayed more than a few years there where never developed a special culture in the region. Of course there where people who settled and started families, but as the only work to be had was on the Jorpagnian farms, they remained within the Imperium Jorpagnia. It is unknown when but some time in history a dwarven kingdom located in the Aidne mountains made contact with the people and trade between them commenced. It also became known that in the forests to the north there where settlements of elves, but they did not initiate contact with the empire. The settlers quickly learned that the black bloods, mainly orcs infested the Aidne mountains. But as the settlements where protected by the highly disciplined armies of the empire they where but a nuisance.   As the third Conflux enveloped the Indar region everything fell apart. The survivors at first tried to cooperate and continue to work on the communal fields. But the huge differences in culture and language made them fall apart. And as there were no import of farming materials either it made no sense to keep farming on industrial level. Instead the survivors gathered in small groups and started farming for themselves. The lives where hard as many of lesser morals turned to robbery instead. And between the small farms there mostly where no love lost as well.   But as time moved stability came to the region as bandits were hunted down and killed or driven north, into the wilderness. The farms remained small with only a few families at most working together in a self sustaining community. The farm where often built in a square as the old Jorpagni mansion, but with walls and a small archers nest/ look out on the barn. Each member on the farm had have a broad knowledge base, such as blacksmithing, farming and tanning. And everyone knew how to fight. In order to avoid inbreeding the farms usually met up at the old Jorpagnian farm in feasts a few times each year. During the feast people got together, got drunk, started fights and of course fell in love.   As the all farms where their own communities who had their own culture but still had to cooperate in defense when external forces threatened them they somewhere amongst the line started to refer to themselves as Legerdians. A Jori word which describes different materials joined together to create something new. Although there never arose any leaders over the Legerdian people some farms were richer and some people had the charisma to make other listen. These were the people whom gathered posses to hunt bandits, or defend the shores from raiders. The Legerdian people never raised an army or learned how to fight a war. But almost all Legerdians knew how to fight and how to defend their homes. It was enough to fight the bandits from the north, it was enough to fight the pirates from the Copper sea. It was even enough to fight the Orcs from the Aidne mountains. It was not enough to fight the armies of the Lindskiarns whom fell upon them from the west, in a war of annihilation.   It took a while for the people of Legerdians to understand that the Lindskiarns weren´t raiding them, and it wasn´t a local problem. And when they understood the severity of the problem they started gathering all abeld men and women to an army, while the non fighters fled eastward. The Legerdian army were inexperienced and their leaders did not know how to fight a war. In just a few battles the army where decimated and turned into several small guerilla forces, trying to slow the Lindskiarn down so their families could flee. They had lost all hope and knew they were a lost people, all they could do were to sell their lives highly. Thats when the saw the Penner army of knights attack the Lindskiarni forces and winning. The Penner came as a salvation to them, and when the Penner demanded that they should subjugate to them as a part of the Kingdom of Zorakin, they agreed to a man. Finally they had found someone that could rule them and make them a part of something bigger again.   The parts that joined the Zoraki kingdom where the duchy Inbeaux and the western parts of the duchies Indarri and Solei-Font.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Legerdian dialect evolved from many different languages and Jori. It has become a  very distinct version of Jori which can be hard to understand for people whom are not from the Legerdian regions. The Legeridan dialect do not use short vocals but rather extend every vocal in a very unnecessary way.

Culture and cultural heritage

Most legerdiens are very religious and follow the shining road.   It is still very common for Legerdians to know a little about everything, and the martial prowess of individuals are still held in high regards. Although Legerdians seldom can afford weapons, they are well trained in staffs, clubs and axes.    The communal feasts between the farms are still held in high regards and held a few times each years. In some places they are held amongst the ruins of the old Jorpagnian farms, but it other places they have moved to new places, such as close to the local lords castle. The feast aren't as wild as they used to be, but they are still clearly a place to let loose and to settle grudges and find the love of your life. Although spontanous fights still occur it has become more common to try to settle them in more organised fights. In many places they build a square where the fight can occur. Any one can challange any one to the square. The square is manned by three person who have sworn an oath the Etin to remain impartial and to make sure no one is seriously injured or dies. All fights are barehanded and only fists or grappeling are allowed. The fight continues until someone is clearly the winner. Being the winner is a great pride for your farm, and it usually gets the opposing gender to look favorably upon you.

Shared customary codes and values

The Legerdians have a long history of strife and working hard for the community is very important for them. Lazy persons are scoffed at if they continue being lazy they are driven from the farm. Legerdians wants to feel like they are working for something greater than themselves, such as the farm or their local lord or Etin. Doing something for yourself is not the normal, but rather a bonus. But even when you do it for yourself there is always the thought on how to make it for others.   The Legerdian people subjugated willingly and most of them are content with their lives and do not want to change it. This makes them exemplary subjects to the nobles, a trait which also is a strong trait in the teachings of Odo. Of course they suffer if their rulers are cruel, but they preservere because they are a part of something grander then themselves.   The legerdians are heavily subdued by the nobles in Zorakin and Kardien. This means that the Legerdiens haven´t evolved their own culture, but rather they work hard and pay their taxes.

Art & Architecture

The only arcitecture which is clearly Legerian is the square built farms with an open area in the middle. Although they aren't as fortified as they once where, it is still clear that the function is to defend.

Ideals

Courtship Ideals

Having won a challange to the square in a feast is considered a boon in the courting ritual.

Relationship Ideals

The close family and a few very close friends are the dominant relations in most Legerdians life. Kids are raised by all adults on the farm, even if their parents have the last say in how they are to be raised.

Major organizations

The kingdom of Zorakin.