Ceired

Each and every one of us has been holding inside a great sense of anger. This fury we bear has grown too burdensome and the only release from its grip is to take aim at the source of all our woes — the Rahyamins.

— Alfrēd Ƿulfrūnson, 279 AU

  The Ceireds are an industrious folk who live in the southern parts of Pekkola in the lands of Lithmark and Rieweck. They are an ethnic group that arose from contact between the Vakner settlers who had migrated south from Henvikendal, and the native Riewhi people. While their northern brothers are known for being polite to deal with, the Ceireds have a reputation of being the opposite. They are regarded as vindictive and rude, but regardless of their attitudes they know how to seize control and take the lead.  

Appearance

When looking upon a man or woman from Ceired lands one might confuse them for a southerner or perhaps a Tathian at first, but in reality they are as northern as the rest of the peoples of Pekkola. Their physique is fairly average and nothing remarkable, as their prowess lies in the ways they use their minds. Unlike their Vakner brothers, the Ceireds aren’t fussed about their looks and they often neglect their appearances. This is partially as a result of simply not caring, but for many their diligence keeps them far too distracted with work to have time for lesser matters.        

Culture

For the past few generations, vengeance has been the driving factor in Ceired society. Every child in Lithmark and Rieweck grows up hearing tales of heroic deeds and the vile acts of dishonourable treachery committed by the Rahyamin Empire. That fury fuels them to enact vengeance on an already fallen foe and has caused them to be an eternal rival to the Remnant in Pekkola.     Strong leaders are required to tame the anger within the Ceireds, and luckily their people have developed into natural-born statesmen and commanders who can lead their people. Often the greatest leader isn’t necessarily the one in charge of the country, resulting in power struggles that weaken the united power of the Ceired.    

Don’t you go off wondering into the wetlands now, kids! You all ought to know well enough that by old Offa’s law, the price for going to see the Many-Eyed Swamp Hag is an arm and a leg.   And that’s of course assuming that you’ll live long enough to tell the tale! You never know what those nasty hags are up to.

— Balthild of Merscniht

 

Regional Differences

Rough heights and dangerous marshes lie at the borderlands of Rieweck and Lithmark. The Ceired who dwell in the regions have diverged from each other in some ways but the tongue they speak has remained.   Both dialects have clung on to their original roots, allowing for mutual intelligibility between the tongues. Those native to one of the Ceired languages can also understand roughly half of what a Vakner from Henvikendal might be saying, although misunderstanding will probably arise from such conversations.  

Warfare

While the other peoples of Pekkola may pride themselves in mastering some key aspects of the battlefield, the strength of the Ceireds lies in siege warfare. During the reign of the Rahyamins, their foreign rulers had built many a great castle in Ceired lands with the intention of using them to suppress the populace. Knowing this, the locals studied all they could from the buildings. Many prominent locals used their knowledge to fund research into both architecture and siege equipment.