Oŋshan

The Oŋshan are the dominant cultural group in Albra. occupying its larger eastern territory, Pratsa, an area for which the national language is named. They are meaningfully juxtaposed against the Hãol, an opposing culture that inhabit Havar on Albra's western coast. The Oŋshan are the more metropolitan of the two, focusing their collective energies on art, culture and religion, whereas the Hãol live closer to the ground, priding themselves on practical skills such as fishing, cooking, and tradesmanship.

by Midjourney

Above: Elder Teller tells the story of the Sun Wheel.

Albra is a small, warm, coastal country, and the sun is relatedly a long-celebrated symbol in Oŋshan culture, preceding its adoption of the Green Mountain Chapter version of the Ascended faith. Their visual traditions weave solar imagery into conventional religious iconography, such as the Church's central symbol, the Wheel, and the summer is an especially holy time for them. Many festivals unique to the culture are practiced during this time, such as Shaɓlãorh ("Sun Ceremony"), a ritual which involves the community walking barefoot across Pratsa's rocky beaches. Thankfully, this painful process concludes with a sizeable feast.

by Midjourney

Above: Oŋshan devotees participate in the Sun Ceremony.

The Oŋshan are known for their love of music and dance, and their traditional performances are a sight to behold. They are also skilled craftsmen and artisans, known for their beautiful hand-woven fabrics, intricate wood carvings, and colorful pottery, the latter highly popular throughout Rela.
As they live nearer the islands of Reloi and Jobaykal, the Oŋshan enjoy stronger diplomatic ties to these islands than their Hãol counterparts. Small Pratsan communities exist in both locales, and trade relations, especially with Jobaykal, are robust.
Their culture is highly suspicious of magic: Oŋshan believe that magic holds the power to erode cherished community values, and that those that practice it threaten society's very existence. This is unsurprising in that Albra straddles the Autumn and Winter Yields, areas inimical to wizards, so their exposure to magic-using individuals is very low.

by midjourney

Above: Traditional Oŋshan pottery.