Firelanders

The Firelanders are a recent peoples to the Shimmering Sea, their arrival documented in the Imperial Records near the end of the first century of the Empress's rule. They came in great numbers, emerging from the deserts with entire caravans of families. There had been a few port-cities along the coast of the Shimmering Sea and the Great Ocean with a people akin to the tribes of the Ivory Savanna, but soon these settlements had fallen to the armies of the Firelanders. In the years since their conquest, the Firelanders have grown these cities as more of their kind emerge from the harsh deserts of the south. Those natives who had been there are still there, though they have long since become the cultural minority in the region. Many have embraced the culture of the Firelanders, while others cling to their traditions. The Jeweled Cities and the Empress both see value in the Firelanders, though also a potential future threat. For now, the Amirs (or Umara) of the Firelanders lack much in naval power compared to the established Jeweled Cities and Iron Navy, but the Resh-miin-Umara has spoken publicly of how he wishes to have ships to rival the powerful galleys of the Empire or the pirate-hunting of the Jeweled Cities

Naming Traditions

Other names

The names for Firelanders are inspired by Arabian and North African names.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Firetongue, though they have begun to incorporate words from Irontongue into their language (and vice versa in the southwest districts of the Empire)

Shared customary codes and values

The Firelanders are a very traditional people and their society is somewhat complicated for outsiders to understand unless they spend a few years among the Firelanders. While the Umara are obvious as the leaders, there are many subtle and unstated nuances about the social order in the cities that goes back to ancient alliances and relationships between clans that are almost impenetrable to strangers and even when explained can be difficult to follow. This inherited system of clan politics helps dictate everyone's place in their society without needing to spell it out. If one is unsure of the status of the person they are speaking too, it is custom to treat them as though they are a prince. Likewise, it is assumed that if you notice someone of clearly higher status than yourself deferring and abasing themselves before you, you inform them of your family and the deeds of your father's line, so that they may not embarrass themselves.
At the start of the day, after the morning meal has been completed, it is expected from those who have leftover grains or meat or food that had not been touched will bring a portion of it to the nearest temple. There, it is presented and arranged to provide for those who had not enough to feed themselves or their family. During the period just before until just after the sun is at its zenith, the temple is opened for those who need shelter and sustenance. It it law that none but those in need may approach the temple during these times (as indicated by the ringing of bells throughout the city) without a cover for their eyes, lest they shame those who came in need by coming to gawk at their misfortune. There are harsh punishments for those who violate this law or the spirit in which it was made.
It is law for those who are not Firelanders to stand aside and let the Firelanders pass in their own cities. The exception to this is are merchants when they are within the designated trade quarters in the cities (to avoid issues with those not familiar with the subtle nuances and body language used by the Firelanders offending one).

Common Etiquette rules

Firelanders are a very expressive people, at least when it comes to joy and intimacy. They are quick to kiss, for very little reason by the standards of most of the other cultures, descended from ancient traditions regarding the importance of water. However, men may kiss men in public and women may kiss women in public, but men and women who are unmarried may not kiss. Men and women may both kiss an Altawahi to whom they are not married, for the Altawahi cannot be anyone's man nor wife.
Meals are communal and often friends and their families will be invited to join at least once a week.

Common Dress code

The fashion of the Firelanders is an evolution from what they wore when they dwelled primarily in the desert. They wear light underclothes that can withstand the harsh life on horseback or the dry arid winds, and then above those they were flowing and draping clothes that could be easily removed or put on depending the demands of the sun above. The common trends in Firelands cities these days is contrast, rather than any specific color or tones. The color of the underclothes are usually a solid dark or light color and then the loose flowing fabrics around it are chosen to provide a contrast of colors. From there, the Firelanders accentuate as they please.

Art & Architecture

The Firelanders are new to a settled life but they are familiar with the great cities in the Southlands. Their architecture is blend of what they have seen from the Imperial styles with their gardens and estates, the grandeur and the extravagance of the monuments of the Jeweled Cities and the pillars and domes of the Southlands kingdoms. They have taken elements from all as they grow the cities they now rule and build. 
Firelanders are also discovering their love for art. While in the desert, they were limited in what they could spare for such pursuits. Clothing, jewelry, and rugs and tarps were among the things they loved and made. They had a fondness for dancing. Now, with access to the Shimmering Sea, they are having a cultural exploration of art in all different mediums. The Umara regularly support artists to fill their palaces with beautiful expression (though many an artist has discovered with finality that there is a limit to what an Amir will accept of their expression).

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

The Firelanders naturally tend towards the darker skintones, and this is reflected in their depictions of beauty in art. The women and men immortalized in their tapestries and portraits tend to be portrayed with very tanned skin, though not as dark as those from the Savannah. This has actually caused many an artist to use a shade lighter than a person's natural tone when painting a portrait for an Amir, to distinguish them from the indigenous people they have conquered. They dress in loose clothing that drapes over them, both men and women. Though originally meant to be easily removed and put back on to help protect them from the merciless sun in the Firelands, now it is simply the matter of fashion. Even those they had conquered have adopted the Firelanders' dress.
The Firelanders ideal face, as portrayed in diagrams from the schools of Al-Zashn, are oval shaped with elevated, thick, arched eyebrows. They prefer full cheeks rather than ones that are thin. Due to the nature of the horses that they used to cross wide-swathes of the Firelands, the Firelanders are on the shorter side and often idealize lean bodies with long legs with a slight frame. However, there is a cultural attraction to those with large frames who are still athletic, for it was considered a sign of a well-off clan to be able to feed those who could get to such large sizes and still move with energy.

Gender Ideals

The Firelanders are not so far removed from their clannish roots, when they still lived in the borders of the Southlands before they began to move through the Firelands to the north. The Firelanders have a patriarchal culture where the head of the family (the father of the household) is considered to be like the Amir with total authority over those in his circle. Women are to be protected, for the desert is harsh and survival is not guaranteed and a family that cannot rear more children to compete with their rivals would not survive. Despite having lives of relative comfort in the cities now, there is enough migration from the deserts to the south to the Firelands coast and enough cultural inertia that there seems to be little reason for this to change, at least among the lower ranks of their society. Wives and mothers tend the house, while husbands and fathers work to provide for their families.

At the level of the aristocracy, the women have a bit more freedom. While they must still abide by the whims of their husbands, fathers, and brothers, the Firelander nobility have discovered that the lives they now lead, enriched with trade and wealth and comforts compared to the desert caves and tents that provided them shelter when they traveled the hot sands, have far more time available. As such, there is a growing trend for noble daughters to be sent to schools to learn 'delicate' trades, such as Lotusmastery or astrology. There have even been some (very determined) daughters who have learned the art of medicine and surgery, the most notable example being Ramiza Al-Taziv, Ramiza the Doctor, whose work was so respected, it has even been translated into Irontongue for reference in both the Iron Empire and the Jeweled Cities.
Men are expected to be 'the rock from which the water flows', an expression to mean the source of stability for their family, and as such they are encouraged to display strength in all aspects of their public lives. A man who is meek or wilts away often faces ridicule among his peers. A man who cannot command obedience from his family in public is seen as a disgrace, at least at a cultural level.
There is also a third gender that the Firelanders recognize, which is the Altawahi, a shortened term that comes from the Firetongue phrase "Twins in One". In the days of their nomadic lifestyle, these were either men who could not fight and so were relegated to the roles typically assigned for women, or women who were good riders and natural hunters. Accepting this place in a family was both something that was embraced but also thrust upon the Altawahi. There are just as many mystical trappings around an Altawahi as there are stories that place them as the butt of the joke. Being Altawahi was both an 'acceptance', but there was a tinge of shame in it, for Altawahi, regardless of where they ended up in society, were not allowed to marry.
However, in the modern Firelands' Coast, there are more who are embracing this third gender, even with the restrictions it brings, seeing little need to marry and instead embracing the cultural freedoms it brings.

Courtship Ideals

Marriage is arranged between the fathers of two different families, with the mothers input on whether the match is a good one. The bride and groom have no say in whether they accept or even if they like one another. In the days of the desert, when resources were scarcer, alliances between clans was necessary to ensure your survival and in this way, old traditions linger on.

Relationship Ideals

Though legally the husband has full authority over his house, the expectation is that he is to heed his wife's suggestions and advice when it comes to matters of the house. The Amir does not rule blindly, after all. The wife is expected to obey her husband and ensure that there is peace in the house between him, his slaves, and his children. When children show disrespect to their fathers, it is he who shoulders the blame in public, but often the wife shoulders his blame in private.