Vóreachóra

The Vóreachóra culture encapsulates the populations of Anemoi dwelling on Ærellion. Primarily lviving in the highlands and floating islands of Vránzoúala, they also have a major presence in the Sevel Del'tyrd region, though this has dwindled over the years to minor holdouts only. The Vóreachóra have a typical organization of society into clan-based state units, which are generally considered fairly fluid due to the constant territorial changes due to warfare. As the Anemoi living in their place of origin, all other Anemoi cultures are descended from the Vóreachóra, which remain the largest and most influential Anemoi. The Vóreachóra are highly spiritual and most follow the Kuranoúago faith. Their society is currently locked in conflict between those who seek to reform the faith in order to fight against foreign religions, those who refuse centralizing reforms and stick to the old ways, and those who believe foreign religions should also be accepted or follow such religions themselves. As the center or Anemoi culture, whichever path ends up dominant (or indeed if none do) seems likely to reverberate around the Anemoi world, whose non-Vóreachóra have largely abandoned Kuranoúago.

The Vóreachóra have fairly neutral relations with their neighboring countries. While enemies of the human-supremacist Kingdom of Ilmoric, they were generally friendly towards the Mnouska Aimaur people, who were more respectful of Anemoi and also oppressed by the ruling class of Ilmoric. The southern Vóreachóra share their mountain homes with Mnouska, who generally dwell around the lower slopes while Vóreachóra populate the peak. The numbers of Mnouska in the region increased during the collapse of Ilmoric, which strained relations between the two groups as food became scarce. However, eventually things went back to normal and the Mnouska have largely settled back into their traditional roles in the south. Besides the Mnouska, however, the Vóreachóra have traiditionally treated other races and cultures with suspicion, only rarely inviting them into their lands or settling amongst them. Their relations with the Gnomes and Insayluru typically doesn't extend beyond a cordial and peaceful trading relationship, but in recent years the spread of culture and faith from these peoples has made some reconsider. The Vóreachóra consider Goblins to be a great threat, especially with their toppling of the Wind Stewardships, and as all Anemoi, hate Kobolds with a passion.

Vóreachóra culture can be split into six different subgroups: Sevelauk, Charifauk, Loeróauk, Dhayauk, Lohleinauk, and Vránzauk, who are mainly divided by historical political differences as opposed to any difference in genetics or culture. The outlier to this rule are the Sevelauk, as they live across the bay in Sevel Del'tyrd, where for many years they maintained the Wind Stewardships. Wind Stewardships are a traditional system of government the Anemoi of Sevel Del'tyrd developed thousands of years ago, which aimed to maintain large, sparsely populated lands under their control. Sevel Del'tyrd was for many years perfect for this system, as it was primarily settled by small Orc clans, Goblin tribes, and the occasional human tribes. Over time, the lowlands of the region became more habitable as technology improved, but remained unattractive to the Anemoi, who preferred highlands, so they sold off the lands to Dark Elves, Halflings, and Gnomes. The Anemoi would retain the inland regions, where halflings also settled under their control. However, with the fall of the southern Jade Dwarves to migrating Goblins, the Wind Stewardships came under increasing pressure and eventually fell to the goblin hordes. Only a few holdouts remain. Such recent conflict has helped the Sevelauk become fearsome warriors, eager to reclaim their lands.

In contrast, the other Vóreachóra have been free from outside meddling since the fall of the Aimaur Empire, nearly 400 years ago. Thanks to a more peaceful climate, a small amount of their warriors have migrated east to assist their brethren, which is greatly appreciated and provides an avenue for cultural and ethnic exchange. The Vránzauk, living furthest from the Sevelauk, are least active in this effort, as they are traditionally more tribal, less magically adept, and less involved in trade. However, they are powerful warriors and always valued when they decide to fly eastwards. The Vránzauk, like most Anemoi, have also had many of their clans migrate around and influence other cultures, most notably in the establishment of the High Kingdom of Ailethéon, a rival to Aimauria (though clan Ailethéon eventually became Charifauk). After the fall of this state, many Vránzauk clans were forced to migrate as the Aimauri encroached on their lands and forced the clans out- though they would later return. Thanks to their many wars with the Aimauri, they have remained distrusting of both man and of outside ideas, with most Vránzauk clans believing the Anemoi are especially blessed by the gods and the only race fit to rule. The Vránzauk are the staunchest followers of Kuranoúagism thanks to this Anemoi-first attitude, and are the leaders of the conservative, traditionalist, and folk interpretations of the faith. However, they are not hostile towards humans and other land-dwellers, provided they acknowledge the Anemoi as their rulers, so they do have close cooperation with many of the Aimaur living amongst them.

The Charifauk clans, like Ailethéon, are a mix between the Loeróauk and the Vránzauk. Their clans are typically found in a band stretching from the central Vránzoúalan plateau to the Gnomish port of Angchrapur, where they live in the hills just north of the swamp the city sits on. The Charifauk are a fairly new ethnic group, formed from the dispersion of Loeróauk and Vránzauk ideas during the post-Ailethéon period. They are often seen as a perfect blend of the militarism of the Vránzauk and the magical ability of the Loeróauk, as well as being staunch followers of Kuranoúagism. With a less wild and aggressive doctrine than the Vránzauk, the Charifauk lands are more popular with human migrants to the region, and allow them more autonomy. Charifauk clans generally bear heritage from several different Vránzauk sources- be it exiles from the post-Ailethéon period, earlier clans in the region, or mixing under the Ailethéon clan's rule.

The Loeróauk are those clans hailing from the Verdant Divide, a region of numerous floating islands and high magic which sits between the plateau and foothills of Vránzoúala. Because of this region's magical resources and excellent defensive islands, the Loeróauk are at the heart of Anemoi culture. Many of the oldest and most venerable settlements sit on the folating islands, and the Loeróauk are the core of the Anemoi understanding of magic, with all major schools on magic being located here. This has made the region hotly contested for much of history between the wild upland tribes and the coastal jungle-dwellers, leading to a diverse background for the clans of the region. The unification of much of the divide by the Kingdom of Aeopistés marks the closest it has come to unfication by a Loeróauk-led nation since ancient history. Thanks to their connection to the magical arts and therefore being religiously relevant, the Loeróauk are yet another Kuranoúagists monolith, at least on a clan-wide scale.

The Dhayauk, living in the jungles to the east of the Vránzoúala plateau and foothills, are more friendly towards outside ideas than the more inland cultures, often making a significant amount of wealth being middlemen between outside goods and the less trusting Vóreachóra. The clans on the border of Vránzoúala plateau along the southeast rim are also generally considered Dhayauk, despite being more inland. Their faith is generally weaker, and more of them have converted to other religions than any other cultural subgroup. Most Dhayauk are closely tied to either the Gnomish trade of the Sevel Bay or the human trade run by the Insayluru, so they are in close contact with other races in an equal position much more often than other Anemoi. This has led to the Dhayauk siring the most amount of half-Anemoi out of any subculture, though the overall population remains low.

The final Anemoi subculture are the Lohleinauk, who are quite similar to the Dhayauk before their commercial enterprises became majorly relevant. Generally located in regions where humans and gnomes either couldn't or wouldn't intervene in, but which were not as tribalistic as the Vránzauk or as unique as the the Loeróauk, they have a moderate presence throughout several regions. They're scattered across southern Vránzoúala in several pockets, such as Xeýnchar, as well as being found in Juyantur and Conbán Dhao, where they may be found in Mikéleiva and parts of Córlófon and Nótiotés.