Human Cultures of Ærellion

Ærellion, as the largest continent would perhaps be expected to host the largest amount of cultural diversity- and that assumption would be correct. Yet, this does not do justice to the sheer amount of cultural diversity the continent is able to represent, with no race coming close to the amount of distinct cultures found among the human inhabitants of the continent. While this makes it difficult to categorize many of the continent's cultures, most of them do share similarities or common ancestors with at least one other culture, forming the Ærellic cultural supergroups. Of these groups, the largest and most populous are the Jhasdic peoples, consisting of the Dharasī, Ghuraki, Indhiri, and Rabasaji cultures. Inhabiting much of the southeast, their population can be found throughout Daunasiya, Apasaji, and Judharānē, as well as in parts of Ǎiyùhān, Gahnjhal, and even in Tempesterra. Their massive Empires, from ancient kingdoms to the Dudurian Empire and the more recent Karadatra Empire, have always been centers of trade, agriculture, and religious development over the thousands of years since the Jhasdic identity arose. The Jhasdic are joined by the Qai, who are the second most populous of the supergroups on Ærellion, despite more of the Qai actually living on Cet'aenn. The sole Qai representative on Ærellion are the Hymari peoples, who, similarly to the Jhas, are known for their religious development and massive influence in agriculture and trade, though the Hymari climate is more temperate. In contrast to the previous two peoples, both of whom dominate the east of the continent, the third major supergroup on Ærellion is actually found in the far west- the Alatu. Containing the Al'salaan, Iajephic, and Ursumar, Ynipshar peoples, the Alatu are also a people synonymous with imperial ambition. Whether it be the Divinity of Bēlqūašdu or the Jafarid Empire of the Holy Successor, the Alatu have almost always had at least one, if not multiple, competing Empire which have at times been the most powerful states in the world. Despite the aridity of much of the many regions they inhabit, irrigation techniques have allowed agriculture to thrive for thousands of years, and their military skill is probably unmatched by any other human group on Ærellion.

Although a casual observer may conclude that with so many powerful people groups, not to mention the other competing races, there could surely be no room for other, smaller groups, to carve out their own respectable states- but they would be wrong. The Chorachu, composed of the Aimaur, Jhasanhian, Thlai peoples, is perhaps most emblematic of this. With the Thlai migrating to the southern coast of Jangalavaal and the Jhasanhians all the way in Daunasiya with the Jhasdic, they have influenced many states over their years and built their own, despite grave misfortune. the heartland of the Aimaur remains in their hands, even as the Ursumar continue to encroach. Much like the Chorachu, the Niris have survived thanks to their tenaciousness and adaptation to mountains and jungles alike. Made up of the Khaid'bon and distantly related Mīⸯyuān [NOTE: May contain a third culture in Hymari mtns at some point], the Niris are a proud people who have weathered attempts at conquest and demographic issues for thousands of years without losing their way of life, making them resolute in their culture. This has allowed them to persist in the east despite their low population numbers compared to the Qai and Jhas. Finally, the Qabalic Taltas, the last representatives of their people on Ærellion aside from a few Baxstir on islands, are a fierce warrior culture made up of former tribes who have embraced an Alatic way of life while still holding firm to their military prowess. Having been forced from the great steppes by the centaurs over thousands of years, the Taltas are descended from the fiercest of tribes who only gave way fully in the last half-millennia.

Then, of course, there are the isolated cultures of Ærellion. With such a diverse and vast landscape, it's easy for small groups of people to survive assimilation by larger ones, only to later blossom. The Ægyian, Blay'uran, Guwaaru, Insayluru, Jungyu, P̄hækhan, and Sholi are all unique groups which defy placement with other divergent cultures such as the above groupings. Each of these cultures is internally tight-knit; diverse, but very clearly unified and sharing many of the same traditions with their fellows of the in-group. Their continued survival is owed to a number of factors, with some thriving and others struggling, yet all are determined to hold firm in their beliefs and traditions, lest they be lost in the tide of the big three cultures.

History of Ærellion's Major Cultural Groups

The Jhas are a concentrated set of cultures found in the southeastern portions of Ærellion, all sharing similar religious, political, and social ideas throughout their history. Additionally, all Jhas share a common origin story, claiming descent from a mythical race of light-skinned conquerors who spread their language and blended their culture to unite the formerly disparate Jhasdic peoples. Whether or not these conquerors ever actually existed is an open debate, especially since most Jhas are actually rather dark in their skin tone, as befits a group of people living rather close to the equator. Originally inhabiting a smaller land area, the Jhas have slowly expanded over the centuries, leveraging their manpower advantage to chip away at the Niris, Selvatores, and N'comm. The one area they have struggled to expand is the Sevelia region, though this is more due to a lack of interest from and major groups than a real failure, though the vast populations of goblins do make conquest difficult when struggling through jungles. However, when compared to the destitute goblins of the east, conquering other Jhas has long proven more lucrative and also simpler, and most Empires have therefore preferred to focus on conquest of their own supergroup. Still, despite this historical tendency, the Jhas have never been fully unified. Part of that is size- the Jhas populate a region close to the size of the continent of An'seidna. However, a larger part of their failure to fully unify is being situated in the tropics, because despite the richness of their lands, the monsoon and dry seasons both provide great challenges to sustained conquest, and the large numbers of militaristic tribes further complicate subjugation and integration. The challenges of assimilating or keeping such a large number of people unified, often over vast, challenging terrain, has led to all Jhasdic empires eventually coming to an end. With no state has this been more pronounced than the slow but steady retreat of the Karadatra Empire, which struggled to hold onto border regions for centuries before finally collapsing into warlordism in the mid-1900s. Yet despite all this, the corpse of the Empire still holds on, grasping for any way to pull itself out of the crumbling bureaucracy and military, both of which have become corrupted to the core.

lore

The Alatu are an ancient people, who by all accounts have existed for thousands of years in their present homelands. However, careful observation of their distribution will reveal that it is nearly impossible for them to be native to their vast domains, especially considering the Ægyian population which lives right in the center of their lands. It appears that many thousands of years ago there was a split in the Alatic population between a northern and southern group, with the Al'salaan and Ynipshar being those that remained in the north, and the Ursumar those that kept to the south, while the Iajephic seem to have been the last to settle and are therefore an intermediary group. All three have been defined by their religious piety, with staunch religiosity a staple in their civilizations. In the Ursumar lands, this has given rise to the Alwatian faith, while the Al'salaan cast off their native pantheons in favor of the uniquely monotheistic Illahic faith group. The Iajephic Lixsnagn Pantheon remains popular too, though not the the extent of the other two, thanks to their unfortunate position between them. Just as with their competing religions, the Ursumar and Al'salaan have each had powerful Empires throughout the years. The Al'salaan hold the distinction of having actually defeated the Ursumar during their a period of disunity, but the Ursumar have had more and longer lasting states, so ultimately hold the edge, since the Al'salaan only held Ursumar lands for under a century.

Prominent Cultures of Ærellion

Extinct or Mostly Extinct Human Cultures of Ærellion