Yenoan

The Sand Men

Around the great Yenoan desert, in the city-states based around the rivers flowing down the mountains, new cultures developed, completely distinct from the rest of the world. Isolated by geography, and shaped anew by their environment.
These people mostly developed as a desert civilization, trading with each other, and growing food in the most impossible of circumstances, and while all logic and reason would call it impossible to thrive in a place such as this, what would become the Yenoees did it anyway.

Their culture is defined by adaptation, community, and ingenuity—traits honed over millennia in one of the most inhospitable regions on the continent.

Ethnicities

There are five groups in the Yenoan culture. The three main ones are: Western, Eastern, and Northern Yenoan.

Western Yenoan Culture originated from a population of humans who migrated to the desert basin through the mountains during the Stone Age, and then settled around the rivers.
Eastern Yenoan Culture originated from a population of humans who migrated here via the southern marshes, roughly around the same time.

Unity

These two groups developed independently for many centuries, until the Bronze Age, when they first made contact. In the beginning, there was conflict between them, but soon they realized the value of peace, and they developed strong trade relationships between themselves. This eventually led them to become a true trade confederacy.

This caused cultural mixing, and the Ryendu language became dominant, after first becoming the trade language. And while now they all speak the same language, there is still an ethnic difference between Westerners and Easterners.

Westerners have tight curly hair, and Easterners have straight hair. The shape of the face is also slightly different, although they all have almond-shaped eyes, and black hair, with the rest of their bodies being very low in hair, and the men often have trouble growing facial hair.

Over time, shared religion and foreign interests set the stage for a unified nation and national identity.

Western Yenoan

The Western Yenoans are those furthest removed from the sea, and their climate is the driest and most mountainous. They grew strong and tough, and they had to become excellent irrigators in order to survive.
They also developed a tough, drought-resistant grain called sorghum, which they used for a long time, until yellow rice arrived from the east, cultivated by their neighbours, which was a less water-reliant version of the Khellan rice varieties.
Their architecture relies heavily on stone and clay, with water towers, terraced farms, and intricate canal systems being hallmarks of their engineering.

They are known for their resourcefulness and resilience, thriving in hot and cold climates, at high altitudes, and in extreme drought, all circumstances that are common here.

Eastern Yenoan

The Eastern Yenoans first started developing their culture near the coast, where the climate is much more forgiving, and the soil is much better. They only colonized the sands later. Their superior soil and water conditions allowed them to cultivate a much greater variety of grains and vegetables, such as yellow rice, which they cultivated from the Khellan grain. This rice version was specifically cultivated to be grown in drier climates and poor soil, allowing it to quickly spread across the desert.
They are also the ones who adopted the tradition of Warg riding from the Aneira, after conquering and subjugating them, and they then spread this tradition to their eastern neighbours, who had solely been using camels up until this point.
They have always had a much larger population than any of their neighbours, allowing to throw their weight around, something they continue to do to this day. Trade allowed their western kin to catch up to them somewhat, but this is still the dominant culture of Yeno, and it is their language that is spoken across their nation.
Eastern cities are known for their grand avenues, walled markets, and religious and civic buildings that often double as granaries or water storage sites, increasing their societal impact and influence among the people.

They are known to for their organizational skills, strong sense of tradition, and their ingenuity when it comes to solving problems. However, they are also known for their domineering stance towards their neighbours, namely Khallador and Aneira, whose lands they covet.

Northern Yenoan

This culture developed when these lands were conquered from the Aneirnian tribes, and settled by a mixed population of western and eastern yenoans, these populations also include a smaller amount of Aneira genes, which makes their eyes rounder, and their faces hairier, the people here can have hair types ranging from curly to straight, depending on the exact makeup of their DNA.
Northern Yenoan towns often blend Yenoan planning with Aneira earthworks and longhouse designs. Seasonal migration remains a cultural memory, and many families still mark time by the caribou calving cycles, even in settled towns.

They were the first to adopt herding caribou from the Aneira, and they are those of the main Yenoan cultures who have the strongest love for this meat.

Vilyanorian

This is considered a subculture of Northern Yenoan. Still, it is unique, because this region was conquered from the Aneira rather recently, and although it was thoroughly settled by the Yenoans, there are still large native populations here, and they have not yet been fully mixed. Those that are mixed have large amounts of Aneira DNA, and therefore look distinctly Vilyanorian. Even the language here has felt the Aneira influence, and many words for local things come from the local language.

Aneira Cultural Influence is felt the strongest here, and many still ride Aneira Wargs, and herd karibou, even if the fishing industry dominates the Vilyanorian economy.

Vilyanorian cuisine features a mix of coastal fish, smoked meats, and fermented root vegetables, reflecting both survival traditions and a hybrid palate. Clan loyalty remains strong here, and local governance often prioritizes family councils over central mandates, to the dismay of the Yenoan bureaucracy.

Onyefen

This culture developed when the Yenoans discovered the island. This island was uninhabited when they got to it, and thus, they were the first to settle it, and the population that emerged here is the most mixed of all, with a small amount of Aneira mixed in. Most people here have wavy hair and can grow full beards, with their faces being distinctly Onyef-like, although more similar to the Eastern visage.
The Onyef are also the most sea focused, and have the strongest fishing and sailing culture.