Aeharite

Aeharite is a demonym used for both individuals of the Aeharean civilization and the Aeharean Faith in part because they're so closely related. There are very few individuals who are one but not the other.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Borrvé

Altûŕic

Menaluc

Shared customary codes and values

Aeharites are proud patriots constantly working for the betterment of Aeharean. They are also strongly rooted in their faith, to most being an Aeharite means being of the faith as much as it does being a citizen. With this, they feel that all their actions must first be considered morally before acted on and morality is decided by the virtues set by the church. Some of those virtues or values include an aversion to getting high, necromancy, self-mutilation, and slavery, to the point such things are vilified. Their faith also enforces the belief that a group is more important than an individual; however, it doesn't lessen individualism, instead, the belief focuses on the importance of teamwork and relationship. This belief also flows over into marriage and a general acceptance that marriage should be for life.

Common Etiquette rules

Common etiquette includes simple gestures such as a subtle head bow to acknowledge an individual, and eye contact, especially when talking to a superior. One must also eat their food when it is given, especially if it is a warm meal since letting it cool is considered insulting to the efforts of the cook.

Common Dress code

Aehareans tend to be modest in their coverage, with the exception of certain labourers, such as smiths who work by hot forges. Men will often where tunics over long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and woman usually wear dresses. Teachers, scholars and clergy are usually expected to wear appropriate robes regardless of gender; similarily both male and female soldiers wear pants and shirts coupled with long tunics when they dress formally. Men in politics wear garb similar to that of formal military attire with the addition of a cape draped over the left shoulder, a practice that originated as a means to hide sensitive or important documents from prying eyes. Women in politics wear dresses with a cape draped over their left shoulder for the same purpose. Wearing hoods or any veil over one's face is frowned upon and suggests ill-intent, one will certainly be asked to remove such garb if they enter any public establishment. In cold weather most will simply add a thick cape over their regular attire, cold weather is also the only time it's considered appropriate to wear a hood or clothing that might obstruct one's face. Adornments are uncommon and piercings are frowned upon since one shouldn't pierce their skin for the sake of beauty. Most adornments that are worn take the form of arm and finger jewellery or hair and beard accessories. If someone wears any sort of adornment which isn't clearly a military medal it usually indicates extreme wealth or success. Often rings would be given to individuals to honour certain achievements or qualifications.

Art & Architecture

The Aeharites aren't typically viewed as creative people; however, they have still shown themselves to be capable of amazing works with the beautiful golden city of Oteva and the many gargoyles and sculptures that decorate their settlements. When it comes to high art, sculpting or stone carving is among the most popular which largely derives from the fact that they are settled in a rocky landscape; however, many also practice literature and music. Their skill with sculpting and carving also translates over well when it comes to their stone architecture. While all types of crafts are practised by Aeharites, it is stoneworking and masonry that comes on top as one of the most prevalent; however, their blacksmiths are also quite skilled, often working together with sculptures and masons to embellish their works with gold and other bright metals.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Many customs and traditions originate with the church, many of which were intended to be a loose form of order or laws. Yet, despite them having never been inforced, they seem to remain. Among such customs is the practice of vows of silence, this is often done during times of civil grief or great tragedy. Contests were also initiated by the church, they were used as a controlled or somewhat civil way to defuse and/or settle disputes, and are now commonly practised among adolescent men as a test of self. These contests can take the form of duals as well as gauntlet challenges; however, they are usually carefully managed to avoid casualties or extreme injuries. Other customs include gendered occupations, although that tends to be quite flexible. Singing while working, which originated with workers singing hymns after church, now it is used as a strategy to keep workers in sync when working on certain tasks. There are also a handful of military customs; such as exiling, a practice used as an extreme punishment, viewed as a custom due to it not being a law enforced by the church. There is also the tradition of inquisitions, in times of peace platoons are often tasked with seeking out necromancers or cursed beings such as vampires, in order to stay in practice.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Cremation is the prefered funeral rite of Aeharites. They believe it sets the soul and spirit free faster than a burial, with this reasoning they are aversed to mummification, believing that it traps the soul and spirit in the body with the mors. In some instances they aren't wrong about mummification since some practices of mummification have been known to create lichs. In day to day life, only three kinds of people are obviously noticeable within Aeharean: the average citizen, clergy, and politicians. The distinction between individuals becomes more clear with funeral rites. People of different walks of life and careers are respected differently, for instance, a mason's ashes would be kept to be built into a new structure, a soldier's ashes would be mixed into liquid fire, a colloquial term for an alchemical substance which is most often used to light weapons on fire, making them more deadly. In the case of an unrecognizable individual, who is an Aeharite, they are cremated as "beloved citizen," a completely unknown individual is cremated as an "ambassador of their people." When an individual passes away, their belongings are inherited by the eldest child. If they have no next of kin, and unless specified otherwise before death, their belongings are given to their local church which can use the belongings as they see fit. Often the church gives items away as they are needed by the congregation.

Historical figures

Warmund the 2nd

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Their religious nature means they tend to avoid being overtly focused on outward appearance, but as all beings they still have preferences. Inspired partially by the angelic Seraphim, beauty ideals for both genders include fair features and hair. Ideal individuals are tall, pale, with light coloured eyes, and blonde or even ginger hair, a toned physique is attractive, but lots of mass isn't since it is considered brutish. Sharp facial features are also considered attractive, with longer noses being desirable specifically on men. Natural is considered beautiful, meaning woman tend to wear little or subtle makeup and tattoos, especially on the face, are frowned upon, it's also associated with criminals who are branded on the right cheek.

Gender Ideals

Elegance, etiquette, and manners are held high for both men and woman and so is education, especially since it's available to all Aehareans and few have an excuse not to be educated. While many women work, it's typically seen as the man's duty. Woman are typically seen as caregivers and teachers and are usually dissuaded from laborious work; however, most housework is usually overlooked as being laborious. Woman make up a majority percentage of the Aeharean clergy and while they're rarely seen in the Military, when they are, they are usually Cleric Knights or training to be Cleric Knights. Men are typically seen as the providers or breadwinners, and it's the duty of all men even boys to defend their people; however, for those outside the military, it's mostly in defence of their wives', sisters', or mothers' honour. While men are still abundantly found in solely intellectual careers, most work as builders, miners, farmers, or soldiers.

Courtship Ideals

An individual's partner is usually suggested by the family, but there isn't a strict requirement to obey such decisions, and choosing a partner of their own to court, isn't considered taboo; however, some take it to suggest they have too much time on their hand. If a prospective partner has been chosen by one's own account, then both the man and woman must win the approval of the other's family. When it comes to spending time together and learning to know each other there aren't many set activities that a pair might be expected to do; however, for a man to suggest a physically demanding activity is considered rude and barbaric, such activities can only be suggested by the woman.

Relationship Ideals

Like with most ideals, Aeharites aren't overly strict or rigid, often being more concerned with the spiritual implication than the physical. Relationships are different however, it's an area where they tend to be far more rigid with what is socially acceptable and what is not. What is typically seen as ok is a romantic relationship between a human Aeharite man and woman. This isn't all that constricting, till one considers the numerous amounts of other races and cultures that reside on Domus. In some cases having a romantic relationship with a human of a different culture can be considered ok, but they must have adopted the Aeharean Faith or proven to be loyal to the Aeharean people through acts such as aiding them in battle.