Eilanders

Just as with the people to the west of the Imperial Continent, the ethnicities to the east are often lumped together in the term ‘Eilanders’, shorthand for ‘eastern islanders’. If possible, this definition is an even poorer one than that of Weilander, for not only are the three major cultures of the east significantly different to one another, they would never identify themselves as belonging to the same block. The differences between the people of the Siblings and those of Raqh are vast, and indeed, the two had little to no contact with one another prior to becoming part of the Empire, and neither of the two were even aware of the existence of Plâq’Hakáth. If anything unites the three, it is that the colour of their skin tends to be much lighter than those of the mainland, though again, siblings and raqhite are nowhere near as ghostly pale as the people of volcanic Hakáth. That all said, though the term Eilander is a gross simplification, most Imperials use it solely to refer to siblings, as both the raqhite and the spectres are awfully isolationist.
And that is perhaps the only thing that they do share, culturally speaking. Yet the reason why the Siblings, Raqh and Plâq’Hakáth can turn their focus so completely inward and largely ignore the rest of the Empire is the same for all three nations: Plenty. The coral reefs around the Siblings overflow with life, providing food and resources both. The majority of Raqh consist of rich soil, while its craggy and mountainous regions contain precious metals and minerals - not to mention the power granted to the Wendings by Uyngunguraq, making them disinclined to look elsewhere and past their long, traditional feud. And Hakáth, which dense jungle could support both the spectres and an Imperial settlement for years before the two even became aware of one another. Equally, the three are similar in their relative rejection of Imperial customs. Though all three may subscribe to Imperial Law, all have kept a strong national identity - even the Siblings, which are close enough to the heart of Leopolara to be firmly under their Governor’s thumb, still retain most of their core characteristics. Thus, if one thing could be said to be firmly Eilander, it is the acceptance of the Imperial without succumbing to it.
In regards to the architecture, it is that of the Siblings which is considered to be the Eilander norm according to the rest of the Empire; wooden structures of multiple levels, where each level gets progressive smaller, often with the stairs outside rather than outside the house. Simple and elegant carvings often adorn the walls, with bright and varied colours being in favour, which makes sibling towns an exocitic marvel to the Imperials. This is somewhat reflected in Raqh as well, at least among the Wendings, who live in similarly structured but much grander ziggurats - one held by each household. Meanwhile, their population has been housed in more simple structures, which have taken on the Imperial style more and more as the years have passed. Few Imperials have witnessed the ‘houses’ of the spectres, underground chambers wrought into cavern walls in round, spiraling shapes that stretch further downwards, rock adorned with cloth and paint.
The further east one travels, the further the temperature drops - until the Wylding Sea flows into the Frigid Ocean, between Hakáth and what would become known as the Unclaimed Land. Thus, while Sibling fashion was similar to that of the rest of the Empire, especially the Boerjh, even before the conquest, the clothing of Raqh differs wildly, as it has to contend with the colder climate. Trousers replace the common Imperial kilt, and sturdy leather boots the sandals. Tunics equipped with hoods that can be wrapped close are commonplace, and though the Raqh coats may be superficially similar to the coats of the Imperials, they are both thicker and hug the skin more tightly. There is little in the way of jewelry on Raqh, even among the Wendings, and wealth is instead displayed by colourful and complex patchwork worked into their outfits, the more flamboyant the better, though a focus on functionality still remains. Even more different from the Imperials are of course the spectres, who’s traditional outfit is of a dark, near black cloth which possesses a somewhat elastic property, made into knee length robes.
Raqh remains more or less beneath the firm control of the Wending houses, who in turn report to and are occasionally overseen by the Imperial Court. Though it makes the largely meritocratic Empire uncomfortable, there is a very substantial limit on how far someone without Wending blood can rise on the lesser continent, and it is very far beneath even the Walk of Shadows, which is currently the lowest ranked among Raqh’s leaders. Those that are not part of the houses are either farmers, artisans or soldiers, given the tools of their trade and housing, wherafter everything which they produce belongs to the Walks. Wealth is distributed as they see fit, often in accordance to how well someone performs their craft, but just as often based on the whims of the Wending in charge. Though this somewhat clashes with both the Right of Travel and Right of Trade under Imperial Law, the Wendings work around this through a complex series of taxation and levying, convoluted enough to impress any Court beaurocrat. The most reliant way of rising in rank for an ordinary human on Raqh is to find a way to leave for the rest of the Empire. The spectres are even odder still, seeming to possess some sort of shared ownership and rulership by age, but over the last century they have taken better to proper Imperial customs than have Raqh.
In regards to names, the siblings follow a similar tradition as the Boerjh, a fact that some anthropological Questioneers have speculated point towards a shared origin. In conjunction with Soltenay, children of ten autumns are given their name, which in turn is often either a descriptive word or a word somehow linked to something of note which they have accomplished; this tradition is one that still holds strong, even if there are siblings that take on Imperial names as well. On Raqh, humans often have simple, one syllable names, such as “Rudd”, “Bou” or “Lir”, whereas Wendings are named short phrases, such as “Still-As-Night” or “Steals-Dew-At-Dawn”. To shorten a Wending’s proper name down is seen as a great taboo, and a quick way of making a deadly assassin an enemy. How a Wending’s name is chosen is unknown, as is how they care for their children, as outsiders are never given leave to meet them. Finally, and curiously, the spectres possess a naming convention more or less exactly the same as that of the Imperials - possibly with a few extra vowels thrown in (spectres pronounce ‘Leopold’ as ‘Laeopoald’).
To an Imperial, Eilanders are something strange an exotic - even the fairly common siblings are seen as eccentric. They are not only more clearly different from the Imperial in their physical attribute than the Weilanders are, but they have ancient norms and traditions that the Imperial Laws are not equipped to deal with, leading to frustration and strife as misunderstandings and slights occur due to deeply ingrained differences. Though the Hellion, far to the west, may retain a lot of its autonomy because the Empire does not find it worth the bother, large parts of the Eilanders lands are highly valued, yet their identity has proven hard to properly meld with that of the Imperial. With the losses in the Unclaimed Land and brewing rebellion in the North, it is currently looking uncertain whether the Empire will manage to keep a hold of its eastern provinces.