Ikaté

Out of any of the ethnicities on the Continent none have been thoroughly replaced by the modern Imperials than the Ikaté, for no small reason because Leopold himself hailing from and making his seat of power in the northern regions, in turn encouraging trade and the mingling of cultures. Even so, the Ikaté remain, mainly in the furthest reaches of the north and its outskirts. Though their skin is a lighter grey than the rest of the cultures on the Continent, and thus seldom seen in the current age, the black hair most of them possess has come to spread far and wide in the Imperial line of their descendents, not to mention that the dark green and brown of their gaze, the typical Ikaté eye colour, sees a fair representation as well. Interestingly, the broad shouldered and tall builds of the Ikaté still give them a reputation as backwards barbarians across the Continent, despite the fact that the northern regions essentially birthed the Empire as it is today. That said, most Ikaté who remain purely Ikaté have little knowledge of how they are viewed geopolitically - something which their critics would likely argue proves their point.
Yet it is from the Ikaté that the Imperial culture has gotten its stoicism, as well as many other traits that are today respected and valued throughout the Empire. The northerners have always had a great perchance for taking things at face value, and they seldom lose their temper. While occasionally set in their ways, they are fiercely loyal to what they believe in - indeed, their conversion into the Orda Necraux was a large reason why Leopold’s conquest of his people proved to be so successful. However, although these similarities exist, there are also great differences between the Imperials and the Ikaté; for example, ambition and upwards mobility is greatly valued in the Empire, yet historically the Ikaté has been satisfied with their lot in life, most citizens happy enough to live out their lives within their given role. It is perhaps why Eraté, the most dominantly Ikaté nation in the Empire, has proven so prone to isolationism.
Ikaté architecture traditionally tends towards the simple yet efficient, with straight lines and little in the ways of ornamentation. Given their access to woodlands yet few quarries, most ordinary houses are made from lumber, while richer family’s use rock; as Vehilé has access to a number of marble quarries, it has become tradition for the ruling class to build their homes from that material. In times past, working bone into the architecture was not uncommon, mainly from whales, orcas and other large sea creatures, yet with the advance of technology such practices are now viewed as something morbid. Many homes are little more than boxes, with the roof doubling as a balcony, although richer vistas favours pillar-like structures and filigree worked into their stone base to break up the monotony. As a rule, classical Ikaté homes do not have basements, as the region sees a lot of rain-storms during winter, leading to flooding - however, modern architects have devised a method of isolation which eliminates this problem in newer homes.
Despite their proximity to the heart of the Empire, the clothing of the remaining Ikaté has changed little over the years. The inspiration for the Imperial kilt can be seen in one of leather or wool among the northerners - often replaced by sturdy trousers in the winter months. It is traditionally coupled with either a tunic or sleeveless vest, either of which are hooded, while coats of varying thickness are common throughout the year. Shoes with wooden soles, either sandals or boots, are worn depending on season. Though ostentatious ornamentation in dress is uncommon, a lining of fine fur or polished buttons of ivory is not unheard off, especially among those that are well off. Unlike the Central Continent Imperials, who have grown to favour tattoos, piercings instead dominate the Ikaté culture, carefully anchored into the skin to highlight a face’s bone structure, most often with steel studs, though precious metals or even gems do occur. The Ikaté hair and beard are both commonly worn long, carefully oiled and braided into complex shapes. Though it is a tradition that has begun to fall out of favour, many northerners still fasten their coats with a pin depicting the chosen tool of their profession.
The social structure of the Ikaté is near irrelevant, given that all the northern nations are more or less directly led by Leopold and his Imperial Court, yet many of those that do the day to day administration of their nations still vaguely follow the social classes of old. At the top is the council, made up by the most affluent land-owners in the nation, followed by the leasers, who pay a tithe to their councilor in return for being allowed to work their land. Beneath the leasers are the citizens, who in turn rent their houses from and work for the leasers. Before the Unification, there were also the slaves, who would do work for free and be owned by either citizen or leaser, yet Leopold himself did away with this practice. That said, under Imperial Law the penal-serfs serve much the same uses.
As with many aspects of Ikaté culture, Ikaté names are now more traditionally viewed as Imperia, rather than Ikaté. Leopold, the basemark for any Imperial name, is originally a classic Ikaté name, as is Titania. The Ikaté names tend to begin with a consonant, followed by two to three syllables, ending on a vowel for women and another consonant for men. The letter ‘é’ (pronounced ii) specifies a place, and is a sound that many Ikaté considers to be sacred.
Being the region which birthed the Emperor, the northern lands of the Ikaté are almost completely reworked in his image. The term ‘Ikaté’ is almost meaningless today, having been more or less replaced with ‘Imperial’ in all regions except for Eraté. While remnants of the culture is everywhere to see throughout the nations of the north, its very identity fades with every generation.