Mizuri

The Mizuri, native to the rugged, volcanic Guatsuka Islands, are a bright people in contrast to their often dreary homelands. Their populations are fairly small in comparison to the sprawling metropolises like Torith or Makhikten, but their villages are rooted in the heritage of generations of hard-working farmers, fishermen, storytellers, and chiefs. Honor, loyalty, and hospitality are valued above all--Honor to your ancestors, loyalty to your people, and hospitality to your friends. The stories of the ancestors and of the days of legend are passed down through vibrant, elaborate oral tales, spun by master and apprentice storytellers of utmost respect, and scarcely a day goes by in a Mizuri village without a splash of color and a note of laughter and song to balance the harshness of eking out a life on the islands.

Naming Traditions

Family names

Mizuri do not have surnames in the same way that Torithians and Ekhmeni do. Typically, if they have to put down a surname for some reason when abroad, they will put the name of their home village. Otherwise, Mizuri villages are small enough and tightly knit enough they typically don't feel the need for surnames.

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

As a whole, the Mizuri have a very vibrant oral tradition, full of embellished legends about past cycles. Old stories are the most revered and popular among the culture as a whole, but newer ones are not unheard of, especially if they build upon past stories like new chapters. Mizuri are also quite stubborn and independent, contrary to what their often cheery, affable exterior would have foreigners believe. It is ingrained into them since birth to be loyal to their homeland and to their ancestors, making them incredibly adamant about maintaining their villages and their ancestral ways. The harshness of the land of the often volcanic Guatsuka Islands has created a hardy people. Tending to the land and to the village is a duty that demands honor and diligence, and the elders of a village are respected as the masters at this, will all of the knowledge the rising generations need to uphold their duty. That being said, the Mizuri know firsthand that life is to be enjoyed despite hardship, and as such are not undeserving their reputation as a vibrant, cheerful, celebratory people.

Shared customary codes and values

Hospitality is highly valued by Mizuri peoples, with guests being treated very kindly and openly (often to the point of unsettling foreigners). Being ungracious or harsh to guests is heavily discouraged, as is being ungrateful to hosts.

Common Etiquette rules

Outdoor shoes are not to be worn inside; switch (often muddy) outdoor shoes for indoor slippers/sandals
Hosts are to provide guests with indoor slippers/sandals

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Mizuri festivals are very vibrant, active events, often occurring over multiple days to celebrate cultural and historical events important to each village. While there are a few festivals that are celebrated by almost all villages, each individual village also hosts their own, individualized festivals to commemorated different events.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Typically, Mizuri deceased are cremated. The event is considered a very bittersweet occasion, as while the individual has passed on, their ashes are often scattered across village crop fields or similar with the belief that they will help bring life to them and the village as a whole. Then stories of the deceased individual's life often join the village's repertoire of traditional tales.

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