Izquierdana

Elcadaver has never been kind to the Izquierdana. Their history begins shortly after the rise of Raihaan the Great in Old Aslihat Qawia. As Raihaan created a global empire, he also created a surplus of slaves. These were shipped back to his homeland, where peoples from every corner of the world were forced into a new caste, the Izquierdana. As the men and women of Aslihat Qawia trained as soldiers and breeders, the Izquierdana were placed in charge of maintaining the country. They were the farmers, builders and servants. Forbidden from touching weapons, learning to read, and (oddly) eating cheese. Everyone of them was branded with a left hand and the initials of their "owner."
For centuries, this went on. Until one day, a group known as the Muharirin, noticed that they kind of outnumbered the Aslihat. By kind of a lot. The revolt began in the north and blazed it's way south. As Muharirin marched, they sparked more revolts, like a wildfire tossing sparks to the wind. Soon the entire peninsula was consumed in The Great War of Liberation. The last battle took place in 1793, as the king of the mightiest military power in Elcadaver, was run through by a milkmaid. The Izquierdana were finally free.
Well, free from their old masters at least. The war had created a number of Liberators and each had their own vision of their country's future. Foreign loans taken out during the war were called in, gobbling up the meager produce of devastated industries. The swords so recently beaten into plowshares were reforged. For the next century, Izquierda was the domain of warlords. Chaos reigned.
And it reigned until Brazos tried to invade in 1904. Seeing an opportunity, King Vicente the Forth sailed his invasion fleet to the very place the Great War began one hundred and nineteen years earlier. And started making similar progress. The invaders were marching onto the steppes in the center of the peninsula in about a month's time. But the people rallied. Following the lead of The Great Uniter, Hasan Allam, Izquierda showed just what they had learned from a century of constant bloodshed. The Brazoso forces were soundly trounced and sent packing. A constitution for the newly united people was written up. A new dawn was upon them.
Then, Alzilzal. The four "limbs" of Elcadaver have always been prone to earthquakes. "The Almighty trying to get up," says the old legends. But nothing could have prepared them for the destruction wrought. The peninsula became an island. Then two islands. Three. Four. Hundreds of miles away, in Brazos and Kakiatas, tsunamis reshaped the coastline. Even in distant Vae, buildings crumbled. Izquierda went from a solid landmass to a chain of twenty islands in week. Volcanic vents that had been dormant for eons began to belch ash into the sky. The people of the world were shattered. But none more than the Izquierdana.
The survivors became refugees. Those that made it to ships in time sailed to ruined cities, joining the throngs of desperate. The blame began immediately. The first lynchings followed soon after. An already decimated population suffered another purge before the violence was finally arrested. Possibly the only thing that kept them alive was the infamous Izquierdana fighting spirit.
As it stands now, the world is recovering. Cities lost to Alzilzal have been rebuilt. The ash winter is over and crops grow once more. The nations of Elcadaver have even begun to colonize the new islands. And the Izquierdana hang on by a thread. Regulated to slums, despised by their neighbors, they still fight. Against all odds, they fight.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Izquierdes

Shared customary codes and values

A love of personal freedom, tempered by an equally strong respect for military strongmen.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Men and women both should be broad shouldered with thick hips and thin waists. Muscle definition is prized more so for men, but nobody dislikes an impressive set of lady abs.
Lighter hair colors are preferred, with red being the current height of fashion.

Gender Ideals

Izquierda carried a lot of baggage from it's former overlords. Women had to fight for a lot of rights that women in other countries took for granted. They had gained a lot of ground, no longer being seen as just homemakers and baby factories. A couple of women even served in Barlaman. Of course, all this was before Alzilzal.