South Ocrean

South Ocrean is a proxy term for the entirety of the human race in South Ocrea, as well as those who descended from the old Kingdom of Ocrea and preserved the ancient culture. They make up 72.5% of the total population of the continent, followed by the North Ocreans and the lerush. Those who have been born and raised in any clan in the south can trace their ancestry back centuries to when the first Kingdom of Ocrea was destroyed by a magical event that left the survivors to rebuild. They have since been divided into hundreds of different clans that vie for control over all of Ocrea, with the most powerful declaring the First War of Southern Ocrea in 1472 in order to forge their own Kingdom of Ocrea. The arrival of Europeans during the war ushered in an era of new horizons for both the people of the south and the people of the east.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Ocrean is the official and primary language of Ocrea. It has almost a similar dialect to the Asian languages and possesses a similar writing style as well, which was said to be brought over by shipwrecked East Asian sailors from thousands of years ago who adapted to the original Ocrean language.

Common Etiquette rules

South Ocreans tend to be silent during meetings. When greeting others, it is customary to slightly bow before each other but a necessity to bow even lower when greeting someone of a higher caste.

Common Dress code

South Ocreans wear clothing based on the season or climate. During the winter months, those that live on the outside of cities tend to wear thick wool jackets and trousers over their traditional garments. During a more temperate season, the people wear a traditional garment from head to two made out of silk or cotton, similar to a Japanese kimono, with many pieces of jewelry to be worn to signify their family's wealth.

Art & Architecture

South Ocrean architecture has traditionally been typified by wooden and stone structures, elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or thatched roofs. Sliding doors were used in place of walls, allowing the internal configuration of a space to be customized for different occasions. People usually sat on cushions or otherwise on the floor, as it was considered more honorary to not rest one's body when attending a meeting, though chairs and tables were indeed used when away from politics and society.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

After the arrival of Europeans, South Ocreans have come to bathing a teenager reaching the adult age of 15 in a hot spring in the same fashion as Catholic baptism, showing how much influence Europeans have on the continent, which has been adopted in almost every clan's tradition. This is also viewed as a "coming of age rite" that is used to signify their rise to adulthood, done by a religious priest or by their own parents.

Funerary and Memorial customs

South Ocrean's funerals often involve a few days of praying before cremating the body and then scattering off their ashes in their honor rather than burying them in a field, as they view it as a dirty custom for the bones to rot away in the ground and lure worms. Memorials are often set in a temple among others who passed away or carved into rock formations to remember a person after death.

South Ocreans are known in Europe for their almost physically flawless appearance.