Shumadari

Never fight a shumadari. No matter if you think it is just a simple farmer you're up against, they will beat you to the ground before you even have time to regret your decision.

Culture

History

As with the rest of the humans of Regerwa, the shumari stem from the southern coasts and jungles. No one remembers why or when it started, but the other people started pushing the shumari away, shunning them and blaming them for everything that went wrong. They were prosecuted in large parts of the south and slowly they grouped together and moved north, to the less desirable dry regions by the desert.
What people didn't know at the time was the existence of a large river stemming from the hills in the desert and stretching east towards the ocean. Here the shumari found a home where they could live comfortable without the hatred of the other people.
It is here the shumari stopped moving and decided to fight anyone who threatened their new home.

Society

Shumari are nowadays seen as one of the most fierce people there is. Not because they have ever waged war against another people, but because they will fight til the last man or women to defend their home. They have a very strong sense of loyalty to their families, villages and country.
This manifests in a lot of different ways across society. Every young person has to do four years in the military where they get professional training and help with projects across the nation, including defending their borders, building defences for cities etc.
Instead of living on farms or in remote cottages, almost all people live in closely knit villages and cities. Even the smallest village usually have a simple wall and some guards. It is not a matter of if it's needed or not, it's a matter of being prepared.

Geographical distribution

The shumadari are so called after the country Shumadar where they make up the biggest part of the population by far. They ended up in the dry steppes east of the desert as they were shunned in the more southern regions where they once lived.
Relations with the southern countries are still somewhat chilly and Shumadar has refused joining the Southern Union so far.

Children

It's not only adult life that is affected by the defensive nature of the people. Even if children aren't expected to take part in the more official guard and soldier life, it is all around them. They grow up learning everything they need to know about the army, and a lot of the games children play are obviously based on this mindset. When you see children out playing they are very often playing very physical games, everything from catch to play fighting. The rare inside game are usually focused around tactics and logical thinking, more than pure entertainment.

Balancing life

Although a lot of adults are or have served time in the army, and many keep being guards throughout their lives, there is also everyday life that needs to be tended to. After the four mandatory years in the army, most people go back to their home village or town where they settle down, usually taking over their family's business or work. Even the ones who keep doing guard work later on usually do that outside of their regular occupation, exchanging shifts with the other guards.