Fremedhian
The Fremedhian culture is one of Southern Telgren's most prestigious and elite cultures, and Fremedhian states have control over the majority of Fremedhia, as well as parts of Cloriadme. For much of the middle ages, the Fremedhian peoples, especially the Fraspikois, were the dominant people group in South Telgren, before being surpassed by the Blazennian peoples in the aftermath of the Khanate of Clesentia's conquests. As a whole, the Fremedhian people are essentially elvenized Wesevölk, although the eastern groups don't display as many elvenized traditions.
The Fremedhian culture originated from migrants crossing the Plaires Centralis into the Verderé Hills and Cloriadme in the first century SC, where they pushed the Metsamish people who had originally dwelled there into the Cloriadmen saltmarsh. Fremedhian populations soon began to rise, as the polygamous Fremedhians took many Metsamish women as wives (the locals suffered from a serious lack of men due to the Disintegration of the Wainriders). Soon, the Fremedhian people became one of the main threats to the Empire of Oleandron, but were unable to make significant headway against the Empire and were largely pushed out of the Verderé Hills by the end of the first century SC. This event led to The Cloriadmen Genesis, but it also prompted many of the Fremedhian tribes to organize. By the fall of the Empire of Oleandron, the Fremedhian people had split into two major factions- and these would form the core of two new states, going on to establish the Kingdoms of Fraspika and Ambolaine, both of which exist to the modern day (though neither continuously). The Fremedhians who lived in the former Kingdom of Ambolaine are usually referred to as Eastern Fremedhians, while those of Fraspika are considered Western Fremedhians.
The Fremedhian culture is split into five different subgroups, with the Fraspikois, Zentains, Barlois, and Oléander making up the western grouping and the Freclidians and Deverde making up the eastern grouping. Generally, the western Fremedhians are considered more civilized and prestigious, while the eastern Fremedhians are seen as more rustic and even backwards. Such a perception, whether fair or not, has largely defined relations between the two groups for centuries, but their shared cultural traditions have kept them fairly closely related in most respects.
The Freclidians are a grouping of eastern Fremedhians who mostly dwell in the northwestern corner of Cloriadme and northeastern corner of Fremedhia, roughly contained within Ambolaine and Sictellas. With a fairly contiguous range, with the exception of some minorities in Teveska, they are a relatively culturally unified people group. They stereotypically display the most similarities with the original Fremedians- proud, polygamous, and feuding, though efforts have been made to reign in the excesses. For example, both Ambolaine and Sictellas have passed laws in the past century banning polygamic traditions, and though non-monogamous relationships continue to exist they are largely on the decrease. The Freclidians are also stereotypically technologically backwards, reflecting their lack of emphasis towards scientific pursuits, but have also approached technological parity alongside their legalistic reforms. Thus, the Freclidians are poised to move into the modern age.
More isolated within the Verderé Hills, the other group of eastern Fremedhians, the Deverde are mostly contained small communities within the region. They trace their ancestry back to two source- those who remained in the region even during the Oleandron control period, and those who moved into the region following the conquest of Ambolaine. The slow merging of these two groups within the hills, halfling-dominated since the collapse of Ambolaine's empire, has led to a divergence from the Freclidians. Although also rustic and in some ways backwards, the Deverde have long since integrated into the halfling legal code, with polygamy and war-like ways distant memories, though they often make up a significant portion of Verderén armies.
Moving into the west, by far the most dominant group of Fremedhians can be found- the Fraspikois. Covering the majority of the northern regions of Fraspika and particularly concentrated in the old Kingdom of Soulpixt, they also have some small population within the far west of the Verderé Hills, which has been a part of the Kingdom of Fraspika for a thousand years. The Fraspikois heavily interbred with elves during the beginning of Old Fraspika, and a common boast among the nobility is that they are half-elven. However, this is very unlikely, and it is more reasonable that the nobility averages 20% with the general populace at 10%. Thanks to a reasonable population of elves in the area, there are influxes of elven blood from time to time as elves and half elves marry into the human Fraspikois population. The rest of the Fremedhian population consists of actual Eldritch, and the majority of the Fremedhian region's half elves are considered Fraspikois with the exception of the Casyrian Eldritch populations, concentrated in the southern regions. As the dominant Fremdhian subgroup, the Fraspikois have long been pioneers in legalistic and bureaucratic developments, but they are also famous for the hedonism of the nobility in flouting the law- most notably with numerous mistresses and sordid affairs.
In contrast to the more elven-influenced north, the southern parts of Fraspika have much fewer elven ancestors due to genocides committed in the region during the fall of Oleandron. The Fremedhians from this region are known as Oléander, and have mostly integrated the original Casyrian human population of the region, overwhelming them with numbers. The Oléander are probably between 60-80% Fremedhian ethnically, and have a strong tradition of autonomy, looking towards the city of Oléandais for cultural guidance rather than the north. To find an approximate border between the Oléander and the Fraspikois can be easily observed due to the way Old Fraspika split. The population in the former Kingdom of Casyrian became part of Central Fraspika and became Oléander, while the population in the former kingdom of Soulpixt became part of North Fraspika and developed into the Fraspikois. This divide along old national borders had a lasting impact, and though the Fraspikois-Oléander border is slightly farther south than it once was, still works as an estimation. Although the vast majority of the Casyrians were integrated into the Oléander, some communities survive in peninsular Fraspika in particular. The influence of these villages on the Oléander cannot be ignored, as many marriage ties between the two groups exist.
Moving east from the Oléander, the Barlois are a population of Fremedhians found in the Kingdom of Barloem. The Barlois populate the southeastern borders of the Fremdhia region, and descend from the Fremedhian population of Central Fraspika. Like the Oléander, who also populated Central Fraspika, the Barlois mingled primarily with the Casydrian and remained indistinguishable from the Oléander until the fall of Central Fraspika, where they became independent instead of joining Kingdom of Fraspika like the Oléander. From there, they have become enemies of Fraspika, leading to their culture and language diverging. Nonetheless, they remain fully Fremedhian, with only traces of Cloriadmen blood- in fact they are more ethnically Fremdhian than their rivals in Fraspika as they don't have significant elven blood.
The final Fremdhian people group is the Zentians. Found mostly in the Blazennian Aldzentralprovinz, the Zentians descend from the various minor statelets which emerged from the collapsing Khanate of Clesentia and who acceded to the rising Blazennian Empire as opposed to Fraspika. Though they have remained Fredmedhian-speaking, they have been slowly becoming more and more integrated into Blazennian culture, and some have begun regarding them as culturally Blazennian. However, as they remain ethnically Fremedhian, they continue to keep some parts of this heritage alive.
Besides these groups, Fremedhian populations can also be found on Ifyrial. The colonies of Tesude, Viviers, and Ebennon have spread primarily Oléander, Barlois, and Zentian culture respectively, and these cultures have begun to diverge into new ones. Although all three of these colonies have been detached for roughly 60 years, they remain intrinsically Fremedhian, as they haven't formed a new cultural or ethnic blend with their neighboring states, independent or not. All three of these new peoples have very low numbers and are still in a frontiersman mindset.
List of Countries
Independent Fremedhian States
- Kingdom of Fraspika
- Kingdom of Ambolaine
- Grand Duchy of Barloem
- Principality of Sictellas
- Republic of Tesude
- Republic of Viviers
Non-Sovereign Fremedhian States
- Duchy of Oléandais (Fraspika)
- Duchy of Ourodion (Fraspika)
- Duchy of Talkon (Blazennia)
- Duchy of Alenzibar (Blazennia)
- County of Auviers (Fraspika)
- County of Sieudais (Fraspika)
- County Raeunoui (Fraspika)
- County of Ciudiuex (Fraspika)
- County of Hauvil (Blazennia)
- County of Foidoneur (Blazennia)
- County of Nodoneur (Blazennia)
- County of Mogliriem (Blazennia)
- March of Keilish (Fraspika)
- Lordship of Khuryun (Blazennia)
- Shrine of Rilun (Blazennia)
- Shrine of Tym (Blazennia)
- Burgherzone of Valienbay (Blazennia)
- Ebennon Colony (Talkon)
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