Miorangians

The Miorangian people^listen are a goblin-majority culture native to the realm Miorao. They are largely confined to the Tanzit Suzerainty, the political organization which their nation state, the Miorangian Union, founded and serves as the central power of. While enclaves of Miorangians live in all empires, they have not emigrated throughout the Sora as widely as many other cultures have.

Contents

Tanzit goblins by Denis Khusainov

Miorangian youths showing off the non-symmetrical aspects of the prevailing cultural fashion

History

The Miorangian cultural identity arose just over 250 years ago, rising from the unified cultures of Miorao following it's unification as part of the Miorangian Union. Much of the cultural beliefs and practices come from the Fateimai people, who had maintained a cultural identity for thousands of years, through the establishment and collapse of multiple empires and nations. The Fateimai founded the Ikengchai Union, an egalitarian society organized under a series of principles that came to be known as the Ikengchai Way. This system gained widespread popularity across Miorao, eventually leading to its collective adoption, bringing the world's people into a singular union. With the entire realm unified under a common set of principles and governing structures, they quickly began to solidify under a singular cultural identity.

Language

The Miorgangian people speak many different languages, though Miorangian is the most widespread, being spoken by around 70% of the population. Miorgangian is a descendant of the Fatiemai tongue, sharing much of the original vocabulary, though with a simplified spelling and grammar. Miorangian itself has numerous dialects, some of which are only partially intelligible with one another. Outside of Miorangian dialects, large groups of Miorangian people speak Daren, Aktesan, Kokhwi, and Sálti. Dozens of other languages are spoken as native tongues as well.
The wide variety of languages spoken by the Miorangian people has led to many being multilingual. In the Tanzit Suzerainty, neighboring communities can speak completely different languages, resulting in a number of pidgins and creoles emerging. Being able to speak multiple languages is seen as a sign of empathy and respect amongst Miorangians, showing that a person is willing to put in the time and effort to meet others on their own terms.

Names

Miorangian names consist of three parts, the community name, the lineage name, and the given name. The community name is typically written first and, as the term implies, comes from whatever community the individual is a part of. Thus, the community name can change multiple times over the course of a person's life as they change communities. However, because of the communal nature of Miorganian society, the community name is considered the most important, as it identifies where a Miorangian comes from and what style of life they've chosen for themself. Most frequently, the name is simply the same as the city, town, or neighborhood, but it occasionally has a modifier appended to it such as "En-", or "Shuai-", or "Bujia-", meaning having the quality of, of, and from, respectively.
The given name is written last and is traditionally given to a child upon their third birthday by the community. The name is intended to represent the child's personality and the hope for their future. The naming is accompanied by a small celebration during which the child's crèchemates, caretakers, and parents come together to officially bestow the name upon the child. The name is usually decided upon well prior to the ceremony, with the caretakers and parents coming to a mutual decision about the best name. In events of an impasse, however, the child's parents do have precedence in the naming choice. Prior to receiving their given name, Miorangian children are known by a cradle name, which is something simplistic and easy for the child to pronounce, such as a doubled sound like "Lili" or "Nono".
The lineage name serves a similar purpose to family names from other cultures. It is inherited from the parents and traditionally consists of the first syllable of the mother's lineage name and the second syllable of the father's lineage name (assuming both are known). Placed between the community and given name, the lineage name is often not written at all, being considered the least important part of a person's identity. Some younger Miorangians have started to not bother recording their children's lineage names, considering them to be a relic.

Example Personal Names

Masculine: Beilia, Chongtun, Daoluo, Endang, Fanting, Gaobu, Huaihan, Maobogai, Nisaogan, Piaozilun, Ranbing, Shuchouzai, Tegantun, Wenshuta, Zhongtou
Feminine: Aobaolai, Cuonian, Daordiao, Feifa, Jianshihun, Kazhu, Miemianyi, Nanghe, Nülang, Pizailun, Qiaopan, Runjüecai, Saiyuetan, Sharixiong, Zhuanhuo
Epicene: Chuheng, Dangshen, Enceqiou, Guilaoqi, Huangtanhe, Kuolinfour, Lüejunru, Mingtuixin, Nüzhenxüe, Piaotour, Piaozhu, Sujianga, Suzengo, Tuoruanshi, Zhangmetan

Example Lineage Names

Biaofei, Huochan, Laogong, Kangqi, Manzen, Oming, Pintao, Roumian, Wenqing, Xinlai

Arts

Artistic talent is highly prized among the Miorangian people, no matter the style, medium, or subject. People are encouraged to express themselves artistically, bringing their own unique perspective on the Sora and presenting it for all to see. Due to this, even Miorangians who don't pursue art as their full profession at least practice it as a hobby. Pretty much every Miorangian knows someone who has published a novel, held an exhibition of their art, or had a poetry reading. One side effect of this widespread artistry is that individuals have a harder time standing out from the crowd. There are relatively fewer famous living Miorangian artists than in other cultures. Most Miorangians would not see this as a negative, however.
Miorangian culture holds a great appreciation for vibrant colors, recognizing 16 distinct basic colors (equivalent to white, black, red, dark red, green, yellow, blue, blue-green, light blue, brown, orange, pink, purple, light purple, light gray, and dark gray). Thus they hold any artistic endeavor which uses color in high regard. Two in particular are considered prestigious among Miorangians; painting and tattooing. Artists who work with these two mediums are among the most renowned and celebrated in Miorangian history.
Miorangian painters are known for combining realistic backgrounds with indistinct and abstract figures. People tend to be depicted with little more than geometric shapes and colors or even less when presented in scenes of nature. Even portraiture is highly abstract and it is considered a point of pride among Miorangian artists to capture a subject as identifiable despite the lack of physical features. Instead, the depiction is intended to represent the inner world of the subject.
In contrast to painting, tattoo artists eschew realism entirely, instead focusing primarily on color and geometry to create intricate patterns. Naturalistic images are common subjects of tattoos, such as stylistic depictions of birds flying through a forest or mountain peaks in the middle of a blizzard. Because tattoos are a (mostly) permanent adjustment to one's own body, tattoo artists are the exception to the rule that Miorangian artists are mostly obscure. The most renowned Miorangian tattoo artists frequently have waiting lists hundreds of names long and have people traveling weeks or more to visit their parlors. Most Miorangians have at least one tattoo, often quite extensive, covering a limb or section of their torso. Even those without permanent tattoos often use body paint which mimics them, allowing them to alter their body art at the cost of the need for frequent reapplication.

Community

A Miorangian's community is one of the most important aspects of their life, more important than family, friends, or profession. All Miorangian communities are organized and run on democratic principles, with matters big and small voted on and decided according to public will. A person is expected to contribute to their community in a variety of ways. The first and foremost is though voting, through which a person uses their beliefs and desires to shape the community's future. Miorangians are not expected to vote on every single matter, but they should be informed about any issue which affects the entire community and offer their opinion on it. Less important issues which don't affect them can be ignored, if the person desires.
Aside from voting, the second most important contribution a Miorangian makes to a community is their labor. In addition to democracy, Miorangian communities are founded on the idea of mutual aid. No person should go hungry, be without shelter, suffer from untreated illness, or otherwise find themselves in distress. That anyone should find their basic needs unmet is seen as a failure of the community and, thus, the failure of all those who comprise that community. Thus all Miorangians must help provide for one another. Miorangians grow food, build homes, provide healthcare, sew clothes, and otherwise work for the community rather than themselves. Accumulating wealth and possessions is seen as anathema to the Miorangian way of life. An old Miorangian proverb says it is better that none are rich than one is poor.
This commitment to the community ties Miorangians closely to them. Even large communities are incredibly close, such that most Miorangians identify more closely with their communities than they do with their families. The fact that communities provide for their members mean that barriers to moving are low. If a person is unhappy with the community they live in, they can easily relocate to one which better matches their needs. Counterintuitively, this freedom of movement ensures communal bonds are strong, as like-minded people can congregate fairly easily.

Entertainment

Leisure time can vary wildly for Miorangians as the needs of their communities shift. One week, they may have several hours of personal time every day, while the next they might only have a few hours across the entire week. Because their time commitments are hard to predict, there isn't a lot of room to plan ahead either. This means that Miorangian people take advantage of the free time they do have, spending it doing whatever they please in the moment.
Since they are rarely able to make plans, many Miorangians spend their free time on solitary pursuits. Artistic hobbies are widespread, none more so than literature. Reading is a very popular pastime, with fiction, poetry, and non-fiction all being read widely. There are a near endless number of works to read in Miorangian, as writing itself is a popular pastime as well. It's often joked that there are as many books written in Miorangian as there are words written in other languages. Reading with friends is a common group activity as well. Groups will select a single work to read and, when they all have time, get together and take turns reading aloud to one another.
Aside from artistic pursuits, Miorangians frequently enjoy athletic activities. Many Miorangian communities maintain some green areas, such as parks, woods, streams, and ponds, allowing the locals to experience an island of nature close to home. Miorangians can be found hiking, swimming, and tramping through these areas at all times, even during the middle of the day when most are asleep. In more urban environments without such green spaces, activities like cycling and longboarding are popular. Both are regularly used as a means of conveyance, but many Miorangians, especially younger ones, enjoy performing acrobatic tricks on them. Oftentimes, small groups of young Miorangians can be seen riding down streets, doing spins, leaps, and even flips.

Family

The Miorangian concept of family is quite a bit different than most outsiders are used to. In general, Miorangians do not consider their families to be any more important than other members of their communities. Who a person's parents or siblings are is considered no more inherent to a person's identity than the color of their eyes or shape of their nose. It is merely a fact of birth, little more.
One major reason for (and perhaps a consequence of) this minimization of family is that Miorangians do not raise children in family units. Instead they are cared for in communal crèches, with children of similar ages raised together. They all live together in nursery housing, where they are watched over and tended for by teachers, nurses, and caregivers who have trained specifically to raise children. Children tend to be grouped by birth year, with their caretakers and crèchemates mostly remaining the same until they reach adulthood. Each crèche generally numbers between 20 to 30 children, though they can be smaller in smaller communities and larger when there are fewer available caretakers. Most communities have multiple crèches per year, so children can be matched with the caretakers that best meet their needs.
In many ways, Miorangians swap their biological families for community families. Miorangians generally view this as far more beneficial for children and parents. Parents do not need to worry about taking care of their children, allowing them to devote their energy to the activities they enjoy the most and are the most skilled at. Children, meanwhile, benefit from having well trained caretakers who can offer proper physical, emotional, and intellectual care. The caretakers are beholden to the community, so those who are not doing an acceptable job can be replaced. Society, in turn, has better adjusted people with less stress than they would otherwise.
Marriages among Miorangians are rare as well. Most romantic relationships are expected to last a few years, at most, with a person having perhaps one or two that last a decade or more. Even these long term relationships are generally considered to be finite. However, the end of a romantic relationship is generally not considered to be a bad or painful thing by Miorangians either. Many romantic partners remain close to one another after their romance ends. It is even rather commonplace for a romantic relationship to end, restart several years later, end again, restart once more, and repeat this pattern multiple times over the course of the participants' lives. Actually marriages, where two Miorangians commit to each other and agree to remain together are considered to be blessed by Fuya, the god of love.
Monogamy is less rare, but still considered the exception rather than the norm. It is not uncommon for a Miorangian to have two or more romantic partners at the same time. In some cases, these romantic partners may be romantic with each other as well, but that is not always the case. However, it is considered important that a romantic partner is aware of and approve of all the other people their partners are romantically involved with as well. One of the more common reasons for romances to end among Miorangians is because one or more partners doesn't approve of another partner.

Fashion

Miorangian fashion is traditionally bright and colorful, featuring comfortable, airy clothes. Most articles of clothes tend to be easy to move in, suitable for the active, outdoor lifestyles practiced by many Miorangians. Clothes are often cut to show off and accentuate the wearer's musculature and other physical features. As most Miorangians are goblins, shoulders, arms, legs, and abdominals are often exposed even in colder weather. Clothes often have embroidered patterns on them, typically featuring either geometric patterns or abstract nature imagery like clouds, waves, or snowflakes. Colors are typically brightly contrasting, allowing each article or pattern on the clothing to be clearly visible and discernible, even in the dim environments Miorangians typically inhabit.
One rather unique feature of Miorangian clothing, especially among younger people, is an emphasis on asymmetry in clothing. Shirts with only one sleeve, trousers with one short leg and one long, and sashes draped across one hip are common examples of this trend. Virtually any element of clothing can be made asymmetric; many articles of clothing are sold "full" and then altered by the owner to fit their own personal needs. Some clothes are even made to be disassembled and put back together, featuring clasps, buckles, or snaps allowing parts to be detached and rearranged. Some Miorangians even mix and match pieces of different articles, giving them a patchwork look that is constantly shifting from one day to the next. This asymmetry is supplemented with accessories and jewelry as well. It is common to see a Miorangian wear an earring in only one ear or mismatched pairs in different ears.
Tattooing and body painting is another highly popular part of Miorangian fashion. Sleeve tattoos covering one or both arms and legs are relatively commonplace on Miorangian adults, while tattoos covering the chest and back are rarer but still considered acceptable. The tattoos can have a wide range of subject matter, but nature imagery is common, as are geometric shapes and colors. Tattoos of people are considered tacky and tasteless, with images of mythological or long-dead religious figures being the major exception. Exceptionally religious Miorangians may have tattoos depicting the gods (who almost entirely have abstract physicalities) or their holy symbols. Children, those who have an aversion to needles, and others who don't want the permanence of a tattoo often mimic them with body paint instead.
Despite their highly egalitarian society (or, some argue, because of it), Miorangians have rather well-defined concepts of masculine and feminine fashions. While a person can dress however they choose and face few societal repercussions, a person professing a feminine identity and dressing in a way perceived to be masculine (or vice versa) often draws some degree of confusion and misunderstanding at first. Most Miorangians expect a person's gender identity to match their style of dress and will react accordingly, though if corrected will rectify their mistake.

Masculine Fashions

Masculine Miorangian fashion is often made to emphasize the chest, shoulders, and arms. The most common outfit is a close-fitting shirt, a vest, baggy trousers, a sash around the waist, and a pair of shoes. Shirts come in a variety of styles, but are most often collarless. Most casual shirts are simple pull on varieties, while fancier varieties are fastened up the front by clasps, buttons, or hooks. Necklines tend to be split fairly evenly between round necklines that sit just above the collarbone and deeper V-necks that reach toward the sternum or even lower.
Over the shirt is typically worn a vest, often a short one with a hem just below the pectorals. Vests are most often worn open and typically have pockets on the inside. Longer vests are usually only worn for formal occasions or when a Miorangian wishes to appear dressed up. Additional adornment is also commonly worn on the torso, though this varies widely enough that no one article can be considered standard. Some of the more common choices are wide sashes wrapped around the stomach, a thinner sash around the waist with hanging ends, a loose scarf draped around the shoulders, and loose kerchiefs pinned or tied somewhere on the vest.
Masculine trousers are almost always baggy around the thighs. Two main varieties exist: long trousers which reach to the ankles and short trousers which end mid-calf. In both cases, the typical style is for the cuff to be snug against the skin. Many masculine Miorangians wear high socks that come to their mid-calf or knees, worn with the their trousers cuffs tucked into the top of the socks. Shoes are often high-ankled, providing extra support for physical activities, or well-reinforced for wear and tear. More formal shoes stray toward boot territory, typically made of leather.
Much as with the torso, most Miorangians wear frequent accessories on the lower body. Waist cloths are one of the more common pieces, typically being large squares of cloth worn tucked into the waistband of the trousers and hanging over the hip. Straps and bands are also common additions, worn on the leg to alter the silhouette of the trousers. Other accessories tend to be smaller and plainer, such as ribbons or brooches, used mainly to add additional colors to an outfit.
Hair is typically worn long, at least down to the shoulders if not longer. It is rare to tie or pin hair back, except when necessary for work or safety reasons. Many Miorangians dye locks of hair, sometimes in many different colors, oftentimes in colors that contrast highly with the wearer's skin color. Ribbons are frequently threaded through the hair as well. It is rare for a person to braid all of their hair, but many masculine Miorangians wear one or two small braids, often fastening them with beads or colorful hair ties. Facial hair is rarely worn, mostly due to the difficulty many goblins have in growing facial hair. When it is, it tends to be short, well cropped beards and mustaches.

Feminine Fashions

Feminine Miorangian fashion typically emphasizes the shoulders, legs, and hips. Most feminine Miorangians wear outfits consisting of a blouse, a skirt or shorts, and boots. The top and bottoms may be combined to make a dress or romper. Usually, the top is easy to slip on, either over the head or by stepping into it. They tend to be somewhat loose, though rarely do they get baggy. Necklines can be highly variable, depending on individual taste; off-the-shoulder and one-shoulder necklines are considered more casual, while halter, keyhole, and illusion necklines are considered increasingly more formal.
A wide variety of accessories are worn on the torso, often to further accentuate the shoulders or waist. Thin, gauzy shawls and scarves are very common, worn draped over the shoulders or tied around the neck. They tend to be bright and colorful, with colors that accentuate the wearer's skin tone beneath. When wearing a dress, it is also common to wear a thick sash around the waist, usually tied into an elaborate knot or bow. The knot typically sits on one of the hips, though if the wearer is sporting several other accessories, it can be worn at the back or over the stomach as well.
Trousers are uncommon for feminine Miorangians except in the coldest weather or where leg protection is important. Instead, skirts and short pants are the predominant fashion. The skirts usually have knee-high to mid-thigh hems, but feature a variety of styles. Form fitting styles are considered more formal, with looser styles worn as active wear. Asymmetric hems are also common, extending the length of skirts to near floor level. Short pants are similar lengths to skirts, though shorter cuts are more common. Shorts are often baggy and rounded, with tight cuffs which allow the fabric to bunch up.
Many feminine Miorangians accessorize with a waist cape - a long, flowing garment much like a cape, but worn around the waist, draped over one hip. If worn alongside a sash, the waist cape is invariably worn on the hip opposite from the sash's knot. The waist cape is usually long enough to completely cover one leg. Most wear long boots, occasionally reaching as high as the hem of the skirt. Usually, however, the boots are no higher than the knee. Most boots are laced up the front, though some also feature clasps along the side.
Short hairstyles are common among feminine Miorangians, usually ear length or shorter. Those with longer hair often sweep it back behind their ears, pin it back with clips, or tie it up in braids or buns. Unlike masculine Miorangians, hair dying it less popular among feminine Miorangians, who typically accentuate their hair with bows or head bands instead.

Friendships

Friendships are considered the most important interpersonal relationships a Miorangian can have. Most Miorangians have dozens of people they consider close friends, though due to the fact that most Miorangians have little opportunity to plan ahead, they may not see each other for weeks or months at a time. This creates vast friendship webs, such that it's joked that anyone in a community is, at worst, a friend of a friend of a friend of anyone else. Because Miorangians aren't able to spend a lot of time with any specific friend, the time they do share is considered incredibly important, to be cherished and taken advantage of.
Most Miorangians live with friends, sharing homes with one another. Most homes have between three and six people living in them at any one time. Because private property is largely considered a foreign and outdated concept by Miorangians, the coming and goings of housemates is common. Many Miorangians prefer to have relatively few personal possessions so that they can easily relocate to another home when they no longer enjoy their current situation. The average Miorangian moves every five years. Even with these shared homes, housemates only spend slightly more time with each other than other friends. Most interactions are brief, two housemates sharing a few moments in the evening before they head out to their daily business or spend a few minutes in weary conversation as they prepare to turn in for the day.

Food

As a predominantly goblin culture, Miorangian cuisine is mostly meat-based. Poultry is the considered the standard meat, with struthi meat the most common by far. Virtually any bird is considered acceptable to eat, however, with more unusual species such as rocs, cockatrice, and even phoenixes considered delicacies. Kostrier and other reptile meat are of secondary importance after poultry, usually being supplemental parts of a meal rather than the main dish. Seafood is typically thought of being in a different class than bird or reptile meat, being thought of more as dessert meat or light snacks rather than full meals. Finally, mammal meat like beef or pork are generally looked down upon for consumption, usually thought of as a last resort, with the animals more often raised for their milk, fur, or other products.
Due to the fact that they eat so much meat, Miorangians have developed dozens of different ways to prepare it. Smoked and pickled meats are very commonly eaten as quick, on-the-go meals, requiring little additional preparation. For more substantial meals, the most common method of preparation is marinating then grilling. A variety of marinades are commonplace, but many of the most popular use more acidic liquids like vinegar or ant venom solutions (called fougeiyan) containing herbs and spices. Traditional Miorangian cuisine relies on cold-weather herbs and spices such as caraway, mint, and oregano, though more modern culinary inventions have come to incorporate a wider range of ingredients. These flavoring agents are among the few plant-based ingredients that most Miorangians consume.
Aside from pure meat, Miorangians also consume other animal products. Milk, cheese, yogurts, and other dairy products are widespread, often being used as a supplementary ingredient in many meals. Eggs of all type are also popular, though they are largely produced as a by-product of raising birds and reptiles for their meat. Honey is often used for treats, with honey glazed meat being popular desserts. Jiguang, baked oysters with a hardened ant honey glaze, is considered a classic Miorangian dessert.
Miorangian meals are often large, communal affairs. There is little differentiation made between types of meals; breakfast, lunch, and dinner largely consist of the same types of food, with cold food somewhat more common during lunch hours since they usually take less preparation time. Virtually every community maintains a community kitchen, where anyone can come to have a meal at any time. These kitchens operate as buffets, offering numerous different options which usually rotate different dishes in and out as the ingredients become available.
Residents and visitors to the community alike usually come in a steady stream, sitting at long tables and share conversation with others. Community kitchens are considered one of the best ways to meet new people, as it acceptable to sit next to or across from a stranger and strike up a conversation. Traditionally, a person who does not wish to talk for some reason will place a cup or mug upside down in front of themselves to indicate they wish to be left alone. Most communities have a very solid grasp on the amount of food they need to prepare every night, thus there is little waste. Leftovers tend to be eaten by the kitchen staff.
Community kitchens take on extra importance during festivals and other public celebrations. In these cases, the entire community comes to the kitchen at the beginning of the night. In addition to the work of the regular kitchen staff, others take turns preparing meals, often offering more unusual or indulgent foods than are normally available. Often times, the entire area around the kitchen transforms into a faire-like event, with tents, tables, portable grills, and temporary fire pits set up outside so that people have plenty of room to eat, celebrate, and enjoy themselves.
Most Miorangians eat three-fourths or more of their meals at their community kitchen. When they do not, it is usually because they are having meals with friends or romantic partners. Restaurants which provide freshly cooked meals are somewhat of a rarity, but still exist in most areas to cater to those who want a more intimate or personalized experience. Cooking at home is typically reserved for when the entire household can share the meal. Finally, food carts exist in most larger communities, but they mainly provide snacks rather than full meals.

Gender

Miorangians have a somewhat malleable concept of gender, recognizing three broad gender categories: right (yongfou), left (yongduo), and middle (yonghou), roughly corresponding to masculine, feminine, and "in between". Each of these three genders have various societal preconceptions about them, with individuals who identify as a specific gender expected to look and behave in certain ways. Right individuals are generally thought of as being concerned with abstract concepts, being more auditory than visual, thinking better early in the night, preferring light colors to dark, having stronger fire and water emotions, more capable of bursts of strength, and action-oriented, among many others. Left individuals typically are thought of as having the opposite qualities; being concerned with concrete concepts, being more visual, thinking better late in the night, preferring dark colors, having stronger earth and air emotions, more capable of endurance, and planning-oriented. Finally, middle individuals sit in between the other two, capable of bridging the gaps, able to turn the abstract concrete (and vice versa), equally capable at auditory and visual things, thing better in the middle of the night, preferring moderate colors, having stronger nivose and fuliginous emotions, more flexible and agile, and leadership-oriented.
Most Miorangians don't expect a person fitting one of those gender identities to adhere to all of these preconceptions, recognizing them as stereotypes rather than strict definitions. They also view gender as more a descriptive concept rather than prescriptive, useful for categorizing how a person does act rather than how they should act. Gender is also not seen as a fixed thing, able to shift over time as a person comes to learn more about themself. Those who do not fit into one of these categories are often called zhanunr. This is not broadly considered a gender itself, though many younger Miorangians have begun to acknowledge it as such.
Sexual relationships are not defined through the lens of gender at all. Instead, they are defined through the intent of the participants toward having children. A relationship where two (or more) people are trying to have children is known colloquially as a "love for the future" while one without the intent to have children is a "love for the present" (there is no "love for the past", though the joke is that people who continually get together and break up are in such a relationship). Neither type of relationship is considered better or preferable to be in.

Homes

Traditional Miorangian homes are rather small and cozy by the standards of many others, usually consisting of no more than five or six rooms in total. Most space in a Miorangian home is dedicated to sleeping and relaxation, with the largest rooms being the bedroom(s) and a living room. The living room is shared by everyone in the home, being a place to play games, have conversations, and do other activities in a group. Bedrooms tend to be shared by two people, often those who are romantically involved with one another or the closest friends. This does limit privacy somewhat, but it is considered a social taboo to refuse to give someone alone time if they ask for it. A small bathroom and storage room round out the rest of the space. Because most Miorangian eat the majority of their meals at the community kitchen, cooking spaces in a home are exceedingly rare. Instead, five or six residences usually encircle a fire pit and (occasionally) a brick oven that they share.
The houses themselves tend to be square in shape and only one story tall, built around a central hallway that runs from a front to a rear entrance. The roof is usually flat or only has a small slope, usually with an access hatch to enable residents to use the roof as an additional, open-air room. Materials tend to vary based on what is the most available in a location; the most common design uses a wooden frame, stone or brick walls, and wooden roof. Miorangian homes rarely have proper windows, as goblins do not need light to see. Instead, homes tend to have a series of one-to-two inch tall and four-to-five inch wide gaps running around the base and top of the walls, allowing for a flow of air and enough light to sleep by. These gaps have slats on them, allowing them to be closed to block out light or in the event of poor weather.

Magic

Miorangian culture is fairly unique among those of the Sora in their broad acceptance of necromancy. While most other cultures shun the practice, Miorangians embrace the possibilities. It has long been the belief of the Miorangian people that the life we know is only part of a greater existence, one that has completed countless cycles before and will complete countless more in the future. Death is just the soul discarding the physical form, no longer needing it to exist, as it travels to the afterlife to spend eternity amongst the gods. The body, then, is no different than an old piece of clothing, no longer wanted by the previous owner. However, what one no longer needs, another may make use of. Thus the reanimation of corpses is seen as a matter of practicality, with the necromancers controlling them using them for dangerous or difficult labors, such as mining or the upkeep of sewers.
Necromancy against the living is viewed much the same as anything which can cause harm. Anything which harms a person's soul is considered exceptionally abhorrent, seen as worse than murder, for it harms the otherwise immortal self. Similarly, magic which affects a person's mind is largely held in contempt. While most people understand that such magic can have therapeutic uses, charming someone, affecting their emotions, altering their memories, or reading their thoughts is considered deeply contemptible. Similarly, any magic which compels a sapient creature to do something against its will, such as summoning and binding a fae or protean to service, is taboo.

Religion

The Miorangians are a deeply spiritual people, paying great homage to the gods of their home realm. The Miorangian pantheon consists of 11 principle gods, 222 attendant gods, and 3333 demigods, each of which fills a different role in the religious belief. Nearly all Miorangians can name the 11 principles by rote, as well as identify the portfolios they embody. Only a rare few can name all 222 of the attendant gods, but they are usually able to name a good portion of them, as well as their portfolios. The demigods are far more obscure and are mostly limited in scope, being attached to certain geographical features on Miorao, and any individual likely only knows a few.
Miorangian priests are holy individuals who have renounced worldly attachments, allowing them to speak the holy thoughts of the gods directly to the people. Every Miorangian community maintains at least one shrine, and often several, dedicated to the gods, usually in locations tied to the god's portfolio. For example, Langun's shrine is typically in the center of the community, while Nannen would have one in a location which catches the light of the morning sun. Most Miorangians visit at least one shrine a week, many do so more often. While there, they make an offering and prayer to the god, usually giving thanks for some good fortune the person has experienced or to ask for some outcome to do with the god's portfolio. Even when not at a shrine, Miorangians frequently invoke the gods in their daily language, almost casually, wishing others and themselves well by the gods, asking for minor boons, and the like.
The faith of the Miorangians is shown most clearly during festivals and holidays. On these days, no matter the cause or purpose, entire communities come together to celebrate and worship. The form this takes depends on the rituals in question, but no matter what, the community takes the opportunity to eat a huge communal meal at their community kitchen. The most important night for Miorangians is the Rest of Yinuo which commemorates the slumber the creator god fell into after they finished forging Miorao. By convention, no Miorangian works for the entire night (with minimal exceptions made for those absolutely necessary jobs, such as tending to the seriously ill or injured), nor does anything which requires significant physical exertion. The priest tending to the shrine of Yinuo will recite prayers and perform a ritual to reinvigorate the people, the community, and the land. The night is one of quiet and calm, a time for introspection, forgiveness, and new beginnings.