Murmaskë (mur-mask-ee)
Often forgotten and overrun during the centuries of fighting between Caphitolia and Catholonika, the Murmaskë people in the forests and foothills between the two countries are starting to rebel, and rise up against both, and putting up a considerable fight. While their ancestry is Caphitolian they do not wholly adhere to Caphitolian customs and culture.
History
Pre-occupation
The Murmaskë contented themselves with simple agricultural lives. Livestock grazed to the south and west in the grasslands before the forest, and they grew their hearty vegetables in the forests to their north and east, even to the foothills of the Jagged Peaks. The quaint Tulugarct River flows west from the mountains through the villages before emptying into a lake in northern Caphitolia. The people here had been without violence, besides typical small-town violence of occasional miscreants. Policing was steady and even unnecessary in most places. The largest town during this time was a small town of 1,000 named Brrôczt. The people managed to stay out of all conflict once Caphitolia and Catholonika began fighting by simply being small and unimportant.Occupation
They existed and stayed out of the fighting like this until a hundred years ago when the Qaath overran and claimed their pretty, chiseled, stone houses and annexed their forested crops and grassland claims. This was during a particularly victorious time for the Qaath when they moved their superior infantry on the hills and valleys of Caphitolia, almost 100 miles from their main city, Ishmatol. The Caphitol Imperios pushed them back. This defeat made the Qaath angry and they declared the Murmask region theirs wholly. The Imperios pushed back against the Qaath, eventually taking back the grasslands and some of the forests of the Qaath. Whenever a defeat came to the Qaath they took out their frustration on the poor Murmaskë, who had never been in true war or conflict before. The beatings and rape and terror continued, but tapered off for several decades as the Qaath settled into the region.Current
"Murmaskë are not without teeth" as an old saying goes. "A submissive dog will bite when cornered" is another. Both became popular among the Murmaskë as they grow tired of the Qaath yoke. They converged during festivals and had furtive talks under the noses of their occupiers. None wished to be under their rule. And so about ten years ago they forged their own weapons and light, cloth armor for silent guerilla warfare. They employed sorcerers from towns and villages and homesteads, accumulating disenfranchised farmers and laborers. The elements of surprise and underestimation were on their side, for the Qaath did not suspect them to be anything besides simple workers. In the winter at the end of 4E 2697 they struck, burning barracks and army ammunitions and weaponry, leaving tracks and hints that the Imperios sent in surprise soldiers. The Qaath never once suspected them, for their hatred of the Imperios was immense. When Imperios soldiers came a few days later to liberate the town, the Qaath resisted them hard and met them far from the towns. The Murmaskë also raided their supplies and depots. They made sure to never destroy from them what the occupiers may request or take from them. These scenarios continue and the Murmaskë campaign is alive and well currently. They have caused disarray and confusion among both sides. They do not wish to replace one Qaath yoke with a Imperios one, and both sides are now aware of the dangers of subjugating these "simple folk." Despite their bravery, the battles continue to spill into the region, though never too far into their lands. Indeed, both countries avoid the area and detour around it despite the good roads that go through, which more and more become unusable the moment either army begins their tracts.Ideals
Beauty Ideals
In appearance, facial asymmetry is paramount, the subtler the better. This is paradoxical where someone with a perfectly symmetrical face appears as not as pretty as someone with a slight crooked nose or slightly low eye or the like.
Gender Ideals
Typically men work the fields and livestock and cook while the women tend to the children.
Courtship Ideals
The instigator needs to bring two chickens and a sow pig to their beloved. If accepted, the beloved gifts to their parents. The parents accept the gift as their blessing, and pay a cleric to bless the couple. A period of 10 weeks pass as the couple live in the same house but separate bedrooms. During this time either may call it off, but must go to the beloved parents to gain the livestock, which can be refused, nullifying their breakup. After 10 weeks they are considered wedded.
Relationship Ideals
Couples are not considered strong until they have a child. "There are no two-legged stools" is a popular saying. As the families grow the love for each other deepens and flourishes like clovers on the western plains.
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