The Tribes of Gentrov, The Brish

History

The story behind the people that dwell in the country of Gentrov and below the Blades of Torukain is one of oppression and hardship. First arriving a few hundred years before the Great Storm, a tribe of humans that sought freedom from the oppressors of their former homeland, Harushka. With a swift vengeance, the Harushkans unleashed volleys of death upon the fleeing ships that were all stolen in a great coup lead by the brave Hafjiir tribe. Half a dozen of the score of ships were lost in the rebuke and few actually knew how to traverse the choppy waters of the Silverime. Notorious for being perilous, only the brave and foolhardy dared traverse the berg-ridden drink. Years of travel left the tribes aboard dwindling, and it wasn't rare for the people to discover that a few of the ships had no one left alive on board. A year would pass and only 5 ships remained. If hypothermia didn't take these souls, starvation and disease surely would. After one of the most treacherous voyages in recent history, what was left of the tribes swore off the ancient Gods that had abandoned them in their time of trouble.
Left agnostic and downtrodden, the tribes decided to get to work and rebuild what was once taken by the Hobgoblins of Harushka. Winter wasn't an unfamiliar phenomenon to the tribes, and they continued to build and expand through it whilst other humans might have perished in the notoriously bitter winters in the North.
The humans weren't left without peril, however. The first encounter with native life wasn't peaceful. People reported sightings of pygmy people attacking with short bows and brutal traps. For a decade, the tribes decided to prevent their hunters and gatherers from headed any further south than needed. Eventually, the pygmy people would reveal themselves. What are now known as the Squatfolk would show the tribes the ways of shamanism and how to connect with the very soil of Brisheig, the land they walked upon. The leaders of the tribes didn't take kindly to the Squatfolk showing their people what they deemed as witchcraft and pushed their peoples back into hiding as an act to prevent loss of tradition. This, however, didn't stop the tribesmen from secretly pursuing the wisdom of the Squats.
Eventually, the Storm struck the new Brish people, and they lost much of their land, people, and homes. With the sky looming with clouds thick, and ever-churning with new colors, the beasts of the wildlands began to change as well. With the Great Storm looming over, the tribes began a vicious bout of infighting. After the death of Rolf Hafjiir, the Harfjiirs began accusing the other tribes, Gentrovich, Irmund, Alans, and Hubish of betraying their traditions and allowing their people to practice the black magic of the Squatfolk. This lead to a bloody conflict that separated the tribes, for none wished to be associated with another tribe for the fear of destruction. In the year 46, the Hafjiir tribe destroyed the northernmost port to signify that their ties were severed from the "treacherous". The other tribes generally mistrusted one another and chose not to involve themselves until the year 48 in which they had to assist in the Treatise of Greyot in which all tribe leaders, including Esseif Hafjiir, had to meet in the same edifice. 
Two decades would pass and a man from the Gentrovich tribe by the name of Taelor came forward. He proposed to the other tribes that by uniting, they can become a prosperous nation once more. The other clans were skeptical at first, but that was before he single-handedly slew Esseif and his guard after praying for 40 days and 40 nights with nothing but a gallon of water and a loaf of bread to sustain himself. From here, the tribes began to follow him, seeing him as a beacon of hope in the growing darkness. He would, to many of the tribe's surprise, marry the youngest daughter of Esseif. The people viewed (and still view) Taelor as the son of Torukain, the God of war, triumph, courage, and the forge.
After being crowned King his wife, Hashesa, foresaw the coming attack of the Harushkans. This would lead the new King to push for revolutionizing his people and preparing them to fend off their archenemy. As such, he founded Taelor's Bulwark, one of the first standing militaries post-Storm. 

Afterlife

 "Be ye blessed or be ye damned, your soul still contains value in this mortal coil. Be ye redeemed by hard labor and servitude or be ye baptised in the Fire Which Knows No Light, your soul still serves a purpose beyond this mortal coil." - Abbot Marotil Ligecht of the God-King's Keep, 519 PGS

The people of Gentrov have believed for several hundred years that souls that are the most loyal and pure to their King and country in life go to serve as the elite defenders of the upper planes. They join the ranks of Aeditus and serve alongside their God-King, Taelor Gentrovich, in keeping the evil and filth from the lower planes away from the blessed souls of their rolling hills and plains in the sky. Many Gentrovian souls that aren't deemed worthy or pure enough for a patrician-like rest are trained as footmen in Aeditus to protect their new homes from the terrors below. They shall fight until their souls are purified of the sin they've carried with them to the afterlife. Fewer souls immediately find peace in rest such as reading, drinking wine that tastes like no other, and relaxation as their souls find rest as a reward for the good life they lead. Eventually, the footmen too will join their brothers, sisters, and loved ones in eternal rest and relaxation.
For those who have committed atrocities in life that have harmed, burdened, or even ended the lives of innocents find turmoil in a space between the planes. These souls are powerless and tainted beyond comprehension. In this space known as the Horizon, a majority of the souls repent and ask for forgiveness as they are forced to relive all of the terrible things they've done in their existence on the mortal plane. Very few feel no guilt for what they've achieved. These few are sent to the lower planes to walk among others who have sold their souls to Iskeiot, the Prophet of Calamity. The Lord has his servants assign these wretched beings to roles appropriate to the power of their soul. Most become mindless slaves that are then baptized in the Darkest Fire Which Knows No Light, endlessly working to assure that their soul's energy is not wasted. In this Fire, the energies of their souls are burned and forged into soldiers of Iskeiot known as demons. What is left of the soul is a husk that serve as soldiers or slaves to greater fiends in the Legions of Hell. Very few of these souls ever become anything more than puppets, but some do ascend and become greater demons. Whilst these demons are far more powerful, they still lack independent will as even greater fiends still bind them to their service.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Hanna, Josephine, Victoria, Olivia, Rachel

Masculine names

Viktor, Henry, Siegfried, Otto, Hans

Family names

Esseif, Irmund, Alans, Hubish, Grofmeil, Ochtnir, Drolicht

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Northern Common (Brish), Harushkan, Squat Common (Obrish)

Common Etiquette rules

Shaking hands, grasping one's forearm to show respect, greeting a man as sir and a woman as ma'am or miss, washing hands and face before eating, not insulting someone in their home or public, offering a place of respite to soldiers, accepting a duel when challenged, etc.

Art & Architecture

Many Brish artists are also craftsmen. As such, many blacksmiths engrave their works and paint their armor, gunmakers engrave the wood of their firearms, masons carve intricate designs into their buildings, clothiers use embroidery in men and women's fine clothing, carpenters widdle designs, shapes, and even sculptures into their wood-work.

Funerary and Memorial customs

There are a few commonly observed funerary traditions. Most are buried in their homesteads, some are burned on funeral pyres, and a majority are buried within catacombs beneath a few towns and cities known as munds.

Common Taboos

One is to never speak poorly of the dead even if they were an enemy of the country or Crown.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Men that are large and sport prominent facial hair. Women that are bigger, and keep their faces clean and free of scars.

Courtship Ideals

Most men and women that are in romantic relationships are married under the rites of a priest of the Crown as to keep tradition of the King watching over and binding one another. Some bypass tradition and claim to be married by wearing a sort of matching jewelry like a ring, necklace, earring, etc.

Related Locations

• Ordia