Haruwen

The People

To the people of Haruwen, home is the most important thing. As they have been displaced for so many years and are only just now reclaiming their homeland the important thing to them has become setting down roots and spreading those roots far and wide. People are encouraged to avoid returning to their parents and instead rely on the community around them for assistance if they need it. 

Within the home it is usual to have a shrine or dedication to your family ancestors and/or the local land spirits, however this doesn’t impact on the regular worship of the Gods. They do not worship spirits or ancestors, but speak to them and learn about the past from them. They want to have the whole picture before making decisions, holding onto the ability to see the past and learn from it whilst also moving forwards. They don’t want to hold onto past ideas that have outlived their usefulness or that don’t fit into the modern day, but they do want to remember the past. Look to the past for learning, but don’t stay there. 

They are a very rigid country, with a strong sense of honour and justice. This often leaves them at odds with travellers and with other countries who don’t share this sense of honour. Some people may see them as naive, and some might be- having never lived in a culture that wasn’t honourable- but on the whole they understand that other cultures don’t share their beliefs. Once this might have frightened them but they have adapted and have come to see it as a teaching opportunity, where they can show others the benefits of an honourable system.

They are a very academic culture, with mage colleges for those who show magical proficiency and military colleges for those who wish to support their nation by joining the army. Other schooling is done at home by parents, this can be learning trades or academia, but the onus is on the parents to teach their children well- and how well they do upon leaving home can and will affect people’s opinions on their parents. Hiring a home tutor is expensive, but seen as worth it for those with the money to do so.

Popular Clothing 

In Haruwen even the non-mages are usually found in robes. There is a strong cultural bias towards showing as little of your skin below the waist off as possible and even hiding that figure, with floor length robes, dresses and skirts combined with stockings and tights beneath. Trousers, if worn, are usually baggy but pulled in at the ankle. 

Garb is usually high necked, or v-necked. They care little about the arms, wearing either sleeveless garments or billowing sleeves. Coloured wraps are common on the arms or legs.

Robes and dresses are usually brightly coloured, with contrasting under or overwear. Or robes are black with coloured embroidery, sashes and extras to showcase personality and family line. Families often have crests that can be embroidered onto clothes.

Culture and Customs 

There is a culture in Haruwen of relying on community over family. When a young person comes of age, they are heavily encouraged to leave home and branch out on their own, travelling far away from their parents and maintaining a healthy distance from them in favour of settling down in a new community somewhere else. 

This community will become the support system, with a focus on building something together and on relying on neighbours and friends in times of need. It is seen as more shameful to return to your parents to ask for help, as this implies an inability to set down lasting, strong roots in your new life. 

There is also a large emphasis on new or chosen family, on creating a family of your own. Single person households are considered to be inefficient and there is a culture of partnering up to share the burdens of daily life as soon as possible. It doesn’t necessarily have to be romantic, and it doesn’t only have to be two people, but households are commonly divided into roles. Someone must go out and work, to earn money and make a living and someone else must stay home to focus on building the community, helping neighbours and also running the home- these people are likely to control the finances of the home, commune with the ancestors and when there are children in the home, school them. These roles are not bound by gender, but by who is more attuned to them. These roles can be filled by more than one person if a household contains three or more partners. 

Despite the lack of contact with families once branched out, one time that families will get together is to celebrate the graduation of a child/grandchild, when they have successfully completed their schooling there will be a large party thrown. 

Their culture is one of a strict honour code that they stick to in every day life. Helping neighbours, placing the community over yourself, not committing crimes, respecting the land and the spirits. There are many versions of honour and it may vary slightly between settlements and Islands but overall it remains the same. 

They are aware of the spirits that dwell in their land, these spirits are treated with respect, but not worshipped or revered as deities. The average citizen knows that spirits are to be treated with politeness, but also wariness. Other creatures and beings can guise as land spirits and it wouldn’t do to invite them into your home. 

History

Many years ago the islands of Haruwen were swallowed by the sea, forcing residents to flee West to the main continent of Urdd, landing in what is now the Blighted Lands. The Haruwenese started a campaign of taking over the land, teaching their way of life to the people that already lived there. All at once transforming from refugees to conquerors. They succeeded in taking over the land and wiping out the culture that came before, setting up their new home but missing their old one. 

Following the Demon War of 1117AC the oceans receded once more and their ancestral homeland of Haruwen emerged from the depths, once again habitable. The Blighted Lands became inhospitable and the people of Haruwen returned to their ancestral homeland, rebuilding their communities from the wreckage and starting anew in the land of their forefathers. They sought to engage with their ancestors and the spirits that occupied the land. 

Shortly after, the Emperor died and his heirs squabbled over the throne. After a power struggle one of his daughters, Mako, became embroiled with a Keesothian who used the powers of their God to help free her from a Malignant spirit and helped secure her position as Empress.

During the events of The Void War of 1123AC the Haruwenese mistrust of outsiders led to a schism in the power structure, with the Shogun, Momonoi Katsumitsu openly rebelling against the Empress. With the aid of the AAG an accord was struck with both sides, the Empress became a Inais Mortis and her sister, Shinkokami, married the Shogun, becoming Empress and ending the Civil War. 

With the Civil War being ended through the interference of outsiders, there has been a cultural shift within Haruwen to be more welcoming and accepting of others. Though they still often find themselves at odds with the honour system of visitors to their country, they use their interactions with them to teach them about honour where they can. 

In the War of 1125AC, they saw the merit in siding with Noria, and joined them to fight against the rest of the world. This led to another schism in which the Imperial Guild of Mages turned on their leaders and sided instead with the allied forces of the Treaty Nations. 

With the War over, the Imperial Guild have been placed under heavy guard, with mages of each school of magic being placed in their own colleges, under the watchful eye of representatives of the current Empress. 

Leadership

Traditionally led by an emperor or empress whose bloodline is said to be ordained by all the gods as their living emissary, Haruwen is now led by Empress Shinkokami and Shogun Momonoi who married to end a civil war. Below them are lords who rule over sections of the land and who hold their own armies. There is also an Imperial Army, led by the Shogun and in times of national crisis this army is backed up by the armies of the lords. 

 In addition there is the imperial guild of mages who once had more freedom and were more of a separate body but are now under a tighter control by the Empress and Shogun. 

Religious Beliefs 

Haruwen is a reverent nation, religion is very important to the people. They have, historically, had an affinity for Death and this remains a prominent religion amongst the people, though all religions are followed and permitted within the borders. Death Temples are the most commonly found across the nation.

Following the Void war there was an uptick in following Keesoth, as the Empress was openly vocal about the way he had helped her. Following Keesoth is now also a popular choice amongst the people. 

They have a deep love for their ancestors, taking guidance from them and speaking to them- but this is not the same as worshipping them. They can provide spiritual guidance but the people of Haruwen do not and will not treat them as deities. The same can be said for the Spirits of the Land. They may offer spiritual guidance but they are not worshipped.