Cultures of Arda

Here is a list of cultures found on the continent Arda along with rough summaries about them:

• Alos - Contains a high amount of tieflings. High value placed on education and discovery, curiosity. They pride themselves on coming up with ways to make adverse situations better rather than replacing or destroying something. Originates from desert nomads living in harsh conditions.
• Bartane - A sort of blend on mediterranean and central american vibes. Big worshippers of The Scoundrel, big into gambling. Wealth (and flaunting it) is important, and cunning is highly valued as a means to become wealthy. Morally ambiguous/flexible, fond of spying and theft (these are illegal but seen as practical and necessary evils and a reasonable course of action), but also big into the arts, especially music, dance, and poetry. Known for bold flavors and spices. Tend to wear colorful light clothing, live in a mix of deserts, hot planes, and steamy jungles. Good amount of tieflings, but they aren't the majority here like they Alos.
• Biraj - British/Indian blend, very highly developed legal systems (gotta keep shit proper), primarily a blend of orcs and humans. Strong emphasis on family, lineage, and personal honor. High value on rhetorical skills and debate. Also have a strong appreciation for physical prowess and strength, originating from old orcish customs, this has turned into a system of martial arts and tournaments that are highly regarded and respected. Highly literate and “cultured” as a way to show off how proper they are. They might memorize a lot of prominent artist or musician names, but they aren't likely to attend a gallery showing or concert unless their peers are also in attendance.
• Chovashan - Very superstitious mongolians with a tree phobia. Horse girl and boy nomads. Super into nature (but fuck trees). Big on oral tradition and monster fighting.
• Davanis - Hardy northwest fishermen and sailors. Live in small tight-knit villages that have their own small fleets of ships. Really into the theater, but in a boisterous and loud way rather than a sit there and be quiet way.
• Drekvin - Eastern coast sailors and traders, a blend of dragonkin, dwarves, and vikings. They used to raid each other before they were united under a Council of Thanes. Each thane controls their own city/region, but the Council can agree to put down a Thane if they don't like how he runs things. They've recently tried to focus more on trading than warfare, but old habits die hard and in fighting for status is still common.
• Kangali - Plainsmen, herders, large scale farms, producers of fine fabrics, silks. They run large trade caravans on roads (the sea is not for them, someone else can handle that leg of the journey). Cities are hubs of craftsmanship and trade, very hard working and independent people who tend to do their own thing. Workers tend to be contractors rather than normal employees. Strong respect for their elders, most villages and towns are run by a local elder council.
• Khadanz - A lot of dwarves, humans, dark elves, goblins, and kobolds. Very religious, very “dad says I can't come out to play today” with a heavy emphasis on obedience to your elders and to the state. Hard work and dedication will bring all the satisfaction you require. Not prone to frivolous purchases such as art.
• Kharuul - Combination of gypsy witches and gruff woodsmen. Very “what will be, will be” eastern european stoic. Not very many of them left.
• Nureongi - North Sea Pirates. Matriarchal, with uncles taking on a formal role of teaching and sponsoring the children of their sisters. Crimes are only investigated if they are a nuisance to the society, or if the victim files a report. Families tend to be tight knit, and ship crews without their own families are frequently adopted by their captains. Crime is fine so long as you don't get caught or don't go after someone that can clap back harder than you can deal with. Lots of dark elves for some reason.
• Saresh - Snake folk/yuan-ti. You keep what you kill. Eat your enemies for their power.
• Soonchun - The emperor is god, Highly organized and disciplined, very structured society. High on the research and education end because it is what their god emperor demands. Scholars are highly respected, but only if they use that knowledge to benefit the empire in some way. Primarily elves, but they have large populations of humans, dwarves, leonin, and wolven as well. Very high value placed on discipline and order. A bit chinese/korean.
• Vedren - Wild tribes in the south, primarily hunter warriors. Lots of orcs, elves, goblins, and lizardfolk/kobolds.
• Visiliar - Heavy on elves and political intrigue. Hungry for resources. Tend to take aggressive stances in their efforts to gain more power, whether in trade, military conquest, or other means. Ambitious people with a hard edge. Structured dueling can be used to settle some disputes. Believe in keeping strong ties with the spirits and natural world as a means to gain an edge on their competitors, so while they want to strip mine a place they'll very carefully try and plan how best to mine as much without pissing off the local spirits or completely destroying the environment.