Iria

Iria is a narrow country that controls most of North's southeastern shore. It shares most of its border with Huria. The capital, Irianport, is on the southeastern shore as well.

## Population

The population is a mix of ethnicities, but most Irians are some sort of a mix of Hurians or Islefolk. Especially in the port towns there are people from all over the world, sometimes even from as far away as Doglands.

## Language

The Irian speech is very closely related to Hurian, and they can somewhat understand each other. The name *Iria* is Irian for "southeast", closely related to the Hurian word with the same meaning, *iraia.* *Ira* is "east" in both Hurian and Irian. Most Irians are multilingual, common second languages being Hurian and Hirgenkál.

Irian names are usually nouns.

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### Introductions

Irian introductions are quite similar to Hurian ones, but shorter and less formal.

**For women:**

1. (Title)
2. First name
3. Mother's name
4. House-name
5. (Honorary names)

E.g.: *"I am greatmother Glory Ironhandsdaughter Rend, keeper of the High Sword Eiyal'ai."*

E.g.: *"I am Rauta Hillasdaughter Aaruna."*

**For men:**

1. (Title)
2. First name
3. Mother's name
4. House-name
5. (Bound-house name)
6. (Honorary names)

E.g.: *"I am executioner Ravenhair Thymesson Renner, bound to house Kerette, advisor to the Grace of Iria."*

E.g.: *"I am Hawkmind Riversson Raanos."*

**For the house-less:**

1. (Title)
2. First name
3. Mother's name
4. Unbound (unmarried) / bound-house name (married)
5. (Honorary names)

E.g. *"I am Hunett Ir-Ash Ankasdaughter Unbound."*

E.g.: *"I am Cait Eleniasson, bound to house Kerette."*

**For the disowned:**

1. (Title)
2. First name
3. Repentant (common houses) / Songless (song-houses)
4. (Honorary names)

E.g.: "*I am Routa Songless."*

E.g.: *"I am executioner Silverbird Repentant."*

**For the Islefolk:**

1. (Title)
2. First name
3. Surname
4. (Bound-house name)
5. (Honorary names)

E.g.: *"I am Anwen Seas."*

## Culture

Despite southern influence Irians retain a lot of their mathriarcal ways, especially around the northwestern border, though in general they are more egalitarian than Hurians. Men are not quite as bound by law to their families' or wives' will, but strong cultural pressure ensures that most will not stray from the traditional place of a servant and a protector.

### Dress and grooming

Irians either cut their hair short like Isle-folk or tie it up like Hurians. Long, open hair is considered an affront to the gods, an echo from the ancient Hurian myths of the division between People and High Folk. Men often shave their beards like Isle-folk, but some grow theirs out like Hurians, though long beards are braided or bound.

Due to the great amount of trade, Irian dress is varied and colorful, often rich in different materials. From inland and Huria they have wool, furs, and skins, and sometimes even mountainbird feathers from the farthest north of Huria. From Hirgenrúd they get seal skins, white bear fur, and feathers. The south brings them cotton and bright dyes, as well as more exotic fabrics and weaves.

Women usually wear an under-dress or a combination of an undershirt and an underskirt. The underskirt is mostly plain, sometimes decorated by a fur lining in the hem and usually made of leather or thick wool. On top of that is another, beautifully decorated skirt, made of fabric. Or, women can wear pants, in which case they have woolly underpants. On top of their undershirt is a more decorated shirt, though usually simpler than the skirt. A decorative scarf is sometimes tied around the waist or attached to the shirt's hem by pins. A short cape protects from the elements, to be switched out for a cloak or a longer cape if necessary.

House tabards are often a part of formal dress, though not required, and men are allowed to wear a house tabard of their bound-house. Greatmothers and holders wear tabards to signify their position.

Both men and women wear jewelry, mostly made of iron or silver. Gold is rare and coveted. Earrings are common, but other piercings mostly unheard of except in the busiest port towns where people from other lands have spread the practice a bit. A dagger or knife worn on the belt usually has a decorated hilt.

Irians have their own fine goldsmiths, but Hurian metalcraft and southern jewelcraft are more esteemed. However, the most prized jewelry of all is that of High Folk origin. Their metals do not burn one's skin in the cold and their smithwork is far beyond anything that even the finest Hurian smiths can manage. High-craft jewelry is rare and mostly passed on in song-houses from one greatmother to the next. Many pieces are too large for people to wear in a conventional manner, having been made for High Folk themselves. Earrings and bracelets have been repurposed as decorations on clothes, hair pins as thin daggers, circlets as necklaces. A few of the coveted small-scale trinkets do exist; for example House Iria owns an actual human-sized high-craft crown, worn only by the kings and queens themselves.

Both tattoos and scarifications are seen. Even the Western Hurian style of decoratively scarring the face has to some degree made its way to Iria. However, especially tattooing is practical rather than decorative and the most common tattoos are protective symbols. Mostly they are small and hidden under clothes in everyday situations.

### Houses

There are both song-houses and common houses. Song-houses work as they do in Huria, with a greatmother governing the whole house and one's affiliation to it being dependent on knowing the house-songs. Common houses, usually ruled by a greatmother as well, often retain a singing tradition and have several house-songs. However, the house affiliation is more dependent on blood relations or other bonds. Some common houses have no house-songs whatsoever, having either lost the tradition or been created by non-Hurians who never had it in the first place.

Men from either houses usually keep their house-name when marrying, just binding themselves to another house. House-less men, as well as men from low-ranking common houses, sometimes take up the name of their wife's House. It is not unheard of for a house to have a holder - a male ruler - instead of a greatmother if no woman is of age or sufficient capability, but such houses are looked down upon. A holder can rarely marry and by extension can rarely have children, as most women aren't willing to bind themselves to a man's house, let alone allow their children to be raised into one.

Being disowned by one's house is a great shame and a cruel punishment that usually comes with homelessness, poverty, and community scorn. Only a greatmother, or in some cases a Holder, can disown a member of her house.

House-less people are a common sight in the port towns due to a high number of Islefolk and other foreigners who never had a house in the first place, but the further northwest one goes, the more prejudice there is. The more a house-less person looks like an ethnic Hurian, the less accepting others will be towards them, even in port towns. Those recognized as Islefolk are an exception, as everyone knows they have no houses to begin with.

## Government

Iria is governed by a queen or a king, Grace of Iria. The rulership is bound to a common house, House Iria. Whenever a ruler dies, the most influential Irians - greatmothers, high priests, and nobles of note - gather to choose a new one from those House Iria members that are of age and have a sufficient education. If no consensus is reached within a month, the eldest sufficient female heir is elected as Queen Regent and another council is held after a year.

The system of government has formed over the years to be distinct from all surrounding countries, despite having influences from all of them. Islefolk influence is seen in the very House Iria itself. The Islefolk are ruled by warlords, and House Iria is descendend from one such warlord, whose family took over a large part of what is currently Iria back when it was just a collection of city-states and villages controlled by warring houses and tribes. However, the Hurian way of electing rulers never quite died, even though the pool of possible choices became smaller. Irians also follow the ancient Hurian tradition of renaming their kings and queens, though the practical reasons for it have disappeared. In Huria, rulers go through a symbolic rebirth and take on a new name and identity to rid them of their affiliation to their former song-house and to ensure their neutrality in all matters. As all Irian rulers come from the same house, the Hurian the reasoning is obsolete - yet upon taking the throne, the ruler also takes on the name Grace of Iria and will never again be addressed by their old name.

The country is currently ruled by a queen, Grace of Iria (formely *Syrah Syrena Maladine IV*, princess of Maladia), who took over after his husband, the previous king and Grace of Iria (formerly Seastorm), passed away.