Atkitsaw

The Union of Sovereign Communes of Atkitsaw (USCE) are a independent commune located in the Empire of Uldarash. It is a commune, and is run by a central committee, but all major decisions are voted on by the people themselves. It is located on a mountaintop, west of Aurora. The people there see themselves, not as Uldarashi, but as Atkitians, as they were sovereign for years before the Empire even formed.

Generally, Atkitians are an independent, free-willed people, with connections to the people of Serrona in Eldham, specifically the Lo'Oix. They have developed a tolerance towards colder weathers, whilst giving up their ability to withstand heat above the average temperatures of summer.

History
The history of the Atkitian people is relatively unknown, clouded by time. What remains is small snippets of journal entries by many different people who lived in as far-flung places as Plagos in Rathnir, Katsura in Eldham, and Serrona in Eldham. It is assumed that they originated in Serrona, as Lo'Oix.

Then, skipping ahead about 4,000 years, it is assumed that Atkitians migrated away from Serrona, following a series of unknown events that caused the 2 groups to fall out. They arrived in Katsura around 2,000 years ago, presumably residing in the icy mountains of South Katsura. As logically, the Atkitians would have had to pass through Onthukan, they could even be the theorised connective tissue between the Lo'Oix and Lemurfolk.

Then, they continued moving west, eventually landing in Plagos about 1,500 years ago. There, they settled in Plagos' south peninsula. However, for nearly 1,200 years, the trail goes cold, as it is unknown how the Atkitians managed to get from Plagos, on the opposite side of Rathnir, to Haven.

However, when the trail picks back up, we find the Atkitians interacting with the Kingdoms of Talawa, before Uldarash colonised the continent, and the Atkitians integrated into the rising power as a collection of towns. It is unknown whether or not modern-day socialist Atkitsaw was connected to modern-day United Socialist States of Eldham, but the time gap between both are far too long for historians to make a proper decision.

Some historians theorise that Atkitsaw's socialist influences instead came from the United Burgamerian Socialist Republic, as the timeline matches up between the period of socialism about 900 years ago in Sparwood, they could have carried the torch of socialism from Sparwood all the way to the continent of Haven.

Atkitians speak a highly-modified variant of Lo'Oi, called Atkitani. The language is less integrated with Traveler's Tongue than Lo'Oi, as on most continents Atkitians were recorded visiting did not have a strong Traveler's Tongue speaking community.

Customs
The Atkitians treat travelers with respect, unless they are carrying weapons, which they will take as an invasion. In the event that the traveler is carrying weapons, they surround the traveler, and confiscate their weapons. They will typically return the weapon once the traveler moves on, unless the traveler was especially rude, in which case the weapon will be kept as punishment for their rudeness. If the traveler resists confiscation, the Atkitian will attack. They will not attack on sight unless very threatened.

Table manners are not the same as in other societies. Wolfing down your food is seen as a good thing, it shows eagerness to contribute or enjoyment of the food, both of which is good. Barely touching your food is seen as an insult to the owner, whose family provides the food.

Respect is earned, people gain respect through merit, not birth status or age. If the one's son is a coward and a lout, then they are typically hated when they ascend to adulthood. Typically the elderly are to be given respect, not necessarily because of their age, but because of their contributions. There are many cases of Elders being greatly hated because all they ever did was eat their families food.

Ancient Combat
As Haven's Heart had very wide sandbars connecting large islands, this allowed for canoe combat. The battles were more akin to that of a game, as good canoes were hard to come by and took months to craft, they’d typically be the prize of each battle. Each side would show up in canoes and rafts and try to knock combatants off with oars or break their limbs. After 30 minutes each side would regroup and prepare for another round. This would continue for as long as it took for one side to lose three fourths of it's beginning force. A loss was tallied when one could no longer fight, whether it be exhaustion, or a broken limb.

Familial Structure
Houses take a lot of effort to construct, so being the owner of a house makes you a rather prestigious character. Each House holds the immediate family of the House owner, but they may allow anyone else into their House as well. Usually the immediate family all work together to make meals, the younger children typically gather the ingredients while the adults prepare the meals.