Godherja Encyclopedia

Iseñi (culture)

The Iseñi are a people native to the southern isles of Aironoi, most numerous across the mercantile crossroads that pass through the straits separating Opakhasia and Aironoi. They are a prideful people at heart, widely known for their extravagance across the southern seas. An Iseñi merchant-noble will place every coin earned through enterprise into their house and estate. Even the necessities for a mercantile operation, such as ships and guards, are emblazoned with noble regalia, steeped in symbolism to elevate their owner's prestige. Iseñi nobility are traditionally loathe to deal in "petty" goods like iron, grain, and cloth; a merchant-noble's prized fleet is suited to carry nothing less than silks, gems, tapestries, artwork, and any other imaginable luxury.

Following the Aversarian conquest of their home, the Iseñi were devastated, the majority forced by either state or circumstance to flee, most lost to the dangerous fringes of the Redlands. Some survive in the fringes of their home isles, clinging to crumbling villas and tattered heraldry, rebuilding a small semblance of former glory. A select few among them managed to maintain their wealth as trader families within the Aautokrata, still renowned for their skill in commerce and fierce pride.