Throughout the Lunar Provinces, much of the ruling class and urban population is Lunar, while much of the rural population is “barbarian” (I am using that term from a Lunar Heartland perspective). The Lunar population in the Provinces fall into roughly two groups:
Lunar colonists. The Lunar Empire settled several colonies in South Peloria. Although Furthest (founded in 1492) is the most important and impressive, several other cities were founded or refounded by settlers from the Lunar Heartlands including Mirin’s Cross (refounded by Hwarin Dalthippa in 1347) and Filichet (also refounded by Hwarin Dalthippa in 1347). Holay Fort was founded by Lunar settlers after the Battle of Falling Hills (1362).
Most of the early settlers came from Dara Happa or Sylila. The later settlers (especially Hon-eel’s settlements) came from Doblian, Silver Shadow, and Sylila. These Lunars considered themselves Heartlanders for generations, despite slowly adopting some “barbarian” trappings, such as tattoos as part of cultic initiations, religious exchanges including adoption of local cults such as Ernalda and other earth deities, and those Lightbringers who are at least neutral towards the Lunar religion, and intermarriage with prominent local barbarian families. Because few of the settlers were ruling caste Dara Happans, the Yelm cult is fairly small and Yelmalio has taken on many of Yelm’s duties.
After a century or more, the Lunar colonies speak New Pelorian, but also Tradetalk and the local barbarian dialect. The Seven Mothers, Hwarin Dalthippa, and Hon-eel are revered deities, and Dara Happan gods such as Yelm, Lodril, Oria, and Oslira are worshiped alongside barbarian deities such as Ernalda, Yelmalio, and Barntar.
A few of the richest provincial aristocrats were educated within the Lunar Heartlands (especially Glamour), and are culturally from the Heartlands. But even prominent Lunar nobles such as Fazzur Wideread were raised in the Provinces. Fazzur for example, is the uncle of Pharandros (who is a member of the imperial Eel-ariash clan) and owns property in Tarsh and Sylila, but he was raised in Furthest and Dunstop, not Glamour.
Examples: Phargentes, Moirades, Pharandros, Fazzur Wideread, Jomes Wolf.
Lunarized barbarians. Many of the traditional local ruling families in the Lunar Provinces have embraced the Lunar religion for reasons of self-preservation, ambition, or spiritual awakening. Many have adopted trappings of Heartland culture, but remain culturally “barbarian” at least from the perspective of the Lunar Heartlanders. Tattoos, clan structure, adulthood initiation rites, etc., all might be more or less the same as they were before their family embraced the Lunar Way.
These Lunarized barbarians make up much of the Provincial Army. Heartland troops sneer at the Native Furthest Corps for their thinly disguised invocations of traditional war gods, including Humakt, Babeester Gor, and even Orlanth! However, they are initiated into Lunar cults such as the Seven Mothers, Hwarin Dalthippa, Hon-eel, Etyries, and even Yanafal Tarnils.
Examples: Gordius Silverus, Jorad Sideburn, Kangharl.
