Hey Cherry! I recently read the provinces of Arsur on the codex, and for fun I'm really curious if the provinces had any stereotypes (good and bad) or certain unique characteristics? Like the kind that make people say, "Hey are you from (insert province there)?"
Oooh I really like this ask!! From a sociology perspective, not because stereotypes are good obviously 😂
Aside from obvious markers (such as regional accents and differences in clothing) there are some stereotypes about the personality and mannerisms of people from certain provinces.
Rojan: People from Rojan are assumed to be very prideful, and very oriented towards their own communities/own history. There's a sense in other provinces that people from Rojan consider themselves better than the rest of the country, in part because it's the place that formed the foundation for the Empire.
When someone is acting especially arrogant, even when they're not from Rojan, a common saying in the rest of Arsur is "How is the view from the Armas Mountains?"
Zerat: Considered to be the province of wealthy, conniving nobles and corrupt government officials. Interestingly, this presumption even exists in the countryside of Zerat towards those in the cities, particularly towards tax officials. This prejudice exists particularly strongly since historically the Crown has resided in Zeratun, where most of the taxes and tithes are sent to as a result.
A commonly spoken complaint: "At least the bandits on the Crown's Road look me in the eyes when they rob me."
Avdin: If you remember, the codex entry in the story also refers to Avdin as the Merchant's Province. Another saying about Avdin is, "The children of the coast could charm an oyster into giving up its pearl". Someone from Avdin will be assumed to be a smooth talker, either charming or, more negatively, as a salesman.
Penawar: This province is often condescended to by those who are more privileged, who will assume most people from Penawar are poor, backwards peasants.
The vast majority of the public, however, have great compassion for Penawar due to how many conflicts it has suffered from incompetent or tyrannical leadership. People from Penawar are considered to be very resilient, and are often received warmly when they travel to other provinces, especially in Zerat. It's sometimes said that any person from Penawar and any person from Zerat are always destined to become friends.
Şevan: This province is a particular odd duck. If people from Rojan are assumed to feel superior about their origins, people from Şevan are seen as very quiet about their history. They are generally stereotyped as very reserved, sometimes almost cold, and when visiting Şevan from another province it's advised not to bring up Hathura or else the atmosphere will be awkward.
This is in part due to how little people from Şevan are assumed to travel outside the province, but this is a complete misconception; they travel plenty, just mostly to Qathesh. It's because the tall cliffs bordering Şevan from the rest of Arsur are very difficult to go up. There are paths to Avdin and Penawar, but for someone from Şevan, traveling to Qathesh is much easier.
Someone who doesn't talk a lot will sometimes hear jokingly said, "[They're] trying to keep Hathura's secrets.”
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