The Kasheran People
The Kasheran people of Shanshiire are predominantly dark skinned with black hair and dark eyes (usually browns and greys). Once in awhile, one will have lighter eyes or a blond one will pop up. While lighter eyes aren’t all that remarkable, blond hair is unfavourable. Before the Beginning of Days, the Kasheran people used to steal people from what is now Jiinal. The Jiinalese are also darker skinned, but they’re dominantly blond. While this practice was in place, blond children would often be born to the Kasheran people. The gene for blond hair remained in the population although it’s very recessive now and doesn’t assert itself as often as it used to. Blonds are unlucky in the Kasheran culture. Exceptions are only made for blonds born outside their country, but even then they’re treated with a degree of suspicion. The current Crown Prince attempted to dispel that superstition by marrying a princess of Jiinal. The Imperial House of Shanshiire has often married nobility from Jiinal, so blonds show up in that family more often than in any other family line in the country. The most recent example of that being Princess Aldiara. Typically, parents will abandon blond children, leaving them to fend for themselves on the streets to avoid the stigma of having one in the family. Wealthier families will sometimes keep them, depending on their social status at the time. Blonds are encouraged to not marry or have offspring in an attempt to wipe out the unfavourable gene.
