Darcysches

The Darcysches are an ethnolinguistic group inhabiting the Darcysch Highlands and the river valleys of northern Eldoria. They share a common language, material culture, and customary practices, which together distinguish them from neighboring communities. In recent centuries, Darcysches have formed city-based urban centers alongside rural hamlets, though their cultural identity remains strongly tied to the highland landscape.

Etymology and language: The name Darcysches is derived from the Darcysche language's name for its people; the language itself is referred to as Darcysche. It is an agglutinative, SOV language with a robust system of case markings; two primary dialect zones are Northern Darcysche and Southern Darcysche. The language coexists with neighboring tongues and features extensive lexical borrowings from them.

History: The Darcysches are first attested in medieval caravan chronicles, though oral tradition places their origins earlier. They formed alliances with regional kingdoms and later experienced periods of urbanization and trade-driven growth. The Highlands served as a refuge during political upheavals, shaping a reputation for resilience and craft specialization.

Culture: Darcysche society emphasizes craft guilds, agrarian rituals, and seasonal festivals. Social organization tends toward clan-based networks, with elder councils guiding communal decisions. Arts include tapestry weaving, metalwork, and wood sculpture. The religion is a syncretic system venerating mountain spirits and ancestral guardians, with a calendar of rites linked to agriculture and harvest.

Today, Darcysches number in the tens of thousands to a few hundred thousand, depending on the definition of ethnic belonging. They maintain bilingualism in Darcysche and Eldoran, with diaspora communities in urban centers across Eldoria. Scholars study the language and culture for its distinctive grammar, oral literature, and historical role in regional trade.