NATION

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DispatchFactbookCulture

by Yooper high kingdom. . 73 reads.

Yoopers

Yoopers


Yoopers

Bernd Soady because I haven't found a good image yet.

Population

Globally:

55,663

Regions:

Yooper (45,458)

Duluth (3,241)

Woodlands (2,519)

Republic of Detroit (1,521)

Languages

(Old, New, Middle) Yooper

Religion

Primarily Norse
Minorities adhere to Catholicism,
Rust Cult, and Peyotist

Related Ethnic Groups

Other Norse
Old American, English,
Norwegians, Finns

Yoopers are an ethnic group native to the Northern Peninsula. They are the descendants of pre-event Yoopers and, due to their Scandinavian ancestry, are considered to be related to the other “Ameronordic” cultures such as Dellsmen and Northlanders. However, unlike those two cultures, Yoopers have extreme amounts of influence from the Finnish immigrants that inhabited the region before the event. This can be seen in many aspects of its culture, creating a unique culture that combines aspects of Finnish, Nordic, and American culture. Similarly, whereas Northlanders and Dellsmen were at one point civilized, Yoopers were always a rural people and they take pride in that fact, claiming that they never really abandoned the way of the Gods - at least in spirit.

There are approximately 55,663 Yoopers in the world. Yoopers primarily live in the High Kingdom of Yooper and the kingdom could be considered the 'nation' of the Yooper, even though it is more comparable to a large tribal federation rather than a proper nation. However, small minorities of Yoopers live in the other realms of the former Kingdom of Superior and “Lower” Michigan.

Yoopers are, at first glance, very similar to Northlanders, with similar technology, fashion, religions, and social structures. However, they are separated by many aspects. Their names and language take many aspects from the Finnish culture, and they also have practices brought on from their southern Michigander counterparts. This, in combination with the fact that their religion and social structure is different from the Northlanders upon closer inspection, has led to the formation of a culture that blends multiple cultures to form a distinct “Yooper” culture separate from other Norsemen.

Names


Yooper is a name applied to the people of the Upper Peninsula since before the Event. Many post 2500ers believe that the name was brought on by Finnish immigrants, believing it to be some Finnish word that means “Superior” - in reference to the region of Superior rather than actual superior. However, this is incorrect. Its actual etymological origins come from the 1970s as a pronunciation of the acronym U.P (Yoo-pee), Which became Yooper by adding - er to the end, like with Amerikaner or Nederlander. This name became commonly accepted by both Yoopers and Americans and became what most cultures identified the Yoopers as long after the event.

History


(This is the history of the peoples themselves, not the nations they live in.)

Before the Yoopers inhabited their lands, the first peoples were the Menominee, Nocquet, and the Mishinimaki tribes, along with a few other minor tribes that were undocumented. However, these tribes would be forced out by the French, British, and Americans over a period of 144 years. After 1805, it would become a part of the Territory of Michigan, originally to be given to Wisconsin. However, the Toledo War occurred between Michigan and Ohio, which caused the US to compromise between the two polities, giving Toledo to Ohio and the Upper Peninsula to Michigan. The rivalry between Michigan and Ohio would continue to rage on to even the 2700s, long after the event, and knowledge of why the rivalry existed was destroyed. Regardless, throughout the 1800s, the Upper Peninsula became populated by miners as various minerals were found in the region. One of the largest immigrant groups was the Finns, who saw the climate of the Upper Peninsula as similar to their own. While many Finns planned to return, most did not, causing generations of Finns to become the plurality of the population in the Upper Peninsula. Swedes and Americans would also inhabit the region, creating a blend of cultures that was considered unique even before the event.

When 'the event' happened, the Yoopers would not immediately fall to the chaos. Their land was already pretty rural and so most Yoopers that survived the first few years of isolation were considered hardy enough to not need warlords that promised medicine, food, or otherwise. As such, Yooper divided itself into clans and tribes. This would be a common occurrence throughout the rural Midwest, but for the Yoopers, it furthered their cultural independence as communications with the world beyond crawled to a halt. They would not be totally isolated, however, and would be influenced by Northlanders and Dellsmen, eventually leading to them abandoning their traditional religion in exchange for the Norse religion, which they adopted because many Dellsmen and Northlanders incorporated their God Heikki Lunta into their faith, leading many Yoopers to believe that the Norse faith was the real faith.

Yoopers would become widespread knowledge throughout the 2400s, 2500s, and 2600s as adventures, merchants, and raiders wandered the former United States and Canada in search of honor and gold, or simply out of wanderlust. Some Yoopers could be found as far East as Iceland, whilst others traveled as far west as Alaska, rediscovering “Ísborg”, or Anchorage. While the vast majority of Yoopers who traveled to foreign lands would be merchants and adventurers, some became infamous Vikings, including Albert Soady. Albert and his army ransacked or got tribute from every single coastal city East of the Mississippi including New York, DC, Miami, New Orleans, and Chicago. Due to this, anti-Yooperism - an extension of Anti-Norsism, became common within the Great Lakes region. However, upon the Death of Soady, raids became a lot less frequent and while other Soadys and minor Yoopers would try to emulate him, most who sailed the Great Lakes returned to a mercantile lifestyle.

The High Kingdom of Yooper is considered to be the primary title of Yooper. However, due to mercantile relations, Yoopers can be found in the cities of Detroit and Duluth. Similarly, they may be found in the tribes of Woodlands and Green Bay. The primarily Yooper towns of Menominee and Iron Mountain are owned by Greenbay and Woodlands respectively, and they are considered minor annoyances as they often try to rebel against the government to join the Kingdom of Yooper.

Racial Makeup

The vast majority of Yoopers are white. Unlike surrounding Ameronordics, however, the majority of them are partly Finnish to some degree. Particularly in the western portion of the country, where Finnish descendants made up the majority of the region's population. Due to this, elements of Finnish culture can be seen throughout Yooper society. Alongside Finnish, Cornish migrants from before the event have made a major impact on Yooper culture with Cornish names being present throughout their society. However, Nordic influences are present throughout Yooper society, both from before and after the event. African, Latino, and Asian Yoopers are almost non-existent but still exist in small minorities. The first group makes up a notable minority in the Jarldom of Soo, as an example.

Culture


The culture of Yoopers is categorized by a tribal society without any harshly enforced cultural standards, but otherwise has a reliance on honor and religion. They are not inherently violent and bloodthirsty, but when driven to violence or other hardship, they will embody the Sisu spirit brought by their Finnish ancestors. However, as is often the case with cultures, the following are often standards rather than what actually happens. There will be cultural differences between Villages, Towns, and Jarldoms, and some elements of their culture can be overturned by individuals. This includes their social structure, which individuals may forego for the sake of their friends and family if they benefit from it, or for multiple other reasons. Similarly, human biology and psychology still apply, meaning that there are individuals who act “cowardly” or are considered “honorless.” However, the following will mostly apply to most Yoopers.

Social Attitudes

Social Structure

Yoopers have a prestige-based social structure based on the honor, toughness, and/or acts of an individual. This attitude is an ideal that was culminated during the 2100s when typically the strong or clever ruled over the tribe rather than based purely on family - which was believed to lead to weak rulers. It is not uncommon for particularly legendary Yoopers to be given a higher Social Status than that of Jarls or Chieftains, to a point where said Jarls and Chieftains may be overthrown and replaced with the said legend - such as Albert Soady. Typically speaking, however, being a part of a family that rules over a region is prestigious enough for realms like Jarldoms to be semi-stable. Among Yoopers, the most prestigious thing one could do is lead one’s own to prosperity. Whether it be through raiding, good policies, discovering a deposit of rare materials, trade, or otherwise, when an individual does something that benefits more than just themselves or their family, that often comes with great prestige. However, other acts of being strong, pious, etc come with prestige as well. In fact, being weak, a thief, a murderer, or unpious often negate prestige. If a person has more unprestigious acts than prestigious ones, that can lead to them being considered pathetic and dishonorable, which may get them disliked by their own community. Sometimes to a point where they are ran out of town or killed, albeit typically only if they committed an egregious crime.

While status is a loose concept, gender roles are much more prevalent in Yooper society. Women are expected to be housemakers rather than careerwomen, spending most of their lives at home caring for the house. Those who don’t and rather try to take up a career usually reserved for men are called Nainenemies (Nah-eye-en-em-ice), meaning “Woman man”, a status that is nominally considered an insult. However, women are not entirely separated from the lives of men. Whilst most marriages are arranged, the Bride can say no - see the family/love section - and Women can still own property. In fact, it isn’t uncommon amongst merchant circles for women to take over the family business upon the death of their husbands. Similarly, the Jarldom of Kopparhoffin has an agnatic-cognatic succession, leading to the rise of Ingvild. Albeit, this is controversial amongst the other Jarls, as typically rulership is considered a male’s job.

Yoopers have very ad hoc interpretations of majesty and royalty. Some Kings, Jarls, and Chieftains will demand total respect and will not even allow non-royals to look at them without bowing. Others treat all their people as equals, drinking with them and otherwise acting like a buddy to his or her people rather than a ruler. However, most fall somewhere in-between, and generally the rich tend to prefer to be around other members of the rich rather than with poor commoners. However, within the same social status, things are a lot more egalitarian. While it’s uncommon, there are records of Jarls and Chieftains beating each other up in brawls over things including insults, affection of women, and rarely political matters as well such as border disputes. It isn’t uncommon for those of similar status to have insult competitions, wherein people demean and insult each other until either a time limit is reached or the opposing party wishes to stop. Thusly then, courtesy is not a thing within even upper-class Yoopers. Though, given their economic situation, it would be hard to call a Yooper “Upper Class” as they typically just live in bigger homes than their commoner counterparts rather than having significant social status and respect.

Family/Love

The family is the most basic social structure of Yooper culture. Families are traditionally monogamous, though some richer families may keep concubines around as well, and are traditionally nuclear. Cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents, etc may live in the same household, but typically speaking, the average household consists of an individual, their spouse, and their children. Extended families still do matter, however, with some families being rich and powerful due to their connections with each other. Families, while important, are not nearly as emphasized as other realms. Yoopers instead place emphasis on friends and bonds, with men expected to socialize and have large friend groups. This is because friends, especially bludbrutters - A Yooper Term figuratively translating to “War Friend”, are considered to be especially important in a world where having a good friend could mean the difference between life and death.

Love between Yoopers is considered a simple fact of life. While love is certainly a concept that exists, romantic relationships are often only found in the lowest levels of society, with the vast majority of marriages being arranged between two families. As for relationships, relationships outside of marriages - bar concubinage - are normally taboo. As such, lovers may find themselves being either forced to split up due to obligations or flee together from their families - something which is both taboo and dangerous given the harsh Upper Peninsula Environment. However, this is not to say love is entirely non-existent. Marriage for love can be found amongst the poor majority of Yooper society, where marrying for status, title, and alliances matter far less. Similarly, many richer Yoopers get around their marriage by taking lovers as concubines, making them members of the household, and allowing the two lovers to live with each other. Women, provided they are the legal owner of their household, may also do this. There have been cases, such as with the current King, where a person has taken only concubines as well, not wanting to be “tied down” to another person.

Homosexuality is an extreme taboo in Yooper culture, though not the traditional definition of it. Between men, only the passive partner is considered a homosexual, with the active partner having no negative labels applied to them. Passive males, however, are often mocked and shamed for their activities, to a point where some villages and towns have even made it a crime to do so. Lesbianism does not exist as a concept to Yoopers. While women definitely still have such feelings, the idea of a woman not liking men is beyond most Yoopers regardless of sex. Typically, the only time Lesbians are in passing references to mythological accounts of Nainenemies, who are said to take women as wives in order to prove their masculinity. These accounts are, however, mythological. Homosexual relations do still exist despite social stigma, but these are often kept secret.

Honor/Violence

One of the most pervasive ideas within the Yooper culture is that of Sisu. A concept brought by their Finnish ancestors, Sisu is a word that does not have any literal English translation, but can figuratively mean a lot of things ranging from bravery to perseverance. To uphold and embody sisu is to stoically endure hardship for extended periods of time, not just quick bursts of energy or giving up. This includes anything from fighting on the battlefield to surviving a bad harvest, and it is a concept the vast majority of Yoopers try to uphold. This is not to be confused with bravery or chivalry, as according to the Yoopers, their concept of Sisu is less about doing something despite fear, but rather about doing something despite overwhelming odds regardless of fear.

Similar to sisu is the Yooper concept of honor. Honor is something that is held firm by most Yoopers, though they have an odd concept of it. Honor is a very vague concept that many Yoopers and generally goes alongside with, but is not mutual with, prestige. To have honor is to complete actions despite overwhelming and not going against the societal norms of the Yoopers. Actions that are considered honorable include not lying, fighting to defend one’s home and loved ones, giving to the poor and destitute, and praying to the Gods. Dishonorable acts include adultery, murder - especially kinslaying, killing the unarmed during a battle, and breaking contracts. Due to this, most Yoopers are honor-bound to follow any contract or oath even if doing so is advantageous. However, alternatively, they will often berate those who act dishonorably, even if it was out of survival. This includes retreating on the battlefield without orders to do so. Of course, as honor is not a tangible thing, there are people who would be considered dishonorable in our modern society, or even by the Yoopers, who aren’t considered that. This could be due to many reasons, including being able to hide their actions, convincing others that their actions were necessary, or simply because the Yoopers do not see what they did as dishonorable. Similarly, vicious lies and rumors can be spread about an individual. This has led to “honorable” people being considered dishonorable and “dishonorable” people being considered honorable until long after their death.

The perception of Yoopers as a violent culture is mostly untrue. While some do commit raids, get into fistfights, and train themselves for battle, there is actually taboo against certain kinds of violence. Most Yoopers do not enjoy raiding, simply wanting to get money through less-than-legitimate means. Similarly, while fistfights between equals are considered to be okay, punching down is something Yoopers take disgust to. Though, if the weaker person started the fight, Yoopers generally wish to see the outcome either to see if they could actually do it or just to see the “comedic” aftermath. The worst thing a Yooper can do in terms of violence is murder. While Yoopers may understand that accidents happen, duels may end in blood, and during a siege civilians may get in the way, just killing someone is an act most Yoopers consider disgusting. This includes so-called “rage kills'', a term for a person in anger kills the person who was angering them. To summarize, beating someone up in a drunken brawl is acceptable, along with dueling and accidental deaths, but going up to a random Yooper and stabbing them isn’t. For this reason, most Yoopers actually despise “Berserkers'', believing that the senseless slaughter that typically occurs after a battle is won is morally sickening.

War is surprisingly uncommon within Yooper. Feuds between families and tribes have happened before, but otherwise, Yooper itself has only been attacked by a foreign power a few times. Despite this, warfare in the form of raiding is something the Yoopers do partake in. Despite being raids, there are a few cultural norms surrounding raids: More specifically what can and cannot be done during one. As an example, If a person isn’t blocking a pathway and has clearly surrendered, they must either be left alone or taken as captives. Killing them in this way is generally considered to be dishonorable, as there was no way for them to fight back or flee, and is otherwise considered to be a “dick move.” This attitude most likely stems from the idea that people being held for ransom and slaves, typically sold to other nations rather than taken home to Yooper, are more valuable alive than dead. However, as these events typically unfold during the heat of battle, it is considered far less egregious to kill a person during a raid than it is to kill a person in their own village. Along with this, the rule of harming civilians does not apply to clergymen. Nuns, Priests, etc are considered to be the property of their Gods and can be killed without a loss of honor. Similarly, this is a big in general, as individual raid leaders may actually encourage the senseless slaughter of civilians, others may mandate that all men be slaughtered, etc. As such, before raids, their leaders often have to set down rules before the breach. Similar to Pirates Code, albeit distinctly amphibious rather than only on sea. The rules can be more or less strict depending on the ruler, such as Bernd Soady who claims that he doesn't care what his soldiers do, so long as they don't get themselves killed.

Exploration

Yoopers generally prefer to stay home, but it is not considered bad if a Yooper wishes to leave the Upper Peninsula temporarily or permanently. Out of wanderlust, desire for prestige, or wanting to have a better life, there have been many Yoopers who have explored in all directions of the compass, typically by boat. Yoopers have traveled as far west as Alaska and as far East as Iceland, similarly rediscovering several other locations like the Yucatan, Brazil, Washington DC and State, and even supposedly being the first Americans to reach the North Pole since before the event. Although, reports of a large factory owned by a “fat old man” make this report dubious at best and an outright fabrication at worst. To explore the world, even if it’s to places already rediscovered, comes with its own great prestige due to traveling so far. Even visiting New Orleans can cause a Yooper to become respected within their community. Albeit, this is partly because the Mississippi River is considered treacherous to sail on with the longships Yoopers typically use.

Similarly to explorers, being a merchant is a respected career path within Yooper circles. This is arguably because of a lack of certain resources within Yooper forcing some to try and barter with realms that do have said resources, such as horses, spices, and luxury goods. Some communities even reward Merchants for their endeavors, although in some cases this is due to corruption rather than legitimate rewards for their services.

Counter-Culture/Foreigners

Counter-Culture is not very prominent in Yooper culture but still exists in small numbers. There are several underground organizations where like-minded individuals can meet and discuss or engage in activities Yoopers disapprove of, such as “Secret” Churches, Gay speakeasies, and a gang of women known as “The Valkyries”, which have taken a more direct approach to letting women take up positions outside their gender roles. However, being caught as a member of one of these secret counter-culture organizations can lead to shaming, harassment, disassociation, arrest, or death. However, not all forms of counter-culture are so overtly criticized. While being scholarly and reading the sagas is preferred, mystics and mysticism is a form of counter-culture that is accepted by Yoopers. Similarly, it can be argued that leaving one’s home to sail the high seas is a form of counterculture, as it does go against the tradition of careers being based down from father to son.

Yoopers generally do not distrust or hate foreigners on the basis of religion, culture, or ethnicity alone. If a Christian Chicagoan wished to live in a Yooper Village, they would be allowed and, if they are a productive member of the village, accepted by the locals. Although they would have to learn the preferred dialect of the village and learn to only practice their religion in private, as while Yoopers are okay with non-Yooper Christians existing, it is within the best interest of any Christian or otherwise non-pagan to not bother the zealous Yooper population with their Christian faith.

Religion
For the most common religion of the Yoopers, see the: Yooper Norse factbook

The most common faith within Yooper circles is the Norse religion, specifically the Yooper variant of the religion that places emphasis on the worship of Heikki Lunta and other Finnish figures such as Väinämöinen. Other religions that are followed include Catholicism, Anglican, Rust Cultists, Non-Religious spirit/nature worship, and rarely atheism. Yoopers living in foreign lands may adopt the religion of the locals out of pressure, meaning that there are Americanist, Voodoo, Evangelical, Occultist, Cetic, and Trailblazer Yoopers. However, there are less than 500 Yoopers that follow the previous 6 religions.

Religion and Spirituality plays a role in the majority of Yooper’s lives. The vast majority of Yoopers are convinced that Gods are real and play a role in their daily lives. Gods and Animistic Spirits are said to live either in realms beyond or within the forests, rivers, and other formations both natural and man-made. However, they are not zealous towards one sect of gods to the point of stubbornness. While Yoopers, with exceptions, reject ideas such as the Trinity or god(s) separated from mortal affairs, they can be convinced that other Gods are real and may try to incorporate them into their theological worldview. For example, Norse Yoopers recognize the Voodoo Faith as being real - albeit not entirely - and having real-world applications, but they do not worship the loas or ask them for favors. Yoopers that do believe in Christianity or other Monotheistic Religions may often still believe in other Gods or Spirits as supernatural forces either as angels, demons, or somewhere in between.

Language

The majority of Yoopers speak one of the “Yooper” languages. They are only somewhat related. Yoopers are about equally divided between New and Old Yooper. “New” Yooper is a dialect of the Northlander language, which in turn is derived from Norwegian and Icelandic. It is more commonly spoken in Western Yooper, which is closer to the Northlanders. Old Yooper is a dialect of English previously spoken in the Upper Peninsula. Both languages have been influenced by Finnish and Canadian English, leading to words like “Mita” and “Poika/Tytto” being used in day-to-day speech by both. Due to the extreme differences in language between English-Speaking Old Yoopers and Norse-Speaking New Yoopers, most also speak “Middle” Yooper. Middle Yooper is a language that combines aspects of both and, while originally found on the borderlands of the two languages, has since become the lingua franca for Yoopers of all levels. There is a village of Yoopers that still Speaks Finnish as well, but their numbers are dwindling due to cultural assimilation.

Clothing

(WIP, will add images later)

Yooper clothing is something that is dependent on the personal tastes of the individual or family. However, clothing is generally divided into two categories: Neo-Medieval and Neo-Modern. Those who prefer the Neo-Medieval style of clothing typically wear clothing similar to that of their medieval counterparts, either due to cultural reasons or due to survival reasons. For men, this means a tunic, pants, a belt wrapped around the tunic, and a pair of shoes. For women, this means a strap dress laid over top a smock of some sort. Both sexes may optionally wear a cloak as well. However, some prefer to wear more anachronistically 21st Century clothing - or at the very least the closest equivalent their technology produces. Plaid is something that can be commonly found with men and women that prefer to wear Neo-Modern dresses and other clothing that would be considered “conservative” by the standards of the 21st century.

Choice of clothing does not represent an ideological split as it does an aesthetical/practical one. Some prefer Neo-Medieval clothing because it looks better, whilst others find Neo-Modern clothing to be less constricting in terms of physical activity, allowing them to more easily move around. Similarly, Yoopers do not really have too strong of a concept of modesty. While women and men do wear different clothing, this is less out of modesty and more out of practicality for their gender roles. In fact, the only thing that is expected to be covered is the genitalia, meaning that a person could theoretically go outside in only their lower undergarments. However, for reasons including exposure to the elements, this almost never happens.

Cuisine

The Cuisine of the Yoopers is quite unvaried. Most eat barley bread, which is plentiful in the harsh Yooper climate, but wheat and rye variations can be found as well. This is typically accompanied by a vegetable of some kind (sometimes mixed) either as its self or in a soup and/or dried meat of some kind, typically mutton or fish. This is even found on the levels of the rich and powerful, as while they could afford to vary their diet, they typically do not have elaborately prepared meals similar to that of Texas, California, or New York. However, Yooper cuisine is not totally bland, as they have carried on meals from their predecessor's culture. The Finnish foods of Nisu, Limppu, and Korppus can be found in households and taverns alike. But one food that remains popular with Yoopers of all classes, the Pasty. Pasties are typically filled with meat and vegetables and are eaten as a delicacy by both rich and poor members of Yooper society.

Sports/Other Cultural Info

Yoopers play many sports, typically based on ice. This includes hockey, something which the Canadians also take part in, Ice Soccer, Ice Skating, and Skiing. Hockey in particular is a common sport amongst the commoners, and there are actually 2 teams in the High Kingdom of Yooper that play the sport professionally, often at the behest or request of a domestic or foreign lord. These two teams: the Ironites and Sooers, have actually caused riots to occur whenever one team loses, making Yooper one of the few countries where sports riots still occur - albeit this happens rarely. Skiing is also an extremely popular activity within Yooper society. As horses are uncommon and were considered extinct in Yooper between 2250 and 2335, many Yoopers used skiing as a quicker alternative to travel - especially during the snowy months. Skiis in modern Yooper are used for transport and sports. In the case of the former, there are even reports of ski-bound soldiers rapidly ambushing enemy positions before skiing away.

(If I have any more stuff to talk about, I will put it here)

Other Information


Stereotypes

Stereotypes of Yoopers can be found in several nations surrounding Yooper and are often given stereotypes associated with other Norse cultures as well. Some of these stereotypes are positive, but many more are negative. Most Yooper stereotypes do have some truth to them but are often due to the actions of certain Yoopers, such as Albert Soady, rather than Yoopers as a whole.

A few Positive stereotypes are as follows

  • Resiliant - Yoopers are considered extremely resilient, with their environment being cold and harsh and their concept of Sisu reflecting this.

  • Brave - Yooper Sisu is often mistaken for bravery, and as such, many non-Yoopers consider the Yoopers to be extremely brave.

  • Honor-Bound - Yoopers, while having an odd sense of honor, do have it. And so, many of the surrounding nations may portray Yoopers as being honor-bound and unable to break an oath.

On the other hand, a few negative stereotypes are as follows.

  • Violent/Raiders - By far the most common stereotype, the Yoopers are often portrayed and stereotyped as being violent raiders who kill for fun and then burn everything around them. While most Yoopers object to this, some revel in this fact, believing that it makes them scary, tough, and therefore worthy of Yooper praise. Though, it doesn't help merchants who don't want trouble.

  • Unintelligent/Primative - Yoopers are considered to be a backwards people noted for their low intelligence, superstitions, and technological primitiveness. Technologically speaking this is true, being far less technologically advanced than most feudal realms. Similarly, Yoopers are considered to have a hard time understanding other cultures.

  • Glory-Hound - Yoopers are considered by their fellow Norse to be glory-hounds. Which is to say, they purposefully endanger themselves and others in order to gain glory.

  • Untrustworthy - A rumor spread by Chicagoans, many Catholic Merchants prefer not to trade with Yoopers as they consider Yoopers to be untrustworthy merchants. This is mostly because, back during the Albert Soady Era, many merchants would sell goods to cities like Chicago and Detroit that would turn out to be goods that were stolen from Chicago during previous raids. This practice still happens, but to a lesser extent.

  • Yankees - Being white in the former United States, this term is occasionally used to describe them.

  • Canuks - Being so close to the border, and having some cultural similarities, many consider the Yoopers to be more Canadian than American. Thus some are called the term "Canuk", which Yoopers sometimes take with pride.

Yoopers Abroad

10,205 Yoopers live outside the High Kingdom of Yooper. Most of these live around the Great Lakes + Minnesota, such as in the towns of Menominee and Iron Mountain and in scattered settlements of the Northern Lower Peninsula. These Yoopers living abroad face varying conditions ranging from equal treatment to pests to be exterminated. Such as the 50 Yoopers in Chicago, which are currently being hunted down by the local Duke in order to get back at the Yoopers. However, most realms lean towards the former, out of respect for the Yoopers, fear of reprisal raids if the Yooper minority is attacked, out of basic human decency, or because they simply don't want to attack the Yoopers. While most moved to these regions voluntarily, or already lived there and were taken over, several hundred are slaves or freed slaves who never made it back home.

The most famous Yoopers outside of the High Kingdom are the "Sons of the Second Ragnorok", a mixture of a mercenary band and a cult that proclaims that the "First" Ragnorok was just a test and that a second one shall come. Despite their religion being considered unorthodox, streaming heavily from the mainstream interpretation of the Norse religion, they are often hired by Norsemen to fight in their wars.

Yooper high kingdom

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