Midlander

Were the various peoples of the Midlands. They were known for being the dominating ethnic group of the Empire, with their language and culture being the standard for its territories. Midlanders were known for their versatility, a trait that allowed them to construct such as large empire consisting of many different cultures. They were renowned for engineering some of the largest structures built since the flood. They were also a very productive and innovative people, always curious to discover new things. In fact, their Rust cults emphasized this and worshiped the remnants of ancient machinery in the abandoned factories of their homeland, despite not knowing the true purpose of these devices.

History
During the time of the Kalifornyan Empire, the Midlanders were still living in small chiefdoms of farmers. However, over time influences from western explorers and merchants, namely the Cajuns and Texuns, brought new ideas and civilization to them. They soon evolved into small regional kingdoms like Illinoy, Indyana, O'Hio, Mishigan, and Wiskansin. However the more isolated Midlander peoples of Iyowa and Minisota remained relatively tribal until their conquest by the Republic of Chikago.

Chikago gradually became a more and more powerful city leading up to the Cajun wars and its domination of the Missipee sea, earning the Midlanders respect in the eyes of the more established civilizations of the West. Their trend of conquest would continue up to the formation of the Empire of Chikago and the propagation of Midlander culture around all of Merika.

Culture and Society
While lower class Midlanders were seen by foreigners as socially conservative, the upper classes were seen as always open to new ideas in politics, diplomacy, Industry, and trade. The Midlanders were infamous for being extremely hard workers, as their rust cult faith emphasizes productivity. The Midlanders were very innovative and developed many complex pulley systems to create cranes to build their many engineering marvels.

Midlanders were a very urban people, although many also worked on the large farms of the countryside, which were on the estates of wealthy Aldermen and nobles. The lower classes were known for their modesty and hard work, while the upper classes were notoriously corrupt and power hungry, and increasingly separated from the common man during the growth of their Empire, due to their adoption of the fashionable trends of their conquered subjects, namely the Kalifornyans. The wealthy of Chikago and other cities in the core of the Empire were known for their lavish parties, which were slightly more conservative than those of the Kalifornyans in the far west, but just as elaborate.

They were also seen as an arrogant people, who saw themselves as superior to the other ethnic groups of Merica due to their conquest of much of the civilized world. They often discriminated against foreigners, seeing their cultures as inferior. For example, they viewed the Kalifornyans as hedonistic and feminine, the Dixie, Yankees, and Canucks as primitive and barbaric, the Texuns as their rivals, and the Archivists of Kolyrado as too bookish and feeble.

During the peak of the Chikago Empire after the reign of Don Wabash, Midlanders began to settle new colonies around the Empires vast provinces, bringing their culture and ways of life with them. Many of these colonists were the families of retired veterans of the Legions, who were granted lands by the Emperor following their release from the ranks. These colonies were either established in pre-existing settlements, or in new virgin lands. They would soon become spectacles of the greatness of Chikago to her subjects.