Ros

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The Ros' (Russian: Росы) - also known as Taraskovyan Russians - are a Slavic people, which is by far the most important and largest of all peoples inhabiting Taraskovya and it’s many Dominions.

History

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A modern day depiction of Grand Duke Mstislav and Rus' warriors during the Strife.
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The first Slavs to arrive to Taraskovya were slaves, taken by Taraskath raiders overseas. However, at that time, the Slavs were by far a minority group within the overall slaves brought in by Taraskath merchants, the bulk being composed of Germanic descendants. It is not entirely clear how the Slavs, and most particularly the Rus’ came to prominence amongst the enslaved population, but by the year 50 Before Strife most of slave rebellions were led by Rus’ chiefs.

Shortly before the Strife, a prominent Rus’ named Mstislav Shakhovskoy became the “husband” of the then reigning Taraskath leader Amala Karetsah. The move has angered conservative Taraskath circles and sparked the civil war between the Defenders of Tradition and the Abolitionists (in which the Rus had taken the leading role), which the former eventually lost. The civil war came to be called the Strife, in the aftermath of which the Rus’ began their ascension to power after years of slavery.

In the millennia and a half which followed the Strife, the Rus’(Русы) in Taraskovya came to indentify themselves as a separate kin from their brothers overseas, taking on the name of the Ros’(Росы). Overtime, several differences came to arise, such as the Ros’ becoming a mountainous folk, while the Rus’ were plain dwellers. The Taraskovyan Orthodox Church became separate from the Russian one.

Culture

Language

The language spoken by the Ros' is Russian, albeit with some minor differences in the vocabulary and alphabet in the local variant of the language. Initially, differences were more important, until the Taraskovyan Academy conducted a language reform, harmonizing the two languages. Taraskovyan Russians, however, still refer to their as Росский (Rosskiy) instead of Русский (Russkiy) and the former is the official and legal appellation of the language in Taraskovyan Russian-language documents. As far as foreign languages are concerned, however, the term Russian works just fine and documents published by Taraskovyan government institutions in foreign languages usually contain the name Russian (and not Rossian).

Religion

The quasi-totality of Ros’ belongs to the Taraskovyan Orthodox Church, who make up not only the overwhelming majority of faithful, but also the backbone of Taraskovyan Orthodoxy.

Horobrs

The Horobrs are a cultural and social group of Ros that are famed for their martial style of life, immense patriotism and strict conservatism. Horobrs often have large families and consider military service as a moral duty.

National Role

Russians are considered by many as the Imperial Nation within Taraskovya, the spine upon which the gigantic Taraskovyan state resides. It is, thus, no wonder that the Grand Duchy has a non-official, yet rather easily noticable policy at populating various conquered territories with the Ros', as to cement the annexations firmly within Taraskovya.