Vorke is an absolutely massive city located in the northern part of The Empire. It used to be extremely culturally and politically relevant, but due to the recent goings on, this is no longer the case.
Although it was never the capital or at the center of The Empire, it WAS very relevant and is in many ways still an enormous, churning machine of a city made up of different types of people from broad array of cultures.
In a lot of ways, though, Vorke is a backwater. It’s the offsite conference center of the Empire. It was historically a place where dignitaries would meet to sign accords, where great plans for the Empire’s future would be drafted. This has given Vorke a tremendous sense of self importance, but in reality, no one who isn’t from there really thinks that much of it. It’s a neutral meeting ground and is only as diverse and bustling as it is because it has had to accommodate these events, but it’s all pretty shallow and surface level. As the Empire’s attentions have turned from soft power to crisis management or whatever the hell is going on (the game should be deliberately extremely vague about this), the life beneath the shallow administrative surface of the Empire has been left to fester - or flourish, depending on who you ask. Vorke has a culture all of its own that is wholly separate from the image of power.
Believes that someone is coming to save them, has a hard time wrapping their head around the fact that things might be turning bad, they’re basically Danish people, but rewrite this in fantasy terms
Simple dress, but finer Fantasy equivalent of sad beige hyggecore Some kids may be like Fuck da Empire (intellectual stance) Fantasy tankies (black flag in scrying stone)
mostly from Haara - Closer to the goings on, obviously traveled if they’re in Vorke, likely more cynical, opportunistic What’s the fantasy equivalent of a sport coat and/or patagonia vest Likely disconnected from local community, doesn't understand or care about their needs, dismissive
People in Vorke who are/have been oppressed by the Empire and see its crumbling as a good thing (because what could be worse than this) Denied rights and access on the basis of culture and identity
While you may find the occasional Empire defender, the vast majority of the people within this demographic are going to land somewhere on a spectrum from indifferent at the very best to overwhelmingly negatively inclined towards the Empire.
Some kids may be like Fuck da Empire (lived experience)
Fantasy ancoms
Recent immigrants from Hurk fleeing political persecution or simply leaving due to opportunities drying up. Exactly how bad things are in Hurk is probably going to depend on who you talk to and how they view themselves. Is it pride? Patriotism? Or are things simply more complicated than some would like to make them out to be. Either way, they are here now, and no longer in Hurk.
They will largely tend to view the Empire favorably and see its crumbling as a bad thing; perhaps because what's coming is worse, perhaps because their circumstances are bound up in the fate and ongoing stability of the Empire. Wherever they come from is in bad shape and where they have chosen to settle represents opportunity or hope of escape from whatever threat they have left behind.
Hoo boy! Complicated relationship to their culture probably! There's probably a lot of cultural tension, what with them coming from a fighty murder culture to a propriety and arts culture.