Austrmarkers

Normandie Heartlanders

Normandaland Innhjartabúar ᚾᚢᚱᛘᛅᚾᛏᛅᛚᛅᚾᛏ ᛁᚾᚾᚼᛁᛅᚱᛏᛅᛒᚢᛅᚱ
Flag of the Heartlanders in Normandie
Total population
504,320
Regions with significant populations
Hurmu	504,320
* Normandie	493,190
Languages
Norman, Storish
Religion
Norman Luminist Church mostly, the number of Vanics is now low

The Austrmarkers, old name Normandy Heartlanders are a cultural and religious group residing in Normandy, whose origins date back to the founding of Stormark in 1474 AN. Initially arriving in small numbers for trading purposes, this community gradually became a settled population within the Jarldom's sphere of influence, and over the centuries they forged a unique Nazarene identity with a distinct culture.

History

Origins and Early Migration

The conquest of Heartland in the 1400s was a significant turning point in the history of Stormark. The Heartlander people descend from Gularike and Borgarikke of Stormark. The Heartlanders established a Norse culture unique to the region. The Heartlanders' earliest roots lie with traders from Normandy, who arrived in Stormark in the late 15th century. Their migration coincided with a period of political instability and foreign domination in Normandy. Following the end of its golden age, Normandy fell into a prolonged crisis: annexed to the Free Republic in 1452 AD, it was invaded by Varja (1470–1483), Korhal (1487–1490), and Karnali (1490–1516). By the 1520s, the region lacked effective governance and suffered further fragmentation due to raids from Durntkinstan and Iridia. The fragmentation of the Norman nobility and religious unity led to a cultural vacuum. Many disillusioned Norman common people saw the Stormark's entry into Normandy in 1543 AN as a hopeful turning point, a liberation. In reality, it marked the beginning of the Vanic yoke.

Vanic Subjugation and Cultural Corruption (1543–1685)

Under the reign of Harald Freyjugjöf the Generous Giver, Stormark imposed its ideology across Normandie. The Duchy was transformed into a client state of the Vanic Empire, where local institutions were warped to reflect the Vanic faith — a hedonistic and sexually charged cult rooted in pre-Christian Viking traditions. The traditional Église de Normandie, once a devout Nazarene feudal church, was subverted. Vanic cult practices were integrated, including the worship of Vanic deities as saints, ritual nudity, the celebration of polyamory, and the ordination of female clergy. These practices were often framed as liberating, but for Norman traditionalists, they marked a period of deep humiliation. The Norman Code of Chivalry — once the moral backbone of the duchy — became a farce, entangled with arcane Vanic rites. Ironically, Harald Freyjugjöf ruled as both Duke and Pontiff, despite his detachment from the very theological dogma he enforced. The collapse of Stormark in 1685 AN marked the end of Ducal Normandie. No new legitimate government filled the power vacuum, and the once-unified church splintered into localized sects. Many of these sects rejected Vanicism, returning to more traditional Nazarene catholic. Still, the scars of the past endured, and the feudal legacy of Normandie lay in ruins.

18th-Century Migration and Division

In the 1740s, a Neo-Vanic revival movement known as the Keltia Restoration Movement (KRM) emerged and attracted a significant portion of the remaining Heartlanders. However, the majority rejected Vanicism and sought refuge in the Normandy Green Line (corresponding to Ortonia), which was controlled during the reign of the Luminist-oriented Theodoric van Orton. Over time, the emigrants assimilated into the Nazarene, but retained Norse traditions and continued to write Runic texts. Meanwhile, the Heartlanders who remained in the territories of East and North Normandie (EANN) retained their Vanic identity.

With the conclusion of the Purification of Normandy, Roulf de Bayeaux, known as the Butcher of Angers, and his troops arrived in the region. During this period, when the Ashen Treaties were frequently violated, the Heartlanders were forced to convert to the Nazarene religion. During the forced conversion period, Roulf de Bayeaux and his troops massacred two thousand Heartlanders. Those who never embraced the Nazarene faith and resisted death converted to the Aesir religion or came under the protection of the Norman Brothers, who still practiced the religion. After the war, Normans began settling in Austrmark, a situation that distressed many Heartlanders, who attempted to sell their homes at the highest possible prices. This resulted in the significant development of the 1746 Pogrom. Sixty years later, Normans settled in Austrmark again.

The Heartlander identity underwent sınıfı ant change during the Ortonist revisions. Vanic culture was completely erased from public memory, and Harald's statues and artifacts in Austrmark were completely destroyed. According to the Ortonist regime, Heartlanders were loyal subjects of Normandy, and all ethnic groups (except the Karumites) were to live together without autonomy. The assimilation policies yielded results in 1750 AN, when the name Heartlander was replaced by Austrmarker and the cultural flag, the Jesus portrait version Storish flag, was replaced by a flag with a white-and-yellow Nordic cross and two fire lions on a green background. The name Heartlander was unnecessary for Normandic government and Heartlanders already been severed from Heartland centuries earlier.

Religion and cultural legacy

Today, the Normandie Heartlanders are divided along religious and geographic lines: Nazarene Heartlanders: Predominantly Nazarene in faith, these communities reflect a synthesis of old Norman feudal values with post-Vanic reformist piety. They maintain Storish liturgical customs and reject the Vanic past as heretical and shameful. Vanic Heartlanders: A smaller, isolated minority still residing within EANN territory, these groups uphold a faith derived from the Vanic tradition — a syncretic religion that blends Viking-inspired rites with sensual mysticism, gender parity in clergy, and ritualized sexuality. Though divided, both groups retain elements of the Storish tradition, particularly in aesthetics, folklore, and seasonal rites — often sanitized or reframed according to their respective faiths.