[@Ordsmed] Some replies to what you have:

I should tell you first that its Northern Marches and not Northern Marshes. Also we're keeping this very much medieval in terms of like politics and military which means the closest thing to a standing army you'd see is like a personal retinue bodyguard or payrolled mercenaries; most military forces are levies or summoned knights. Gender equality is already something common in the Five Kingdoms because that's how I want it. New England is definately more English/Anglo as opposed to Nordic which is what the Lakelands take more after.

New England also takes after HP Lovecraft to a degree with superstitions and weird shit but also stylistically. Antlers are found on helments and whale bones are sometimes incorporated into armor and skrimshaw is a very popular form of art as is bonecarving in general
Because of the Feudal society, you can't really have a very centralized state. There are already vassal who disobey or even opposed their lieges, House Delver actually rebelled against their lieges House Stiller to become Lords of Appalachia. Bureaucracy is also a bit more limited in that regard as you don't have a dedicated caste of bureaucrats outside of maybe learned men or the clergy of the faith.

I don't know much about drinks but the NE bring up two images to mind and that is whaling/fishing and forests and syrup
As Code said, your direct neighbors are the Qubecker princes and the Ursuline Church which have a history of either trading and cooexisting or invading and crusading. Its possible you have some Canadian blood in your family. You'd also get some Canuck Wintermen who decided to go north.

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If you don't mind me asking, where are you from? Are you from the local area?