The Carnuilh
by Christopher CherringtonThe Carnuilh Part One...
As recorded on by al-Sib Atabar, Director of Antiquities; Tenobar, Thyatis
I have long searched the Northern Territories, originally looking for ancestries of our close neighbours in Ostland. Though much has been written for these formidable warriors, I started to see more interesting peoples to research, and found they have nothing to do with the Northmen as we know of them.
It began with my predecessor's writings on the Dunael folk on the Isle of Dawn. He marvelled at the marvellous stone work and rock outcroppings of these ancient folk. Nobody knows what they mean, early Thyatian colonisation of these peaceful people made sure they stopped their barbaric druidic practices. Most of this would have gone unnoticed, except for a few more rock circles found in Heldann, Norwold, Wendar, and in various other places far from Dunael territories. I even investigated the formation in Alfheim, although very similar to the Dunael style, the elves insist it is elfish in design as they claim it is very much like several found in the old Sylvan Realm on the western coast of Brun. I have my doubts, as I noticed several stones to be of the same blue granite found in the Wendarian Ranges, north in-between the borders of Glantri and Wendar. Although there are elves between Wendar, Glantri and Alfheim; these elves are distinctively different in appearance and culture.
One of the first things I have noticed on earlier writings of the Dunael folk is that they are not great seafarers. There is no evidence that they ever were. So how did they come across from the Isle of Dawn to Brun? My theory suggests otherwise. I believe early Reavers sold their neighbours in Brun to Thothians on the Isle of Dawn. These slaves would be great stone carvers; if shown the Thothian style, they would have picked it up right away. One of my supporting arguments is the fact that there is no evidence of Thothian civilisation in Brun, and the Great Throne of Edairo's base, is made of the same blue granite found in the Wendarian Ranges, and the Stone Circle in Alfheim.
Linguistics can prove an earlier non-Northlandish tongue is spoken and shared by three very distinct peoples from Brun and the Dunael. Ranax, Eusdrian, and Brythoni all have root structures and words in common with Dunael. Also, all of these modern cultures share druidic or nature worship far different than the elves. The only exception is the Eusdrian peoples; their language has many elfish influences, and many elfish civilities that further separate them from their Robrenn cousins.
Further research has recently uncovered an actual name in common with these peoples. I have recently transcribed an ancient text uncovered in a tomb by adventurers near Hule. The text describes the battles fought with nomadic tribesman to take their territories away; I believe these tribesmen they fought are the ancestors of the Robrenn and Eusdrian peoples in the west, the Brythoni of Norwold, and the Dunael on the Isle of Dawn. In the language of Hule they were called Kantanoai, but given a more Dunael or Ranax version, I prefer, Carnuilh; which further ties the druidic connection as this is the same name given to the Robrenn's druidic holy ground. Kantanoai roughly translates to small bird people, while Carnuilh is a shared word in Dunael and Ranax for a bluish-grey sparrow, common in Northern Brun; but not found on the Isle of Dawn or in Robrenn.
The Carnuilh Part One, DM's Notes...
This story line is based loosely on my campaign and various other inputs from language and ethnic studies on peoples of Mystara.
The Carnuilh are a nomadic culture based loosely on mythical Celts. Celts did not make stone circles and other rock groupings, but for many years we believed they did.
The Dunael were indeed sold to Nithians as slaves by the Antalians, and the Nithians used them as their stone carvers. At one point in time, many slaves revolted and moved north on the Isle of Dawn to recreate their culture left behind. Not having much room to be nomadic, they were left to learn how to be town dwellers and farmers of peat. A druidic people, they used stars and stones that traced their patterns across the sky as oracles, and with the use of their new stone working knowledge from the Nithians, created bigger and better circles on the Isle of Dawn than their ancestors still living the nomadic lifestyle on Brun. Alphatians and Thyatians broke these people into forgetting their rich ancestry, and having close and intimate knowledge of Nithia, helped them forget much lore also. DM's can play an NPC druid from this area, a strange lost type druid that still has unique oracle abilities, but any answers will also come with complete and utter nonsense. Other campaign hooks might be with visiting Robrenn Druids coming over to re-educate the Dunael populace with their forgotten Druidic lore, and with Wrath of the Immortals, give the Dunlanders more reason to declare independence.
The unique blue granite could be Carnuilh origin in Alfheim, but the base of the Great Throne is of Nithian origin from the Wendarian Ranges.
The names of Kantanoai and Carnuilh are not based on any real language, other than the word Druid is Celtic for bird.
The Carnuilh Part Two...
From an interview with Bensarian the Sage... The Brythoni were not always such savages. At one time they lived all over Wendar and North of here. They had a great oral tradition; many stories of such I have put to paper and had many an elfin bard come to study for a while. The elves of this area were not always here as they like you to believe, and many would have died if not for the Brythoni's knowledge of these woodlands. The biggest elfin holiday of Wendar is actually a day of thanks for the Brythoni's friendship, though the elves would not agree to this ancient meaning of Briethanu's Day. They would have you believe it is a day of thanks for getting rid of such savages, and not at all that it was these savages that saved us all from the same oblivion that awaits the Brythoni of today.
The Brythoni was a just a small part of a much larger race of people that lived a nomadic lifestyle all over northern Brun. They followed great animal herds that crossed the northern plains and woodlands. They had exceptional knowledge of the wilderness, and never left a trace of their crossing; except for a few gardens and orchards left for their religious ceremonies. As other races of men moved northward and humanoids encroached into their habitat, they began to dwindle. Many of the Brythoni's cousins were enslaved or cut off from them. The Brythoni themselves had to settle down, mostly in the area of Wendar and on the Denagoth Plateau. When the elves arrived, they were at once greeted as brothers. The Brythoni at one time believed in spirits of nature and thought the elves were trapped spirits within a dying shell. With the Brythoni's help in medicinal lore and the woodlands great abundance of natural resources, the elves once again grew in number and much healthier from their former afflictions. Soon even Denagoth was inhospitable to the Brythoni, and they poured over the mountains into Wendar. The elves at first welcomed the refugees, but soon it was apparent that many things were forgotten and the elves decided to rid Wendar of the Brythoni.
The surviving Brythoni of today have no recollection of their important role in Wendar's survival, nor do they recall the Purist Purge that caused their downfall in Wendar. These savage Brythoni have settled in the deep valleys north of Oceansend, far enough away from the Antalians and elves that hunted them down for the last few hundred years. Here their only recollection is evident in their war paint of their silver clay that they cover themselves in before battle. Dancing wildly through their woods like some long and forgotten forest spirit they had at one time revered.