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Isle of Dawn: Nations/Ethnic Groups and Linguistic Considerations

by Giampaolo Agosta

Nations/Ethnic Groups:

• Giant-kin:
• Fir Bolg: smaller than normal, but otherwise not adversely affected by the radiance poisoning. Include the Fir Bolg [AD&D-5e]
• Fomori: misshapen Giant-kin, affected by radiance poisoning. Include Cyclopes, Athach, Fachan [AD&D SCMCA], Verbeeg [AD&D], as well as the actual Fomorians [5e].
• Stygian Giants: corrupted Fomori, they become undead Nightwalkers.
• Humans:
• Dunael: Antalians from the first wave to reach the Isle of Dawn.
• Gall-Dunael or Antalian Northmen: Antalians from the second wave to reach the Isle of Dawn. Some leave to Ostland, others merge with the Dunael to varied extenses. Founders of the Ua Ruairc (Hruthreklings) dynasty and ultimately of Westrourke (modeled on RW evolution: Hruthrek > Ruairc > Rourke).
• Asyidhi: ancestors of the Nithians and, more directly, the Alasiyans. Ancestral inhabitants of the southern Isle of Dawn.
• Thothians: Nithians settled in the south-eastern Isle of Dawn.
• Alphatians: aliens from the continent of Alphatia, but, ultimately, from the outer plane of Old Alphatia
• Gyerians: Bird-Men.
• The Fir Gallein: Pheasant-Men, live in the Fengallen Marshes.
• The Fir Badb: Crow-Men, live north of the Demaran Moors.
• Sidhe:
• Summer Court: the original Fey of the Isle of Dawn.
• Winter Court: the surviving Fey after the loss of their homeland and the imprisonment of the Summer Queen by Nyx.
• Unseelie Court: a court of exiled faeries in the Shadow Coast.
• Huldrafolk: refugee faeries from the continent of Alphatia, settle in Ardulla.
• Centaurs: to be detailed.
• Dwarves: Filwarf clan.

Linguistic considerations:
I've done my best to:

• Use consistently Old Irish for the Northern Isle of Dawn. However, I don't actually know the language, so there will be mistakes.
• Provide a differentiation in the naming systems of the Sidhe, Fir Bolg, Fomori, and Gall-Dunael w.r.t. the baseline Dunael. Specifically, the Fir Bolg and the Fomori use names that are mostly taken from actual Fir Bolg or Fomori from the Irish literature, or use talking names that reflect their character. The Sidhe use mostly the latter, plus some Tuatha De Danann names. I've purposefully avoided most of the big players, but you might be able to recognize some famous characters (e.g., Balor under one of his nicknames).

I haven't done any work on the Gyerian language, and maybe it's not even necessary.