Ethnographic History of Mystara - Neathar
by Giulio Caroletti, Geoff Gander and Giampaolo AgostaIn this chapter of the Mystaran Ethnography we will deal with the Neathar descended races. The Neathar were a fair skinned people, that simplistically could be called the "white human race" of Mystara. Their primary areas of influence were the coastal areas of what is now the ocean that separates Skothar from Brun. Around 10'000 BC the Neathar may be divided in two main groups: the Aharians, which lived on Brun, and the Ahonians, which lived on Skothar.
Ahonians
Some of the Ahonian tribes evolved into the Thonians, which built an impressive Empire on Skothar. After the end of the Lhomarrian Empire, this was the first true Empire on the planet's surface, dating probably around 5000 BC. The Empire suffered decadence and some of its border lands claimed independence. The must notable was the Kingdom of Blackmoor.
Thonians
Around 4000 BC the Blackmoorians begun a meteoritic rise thanks to the contact with the technological devices of the FFS Beagle. Blackmoor soon became an Empire that fully replaced Thonia. When Blackmoor blew itself in the Great Rain of Fire (3000 BC), all that was left of the Ahonian Neathar was a small group of Thonians, that had refused the technological ways and had remained a semi-autonomous kingdom at the borders of the Empire of Blackmoor. The Thonians strived hard against the climatic changes, and has since remained in the area.
Another group of surviving Thonians left westwards and ended up founding the Empire of Taymora (2'500 BC). Taymorans established bronze age kingdoms in southern Brun, obliterating most of the Maharians of the regions.
Much later, with the destruction of Taymora (1'750 BC), a few survivors left northwards. Some reached the Isle of Dawn, where they conquered some of the Durhanian tribes and became the Aseni (1'600 BC). Later, the Aseni were conquered by Nithians and became the Alasyians (1'100 BC). They later migrated to old Nithia (400 BC), where they founded Ylaruam and the various Emirates.
Another small group of Taymorans may have reached Alphatia and Bellissaria, where they would have been absorbed by the local Yanifey who formed the original Alphatian population.
Aharians
The Aharian (or True) Neathar evolved on Brun in many different clans and tribes that generally warred against each other.
Skandaharians
The seafaring clans near Neathar became known as Skandaharians, after they had merged with some Valoin refugees from the north (7'000 BC).
While part of them settled in Skothar and were later absorbed by Blackmoor (4000 - 3000 BC) and destroyed by the Great Rain of Fire, a more traditionalist and primitive group of Skandaharians continued living in what is now northern Brun. With the change of axis brought by the calamity, the Skandaharians begun migrating southwards, first to Norwold and Heldann, and then farther south, even to Thyatis, replacing and dispersing the Aharian Neathar of the south.
Go to
Skandaharians for additional information.
Before the Skandaharian migration, the Aharian Neathar of southern Brun had evolved in two main groups, the Maharians and the Dunharians (6'000 BC).
Maharians
The Maharians were the first wave of Northians that had arrived on Brun, and that never had ethnic contacts with the Valoin. They lived on the southern shores of Brun.
Of the Maharian tribes, most were absorbed by the Taymoran kingdoms (since 2'500 BC); there were some exceptions, like the Makai, that were stranded on the islands of Ierendi and Minrothad that split from the continent of Brun due to earthquakes, and got in touch with the Nuari tribes (1'500 BC). As a result, nowadays Makai are about 90% Maharian and 10% Tanagoro.
Another Maharian group migrated westwards toward Hule. The horde descended the Black Peaks up to Hule (2'450 BC), where the Urduk horde split from the main migration and reached the areas of the Desert of Sind, where they mixed with the local descendants of the Oltecs (2'250 BC).
The horde that remained in the Hulean region was reached by Peshwan related horsemen that warred against them (2'400 BC). The result of this chaotic situation was a mix of races and tribes of different levels of blood relations to the Peshwans or Maharians, although the most common population became the Huleans (RW Turkish): they were most of Maharian ethnicity but spoke a more Peshwan related language.
To have a clear picture of the complicated situation in the region, and of the many ethnic minorities in the region, take a look at the "Hulean Timeline" written by Christian Constantin.
The Varellyans were the result of the conquest (2'400 BC), on the part of Maharian tribes fleeing the Taymorans , of a Maharian/Oltec civilisation of Davania that dated back to 4'000 BC. In this case too, the Maharian ethnicity prevailed in the formation of the racial features and culture. The nowadays Androkians are descendants of the Varellyan colonisers of Cestia (1'500 BC).
Dunharians
The Dunharians settled the portion of lands that now are the Northern Reaches, Ethengar, Ylaruam and Thyatis. The Skandaharians in part mixed with the Dunharians, and the result was the Trantalian race (2'200 BC), but for the most they were warlike and forced the Dunharians to leave toward better shores: Dunharians reached the northern Davanian shores and became later Thratians (2'000 BC), the Isle of Dawn where they evolved into the Dunael (2'300 BC), or left westwards.
The western Dunharians, also known as the Carnuilh, were threatened by the Antalian tribes and eventually left the region (2'550 BC), mostly moving toward the Midlands; much later, one of the Carnuilh tribes, known as the Ranax, reached the lands of nowadays Robrenn around 500 AC.
Afaharians
The last Aharian group is that of the Afaharians that settled Alphatia and the surrounding isles. They made up the original population of Alphatia, then mixed with Lhomarrian refugees and became the Yanifey (5'000 BC). The Yanifey were dispersed or absorbed by the Alphatians at the time of their Landfall (1'000 BC), with the exceptions of those who live currently in the Yannivey islands.