Thyatian tribes
by John Walter BilesHere's a suggested revised timeline:
1001 BC: Traladaran style city-states exist across modern Karameikos and the Thyatian mainland and the Isle of Hattias. Those in the east are under a loose Nithian hegemony which mainly means they pay tribute. The western city-states are too much effort to reach relative to their actual financial value to the Nithians, and are thus basically independent.
1000 BC: The Invasion of the Beastmen: Traladaran civilisation is laid waste in the west. Some refugees flee east, others flee south and become the Milenians. Those who flee east trigger a period of chaos in what is now the Thyatian Empire.
970-950 BC: Ahmose IV decides to restore order in the 'Southlands', before the chaos can spill any further into Nithia. He conquers the area and institutes direct rule. Many locals are now enslaved. Further, slaves from conquests in the north are brought south and interbreed with the Traladaran descended locals.
950-500 BC: Era of Nithian Rule Three kinds of slaves emerge as distinct groups: Farmers (who grow cash crops), Urban (who have craft skills), and Ranchers (who raise cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, and goats). These slaves bond together and develop a shared mythology of being three tribes enslaved by the Nithians: The Hattians (the field slaves), the Thyatians (the urban slaves), and the Kerendans (the Ranchers). The Hattians develop a deep hatred out outsiders because the outsider Nithians treat them the worst. The Thyatians of the cities are most cosmopolitan due to being exposed to outside influences in the cities. The Kerendans are in-between, but have the most freedom.
500 BC: The vanishing of the Nithians results in confusion and historical amnesia. Any proof the legendary tribes didn't ever exist before this is gone and the three nations take on a collective identity as exiles from far away and forget everything true. A new period of chaos follows which settles down into city-states again, until the Alphatians come in the 190s.