Other Human Ethnic Groups

The Jungles of Chult are home to tall, ebony-skinned humans who migrated north to the Chultan peninsula millennia ago from a great island in the southern seas of Abeir-Toril southeast of Maztica and southwest of Zakhara. Two millennia ago, there were many tribes in Chult, although the Chultans and the Eshowe were the most powerful and influential. A bloody war raged between the Chultans and the Eshowe from 1800 years ago to 1500 years ago, ending only after the latter group was wiped out. The Eshowe were destroyed after unleashing a great evil known as the Shadow Giant on their enemies, only to see it turn on them after being repulsed by the Chultan defenders. In the centuries that followed, unchecked by any rivals, the Chultans assimilated most of the remaining tribes of the peninsula into a single Chultan culture, sharing a common language and somewhat uniform social structure.
Chultans, who speak Chultan, adopted the Draconic alphabet before the founding of Mezro and spread it to the other Chultan tribes. The primary god of the Chultans is Ubtao, who is said to have brought their ancestors to the peninsula they now call home thousands of years ago and to have founded the great city of Mezro in -2637 DR. The remnants of the Eshowe venerate Eshowdow, a dark shadow of Ubtao subverted by Shar.

Ffolk

The native inhabitants of the Moonshae Isles call themselves the Ffolk, although only faint vestiges of the original human tribes who bore that name still remain. Today, the Ffolk are essentially an isolated group of Tethyrians, descended from a large wave of immigration from the Western Heartlands in 467 DR. The original Ffolk had already conceded the northern Moonshae isles to the Illuskans centuries before the arrival of the Tethyrians, yet the Illuskans are still considered the invaders by the Ffolk.
Unlike their mainland cousins, the Tethyrian Ffolk speak Illuskan, but they still employ the Thorass script. They are governed by a strong druidical tradition.

Gur

The Gurs, also known as "Selûne's Children" or "the people of the highway," are the nomads of the Western Heartlands. Most Gurs are members of extended family groups that travel together from settlement to settlement in motley caravans selling cheap cast-offs and working odd jobs. Others have settled in the poorest quarters of cities such as Baldur's Gate, Elturel, and Irieabor, where they struggle to survive in the face of ancient prejudices. Among those few scholars who have studied their culture, the Gurs are thought to be primarily of Rashemi descent. Although they have certainly intermingled with members of other ethnic groups, they strongly resemble the natives of Rashemen. As fragments of lore dating back to the erection of the Standing Stone refer to the nomadic Gurs, it is thought that they fled their ancient homeland during or immediately after the cataclysmic battle between Raumathar and Narfell.
Speakers of an ancient dialect of Rashemi among themselves, the honor-obsessed Gurs employ the Thorass alphabet and speak Chondathan with non-Gurs. Many of Selûne's Children are unusually gifted oracles and find employment as soothsayers and diviners. In addition to the goddess of the moon, many prophetically inclined Gurs venerate Savras. Their secretive faith may in large part account for the continued survival of his faith during his many years of imprisonment.

Imaskari

The Imaskari are the legendary inhabitants of the lands now swallowed by the Raurin Desert and the Plains of the Purple Dust. Vilified by the Mulan, the artificers of Imaskar were mighty wizards who built great portals to other worlds in order to carry off thousands of slaves from distant planes. Little is known of the Imaskari, except what the Mulan chose to preserve of their ancient masters. At one point the Imaskari Empire held sway from the Endless Wastes to the Golden Water and from the Alamber Sea to the very frontiers of Kara-Tur. Ruins of tremendous antiquity in the Plains of Purple Dust may be the remains of Imaskari cities.
The Imaskari spoke Roushoum, a precursor of such varied tongues as Durpari, the Rauric family (Chessentan, Mulhorani, and Untheric), Raumvira, and the various Tuigan dialects. The Imaskari alphabet has wholly fallen out of use, and is only found inscribed on a few ancient artifacts and the walls of Imaskari ruins.

Lantanna

The Lantanna inhabit the isles of Lantan, Suj, and Orlil off the northwest coast of the Chultan peninsula. Known for their large green eyes, copper hair, and parchment-colored skin, the Lantanna are rarely encountered outside their native isles except aboard merchant ships. They trade along the shores of the Trackless Sea as far north as Neverwinter, the Shining Sea as far east as Lapaliiya, and the Great Sea as far east as Halruaa. The homeland of most Lantanna is the nation of Lantan, named for the largest island it claims.
Speakers of Lantanese, the Lantanna employ the Draconic alphabet used by most cultures descended from Netheril. As the Lantanna are not believed to be in any way descended from ancient Netheril, some scholars suspect that early Halruaan or Nimbrali traders introduced this alphabet to the Lantanna. The state religion of Lantan is the faith of Gond, and many believe that the Lantanna introduced the Wondermaker into the Faerûnian pantheon.

Maztican

Maztica is a far-off land that lies west of Faerûn, beyond even fabled Evermeet. Tethyrian explorers from Amn discovered Maztica just over a decade ago, and Maztican immigrants are now found in very small numbers in Amn, Baldur's Gate, and Waterdeep. Faerûnians lump all inhabitants of Maztica into one group, but in truth there are seven known human ethnicities in that land: the Azuposi, the Dog People, the Green Folk, the Metahel, the Nahopaca, the Nexalans, and the Payits.
The Nexalans are the only group to have journeyed east to Faerûn, so all Faerûn-dwelling Mazticans are speakers of Nexalan, the language of the nations of Pezelac, Huacli, Kultaka, and Nexal. The Nexalan tongue is written using the Draconic alphabet. Nexalans are relatively tall, with long, lean physiques and beardless, angular faces. Nexalans are generally reddish-bronze of hue.

Nar

Descended from the survivors of Narfell's cataclysmic destruction, the Nars consist of twenty or more nomadic tribes that inhabit the dry grasslands east of the Giantspire Mountains and north of the Rawlinswoad. Further details of their history may be found in the descriptions of the Damarans and the Rashemi.
Nars are short and stocky, with darkly tanned skin tones and straight, raven black hair, usually worn to the shoulders. They are some of the finest horsemen in Faerûn, and famed breeders of the legendary Nar heavy horse. Although they once spoke Narfelli, a forgotten tongue strongly influenced by Abyssal, the Nars now speak the Damaran tongue common to lands near the Easting Reach as well as a smattering of Common. As most Nars can be considered barbarians, few can read or write, but those that do employ the Dethek runes adopted by speakers of Damaran.

Netherese

      Perhaps the best-known and most influential of the humans who built Faerûn's ancient civilizations were the Netherese of ancient Netheril. Netheril was founded in -3859 DR by darkhaired, fair-skinned humans who dwelt along the shores of the Narrow Sea, a body of water now lost beneath the sands of Anauroch. At its height, Netheril encompassed all the lands now buried beneath Anauroch, with colonies stretching westward to the Trackless Sea, and floating cities high above distant lands. The cities of the Narrow Sea came to be known as Low Netheril, while the civilization of the clouds was known as High Netheril, famous for magic of surpassing power.
      Although all Netherese used the Draconic alphabet, the language of Low Netheril, and the commoners of High Netheril was Netherese, while the nobles of High Netheril spoke Loross. Both groups venerated the same pantheon, which included gods such as Amaunator (Lathander), Jannath (Chauntea), Jergal, Kozah (Talos), Moander, Mystryl (Mystra), Selûne, Shar, and Targus (Garagos). The clergy were far more influential in Low Netheril than in the arcanists' soaring cities.
      High Netheril collapsed after Karsus destroyed Mystra in -339 DR, and all but four of High Netheril's ancient floating cities were destroyed. Three of those - Anauria, Asram, and Hlondath - were saved by the influence of Mystra and landed safely just west of what are now known as the Desertsedge Mountains, where they founded surface realms of the same names. Asram fell victim to a plague spread by the goddess Talona in -33 DR. Anauria fell to an orc horde in 111 DR, and Hlondath was consumed by the sands of Anauroch and abandoned in 329 DR. Inhabitants of these eastern "Netherese survivor states" eventually migrated south into Cormyr and east into the Moonsea region. Their descendants were largely absorbed into the burgeoning Chondathan culture of the eastern Heartlands and are now accounted as northern Chondathans or Vaasans.
      The fall of Low Netheril had less to do with Karsus's Folly and more to do with the ever-encroaching lifedrain spells of the phaerimm. As the pace of desertification increased, starting around -461 DR, most of the inhabitants of Low Netheril gradually migrated westward. Most scholars divide the westward-bound Netherese migrants into two groups. The southwestern group founded realms in the river valleys of the Winding Water and the River Chionthar, while the northwestern branch formed isolated city-states scattered across the Savage Frontier. Little evidence of Netherese culture remains among the descendants of either branch, for both groups were later subsumed by immigrants from across the sea to the west (the Illuskans) or by the native tribes of the region (the Tethyrians).
      Four small groups of pureblooded Netherese are believed to survive in the present day. The Marsh Drovers of the Farsea Marshes are thought to be descendants of Anauria who were never absorbed by the Chondathan inhabitants of Cormyr. The Tunlar barbarians of the Plains of Tun are believed to be descendants of the Rengarth barbarians (cousins of the Low Netherese) of southern Netheril. The nomadic barbarians of the Ride north of the Moonsea are believed to be descendants of the Angardt barbarians of northern Netheril (also cousins of the Low Netherese). Finally, the fourth floating city of High Netheril, known as Shade, survived the fall of Netheril by vanishing into the Plane of Shadow. Shade reappeared in 1372 DR, after generations of warfare with the malaugrym in the shadowplane. Shade now rests on the northern shore of the Shadow Sea, which was once the Shoal of Thirst.

Raumviran

      Descended from the inhabitants of the great empire of Raumathar, the Raumvirans retain little of their former glory. Their history is described under the Damaran and Rashemi ethnic groups.
      In the present day, Raumvirans are concentrated along the shores of the Lake of Mists and the city of Almorel. Physically, Raumvirans bear a close resemblance to the Rashemi, indicative of centuries of close ties between the two groups. Although taller on average than their western neighbors, the Raumvirans are also generally stout and muscular, with dark eyes and thick black hair. Raumvirans are generally of lighter hue than the Rashemi, evidence of significant Sossrim heritage dating back to the height of their long-fallen empire.
      Members of this ethnic group speak Raumvira, a tongue closely related to Rashemi, Dwarven, and a northern dialect of Imaskari. Raumvirans employ an alphabet of Dethek runes taught to them before the founding of Raumathar by the Siremun dwarves of the Firepeaks, a range of mountains to the east of the Lake of Mists.

Shou

The Shou are but one of many human ethnic groups in far-off Kara-Tur, albeit the most numerous and powerful. Similar in appearance to the Tuigan, they are yellowish-bronze in hue, with black hair and broad, flat features. At its height, the Shou empire extended as far west as the eastern shore of Brightstar Lake. Today, Shou traders are rarely seen west of Semphar, although their emperor has recently established an embassy in Elversult and made use of a ship-size portal that opens somewhere on the Sea of Fallen Stars. The Shou worship a pantheon of deities known as the Celestial Bureaucracy and employ the Draconic alphabet to represent the Shou language.

Sossrim

The Sossrims are the inhabitants of distant Sossal, a frozen land that lies between the Great Glacier and the Great Ice Sea. With skin as pallid as snow and hair with the fine, silver tint of an icicle, the Sossrims have completely adapted to their arctic environment. Sossrims speak Damaran and use the Dethek runes. They are belidved to venerate the gods of the Faerûnian pantheon, although the worship of a relatively benign aspect of Auril seems to be predominant.
During the Orcgate Wars, the Sossrims fought in the armies of Mulhorand alongside the Raumvirans and the Rashemi. After the followers of Gruumsh were defeated, the Sossrims retreated to their northern lands, where they established the isolated kingdom of Sossal. The Sossrims briefly fell under the sway of Raumathar at the height of that empire, but they have otherwise retained their independence. Before the retreat of the Great Glacier, Sossrim traders were seen as far south as northern Impiltur, but now they rarely venture beyond Vaasa or the northern reaches of Damara, Narfell, and Rashemen.

Talfir

Elven writings dating back to the Crown Wars mention a darkhaired, fair-skinned human tribe in the heart of the great forest of Shantel Othreier. The Talfir were the original human inhabitants of the Chionthar river valley in the Western Heartlands. Speakers of Talfiric, a long-lost human tongue based on the Draconic alphabet, the Talfir gradually disappeared over a thousand years ago, their culture overwhelmed by refugees from Low Netheril, Calishite settlers from the south, and Chondathan settlers from the Dragon Coast. Several deities of the Faerûnian pantheon are believed to have first been worshipped by the Talfir, including Tempus, who vanquished the Netherese god of war.
The Talfir left little in the way of ruins or artifacts, although Irieabor lies atop the ancient crypt of the Talfir monarch known as Verraketh the Shadowking, who mastered shadow magic. Talis, a ruined city of the Talfir, lies in ruins along the banks of the River Reaching in the depths of the Reaching Woods.

Tashalan

      Uncounted thousands of years ago, the human tribes of the Chultan peninsula, now known as the Tashalans, were enslaved by the saurian Creator Race. As with all things, the saurian civilization eventually collapsed and their human slaves won their freedom. However, many members of this black-haired, olive-skinned race took to venerating the snakes they once served, leading to the rise of the yuan-ti. Others, however, turned away from their dark masters, seeking to forge their own realms on the peninsula between the Shining Sea and the Great Sea.
      Today Tashalan culture is largely confined to the middle of the Chultan peninsula and the isle of Tharsult. Over the centuries the Chultan tribes drove the Tashalans out of the Jungles of Chult, the Halruaans and Dambrathan drow assimilated the native Tashalan cultures of those lands, and the yuan-ti enslaved those Tashalans who contested their control of the Mhair and Black Jungles. Most Tashalans are natives of Tashalar or the realms of Samarach, Thindol, or Tharsult. Tashalan traders may be found in Calimshan, cities on the shore of the Lake of Steam, and Lapaliiya, as well as Halruaa, Dambrath, and Luiren.
      Tashalans speak Tashalan and employ the Dethek alphabet. They venerate both the Faerûnian pantheon and the gods of the yuan-ti, with the followers of Talona and Savras being most prominent.

Tuigan

The nomadic tribe of the Endless Wastes and the Quoya Desert are known as the Tuigan, although that name is actually the name of but one of fifteen major tribes who wander the wasteland between Faerûn and Kara-Tur. Closely related to the inhabitants of Kara-Tur, tribal members are yellowish-bronze in hue, with black hair and broad, flat features. Each tribe has its own dialect, derived in varying degrees from the old empires of Shou, Raumvira, and Imaskari, each of which conquered or extended its influence over the Endless Wastes at its height. The tribes of the Endless Wastes adopted the alphabet of Thorass from traders passing eastwards along the Golden Way to Kara-Tur long ago. the tribes are believed to worship Akadi, the elemental deity of air, and Grumbar, the elemental deity of earth, as well as several beast totems (Horse and Tiger).
Since the defeat of the great Tuigan horde in 1360 DR, members of the Tuigan tribe have been found in small numbers in western lands such as Semphar, Thay, Thesk, Narfell, and Rashemen. It is this group of immigrants who are best known to the inhabitants of Faerûn.

Turami

After their gods precipitated the fall of the Imaskari Empire in -2488 DR, the slave-race known as the Mulan migrated westward to the shores of the Alamber Sea. This migration in turn displaced the native Turami, who were driven westward along the southern coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars until they reached the coastal basin now known as Turmish. Generally tall and muscular, with dark mahogany skin, flat faces, and curly hair, the Turami are the primary inhabitants of Turmish, although they form minority populations in Chessenta, Unther, and Mulhorand as well.
Speakers of Turmic, the Turami adopted the Thorass alphabet from Calishite and Chondathan traders. No historical evidence exists suggesting the existence of a Turami pantheon distinct from the Faerûnian pantheon commonly venerated today, although that does not mean that one did not exist. Turmish, the homeland of most Turami, dates back to the founding of Alaghôn in -37 DR.

Ulutiun

Although the Ulutiuns have long inhabited the polar reaches of Faerûn, these short, dark-haired, broad-faced humans with lightbrown skin are actually migrants from the northern reaches of Kara-Tur who moved westward across the polar icecap millennia ago. Speakers of Uluik, a tongue that only in recent centuries acquired a written form based on the Thorass alphabet, the Ulutiuns are divided into two major groups.
The Sea of Moving Ice, the Ice Peak, and the Cold Run (as the icy reaches of the northernmost Sword Coast are sometimes known) are home to the Ice Hunters, the westernmost group of Ulutiuns. Believed to predate the arrival of both the Netherese and the Illuskans, the Ice Hunters venerate nature spirits and are led by shamans, not unlike the more warlike Uthgardt tribes and the barbarians of Icewind Dale. In the east, the Great Glacier is home to the majority of Ulutiuns, including the Iulutiuns, the Angulutiuns, and the Nakulutiuns. They favor hide armor and weapons such as battleaxes, garnoks, hand axes, harpoons, iuaks, light picks, nets, ritiiks, shortbows, throwing axes, and tridents.

Vaasan

Vaasans are the descendants of two waves of humanity who settled the Moonsea region. Refugees from the Netherese survivor states of Asram, Anauria, and Hlondath fled east toward the Moonsea to found realms such as Teshar (which was founded in -87 DR and fell in 479 DR) Yûlash, and Northkeep (which fell in 400 DR). In later centuries Chondathan immigrants from Sembia, the Dalelands, and the Vast joined the descendants of these early settlements and established the Moonsea City-states of Zhentil Keep, Hulburg, Melvaunt, Mulmaster, Phlan, and Thentia. Vaasa proper was settled from the Moonsea region after the Great Glacier began its retreat, a couple of hundred years ago. While this ethnic group is sometimes referred to as Tesharans, Tharrans, or Yûls, the name of the last land they settled has become the name by which they are most commonly known in other lands.
Vaasans are typically fair to olive-skinned with dark hair and thick beards. They speak Damaran and employ the Dethek alphabet, a legacy of long-standing trade ties with the nations of Impiltur and Damara. Vaasans venerate most gods of the Faerûnian pantheon, although Bane and, to a lesser extent, Cyric and Auril receive the bulk of their prayers.

Zakharan

Far to the south and east of Faerûn, beyond the fabled lands of the Utter East, is Zakhara, the Land of Fate. Zakhara is considered a continent in its own right, not unlike Faerûn or Kara-Tur, although all three continents are physically connected. The Land of Fate is home to the Zakharans, relatively short, brown-skinned, dark-haired humans who speak Midani. Zakharans born in the Land of Fate are rarely seen outside their homeland, although Zakharan traders are not unknown in the southern most reaches of Faerûn. However, at least two groups of Zakharan humans have migrated to Faerûn by means of portals and are found in large numbers in the western lands in the form of the Bedine and Calishites.

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