Human Ethnicities

In Varisia there are three major divisions of humans, Chelish, Varisian, and Shoanti, these are not necessarily racial groups, however the members do tend to share certain physical characteristics. The divisions are a relic Chelish power in the days when the empire was expanding rather than contracting. The Chelish are full citizens of the empire, fair skinned and dark haired as a rule, they tend to be the most cultured, some would say arrogant, of the human ethnic groups.   Varisians are those people who were conquered by and submitted to the rule of distant Chelax. They are often treated as second class citizens and are scorned for clinging to their traditions rather than assimilating into the greater empire. Originally, Varisians wandered the lands in large familial caravans headed by a matriarch, and that close knit, familial character has persisted in Varisian culture, albiet in the slightly more sinister form of the Sczarni, a loosely organized collection of Varisian gangs.   Varisian women in particular tend to possess the gift of Augury, which is highly prized amongst Chelaxians, and many a happy, and unhappy, marriage has been made elevating the Chelaxian’s status and bringing the Varisian and her family into the empire, officially.   Finally, the Shoanti are those savage and uncouth tribes, at least from a Chelaxian perspective, that refused to bow to foreign rule. They remained unconquered even at the height of the empire, though not without great cost. The Shoanti knew that they were no match for the Chelaxian legions in the field. So, whenever an invasion would materialize, the Shoanti would melt into the wilderness and dog the armies’ steps, and many a strange disaster befell mighty Chelax when they ventured too far into the cradle of legends. However, that did not keep them from burning Shoanti settlements or carrying off slaves for lives of hard labor and privation. Much of Shoanti culture was destroyed and lives on only in the oral traditions passed from frail elder to disinterested youth.