Abakhethiwe
The Abakhethiwe are by far the dominant native human ethnic grouping to be found on Ifyrial. Originating in the coastal regions of the eastern steppe, they primarily fought against the jungle trolls and other human groups to their north and west. However, with the advent of new technology and a boom in population, the Abakhethiwe spread across the steppe and became the final group to achieve dominance during the Great Ifyrialn Migration. The Abakhethiwe boast a wide array of unique cultures and nations, varying wildly in development, population, and nomadism thanks to the wide distances they cover. The dominance of the Abakhethiwe is only challenged by the Orcish states, which they prevent from conquering south due to their staunch resistance. In recent years, some have begun to trade in slaves with foreigners, conquering lesser tribes and exacting tribute. If the trade expands, it may exacerbate trends such as devaluation of women and the prominence of the coastal at the expense of the interior. The Abakhethiwe, though dominant, do rule over a wide array of non-Abakhethiwe peoples, which they view as lesser (though they respect the Orcs as fearless fighters). Thanks to their huge diversity, there are a stunning amount of diverging Abakhethiwe languages and subgroups in relatively small areas, but for simplicty's sake they are generally divided into 9 wider subgroups.
Spreading along the northern reaches of the Abakhethiwe dominions, the Mashinji are a populous group, mostly concentrated along the coast or on islands off the coast. The Mashinji are a proud people notable for their export and trade-based economic systems and their longstanding friendship with nearby Merfolk nation. A relavtively centralized people group, they make up the majority population in the nations of Kisiwalme and Mtogon, with the nation Wapani being ruled by a coastal elite of Mashinji. Due to their pride and place of prominance (some would say a choking dominance) over regional trade, they identify themselves as the most civilized of Abakhethiwe, placing other Abakhethiwe below them and non-Abakhethiwe even lower. Their language is known as the language of trade, and is critical knowledge for anybody in the interior wishing to export goods at a fair price. This status as leaders of trade is somewhat contradictory to their stratified societies, with their largest cities boasting unequal propserity benefiting mostly mercantile elites and the foreign traders they may work alongside. In paricular, there is a large community of Al'salaanic peoples present in the Mashinji lands, dating back to the late 1100s, and one would be hard-pressed to find Mashinji without some amount of Al'salaanic descent (largely due to the vast majority of Al'salaanic immigrants being men). Perhaps usurpirisngly, the Al'salaanic presence has led to the conversion of nearly all Mashinji to the Al'shahri faith. The Mashinji have largely pivoted to slave trading, but their historical exports of ivory, gold, and spices remain profitable.
South and inland from the Mashinji, Vyulikulu settlements are common, typically found along the river [tbd] and in the surrounding grasslands. First arriving from the east in the tail end of the Great Ifyrialn Migration, their forefathers quickly consolidated the riverine region into a series of warring clans. However, with the discovery of gold in the Baltor foothills, the clans upstream became empowered and would consolidate the people into a series of centralized nations, of which the Kingdom of Xiyimokulu is but the latest. The Vyulikulu are known to be a people fascinated with architectural and economic pursuits, generally favoring defensive constructions over punitive campaigns. Their fortifications against raids by other Abakhethiwe are known to be rather formidable, and are comparable to the coastal defenses of the Mashinji. The Vyulikulu are the main source of gold in the region, and their exports along the river to Kisiwalme have greatly contributed to that nation's wealth. Being rich in wealth, the Vyulikulu place great value on family, and clan ties remain the basis of society, with people retaining close relationships with their villages even if they have moved on, thus strengthening the bonds between the nation. This has also reduced the prevalence of slavery within Vyulikulu communities, as they typically do not wish to raid those they have strong ties. Still, such clan ties can prove problematic in times of war, as varying clans skirmish within the kingdom even during peace. These conflicts can be troubling for trade in the region as it is disrupted and the losers enslaved or their lands seized. Occasionally, mercantile interests are likewise threatened with dissolution if their clan should fall into a compromising situation.
On the western borders of the Mashinji, and making up the lakeside members of the Abakhethiwe, the Khru'whiana are a relatively small ethnic group who are mainly focused on lakeside agriculture and pastoralism on the adjacent savanna, with the grazing cattle being very valuable to them. This has long left them vulnerable to raids, necessitating the development of centralized kingdoms with the ability to defend their borders, though these proto-states tend to be quite small due to a limited ability to project power without being left vulnerable to raids. Of these petty kingdoms, the nation of Mballunda is traditionally the most powerful, due to much of their nation being bordered by lakes and thus being less vulnerable to raids and able to support more agriculture. However, canoe raids by orcs crossing the larger lake have become a threat in recent years, threatening their power.
Moving west from the Khru'whiana, the M'stinji can be found along the Asidara river and in the foothills of the nearby mountain ranges. They are notable for their strong agricultural tradition and their moderate diplomatic position, and are generally seen as a voice of reason in the region. The M'stinji are known to have been the Abakhethiwe who penetrated furthest west during the migration period, with reaching all the way to the [tbd] river. Eventually, further settlement would lead to M'stinji control crossing this river and reaching the heartland of what would later become Ilraeus. However, political control by the M'stinji in this region would be fleeting, with the M'stinji greatly outnumbered by Mɔkaniwi settlements. Later, the M'stinji would come under the control of the Mɔkaniwi-led Holy Empire of Ilraeus during its rise, which they resisted fiercely. During this time, many of the M'stinji settlements within the Ilraeun heartland were destroyed and their inhabitants driven out or enslaved, as during the early 1000s the M'stinji joined with the Ndọrụgbo to destroy the Ilraeun. Though the empire was shattered, the alliance between M'stinji and Ndọrụgbo was fleeting as the Delzhamon mar Kharturr among the Ndọrụgbo was a breaking point. This violent, polygamous cult, which the M'stinji considered just as bad as the Ilraeun faith (if not worse), is antithecal to the M'stinji's longheld traditions of female inheritance and semi-matriarchal households. Thus, the region devolved into a long series of conflicts between the M'stinji and their foes. Although the other two sides are defined by their radical, but longstanding kingdoms, the M'stinji have instead been led by a series of loosely-defined, decentralized federations, only coalescing into a series of short-lived kingdoms in the 1900s. Their most recent, Asidara, is centered around the river but hard-pressed by their enemies. Though part of the fight, the M'stinji are viewed as a lesser enemy by both cults, and only rarely are they directly invaded. Nonetheless, slave raids and campaigns have been a constant threat, with several settlements on the eastern bank of the [tbd] river having been recently seized by Ilraeus.
Far away in the north of the Menayana region, one can find the Amarqwe, a proud people who migrated into the region centuries ago in a very divergent move from most of the rest of the participants in the Great Ifyrialn migrations. The Amarqwe pushed north over several centuries, variously ruling over several different regions, before they abandoned their homes and travelled to the tbd highlands in Menayana. There, they formed a rival to the Ixhaka states, even conquering some of them, and they projected power over the eastern plains, which they contested with the local Baamorun. However, even the mighty Amarqwe Kingdom was unable to stand against the orcish invasions, and their power was shattered, witth their king slain and much of their population taken as slaves. This was a great shock to the Amarqwe, who had historically been slavers and conquerors in their own right. As one might guess, the Amarqwe are very warlike, polygamous, and paternalistic, and their culture has had to adapt to their defeats. Playing second fiddle to orcs has not come easy to many of them, though for others the opportunity to fight is too much to resist.
The remaining Abakhethiwe subgroups, while interesting in their own right, do not currently have settled kingdoms, and thus their history is difficult to track. Many of these groups are also quite isolated and unknown to outsiders. These groups are the Shimuya, Kolozangba, Enyawoona, and Coyabende. The Shimuya make up the eastern population of Abakhethiwe, in what is essentially the Abakhethiwe heartland. This region is known for its expansive savannas and networks of small rivers, although it lacks larger navigable waters. The Shimuya were some of the earliest Abakhethiwe to establish small, decentralized states, but their network of nations has since been largely destroyed by slave traders from the elven city states of Ærellion as well as competition from the Mashinji, and they can mostly be found in small tribal confederations which war amongst one another for the ivory trade and slaving opportunities. They can be found as far east as the [tbd] river, and make up a small portion of the population of Kisiwalme and Xiyimokulu. Further west, and dominating much of the central savanna, the Coyabende are a tribal group that makes up a large portion of the slave population of Kisiwalme, but who are rarely found outside of Ifyrial. They are a people group who, unlike the Shimuya, have traditionally been slavers, with tribes warring amongst one another to obtain slaves. These slaves have traditionally been given iron collars to sybolize their status, and once they have slain an enemy in battle the collar is removed and the slave considered a part of the tribe. This makes the Coyabende a warlike people, and it has also given their name, with bende being the ancient word for iron among many Abakhethiwe. Due to their habit of integrating former slaves into their society, the Coyabende are considered a melting pot of cultures, integrating many people from the other Abakhethiwe groups over time. As the savanna continues to the west, one can find increasing amounts of Enyawoona as opposed to Coyabende. Found in a crescent between the M'stinji, the jungle goblins, and Ndọrụgbo, this people group is known as a reclusive and generally warlike group, with strong traditions and cultural unity, but who lack centralized states. Like most of the other tribal Abakhethiwe, they are primarily occupied with hunting and small-scale seasonal harvesting. Finally, mostly found in and around the border between savanna and jungle, the Kolozangba are a smaller grouping of people who can generally.
Spreading along the northern reaches of the Abakhethiwe dominions, the Mashinji are a populous group, mostly concentrated along the coast or on islands off the coast. The Mashinji are a proud people notable for their export and trade-based economic systems and their longstanding friendship with nearby Merfolk nation. A relavtively centralized people group, they make up the majority population in the nations of Kisiwalme and Mtogon, with the nation Wapani being ruled by a coastal elite of Mashinji. Due to their pride and place of prominance (some would say a choking dominance) over regional trade, they identify themselves as the most civilized of Abakhethiwe, placing other Abakhethiwe below them and non-Abakhethiwe even lower. Their language is known as the language of trade, and is critical knowledge for anybody in the interior wishing to export goods at a fair price. This status as leaders of trade is somewhat contradictory to their stratified societies, with their largest cities boasting unequal propserity benefiting mostly mercantile elites and the foreign traders they may work alongside. In paricular, there is a large community of Al'salaanic peoples present in the Mashinji lands, dating back to the late 1100s, and one would be hard-pressed to find Mashinji without some amount of Al'salaanic descent (largely due to the vast majority of Al'salaanic immigrants being men). Perhaps usurpirisngly, the Al'salaanic presence has led to the conversion of nearly all Mashinji to the Al'shahri faith. The Mashinji have largely pivoted to slave trading, but their historical exports of ivory, gold, and spices remain profitable.
South and inland from the Mashinji, Vyulikulu settlements are common, typically found along the river [tbd] and in the surrounding grasslands. First arriving from the east in the tail end of the Great Ifyrialn Migration, their forefathers quickly consolidated the riverine region into a series of warring clans. However, with the discovery of gold in the Baltor foothills, the clans upstream became empowered and would consolidate the people into a series of centralized nations, of which the Kingdom of Xiyimokulu is but the latest. The Vyulikulu are known to be a people fascinated with architectural and economic pursuits, generally favoring defensive constructions over punitive campaigns. Their fortifications against raids by other Abakhethiwe are known to be rather formidable, and are comparable to the coastal defenses of the Mashinji. The Vyulikulu are the main source of gold in the region, and their exports along the river to Kisiwalme have greatly contributed to that nation's wealth. Being rich in wealth, the Vyulikulu place great value on family, and clan ties remain the basis of society, with people retaining close relationships with their villages even if they have moved on, thus strengthening the bonds between the nation. This has also reduced the prevalence of slavery within Vyulikulu communities, as they typically do not wish to raid those they have strong ties. Still, such clan ties can prove problematic in times of war, as varying clans skirmish within the kingdom even during peace. These conflicts can be troubling for trade in the region as it is disrupted and the losers enslaved or their lands seized. Occasionally, mercantile interests are likewise threatened with dissolution if their clan should fall into a compromising situation.
On the western borders of the Mashinji, and making up the lakeside members of the Abakhethiwe, the Khru'whiana are a relatively small ethnic group who are mainly focused on lakeside agriculture and pastoralism on the adjacent savanna, with the grazing cattle being very valuable to them. This has long left them vulnerable to raids, necessitating the development of centralized kingdoms with the ability to defend their borders, though these proto-states tend to be quite small due to a limited ability to project power without being left vulnerable to raids. Of these petty kingdoms, the nation of Mballunda is traditionally the most powerful, due to much of their nation being bordered by lakes and thus being less vulnerable to raids and able to support more agriculture. However, canoe raids by orcs crossing the larger lake have become a threat in recent years, threatening their power.
Moving west from the Khru'whiana, the M'stinji can be found along the Asidara river and in the foothills of the nearby mountain ranges. They are notable for their strong agricultural tradition and their moderate diplomatic position, and are generally seen as a voice of reason in the region. The M'stinji are known to have been the Abakhethiwe who penetrated furthest west during the migration period, with reaching all the way to the [tbd] river. Eventually, further settlement would lead to M'stinji control crossing this river and reaching the heartland of what would later become Ilraeus. However, political control by the M'stinji in this region would be fleeting, with the M'stinji greatly outnumbered by Mɔkaniwi settlements. Later, the M'stinji would come under the control of the Mɔkaniwi-led Holy Empire of Ilraeus during its rise, which they resisted fiercely. During this time, many of the M'stinji settlements within the Ilraeun heartland were destroyed and their inhabitants driven out or enslaved, as during the early 1000s the M'stinji joined with the Ndọrụgbo to destroy the Ilraeun. Though the empire was shattered, the alliance between M'stinji and Ndọrụgbo was fleeting as the Delzhamon mar Kharturr among the Ndọrụgbo was a breaking point. This violent, polygamous cult, which the M'stinji considered just as bad as the Ilraeun faith (if not worse), is antithecal to the M'stinji's longheld traditions of female inheritance and semi-matriarchal households. Thus, the region devolved into a long series of conflicts between the M'stinji and their foes. Although the other two sides are defined by their radical, but longstanding kingdoms, the M'stinji have instead been led by a series of loosely-defined, decentralized federations, only coalescing into a series of short-lived kingdoms in the 1900s. Their most recent, Asidara, is centered around the river but hard-pressed by their enemies. Though part of the fight, the M'stinji are viewed as a lesser enemy by both cults, and only rarely are they directly invaded. Nonetheless, slave raids and campaigns have been a constant threat, with several settlements on the eastern bank of the [tbd] river having been recently seized by Ilraeus.
Far away in the north of the Menayana region, one can find the Amarqwe, a proud people who migrated into the region centuries ago in a very divergent move from most of the rest of the participants in the Great Ifyrialn migrations. The Amarqwe pushed north over several centuries, variously ruling over several different regions, before they abandoned their homes and travelled to the tbd highlands in Menayana. There, they formed a rival to the Ixhaka states, even conquering some of them, and they projected power over the eastern plains, which they contested with the local Baamorun. However, even the mighty Amarqwe Kingdom was unable to stand against the orcish invasions, and their power was shattered, witth their king slain and much of their population taken as slaves. This was a great shock to the Amarqwe, who had historically been slavers and conquerors in their own right. As one might guess, the Amarqwe are very warlike, polygamous, and paternalistic, and their culture has had to adapt to their defeats. Playing second fiddle to orcs has not come easy to many of them, though for others the opportunity to fight is too much to resist.
The remaining Abakhethiwe subgroups, while interesting in their own right, do not currently have settled kingdoms, and thus their history is difficult to track. Many of these groups are also quite isolated and unknown to outsiders. These groups are the Shimuya, Kolozangba, Enyawoona, and Coyabende. The Shimuya make up the eastern population of Abakhethiwe, in what is essentially the Abakhethiwe heartland. This region is known for its expansive savannas and networks of small rivers, although it lacks larger navigable waters. The Shimuya were some of the earliest Abakhethiwe to establish small, decentralized states, but their network of nations has since been largely destroyed by slave traders from the elven city states of Ærellion as well as competition from the Mashinji, and they can mostly be found in small tribal confederations which war amongst one another for the ivory trade and slaving opportunities. They can be found as far east as the [tbd] river, and make up a small portion of the population of Kisiwalme and Xiyimokulu. Further west, and dominating much of the central savanna, the Coyabende are a tribal group that makes up a large portion of the slave population of Kisiwalme, but who are rarely found outside of Ifyrial. They are a people group who, unlike the Shimuya, have traditionally been slavers, with tribes warring amongst one another to obtain slaves. These slaves have traditionally been given iron collars to sybolize their status, and once they have slain an enemy in battle the collar is removed and the slave considered a part of the tribe. This makes the Coyabende a warlike people, and it has also given their name, with bende being the ancient word for iron among many Abakhethiwe. Due to their habit of integrating former slaves into their society, the Coyabende are considered a melting pot of cultures, integrating many people from the other Abakhethiwe groups over time. As the savanna continues to the west, one can find increasing amounts of Enyawoona as opposed to Coyabende. Found in a crescent between the M'stinji, the jungle goblins, and Ndọrụgbo, this people group is known as a reclusive and generally warlike group, with strong traditions and cultural unity, but who lack centralized states. Like most of the other tribal Abakhethiwe, they are primarily occupied with hunting and small-scale seasonal harvesting. Finally, mostly found in and around the border between savanna and jungle, the Kolozangba are a smaller grouping of people who can generally.
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