P̄hækhan

The P̄hækhan are a south Ærellic people group who primarily live on the border of the Ziyn'yašk and Janglavaal regions. Because of this region's reliance on the West Ærellic Monsoon for its water sources, there are few major rivers in the region, which has historically made it hard for centralized, agrarian states to develop. However, this does not mean the P̄hækhan are totally lacking in culture or civilization, and they have a rich history.

The P̄hækhan developed on the savanna, hills, and steppes to the west of the Aimaur peoples, and despite not being closely related to one another the two groups developed in parallel, leading to historical friendship as well as conflict depending on the period. Traditionally, many of the eastern P̄hækhan were politically dependent on the Aimaur, either directly or via tribute payments, while those on the western side of the hills remained independent. This relationship would eventually collapse with the fall of the final unified Aimaur state and their dissolution into tribalism. After the fall of the Aimaur, the rising Ursumar states brought the P̄hækhan under their sway instead, and over the next several hundred years the P̄hækhan either lived under direct control of the Ursumar or were vassals. However, this relationship was fairly loose, as the majority of P̄hækhan, even those directly under the Ursumar were far from the imperial center and therefore benefited from broad autonomy. The Ursumar period would see a dissemination of new technology and culture to the P̄hækhan, and coincided with longstanding trends towards centralization in P̄hækhan culture- by the time the Divinity of Bēlqūašdu withdrew from the area, the petty tribes and states had been brought together into just five, in a uniquely P̄hækhan manner. The majority of these consolidated P̄hækhan are known as the Ṣ̄ūlāng, while those who have retained the Aimaur influence are known as the K̄ahmar. However, as the border between the P̄hækhan and Aimaur is quite small, there are few remaining K̄ahmar, even though they are closer to the historical majority of P̄hækhan, post-Aimauri contact.

The P̄hækhan are traditional enemies of the Equatorial Trolls of Ærellion, and henceforth the land they and the trolls control has flipped back and forth a number of times. Although the majority of the modern P̄hækhan states only hold land in the South Ærellic Rise and lands to the north of this feature, in the past the borders have been more fluid, leading to a scattering of P̄hækhan across the south of Janglavaal. Over time, these peoples, known as the P̣ākatı̂, largely migrated south, where they and the neighboring non-P̄hækhan humans were taken under the wing of the Dark Elves. Although a very unequal relationship, with the P̣ākatı̂ being greatly exploied by the Dark Elves, it has allowed them to abandon their migratory lifestyle and develop a growing population without fearing from trolls. In recent years, many refugees fleeting trollish expansion have newly settled in the Dark Elven states. Nonetheless, there remain P̣ākatı̂ who eke out a tribal living within lands otherwise overrun with trolls. A few of these P̣ākatı̂ also live in the city of Angchrapur or to the south of the thin lake, as they worked as trail guides and caravan guards for goods flowing from Bēlqūašdu to Angchrapur.

The final traditional foe of the P̄hækhan, the Solar Elves, have not left much of a mark on their culture, aside from their refugees who have largely become eldritch. The P̄hækhan and Solar Elves once worked together to fight against Equatorial Trolls, as there were a number of P̄hækhan tribes in land the Solar Elves were moving into. However, the relationship between the two soured as P̄hækhan influence began seeping into the Solar Elven people, and many eldritch were born. After the Solar Elves religious wars, with the conciliatory and moderate faction defeated by hardliners, humans were no longer welcome and the P̄hækhan within their lands were expelled, leading to their immigration and integration with the rest of the people. During their existence, they were known as the Xeyer.

Due to pressure from their many enemies and conquerors, the P̄hækhan have been mostly pushed into the South Ærellic Rise, with little land ruled by them in either the jungles of savannas. This has forced their people to adapt to the mountainous and hilly climate, keeping their population somewhat low. Still, they maintain terrace farms and other sophisticated methods for agriculture within the hills, and the flatlands they do inhabit are densely populated. Should one of the P̄hækhan nations be able to acquire this land, mostly from the Iššinate of Šūtūmuddê, they would be quite powerful and take the fight to the trolls rather than relying on outside protectors and the defense provided by the mountains.