Nar (ethnic group)

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The mountainous landscape of Narga is one of severe weather and savage beasts. The finger-like forks of the Godhand Mountains, and the narrow valleys and fjords between them, comprise the majority of the modern land, with a few eastern acquisitions remaining as artifacts from the height of the Nar Empire some 1,250 years ago.

Within this landscape are the descendants of Nargo-Austian travelers from the Dragon Isles. 15,000 years ago, these enterprising people set forth in primitive boats, seeking a land of their own, away from the contested islands of the Dragon Crescent. When they arrived on the southern shores of the northern continent, they found other travelers like themselves had already laid their claims. Unwilling to share their promised land, they set out further, following the western coast to the fingers of the Godhand. When they saw the massive, snow-covered peaks, the rocky soil, and the vicious beasts of Narga, they knew they were home.

Physically, Nar are tall, strong, and pale-skinned, with predominantly blond hair and blue eyes. Their unique pigmentation is a subject of curiosity for biomancers and other students of genetics. Many theories abound, but none are conclusive as to the nature of this hereditary trait, which is otherwise recessive.

Narga is a difficult land, and its people rise to the challenge. For most of their history after migration, they were nomadic, following herds of mammoths, reindeer, bison and horses through mountain passes and across ice sheets in the colder months. They developed a great constitution, and a tolerance for cold weather.

The trying circumstances of life in Narga would lead most to exhaustion and despondency. The Nar adapted a healthy appetite for the challenges of life to combat this. Confronted with so much death, they developed a fatalistic attitude, embracing the death that was to come, and seeking only to live with as much vigor and honor as possible.

This attitude nurtured a warrior culture, and it was not long before the first successful tribes grew too large in number, and began to compete for territory. This fostered a general spread of their people and culture eastward, into Austland and beyond.

Narga is also a very magical place, abundant with fey creatures both benign and malevolent. The early tribes adopted Druidism, and those who were strong in the magic were able to master the land and its creatures.

Legends of ancient Narga speak of innumerable races of beastkin--intelligent animals who lived alongside men. The greatest of these were heroes of the land, who battled monstrous forces of evil, such as dragons. It is believed by most scholars that this is an evolution of the verbal history of the Dragon Isles, with its many beast-like races, and its legends of draconic destroyers.