Nopeli (NO pel ee)

the Northmen

The Nopeli people are Human dwelling on the Nopum Peninsula at the northern tip of the major continent of Ethae. Their territory traditionally rests north of Mount Sessil and the Heartlands of Novyum. Sitting in the far north of Aldern, Nopum can have extreme temperature shifts throughout the year, making the Nopeli a hardy people.

Civilizations have dwelt on the peninsula since at least the Randeris Period. Little is known of these early cultures, with little remaining of them in history text or surviving archelogy. The modern Nopeli's history began at the end of the Valmon Age as the peninsula fell under the influence of Old Capedo. The Capedian moved into the region, building several ports along the peninsula's coast, the most important of these being the city of Nopum (today known as New Open) at the northern tip of the continent.

As the Lakorthian Age began Old Capedo declined, being replaced by the new Novyum power, the city of Lakorth. While the transition between the powers saw struggles in the Heartlands, little seemed to change on the Nopum Peninsula. The Nopeli accepted the new rulers from the south and continued as they had under the Capedians. The people thrived and prospered.

After centuries of prosperity under the Lakortha, the Nopeli people struggled, like so many others, with the decline of Lakorth power. These troubles began with the arrival of the Vervigon. Barbarians forced to settle on the Nopum Peninsula by Lakorth after a war between the two. The natives and the barbarians clashed in the early days, but as Lakorth declined and civil war erupted across the Heartlands, the two peoples came together to keep the bloodshed off their peninsula. By the time of Lakorth's complete collapse around 5500sc and Ethae entered into the Dark Era of its history, the Vervigon were completely integrated into Nopeli society, with the Vervigon playing a vital role in defending the region as the people of the peninsula organized into a solid independent kingdom. One of the few in Novyum that formed during the era with diplomacy and not bloodshed.

The Nopeli of the modern day, like so many in Novyum, are a product of migrations, wars, and intergrations through several attempts at unifying Novyum, and the bloody chaos after that peace decline. They may stand unique in the Novyum of today as a people of tradition and solidarity. While a century long conflict of warlords and petty kingdoms rage across the Northern Reach, the Nopeli, and their nation of Nopum, stand prospering, strong and safe.

The Nopeli have the lighter skin and hair that are common for those of normon bloodlines. Their hair colors are often sandier blonde or light brown in color as opposed to the paler colors of the Heartlands. Many chalk this up to less elf blood in their ancestorial lines. Women of Nopum cut their hair short, rarely having longer than shoulder length, while men sport long hair and breads. If hair is grown longer by women, it is expected to be braided and kept tightly wrapped above the shoulders to avoid scandal. The colder weather of the north means warmer clothing most times of the year. Women are expected to wear pants under then coats, 'to protect virtue and modesty'. Men are usually seen in thick coats and robes. Cotton and fur are common among all classes and both sexes, with wealthy men expected to be seen in public in silk outer layers over their thick robes. Eye colors range any natural color, though brown is generically the most common.

Race: Human

Ethnicity: Normon

Alignment: A people of strong laws and traditions Nopeli tend towards lawful alignment.

Age: Nopeli have an average lifespan for humans, on average, living to an age between 70 to 90 years.

Size: (Medium) Nopeli stand at an average human height of 5 feet to 6 feet tall. With men generally a few inches taller than women.

Language: The Nopeli, a people at the heart of northern sea trade, use the Common Tongue as their primary and cultural language.