Baithans

The Baithans are an ancient leanorian people located in north-eastern Leanor beyond the Dark Forest. They have lived in that area since long before the Acadeans came to Leanor and still inhabit it. The first baithan settlements were built along the shores of the river Bearith, among them the largest and most influential baithan city, Lathear. Today, the country in that corner of Leanor is known by the name of Baitha, named for its native people. The name of the country is the most obvious way in which the influence of the Baithans is noticable today, but the Baithans influenced much more than that.

Ancient baithan architecture is still found all throughout the country, particularly in rural areas, and is distinct from both western leanorian and old acadean architecture. Many of the ancient settlements are no longer populated, but are interesting destinations for historians and archaeologists. Ancient Baithans believed in the Dragons of Old like the Serbaith and Valeori, the other two most notable ancient peoples of eastern Leanor, and some do to this day, while others adopted other belief systems, for example the acadean pantheon.

In the country of Baitha many differnet cultures have left their mark during history, since the country was overtaken and ruled by outsiders many times. In many of these cases, the Baithans did not openly contest the outsider's rule in order to protect their community. They would often adopt the new ruler's culture, at least officially, to avoid any problems, while secretly continuing to practice their own religious and cultural practices. That way, they could usually sucessfully avoid persecution, even if their culture was officially banned from being practised, which happened more than once. Because of this, the baithan culture survived to this day. Sometimes, occupants even adopted certain aspects of baithan customs. That way, some baithan traditions were even carried over to other parts of Leanor and other areas.