Tathian
Rebuilders of Civilisation
Our old lords have left us stranded alone in the darkness, but we mustn’t fall prey to the barbarous ways that have taken hold in other parts of the region. We must strive to be a beacon of light to those who would wish to build a new civilisation. One day we Tathians will have surpassed the old Rahya in greatness and only the most learned scholar will even know what came before us.Tathians are an intelligent and ever-progressing culture native to the green and mountainous heights of Tathland on the south-eastern corner of Pekkola. Their people were the first in the region to be subjugated by the Rahyamin Empire centuries ago and while they were willing to put up a fierce resistance at first, they soon learned to value the advancements their overlords had brought to their homeland. Now after the old empire has fallen, the Tathians seek to forge a new and better civilisation which could surpass the foreign one they were conquered by before.
Appearance
Abroad in foreign lands the Tathians have a stereotype of being incredibly short, always actively fiddling around with something, and constantly being indecisive about everything. While a bit exaggerated, there is a grain of truth to such prejudices. The natives of Tathland are indeed shorter on average, but unlike the stories which claim that their heads may only reach a Ceired’s stomach, Tathians are only around ten to fifteen centimetres shorter on average.Heads
The Tathians have white skin with a somewhat tan appearance which becomes more prevalent as they work outdoors during their warm summers. Locals with darker skin are uncommon, usually descendants of Rahya settlers or other wandering adventurers.Their eyes are typically a shade of brown or dark grey with blue eyes only prevalent in trade centres and regions with regular contact with the Vakner.
Jet black and dark brown are the most common natural hair colours and the colour of someone’s hair determines what coloured tattoos they could get.
The first to recive our prosperity and protection in those desolate northern lands were the Tathians. They are a strange people who appear fascinated with our ways.
What's strange about them is their length. One soldier of the Rahyamin Empire would tower two of these natives stacked upon one another.
Culture
According to the adherents of the native Tathian faith, Erôge, God of Rebirth, announced to the Tathian people that it will be them who will build up a new and greater civilisation. Because of this perceived destiny that they are supposed to have, Tathians can be quite revolutionary and experimental, always searching for a better way to run things.
Reactionaries
Unfortunately for the common carpenter or shepherd, this way of seeking progress doesn’t always take the average person’s interests into consideration and the changes are hard to adjust to constantly. Sometimes those who aren’t able to learn the changes quickly fall down the cracks of society and suffer at the hands of this relentless drive for progress. These types of people have been known to join up with reactionary organisations and many of them prefer a simple life in the highlands.As some of you may have noticed a couple of the boys from the village have gone missing. I regret to say that something terrible has happened. These young men have turned their back on our march towards an enlightened world and now cower somewhere in the hills. Let them stay there and suffer from their consequences until they see the error of their ways.
Homogeneous Society
Unlike with the other cultures of Pekkola, the Tathians are very homogeneous, with all of them speaking various mutually intelligible dialects of the same Heahlige language. The dialect least understandable to most of Tathians would be the one spoken by the inhabitants of the Dagoridhs. Those islands are far from the core heartland or their people so the distance along with exposure to nearby Vakner culture has affected the way the locals there speak.Warfare
While most would prefer to win their wars on the field of battle after a decisive success, the Tathians instead favour a more elegant and less destructive way of warfare. During their great advancement of civilisation many Tathian leaders decided that warfare as it had always been was too barbaric. They began looking into alternative ways of solving disputes and learned that espionage could be a viable way to avoid bloodshed.
The Tathians hope that their reliance on spies and special stealth forces will allow them to avoid their primary weakness when fighting foreign forces. Over the years they have become renowned for lauching operations in enemy territory and caputring crucial leaders, ending wars with as few casualties as possible.
A Ceired or Vakner man could easily overpower a common Tathian soldier on the battlefield so avoiding that through clever means is the Tathians aim.
The Tathians are becoming overconfident in their abilities to infiltrate us. Their armies are small and poorly equipped and I swear that this will bring about their demise.
Related Organizations
Related Locations
Tathian Names
"Now after the old empire has fallen, the Tathians seek to forge a new and better civilisation which could surpass the foreign one they were conquered by before." -> this really caught my interest. I love how they will rise again, stronger this time.