Kainen
Kainen are a tall and hardy people from the north. Ruggedly utilitarian, the Kainen have learned to survive under many adverse conditions. Their inherent Nøerdic resistance ability allows them to save versus toxins at advantage, as well as to reduce any poison damage they may sustain to a base d3 per round, instead of d4. They are a very adaptive people, utilizing the best of the cultures around them — from technology and weaponry to more academic areas such as literature, language and religion.
The more civilized Aisheloni culture split off from the Kainen during the Age of Epiphany, abandoning their tribal nomadic ways. However, among people of other cultures, the Aisheloni and Kainen people are often lumped together as a single race, due to their similar appearance and customs. In fact, after the Age of Darkness, all Aisheloni who returned to the land of Aishelon came to be referred to in the east by the name "Kainen."NOERDENKAINEN CULTURE: This sub-group is made up of nomadic northlanders who travel the arctic regions with their herds. Besides tending domesticated beasts, their main trade is hunting and trapping. In addition to horses, Nøerdenkainen often use caribou, reindeer, and elk to pull their sleighs and wagon. The Nøerdenkainen are more "primitive" than the more advanced Düergun they dwell alongside. Living in crude timber and mud lodges, they are very democratic in thought. Ruled by tribal councils made up of both men and women, all members of the tribe are allowed their say on matters affecting the community. Ultimate authority rests in a yearly gathering of all citizens, referred to as “The Thing.” Nøerdenkainen hair ranges typically from a rusty blonde to bright copper-red, they almost always have blue eyes. Both men and women wear their hair long, often braided. Men wear full beards. ETELIANS (aka Lurvites): Etelian culture is closely tied to the land; they often dwell in the forests, plains, and riverlands of eastern Wessa. As a culture, they have a slightly lower technology base than eastern Vensians or the Vainites of the Great Kingdom, preferring to live closer to nature, in nomadic villages rather than in fortified cities. Most are organized loosely into tribal clans and associations. The name "Lurvite" (by which they came to be known in later eras) was derived from a great warlord named Kulerva who united many tribes into a single nation. On the whole, Etelians enjoy working with animals, especially with horses and dogs. The plains-dwelling horse-clans of eastern Wessa are known for painting their mounts with Rünaic symbols and icons. Many Etelians practice what might be considered a kind of pantheistic nature-worship, often focusing faith on various totem animals. Their skin tone is generally tanned brown, and their hair tends toward mid to dark brown, with hazel or brown eyes. They often wear clothing and armor made from animal hide. LANSIANS: Strictly speaking, the region of "Lansia" (the West) is the lands south of the Midrun Sea and west of the Caal River. Thus, the name Lansian is used broadly by Vainites and Kainen to refer anyone who is a "westerner" from this general area. This includes people from the kingdom of Doltrek and the White Colonies, as well as those from the region around Lake Mandor in the north and the greater farmlands around Oriliath. More narrowly defined, the word Lansian is used to refer to the non-fae or halfae people from from the western half of the Region of Wessa, to distinguish them from those of noble Elvaen blood. This may be illustrated as a continuum among the people of Wessa as follows: (WEST) Fae <-> Halfae <-> Lansian <-> Vainite <-> Leidenite <-> Kainen <-> Lurvite (EAST) Lansians tend to be better educated than their Vainite and Leidenite counterparts. Classical Elvaen culture heavily influenced the lands around Ailunar, even among those not of Fae blood. The distinction between Fae and Lansian is less a cultural one, but is more like the distinction between nobles and commoners in other lands.
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