Jaadi

The Jaadi are the dominant ethnic group in Ek Jad, and speakers of Jaadi. Long ago, they ruled over a vast kingdom which encapsulated the island nation of Yei and the lands of current-day Najamur and Sassam, places where spoken Jaadi still rings through the streets. Their leaders, the Shiith'e, brought a great civilizing influence to these areas when they were underdeveloped, introducing works of monumental art and architecture to their settlements, and infusing into their educational systems the intellectual traditions of astrology, astronomy, mathematics, music, and alchemy.
Generations ago, anyone living in the Jaadi realm would have struggled to imagine a force that could topple such a mighty reign, for no such power in all Pendahar was near Ek Jad's equal. And indeed, no Pendaharut did bring the kingdom to its knees: It was instead the rise of the mammoth Uvan Empire that would accomplish this feat, from the faraway continent of Tyril. As the Uvan grew in stature and in wealth, it began to extend its networks of trade and Sassam and Najamur's proximity meant that they were the first to sign into profitable agreement. The resulting windfall in turn elicited a thirst for independence among the peoples of those nations and effective rebellions were staged that splintered the once-great kingdom of Ek Jad, those in Sassam dubbing themselves the Duyyeda, and in Najamur, the Ngwëd. Separate sets of laws and even customs evolved quickly in the wake of the overthrow.
Today, the Jaadi move forward, as they must, if somewhat with the appearance of having their proverbial tail between their legs. Their financial sway much diminished, they do what they can to administer their own territories with the greatest semblance of pride possible, considering the situation. Even Yei, being terribly poor, managed to crawl out from under their thumb, its people eschewing their only-ever surface belief in the Jaadi deity, Huw Jdeb, and reaffirming ties to Tifwa Akn and their own patron god, Jailindulayin, the All-Seer.