Xha’en

The Xha’en are an ancient people who have inhabited the western lands of Akados for thousands of years. Originally living in small nomadic groups, they spread over an enormous range from the Tsendarkar Mountains in the north to the Utterends in the south, and between the Caerulean Ocean in the west to the forests of the Green Realm in the east. Over many centuries, they moved from a hunter-gatherer culture to a more settled agrarian lifestyle, particularly in the rich farmlands of the Plains of Xha, where villages grew into towns, and towns grew into cities, eventually becoming some of the largest in all Akados. Their expansion brought the Xha’en into conflict with the other people of The Plains, the Senge, but by –1302 I.R. (0 XC), those others were defeated and driven to the east near the Sengejia Hills.
Today, most Xha’en live in the Xha’en Hegemony, an empire of city-states and territories, all of which owe allegiance to the emperor in the city of Xha’ahan. After millennia of uninterrupted development, the Xha’en are highly advanced in the fields of art, science, magic, architecture, and military development, and have developed an elaborate hierarchical culture. While old tribal traditions still hold sway in villages and in the countryside, most city-dwelling Xha’en are sophisticated and well-educated and hold to the pursuit of learning and worshipping the gods of the Imperial Pantheon.
Xha’en society is bound up in a complex web of laws, traditions, and bureaucracy, and people of all levels are expected to know the rules under which they must live. On the other hand, there is also a long tradition of revering those who overcome unjust limitations imposed by the culture, and many of the heroes of Xha’en legend are notorious for their iconoclastic and subversive ways — though always within certain acceptable bounds.
For nearly the entire history of their people, the Xha’en have lived almost exclusively within the bounds of the hegemony, isolated from most of the other great cultures of Akados. Only in recent years have outsiders come to do more than visit, most particularly when Castorhage established colonies on the Bream Islands starting in 3210 I.R. In turn, some Xha’en have now begun to travel outside their lands, and a sizable mercantile enclave now exists in Castorhage itself.
Given their wide distribution and centuries of development, the Xha’en vary significantly in appearance. Northern Xha’en tend to be taller, while those from the southern cities are somewhat shorter, with broader, stronger builds. Complexion ranges from tawny in the north to rich bronze in the south. Mountain-dwelling Xha’en tend toward a rich ochre tone. Nearly all Xha’en have black hair, though red and brown are sometimes seen. Facial hair is rare, while eyes are generally dark — black, brown, and rarely a very deep green, with varying degrees of epicanthic folding.