| Races & Such |
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| Many years before SOTL, Tortall was inhabited by a race of people known as the Old Ones. We know very little about them, except they were wiped out. It isn't clear if the modern Tortallans were descended from them or if the modern Tortallans were inhabitants who lived in Tortall before the Old Ones. The Bazhir have lived in the Great Southern Desert of Tortall since before the time of the Old Ones. They have types of magic other than the Gift, although Bazhir do have the Gift. Numair said in WM that the Bazhir had some sort of wild magic used to unite the tribes. In addition to this, the nomadic tribes are united by one figure-the Voice of the Tribes (currently King Jonathan). Every evening, every Bazhir gathers around the fire to commune w/ the Voice. This way the Voice knows what's going on w/ the Bazhir and helps settle disputes. The Bazhir are like the Bedouin Arabs in our world. Tribes mentioned in books: Bloody Hawk, Sandrunners, Sunset Dragons The K'Mir are matriarchal tribes from the mountains of Sarain. They are fierce warriors, and are always at war w/ the Saren lowlanders who hate them and sometimes take them for slaves. The 2 K'Miri clans mentioned in the books are the Hau Ma and the Raadeh. K'Miri characters inclue Onua and Buri. Thayet is half K'Mir. Tortall has a small but growing population of K'Mir. They remind me of the Mongols or Turkmens in our world, although Tammy said she based them on Southeast Asian tribes. The Doi are tribespeople known for their ability to See, or read the future. We only encounter them once, in LR when Alanna is at the Roof of the World. The Doi are known for being very secretive and shy around outsiders. They know how to survive in the cold very well and they make winter gear. This reminds me of the Sherpas, the tribespeople of Nepal who help climbers scale Mt. Everest. The only Doi tribe mentioned in the books is the Rockmouse. Jon thinks the Bazhir, K'Mir, & Doi descended from a common ancestor. |