Ethnicities of the Black Company

Forsberger: Forsberg is a northern kingdom that borders the Barrowlands where the Dominator and the Ten Who Were Taken were imprisoned. The people here have fair skin and hair. Characters from Forsberg speak Forsberger.

Juniper: In the extreme northwest, where the ice persists year round, is the city of Juniper. Remote and isolated from the Lady's efforts at consolidation and the subsequent wars against the Rebellion, they remained apart from the intrigues and conflicts in the southern lands. The people here are obsessed with death to some degree, and inter the dead in massive vaults, which is unusual for most people in the north cremate or bury their dead. Like Forsbergers, the people of Juniper are often fair in skin and coloring, though with the influx of sailors during the late spring and throughout the summer, just about any hair and eye color is possible. Characters from Juniper speak the Juniper tongue.

Imperials: Imperials include nearly everyone else in the north. They have a wide range of coloring, sizes, and shapes. However, as population centers are typically isolated, most people speak the language of their city, such as Rosean for the city of Roses. These tongues can all trace their roots back to the dead language of TelleKure.

Jewel Cities: Along the coast on both shores of the Sea Torments is a group of mercantile city-states, called collectively the Jewel Cities. Far more cosmopolitan than the cities farther to the north, cultures from all over the world can be found here. Example cities include Beryl and Opal, the former where the Black Company once served and the latter as their gateway to the north. Though the languages of the Jewel Cities all originate from the same ancestor tongue, there are many dialects, one for each city.

Plain of Fear: The people dwelling in the Plain of Fear, a bizarre place full of odd creatures, are exiles or hermits, people dissatisfied with life in civilization. In addition, there are scarce primitive tribes who wander the land in small bands. These individuals worship the Old Father Tree as a god. Characters hailing from the Plain of Fear speak the language of their band, or if an exile or hermit, the language of their former land.

Great Forest: The Great Forest, also known as the Old Forest, is a wild and untamed place filled with primitive tries from older civilizations. They frequently exchanged pelts and other goods with the people of Oar. Consummate tribes, they raided as much as they traded. These people have long lived under the psychic oppression of the Dominator, lending to their brutish and savage natures. They speak the language of their people, simply known as the Speech of the Great Forest.

Roi: The Roi are a group of nomads in the south, who travel the lands north of the Temple of Traveler's Repose. Not much is known about these people other than the fact that the ones mentioned in the books were skilled riders. They speak their own language, Roi.

D'loc-Aloc: This vast jungle was the home of One-Eye and Tom-Tom. Beneath the canopy all manner of terrors lurk, most mundane, but many magical such as the dreaded forvalaka. The people of D'loc-Aloc have dark brown skin and brown or black hair and eyes. They speak the language of the jungle, D'loc-Aloc.

K'Hlata: These are a people who dwell on the plains south of the jungle. Dangerous and superstitious, they are similar in appearance to the people of D'loc-Aloc, although they are somewhat taller. It is possible Blade was of these people, but it was never revealed in the novels. They speak the K'Hlatan tongue.

Nar: Descendants of the Black Company who served for a time in Gea-Cle, they form the religious-warrior caste of this city-state. Most of the people in Gea-Xle are similar in appearance to the K'Hlata, but the Nar are bigger, stronger, and darker. All run like wind and leap like gazelles. They are quick as cats, and strong as gorillas. They speak the K'Hlata tongue.

Taglian: The Principality of Taglios encompasses a diverse people. From the large and imposing Shadar, to the wrinkled brown men of the Shadowlands, and to the mysterious Nyeung Bao, the sea of humanity is varied throughout the lands. All people of Taglios speak Taglian, while the priest caste adds additional characters and vocabulary to the tongue to form High Taglian.

Gunni: A peaceable folk, Gunni are small and dark, but not black like the Nar. Gunni are usually clean shaven. Most wear toga-like robes, bright with a mix of colors. The robes declare caste, cult, and professional alliances. Low caste Gunni wear nothing but loin-cloths. Women dress just as brightly, but in several layers or wraparound cloth. They veil their faces if unmarried, though marriages are made early. They wear dowries as jewelry. They illustrate their foreheads with caste/cult/professional markings of their husbands and fathers. Gunni do not eat meat of any kind.

Shadar: Contrasting the Gunni are the Shadar. Men typically wear grey or white shirts and pantaloons, and all wear turbans to define their status. They are paler than the Gunni, like tanned northerners, and large, most over six feet tall. Shadar men do not shave, and some sects never cut their hair. Shadar can bathe, but few do often. They cloister their women, and so they are rarely if ever seen. Unlike the Gunni, Shadar can eat meat.

Vedhna: Vehdna are as light as the Shadar, but smaller with ferocious features. Because their religion forbids almost everything, they are somewhat dour. Vedhna wear clothing that offers a little color, and all wear pantaloons and shoes. Even the poorest Vehdna conceal their bodies and wear something on their heads. Married Vehdna wear black kaftans and wraps covering themselves so only their eyes are visible. Unmarried Vehdna are never seen. They have no proscriptions on food.

Shadowlander: The people of lands farther south than Taglios are collectively called the Shadowlanders. Many bear some resemblance to the Vehdna, Gunni, and Shadar, but the Shadowmasters had little use for religion. The iconic Shadowlander is a wrinkled brown man, usually with bad teeth, however Shadowlanders generally have the same range of appearance as Taglians. They speak a dialect of Taglian called Shadowlander, and those from farther south speak any one of dozens of dialects, called collectively the Sangel Dialects.

Nyeung Bao: These are unlike any other people in the south. Short as a Gunni, they have pale, almost gray skin, with dark hair and blocky features, and eyes like polished coal. They are reviled as a people, for most see them as thieves or worse. Usually, Nyeung Bao wear loose fitting long sleeve pullover shirts and baggy lightweight pants, generally black. Children go about naked. They see other people as lesser beings, which further distances them from connections with other southern cultures. They are the descendants of a group of refugees from another world who have since remained aloof from other cultures in the southern lands, content to keep to their own ways, though they have adopted some Gunni religious views. Their civilization exists in a river delta swamp west of Taglios. Their warriors are essentially Japanese-style swordmasters.

From Beyond the Glittering Stone

Voroshk: A family of powerful wizards who conquered the world holding Khatovar, the Voroshk are arrogant, decadent, and in many ways as wicked as those they destroyed. Most Voroshk conceal their features beneath magic black clothing. Beneath, Voroshk are fair skinned with blond or light brown hair. They are generally an attractive people. They speak their own tongue, which is quite similar to the language of Juniper.

Hsien: Hailing from the land of Unknown Shadows, the ancestral homeland of the Nyeung Bao and the world conquered by the Shadowmasters, the Hsien are just one of many people inhabiting that land. They are similar in appearance to the Nyeung Bao and speak an older dialect of the common Nyeung Bao tongue. They are somewhat more open than are their descendants, fiercely loyal and disciplined. They are essentially Chinese set during the Era of Warring States.