Caernathi

The people of old Caernath.

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The Caernathi are the people of old Caernath, which fell apart in the Year of Trembling. Today they live under Sairan rule in the northern Borderlands, in the unincorporated lands beyond, in the free cities of Atur and Corth, and as exiles on the Talenta Plains. Some welcome the law and order the Sairan Empire brings. Others dream of re-forging their own nation.

People

The Caernathi are a predominantly human people, profoundly shaped by Khoravar traditions, above all those of the Seekers of Divinity. Other races were once part of Caernathi culture: orcblooded, dwarves, and gnomes. Today they are often seen as having split loyalties between Caernath and their own heritage.

The Khoravar of the north, the Seekers among them, are descended from the Bloodsails, as are the Lhazaaran elves. The Seekers hold a strong place in Atur and an ancestral place across much of Caernath. In the lands Sair has occupied, Khoravar are viewed with suspicion because of their elven blood.

Customs

Caernathi culture is half-remembered. The old proverbs are still spoken, ruefully and only half-recalled, and most have soured with the telling. “Ten rabbits are skinned together; two that scatter live to breed again.” “The wolf is long gone, and the dogs still wait to drink.” “Every bird is edible to someone.” Families still keep track of their ancestors, but by word of mouth, and few records survive. Caernathi dress plainly, darkly, and immaculately, in heavy cloaks. Much of the old martial stonework, the monoliths and obelisks and statues, has crumbled, and what still stands shows a sense of martial virtue that few now remember living by. Among the Seekers, art is sometimes made with blood.

The wolf

The wolf was the national emblem of old Caernath. How it is remembered, and how it is drawn, varies from place to place. In Vedycaer, the Caernathi Family has taken it up as a red-wolf sigil, and flying it there is a political statement.