Other Peoples of Dragaera

• Easterners
  • Dragaerans vs. Easterners
• Dragaerans outside the Empire
• Serioli
• Cat-centaurs

Easterners

There are numerous tribes or nations of Easterners [FHYA 12]. Vlad's ancestral homeland is Fenario, east of the Pepperfields, named for its legendary founder, Fenarr. (Legendary to the Fenarians of Vlad's time, that is; Khaavren, who is Brigadier of the Guards in Vlad's time [Tek 201], made the Treaty of Pepperfields with Fenarr [TPG 376-380].)

According to Paarfi [POTD 27] the Nemites are a peaceful agricultural people living east of the Grinding Pass through the Eastern Mountains, between "the warlike Letites to the north and the fierce Straves to the south". Esania is probably roughly east of the valley of the Nemites [POTD 28-29] the young Morrolan, less than twenty miles from home [POTD 30] at the start of his quest, finds that the Esanian pennies he is carrying are accepted in the village of Blackchapel although they are not the local coinage ("fennicks" [POTD 31], which seems to be derived from the German "Pfennig"). The local language is called Olakiska [POTD 34]. [2003-05-17]

The different nations of Easterners look different to each other, but not to Dragaerans (though Kiera is an exception), or so Vlad thinks [Orc 71]. All we know about them, except for the Fenarians, is some of their personal names. That is, although we meet some Easterners whose names are of different identifiable origins in our world, I haven't noticed any other characteristics that would distinguish them.

In Brokedown Palace the Fenarians had occasional trouble with raiders from other Eastern lands. Alfredo, the Palace sorcerer, is a foreigner.

During a discussion on the Dragaera Mailing List in February or March, 2003, the question came up of whether Easterners are Terrans-- more precisely, descended from Terrans. I asked Brust

1. whether his comment on the nickname "Noish-pa" didn't constitute evidence that Easterners are, in fact, descended from Terrans, and
2. whether I could quote it to that effect.

1. Right.
2. Yup.

See also the sections on Fenarian and Easterners' names.

Dragaerans vs. Easterners

How are Dragaerans different from Easterners? Let me count the ways. No, never mind, I'll just list them. Compared with Easterners, Dragaerans...

• visible differences
  • are taller
  • are stronger
  • don't get fat [Drg 119]
  • don't get visibly very muscular, except Orca and Tsalmoth [] (but see "Dragaeran Muscles")
  • don't go bald [Drg 119]
  • have no facial hair ("whiskers")
  • have no body hair [Orc 52,115;Ath 118]
    (We see this only from the Dragaeran point of view, as Savn and Kiera deal with Vlad's wounds.)
• other differences
  • live fifty times as long
  • aren't nauseated by teleportation [Tlt 18;Drg 21]]
  • don't conceive unintentionally [Yen xxx]
  • have somewhat different metabolism [Jrg 99]
  • don't dread Morganti weapons [Drg 32]

Dragaerans Outside the Empire

The islands off the coast of the Dragaeran Empire, including Greenaere, Elde, Holcomb, and Landsight [FHYA 3xvi], are not part of the Empire, which has had numerous wars with them. The sky (of Greenaere Island, at least) is clouded by the same overcast, but it is thinner than over the Empire. The inhabitants are racially Dragaerans, but they are not citizens of the Empire and have no House (Vlad observes in Aibynn features of several Houses [Phx 43]) and no link to the Orb.

(In fact, the gold Phoenix stone that occurs on Greenaere blocks sorcery [Phx 210], including a citizen's link to the Orb, as far as 10 miles from shore [Phx 65]. It also blocks divine manifestation [Phx 12], which leads to some interesting thoughts.)

From what we see of Greenaere Island in Phoenix, the islanders seem to be technologically behind the Empire; not surprising, considering how much the Empire depends on sorcery. On the other hand, Aibynn considers the best drummers in Adrilankha to be fairly primitive.

Serioli

We, the readers, never meet any of this "half-legendary magical race" [Drg 107, Vlad] until Chapter 7 of Dragon. They are even shorter than Easterners [TPG 364-365 (Paarfi), Jrg 141, Drg 108 (Vlad)]. Paarfi says they are "expressionless" [FHYA 106], but the one Vlad meets in Dragon evidently laughs and chuckles, and at least one time has "an expression I couldn't read" [Drg 112]. They produce musicians [TPG 302] and dancers [TPG 256] (but is "Jggo!f'tha the bone-dancer" a dancer, a magician, or something else?); and they make Morganti weapons (the heat of their forges seems to be proverbial [FHYA 176]), inlay work (Tazendra's buttons [TPG 11]), water clocks [Phx 94], and a rare dessert wine [Jrg 232].

See also the sections on Serioli language and names.

Cat-Centaurs

Later, in the Paths of the Dead, Vlad meets their goddess, Kelchor [Tlt 152-153], to whom Paresh once prayed in vain [Tek 28]. And that is all we know of them.

Notes

the "Bone Dancer" bit wasn't actually (for a miracle) stolen from Emma, although lots of other stuff has been.