Lore:Nede

:"...human settlers occupied nearly every corner of Tamriel before Skyrim was even founded. These so-called "Nedic peoples" include the proto-Cyrodilians, the ancestors of the Bretons, the aboriginals of Hammerfell, and perhaps a now-vanished Human population of Morrowind. " —Frontier, Conquest
The Nedes (also known as the Nedic peoples or rarely Nedelings)    were a human race (or a group of races) of unknown extraction, who inhabited much of Tamriel during the Merethic and First Eras. The society of the Nedes who lived in Hammerfell (then called the "Deathlands")   largely followed the Cult of the Stars which revolved around the worship and study of the constellations, and beings known as the Celestials. Nedic culture experienced a sharp decline over several centuries as they began to assimilate into other cultures, before being completely exterminated by the Yokudan invasion of Hammerfell. }}     
History
Origins
The origin of the Nedic people is hotly debated. There are two major theories: one claiming the Nedes are native to Tamriel, and another claiming they migrated to   from  :



The Deathlands of Volenfell and the Beastfolk
thumb|right|A Nedic tapestry depicting the Celestials
While Nedes inhabited several of the modern provinces, it was in the sun-baked wastelands of Hammerfell which they knew as the Deathlands that Nedic civilization truly thrived. The Duraki Nedes faced numerous foreign invasions, including both the Ayleids and the Dwemer, who dismissed the Duraki as backward savages to justify subjugating them. These Nedes also frequently clashed with their neighbors, the primitive stone-worshipping Iron Orcs,   although there is evidence of harmonic periods between the two peoples.  Nedic texts often reference an event called the "Autumn of Snakes", where according to the histories hundreds of mammoth-sized snakes emerged from the ground and devoured whole towns before finally being subdued by the Nede spear-maiden, Ranev the Coal-Eyed Wanderer. Nedic scholars describe the Autumn in meticulous and near-identical detail, though that the event is now known as completely apocryphal. 

Despite these frequent conflicts, Duraki culture prospered for centuries in the Deathlands. The Nedes were known to be skilled in masonry, with their bustling cities constructed largely from stone. However, little of this stonework remains, as what wasn't completely destroyed by the invading Ra Gada was often appropriated and modified beyond recognition.  While the Duraki were known to be devout star worshippers, during the Yokudan invasion their prayers went unanswered, and many looked to other sources for salvation. This did them little good and the Nedes quickly fell to the Yokudan horde, vanishing from the Deathlands forever. 

Nedic settlement within provinces inhabited by Beast races is known to have occurred but is not well-documented. During the Merethic Era, a Nedic fort was known to have been only a short distance from a Dune adeptorium in the province of Elsweyr.  Many early human tribes are known to have once inhabited Black Marsh, among them being the Horwalli, Kothringi, Orma, and Yespest,  though they are not directly referred to as Nedes.

Under the Elves
thumb|right|One of the ruined Nedic towers of Skyreach
In many lands the Nedes existed as a minority, and had no choice but to co-exist relatively peacefully alongside elves, oftentimes in a subordinate position. There are records of self-serving Nedic knights going as far back as the Merethic Era, such as Sir Cadwell, the hero of Cyrod and champion of the Third Nedic Massacre who was once a member of Khunzar-ri's Kra'jun.  Those Nedes who settled in High Rock stumbled upon the highly sophisticated culture of the Direnni elves,
occurring gradually in the Merethic with a variety of reactions and outcomes,  and quickly became vassals under the rule of the elves.  Under the Direnni Hegemony, the Nedes lived at the bottom of a strict feudal hierarchy with the elven nobles positioned on top. The Nedes of High Rock may have also clashed with the orcs in that region.  The Direnni enjoyed many privileges over their human subjects including the 'Perquisite of Coition', the right to engage in recreational intercourse with any Nede of their choice.  

Many Direnni took advantage of this and took on Nedic concubines, which often resulted in the birth of mixed-race " " offspring who would become the Bretons. While the Bretons were not officially recognized as members of the noble houses they descended from, they often occupied social positions above those of the Nedic peasantry. Eventually this arrangement was formalized with the creation of a new caste between the Elves and the Nedes, in which the Bretons enjoyed a comfortable position in society, but were forbidden from marrying Elves in an attempt to preserve the Elven race. Eventually after generations of interbreeding with their Nedic underlings the Bretons were completely assimilated, birthing a new culture with those of the most elven blood on top. Even during the Direnni Hegemony, they ruled largely through Nedic clients, who became the later Breton nobility.  In the late First Era the Hegemony found itself under attack by both the fanatical Alessian Order and the Kingdom of Skyrim. Although the elves managed to repel the invaders, they were left crippled and demoralized, and completely withdrew to the Isle of Balfiera, passing control over the region to the Bretons. 
thumb|right|An Alessian knight rebels against his Ayleid oppressor
While relations between the Nedes and the Direnni were cordial if rather unbalanced, the Nedes suffered greatly under the tyranny of the Daedra-worshipping Ayleids. The Ayleids would commonly stage raids on Nedic lands, enslaving those whom they captured.  Once in Ayleid lands the Nedes were held in bondage alongside members of various other human races, forced to work in a variety of menial jobs, such as agriculture and maintaining infrastructure. In Ayleid kingdoms under the grip of more malevolent Daedric princes, human slaves were subjected to horrific cruelties. In the year  , the Slave Queen Alessia led a rebellion against the Ayleid slave masters, resulting in the emancipation of all slaves within the Ayleidic empire. While the slaves were freed, centuries of Ayleidic suppression and intermingling with other enslaved groups had taken their toll on Nedic culture in Cyrodiil and all that remained were their mixed race descendants, the Imperials.   

Nedic presence within Valenwood is unknown, though the Bosmer have been recorded in early history as "soiling Time's line" by taking Mannish wives. 

The Nedes also maintained a presence in Skyrim, but little is known of their relations with the native Falmer or the Atmorans who replaced them. The Nedes of Skyrim were believed to be a more primitive people than their cousins in other lands, however their skill in metallurgy was known to be quite advanced.  They were generally nomads but still had some form of a religious congregation (worshipping Arkay instead of the Atmoran Orkey).  The Nedic peoples of the late Merethic era hunted the lion population of a western valley in The Rift for its furs. 

The Nedes spread across northern Tamriel, and once had a presence in Morrowind during the Merethic,   with tribes that marched and plundered across the land.  It is recorded in Dunmeri texts that these Nedes waged at least   against the ancient Chimer in the early First Era, causing mass death and destruction and refusing diplomatic resolutions with the Chimer. After a few short years they controlled most of the modern-day Stonefalls and cut off reinforcements from the north, before being stopped by the so-called Brothers of Strife, but at a terrible cost for the Chimer.  

Disappearance and Legacy
 
thumb|left|A Nedic general makes a desperate pact with a nereid to defend Shada's Tear, one of the last standing Nedic cities, from the Yokudans
Over the centuries, various events contributed to the dwindling of  Tamriel's Nedic population. They had suffered a history of defeat and enslavement at the hands of various peoples including Dwemer, Ayleid, Yokudan and Direnni. Cyro-Nords captured Nedic ports along the   (a somewhat unknown region presumably around the Gold Coast of Cyrodiil and the southern coastline of Hammerfell).  In the west, The Nedes who inhabited the isle of Herne had long struggled against the elves prior to the Ra Gada, and though they fought a courageous battle under their Warchief Haakon, they fell before the Yokudan onslaught.  Everywhere, Indigenous populations were left broken and scattered, absorbing the cultures of conquering people, or migrating to be subsumed in new lands.  By the ninth century of the First Era, Nedic culture was confined to the deserts of Volenfell. 

In the year    the "warrior wave" of the Yokudans, the Ra Gada, made landfall in Tamriel. They quickly swarmed the province, killing or enslaving all that they crossed. Soon they had displaced the Nedes everywhere but in the remote region of Craglorn. There, Nedes embittered by the decline of their culture began to turn to sources of spiritual guidance other than the stars.   This did them little good when the Anka-Ra, one particularly brutal and conquest-hungry band of Ra Gada led by the sadistic Emperor Tarish-Zi, reached Craglorn and dispatched the Nedes as quickly as they had elsewhere. After years of struggle and decline, Nedic culture had finally met its end.

Though the Nedes no longer exist as a distinct people, much of their culture survives in the societies of their descendants. Even in Hammerfell much of the Nedic religion, custom, and language was adopted by their annihilators, the Redguards.  In Nibenay the great old Nedic traditions were maintained, remaining as one of the people true to the original Nedic culture. The Nibenese people are said to be the closest thing to a pure-bred Nede still remaining on Tamriel.  Ownership of Nedic possessions (particularly those with inscriptions) came with great prestige. 
 

Tribes
thumb|right|High King Durac, who presided over the council of Nedic kings from other tribes
The Nedic tribes were far from homogeneous. Each tribe came with its own culture, and their cultures were further mixed and admixed after arrival in Tamriel. Some were as different from each other as Reachman and Redguard.   Though they are said to have come from Atmora, Nords are sometimes considered Nede as well. 

The catch-all term "Nede" is applied so broadly to Merethic-Era humans as to be almost worthless.  The term "Nedic Tribes" actually covers a wide panoply of different human cultures of disputed origin, with a variety of traditions and practices.  Tribes were led by kings and warchiefs, ruling different parts of the Nedic realm, and were known to meet in councils with other Nedic rulers.  They were markedly divergent in appearance, such as those in High Rock mixing with elves to the point of resembling them and the Kothri of Black Marsh developing silver-colored skin. The known names given to groups of Merethic Era humans are as follows, with their status as solely being Nedes considered to be very general:

In Black Marsh:
The Horwalli were a tribe in Black Marsh that may have been sent there as refugees or prisoners, or settled along the coastal waterways and adapted to the environment. 
The Kothri were silver-skinned men indigenous to Black Marsh recorded as being enslaved by the Ayleids prior to the rebellion.  Their descendants,  the  , were the most notable of the Black Marsh tribes and were wiped out by the Knahaten Flu. 
The Orma were a tribe of men in Black Marsh.  They were born without eyes, becoming masters of their other senses,  and survived beyond the First Era. 
The Yespest were an indigenous tribe known to be active in the region around Blackrose in Black Marsh.  They may have been contemporaries of the Barsaebics, and some Imperial scholars erroneously credit them with building the ancient Argonian xanmeers.
In Cyrodiil:
The   and   were among the men herded as slaves by the Ayleids from across all the Niben in Cyrod. 
The   were among the men herded as slaves from across the Niben by the Ayleids, who were eventually "destroyed" when the Flower King   made great sacrifice to a long-forgotten insect god. 
The   were a Nedic tribe found in Cyrodiil   and Hammerfell.  They practiced the observation of the stars in the night sky, according to ancient texts such as the Perenaal Fragment.  Three members of the Perena sect called the Eternal Watchers were responsible for locking away   the Betrayer. 
In Hammerfell:
The   were a tribe that resided in Craglorn and had their seat of power at Skyreach.    Their warriors followed the ancient Nedic High King Durac against the invading  , but met their downfall after   the Betrayer slew the council of nedic kings and the tribe fell to the Yokudan onslaught.  
The Keptu or   were a tribe who settled in central Hammerfell  and the Jerall Mountains bordering Cyrodiil.   They are inconsistently described as being Nedes  and separate from Nedes,  likely a repercussion of the usage of "Nede" as a catch-all term and oversight of their differences from the Perena.   The Reachman Dreadhorn Clan are descendants of the Keptu. 
In Northern Tamriel (High Rock, Morrowind, Skyrim):
The name " " was given by the Nords to proto-Bretons that were remnants of an earlier lost Nedic tribe in High Rock. The early Nedic people who arrived in the region stumbled upon the highly sophisticated Aldmeri culture, and were quickly overwhelmed and absorbed, becoming a "mongrel race" of elf and human.  
The Reachfolk are a people of nedic descent, native to the Reach of Skyrim and the Western Reach of High Rock and Hammerfell, with close ties to the Bretons.  At least some Reachmen are known to be descended from the   Nede.  According to them, human tribes dwelled within the caves in the Druadach Mountains long before the conquests of Mer and Nords in the Karth region. 
The   were imported from the north (presumably Falkreath) by the Ayleids as slave labor.  King Kestic, who ruled a Nedic tribe from a forested region neighboring Skyreach,   may have been a king of the Men-of-kreath. 
The   were a nomadic, particularly vicious clan among those who invaded the   region of Morrowind. They were known for branding both people and items captured in battle. 

Notable Nedes
thumb|right|Lore:Kestic|Kestic, The Forest King, ruler of the Men-of-kreath
  the Slave Queen &mdash; the first Dragonborn Empress of the First Empire.
  &mdash; one of the Companions of the Merethic Era Khajiit hero   who assisted in the imprisonment of  
High King Durac &mdash; leader of the council of nine Nedic kings (The Blood, Flame, Frost, Shadow, Spirit, Storm, Sun kings) and last High King of the Nedes.
  — The leader of the clan inhabiting Herne, whom later exterminated by the Ra Gada.
Kestic, The Forest King &mdash; the king of the Men-of-kreath and betrothed to Saradin, the daughter of High King Durac.
Nhalan &mdash; a former star priest of the city now known as Shada's Tear. He objected to the pact his people made with the nereid queen Shada and was therefore punished to some sort of undeath.
  (better known as Lamae Bal) &mdash; a priestess of   who was transformed into the first  . 
  &mdash; lord and member of the regency council that oversaw the Kingdom of   circa  .
  — The leader of the Rontha invasion force battling with the Chimer in Stonefalls.
  &mdash; a mythical heroine that lived in the mountains in Craglorn. She is known for her triumphant victory in the Autumn of Snakes and her pilgrimage on the Gray Passage, where she earned the name, "the Favored of the Stars".
  — An Alessian centurion and the namesake of Bravil, built atop the ruins of an Ayleid city he captured. 

Notes
The Song of Pelinal mentions "Zuathas the Clever-Cutting Man", a Nedic healer with a keptu name who treated Morihaus when he was wounded.
 

Gallery
 

See Also
For Nede names, see here.
For a list of notable Nedes, see here.
For game-specific information, see the ESO article.

Books
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  — Folklore about nedic deity "Fat Mother"
  — Folklore about the relevance of oxen in nedic society
 

References