Jundai

The **jundai** are a collective referring to the historically static and consistent tribes of Arcadia and Crotalusia. More often than not, the terms **Arcadian tribe** and **Crotalusian tribe** are more common and more readily accepted by a majority of the population except some scholars who use the term *jundai*. In times of war or general study, the Arcadian tribes are referred to by their ruling class, the **Zemori**, and likewise in Crotalusia they are referred to as the **Nazari**.

The jundai share a few different cultural aspects, including naming conventions, languages, and several customs. However, the depth of each tribe in the jundai are unique insofar that they cannot be referred to collectively in terms of culture or race. They are at one time a consistent feature of Neuphany, and another, an ancient relic of nomadic people Preliturgy.

The term *jundai* comes from the word used by Tyranno the Great to describe the peoples of Arcadia, roughly translating to "barbarian" in older forms of High Elvish. However, the term is not one-for-one with what modern depictions of barbarians would include. Rather, it simply referred to people who spoke an unknown language.

## Naming suffixes

### -ri

Tribes that end with the *-ri* suffix denote a tribe as being the supreme or apex of their province; in jundai naming conventions, it is used to specify a tribe as the "king of kings" or "highest authority." This suffix is quite rare and is usually given as an exonym by other tribes, rather than being a self-given name.

There have thus been four recorded tribes that have been given the *-ri* suffix: the Zemori, the enigmatic viceroys of Samaru; the Amtari, a lost tribe of wood elves that once dominated Tyrrhos that were enslaved by Espios; the Sasceri, the goliaths responsible for constructing the iconic Saskens; and the Nazari, the unified tribes of *Nazaria* that dominate Crotalusia today. Though the Jintuanari are also given some status as a *-ri* tribe, the Jintuanari have not been documented extensively to make definitive claims of their size.

### -di

The *-di* suffix indicates that a tribe is the simplest form of "king" and indicates a middle-gentry vassal state or an independent state that have holdings of considerable size. Generally a tribe with a *-di* suffix has sworn itself to a *-ri* tribe, or maintains lands without a superior power.

Most *-di* tribes exist in Arcadia, particularly the southern and southeastern lands along the Strait of Espios. Such a suffix is associated most often with humans and githekos.

### -vi

When a tribe's name contains the *-vi* suffix, it is a signifier that the tribe is itinerant (does not contain permanent holdings), but is still powerful enough to exert power over other tribes. Their praetorian structure designate both their relative size, and the fact that they move around their respective provinces.

Steppe nomads and coastal pirates are the most common bearers of such names. Specifically, former Falians often take on the *-vi* suffix.

### -mi

Like the -*vi* suffix, a *-mi* suffix suggests a tribe is itinerant or at least contains no permanent holdings. Unlike their counterparts, however, *-mi* tribes are much smaller and can be easily mistaken for caravans. They are not especially noted by the Nazari nor the Zemori as being part of their heirarchy.

Cagots and Auber tribes are the most common -*mi* tribes in Arcadia and Crotalusia, though their frequency is debatable given that they are too small to be recorded by their master tribes.

### -ni

The lowest classification a tribe with consistent holdings can be given is the suffix *-ni*, which indicates that they are insignficant at the margin in terms of collecting tribute, taxes, or mustering forces. They are the "lords" and "barons" and swear fealty to a *-di* tribe, acting almost like a feudal fief.

This suffix is given to a diverse range of tribes, ranging from humans to githekos as well as a select few goliath tribes that remain in their Saskens.

## Jundai races

The races that compose the jundai tribes are diverse, though they segregate and assimilate themselves on the margin. That is, while a jundai tribe can be Auber, Cagots, humans, or other races, tribes are monoracial and contain one (rarely two) of such races. In the event of a warband or army being formed by a supreme tribe, this is usually respected when battalions are being formed.

### Githekos

Of the 77 tribes of Arcadia, over half of the tribes are explicitly gith in their composition. These are divided into the Falian and Fabian components, though 37 of the tribes are Falian and only three are Fabian. In Crotalusia, only three of the 81 tribes are gith.

Githekos names among the jundai are fairly simple, as seen in the table. The first syllable is a number associated with their ancestral *yan'ki* battalion. The second is from their ancestral caste. And finally, the final syllable is the tribe suffix. All together, these make up the forty tribes, with the Vasanthedi and the Yujacavi being the largest in size.

### Humans

Though humans are not especially numerous in Arcadia, they are the most common race in Crotalusia. They often take the names of their founder or notable landmarks. They make up just seven of the Arcadian tribes, and 32 of the 81 tribes under the Nazari.

Most are of Hiberian or Sagatae descent, with the former tracing their roots to the Magdamolia and the fall of the Dinamid Republic, and the latter having lived in the mountains since the time of Tomyra the Great.

### Goliaths

Having been scattered by the armies of Tyranno the Great during the Epicurean War, the Sasceri were greatly reduced in number over time as they were relegated to isolated mountain encampments for centuries. However, over time, they emerged and began to dominate *Barbaria*, and with the collapse of the Ascani Empire, established a firm grasp of power that was finally recognized under the Nazari. In a matter of fact, most of the Nazari are indeed descendants of the Sasceri that once dominated the south.

Most tribes of goliaths have absorbed into the Nazari, however there are likely some holdouts throughout Arcadia in well-hidden Saskens. In Crotalusia, 29 of the 81 tribes are descendants of the Sasceri. They are easily recognized by their stature and even today dominate most of *Nazaria*.

### Auber

Most Orcish peoples that dominated Arcadia in the Third Era were enslaved and brought elsewhere, into Cascadia and Tyrrhos. Only four tribes remain from these chaotic times, made up of many Omerads that have all but disappeared elsewhere in the Old World, and the Bahgtru orcs that have seemingly become kin to giants.

The Auber that remain in Arcadia are not truly "unconquered" as they have fallen under heel to Falian conquest and Zemori influence. However, the four tribes that remain today refer to themselves as Bahgtru before ever calling themselves Auber, lest they be confused for their "slave" brethren. This does not include the tribes of Yutros, who occupy a different order and are not considered jundai.

### Cagots

Among the many itinerant tribes of both Crotalusia and Arcadia are a smattering of Cagot caravans, which travel across the Old World. Though not exclusively tribes of any one region, most assume that the nomadic Cagots would be quick to call Arcadia home given that it was one of the few places they ever found permanent residence.

Among the tribes of the jundai, Cagots make up just two of the 77 tribes of Arcadia and one of the tribes in Crotalusia. However, this fails to include the many caravans that pass through from time to time, as they do not refer to themselves by jundai tribal names.

### Nodians

The reptilian Nodian peoples of Crotalusia at one time threatened to overrun *Corrivalia* and possibly all of Arborea at one time, though the weak alliances they tend to form inhibit their usefulness in serious conquest. Though they don't grasp concepts like oaths and social contracts, the Nodians understand heirarchies, and among the mountains and ill-drained mires along southern *Utetoria* and elsewhere, Nodians make up the bottom of most heirarchies.

Nodians comprise nine of the 81 Crotalusian tribes, though this is not an expression of their number. It is alleged that hundreds of thousands of Nodians inhabit *Venetia* and *Utetoria*, though their reclusiveness means that speculation is the best tool available to count their numbers.

### Dragon-men

At one time one of the most numerous of the jundai, the dragon-men of the world dramatically fell during the War of the Dragons, having been previously weakened by incessent Merovian conflicts and campaigns by the Twelve Peers. This ultimately led to their bowing to the Nazari, at one time one of their greatest enemies and rivals, to prevent their culture from disappearing entirely.

So long as dragons bleed, dragon-men will exist, and a tribe exists in Crotalusia for each of the dragons that have one time revealed themselves in Neuphany.