Naerisi

***“**There are some that tell me to abandon Asyus; to retreat west. They look at the gigantic Human armies knocking on our door, and they tremble in fear and run to Whitecrest. They are no Naerisi. They are cowards.**”***
— Hyllion d'Avyni

**Naerisi** are one of the oldest races in Enselonde, created alongside the Faerians and the Hyllidans. They are considered part of the Old Races. Much like the Faerians, the Naerisi have suffered greatly after the fall of the Freeholds to Human nations and to the Darkest Decade. However, whereas the Faerians clung to their ancient traditions and cowered under the protection of the Divines, the Naerisi chose to adapt to the cruel world around them.

Nowadays, the Naerisi have become one of the most heavily militarized races in all of Enselonde. They have no intention to be driven to extinction, and almost every Naerisi is trained to fight from a young age. They live in isolated – and usually fortified – towns, mainly across the North. Many serve in underground movements, waiting for a reason to launch a guerilla war against any who dare threaten their existence.

Many view the Naerisi as a once noble race that has fallen from grace and turned into savage barbarians. Yet, their reputation precedes them, and only a fool of a ruler will try to cross the Naerisi inside their borders, lest they face the result of centuries of bitterness.

## Appearance

One might mistake a Naerisi for a Human at first glance. However, there are a few distinct ways to tell them apart.

* Naerisi are, on average, shorter than Humans, with most being around 130-150 cm tall.
* They have cat-like eyes and can see exceptionally well in the dark.
* They have forked tongues.
* Naerisi nails are gray in color. They are longer and much sharper than a Human's.
* They have two bumps on their forehead, one above each eyebrow.
* They are naturally stealthy and are particularly hard to spot in the shadows or at night.

## History

### Before the Withdrawal

The Naerisi were created by the Goddess of Life, Nyara, in 635 BW alongside the Faerians and the Hyllidans. They were granted areas in the North, around the sites of modern-day Wyrsia and western Fühlgart, as well as in the Eastland near modern-day Toscov. When the Divines permitted the creation of the first states, the Naerisi founded the Freehold of Shylia in 608 BW in the North and would later found the Freehold of Inafel in the Eastland in 603 BW. For a long time, these two massive Freeholds would be the only Naerisi nations.

When the first Humans were created, they were granted to the three races as workers. These workers quickly turned into little more than slaves. However, the Naerisi proved to be the kindest slavemasters and would – generally speaking – treat Humans better than their Faerian and Hyllidan counterparts. This led to the Naerisi Freeholds not being affected by the First Human Rebellion in 378 BW. However, while the Rebellion was put down, the thought of freedom was now well-engraved in the minds of Humans across Enselonde. Frequent slave revolts, albeit smaller ones, broke out across Naerisi territory.

The Second Human Rebellion in 144 BW would not spare the Naerisi, however, as both Shylia and Inafel descended into chaos. Nearly 40 years of brutal guerilla fighting broke out across Enselonde. In a bid to influence the conflict, the God of Magic, Lateos, granted the use of magic to the three dominant races, including the Naerisi. While this proved decisive in an open fight, the battles of the Second Rebellion were far from over. In 127 BW, constant guerilla attacks and instability led to the collapse of Inafel, and the rise of the Kingdom of the Eastland.

The Second Rebellion ended 106 BW, with a minor non-Human victory. However, Inafel was gone forever, and the grassroots Human kingdom there had been firmly established as the dominant power in the region. The Divines did not intervene in the fate of the Eastland, however, as the other Freeholds on the continent also began to fall. Disgruntled with Divine inaction, the most prominent figures of Shylia came together with a plot.

In 104 BW, the Freehold reformed itself into the Kingdom of Shylia, severing all ties with the Divines and becoming totally independent. Unsurprisingly, this was seen as an act of high treason, and the other Freeholds immediately rallied against Shylia with the support of the Divines. What followed was the Shylian War, the first major conflict between the three races. However, the Naerisi were no match with the wrath of the Divines. The Kingdom was dissolved in 99 BW, split into three weakened Freeholds with constant Faerian oversight: Ukhydia, Sallynia, and Mylnia.

When the Third Human Rebellion broke out in 96 BW – only three years after the establishment of the three states – the Naerisi Freeholds were woefully unprepared for a significant conflict. With their manpower depleted by the Shylian War and their economy in ruin, Ukhydia and Sallynia fell almost immediately. Only Mylnia remained, barely clinging to life in the far north. The situation was all but hopeless, and the total collapse of all Freeholds looked imminent, were it not for Lyxis the Blind.

The Hyllidan Empress of Nytalyria invaded the North in 53 BW, rapidly driving back the Human armies with her experienced battlemages. As she tore through Human forces with ease, the destruction of magic became all too apparent once again for most mortals. Lateos, fearing that Lyxis and her mages would destroy the reputation of magic, set out to kill her. Yet, he was defeated in a duel with the Empress, being utterly obliterated. Lyxis ascended to godhood, while magic spread across Enselonde unregulated.

Now a proper Usurper God, Lyxis stormed through the North, relieving Mylnia in 50 BW and reconquering the territories of Shylia. However, a question of power arose in these new territories. Lyxis was in no mood to reinstate Freeholds that served as little more than weak rump states. She had Mylnia disbanded in 48 BW and created a set of so-called "New Freeholds." The Naerisi received several new states: Avilon, Aiathael, Laenius, and Innyria. These New Freeholds would rule over the area initially granted by the Divines to the Naerisi.

### Innyria

After the Third Human Rebellion and the Divine War ended, the Divines of Enselonde withdrew themselves from the world, leaving the mortal races to their own fates. Lyxis the Blind and Nytalyria gave the New Freeholds total independence. Yet, many were ill-suited to handle them. While the first centuries went relatively well, the Freeholds slowly began to crumble to infighting, corruption, or just plain incompetence. Humans migrated from the South to the North. Small Human stateless sprung up across the North like weeds, taking territory off the Freeholds piecemeal until their inevitable collapse.

Avilon, Aiathael, and Laenius all collapsed due to these reasons, with only Innyria remaining, albeit in a much weaker state. Yet, the Kingdom of Wyrsia sprung up on her northern border, and the Kingdom of Fühlgart to the south. It was only a matter of time for someone to make a move on the last Naerisi nation. That day would come in 746 AW with the Wyrsian-Innyrian War. To make matters worse, Fühlgart joined the war a year later from the south. Innyria collapsed to the Human world.

However, one Naerisi general and nobleman, Hyllion d'Avyni, singlehandedly set out to preserve the Naerisi legacy. He gathered his troops at – at the time – the relatively small town of Asyus. Here, he militarized every last citizen of the town and from the grasslands to the west, starting a brutal guerilla war. Both Wyrsia and Fühlgart tried and failed over and over to take the Grass Sea from d'Avyni, yet he held out the storm. Eventually, they settled on a peace treaty. The Freehold was lost, yet the Duchy of Western Innyria remained.

Western Innyria, at first glance a rump state in an underdeveloped empty area, would be the last true Naerisi nation. Hyllion d'Avyni, knowing that the fall of Western Innyria would be the fall of the Naerisi, changed society drastically. Learning how to fight became a mandatory activity. If any would dare to invade, it'd be the last regret they'd ever have. That mentality was tested multiple times by both Wyrsia and Fühlgart. Yet, every time, their armies would be picked off by enemies unseen.

The Innyrians had abandoned the old ways. If they were to survive, they had to get their hands dirty. The militaristic nature of Innyria spread to other Naerisi throughout Enselonde. This old race became hostile to those who weren't Naerisi. Some would call them paranoid. Yet, their fears would be justified in time.

### The Darkest Decade

After the Collapse of the Sapphire Empire, many Humans in the south were looking for someone to blame. In the Sapphire Empire of Da'al Mon, the local Emperor, Taslona I, blamed the Dryads for corrupting the Sapphire Empire. He appointed former Daletian general Rahmiero as the head of the newly formed Sapphire Inquisition.

The Inquisition under Rahmiero began targetting Dryads, robbing them, stripping them off their land, attacking, and sometimes killing them. When the Dryads fled Da'al Mon en mass, other non-Human races began being targeted. The Inquisition rapidly spread across the border to other Sapphire states who faced their own legitimacy issues. The South became almost completely inhospitable for non-Humans. The Darkest Decade had begun.

The Naerisi were one of the more well-prepared races. Many Naerisi disappeared into the night, never to be seen in public. They fled to the countryside and formed wandering gangs, attacking Inquisitors and towns in all-out guerilla warfare. Western Innyria fielded its largest army to date, fortifying all borders with other nations and closing the country off to the outside world. Even non-Naerisi refugees were turned away, drawing much criticism. However, Innyria would not be attacked by the Inquisition.

The Naerisi were a constant thorn in both the Inquisition and the Human rulers who enabled them's sides. Yet, they simply didn't do anything too noteworthy besides acting as guerillas. There were no big battles; they fought from the shadows. Ultimately the Darkest Decade would end when the Goddess of the Sun, Cossyxia, destroyed Kirisil, the capital of Da'al Mon.

The Naerisi slowly returned to civilian life, and Western Innyria reopened its borders. However, they showed their determination to survive at all costs and turned many Inquisitors into examples. The Darkest Decade cemented the Naerisi reputation of being savages and barbarians, yet, they had proven their point.

### Present Day

Not much has changed since the Darkest Decade for the Naerisi. Western Innyria remained neutral during the Great War. They were attacked by a small Republican expedition, yet this was mainly done to test them. Unsurprisingly, the force was slaughtered like animals by the local population. Western Innyria remains a neutral yet heavily militarized state.

Outside of Western Innyria, the Naerisi are often viewed with distrust. They are one of the more infamous races of Enselonde, yet they have long passed the point of caring about reputations. Many fear that the Naerisi are plotting from the shadows, and, to an extent, this is true. However, they don't long to dominate the world. The only wish is for the continued existence of their race.

At any cost.

## Naerisi Nations

* Duchy of Western Innyria

Sizeable Naerisi Presence

* Republic of Ostland
* Republic of Southern Wyrsia
* Republic of Toscov
* City-State of Whitecrest
* Free City of Whaler's Bay