Tethyrian
The Sword Coast has long been home to native human tribes who intermingled with wave upon wave of immigrants, whether they arrived as conquerors or refugees. In recent centuries, these disparate groups have gradually coalesced into a relatively new ethnic group known as Tethyrians, occupying a vast territory stretching from Calimshan to the Sea of Fallen Stars. After centuries of enslavement and oppression by one group or another, Tethyrians are fiercely independent, protective of their freedoms and suspicious of threats posed by powerful kingdoms and empires. Given their disparate ancestry, Tethyrians have never developed a unique language of their own, instead adopting the language of the latest wave of conquerors or immigrants. Today most Tethyrians speak Chondathan.
As Tethyrian culture is a melting pot of Calishite, Chondathan, Illuskan, and Low Netherese, Tethyrians are tolerant of and comfortable with members of most ethnic groups, with the notable exception of upper-class Calishites and, to a lesser extent, Mulan of Thayan descent. In Calimshan, Tethyrians compose the bulk of the lower classes and have long been discriminated against by the larger Calishite upper classes. Outside Calimshan, many Tethyrians are craftsmen or caravaners, while others find employment as mercenaries in the employ of other realms. Tethyrians make skilled fighters and rogues, reflecting their struggle to survive successive waves of conquest and generations of warfare. Tethyrian culture has a long tradition of bardcraft, reflecting the absence of a Tethyrian empire at any point in history and the corresponding reliance on itinerant bards to preserve and spread Tethyrian oral history.
Tethyrians are of medium build and height, although taller and broader in build than most Calishites. Their skin tends to have a dusky hue, although on average they are increasingly fairer in complexion the farther north the one travels along the Sword Coast, reflecting a decreasing fraction of Calishite heritage and an increasing fraction of Illuskan and Low Netherese ancestry. Tethyrian hair and eye color varies widely, with brown hair and blue eyes being most common.
Most Tethyrians are proud of their multi-ethnic heritage, seeing their society as having defeated all would-be conquerers through assimilation rather than empire. Tethyrians are suspicious of remote rulers and large realms, a cultural bias reflected in predominance of city-states over kingdoms and empires in Tethyrian-dominated regions. If Tethyrians have a common weakness, it is their reluctance to come together in common cause with those who are not their immediate neighbors.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Most Tethyrians speak Common as their primary language, usually a singsong dialect known as Calant that is heavily influenced by Alzhedo and popular along the Sword Coast. They employ the Thorass alphabet. As Talfir and other languages of the original western tribes vanished long ago, their is no ancestral "Tethyrian" tongue. Instead, Tehtyrians have always adopted the languages of the latest wave of immigration. Today most Tethyrians speak Chondathan, a legacy of the mercantile invasion from the east in recent centuries, although a few speak Illuskan or Alzhedo instead.
Most Tethyrians are literate.
Culture and cultural heritage
Although the cultures of most major human ethnic groups exhibit regional variations, Tethyrian culture exhibits much greater regional variations than most. Tethyrians dwelling in Calimshan, Amn, and Tethyr share much in common with their Calishite neighbors. Similarly, Tethyrians dwelling in the North hold much in common with Illuskan culture, and Tethyrians of the Western Heartlands exhibit many cultural traits with the Chondathans who dwell to the east.
Nevertheless, Tethyrian culture does exhibit certain unique characteristics. Tethyrians place a high value on personal freedom, and regard kingdoms and empires with a great deal of suspicion. Noble-minded rebels are much admired in Tethyrian folklore, ensuring that many common bandits of Tethyrian ancestry refer to themselves as "freedom fighters." Tethyrians despise class divisions based on heritage, as they have long been subject to prejudice by their Calishite neighbors to the south. However, class divisions based on wealth and personal accomplishment play a strong role in many Tethyrian societies.
Childhood is short, with even the youngest children expected to contribute to their family's way of life. Adults earn their keep practicing the same trade as their parents, and many have the same surname as their profession. Familial, clan, and tribal bonds require that adults look out for one another, so the elderly and those who cannot earn their keep turn to relatives and friends for support.
Shared customary codes and values
Tethyrians view life as a struggle to be survived through ties to family, clan, and tribe. To a Tethyrian, freedom is the most precious gift, and the enslavement of another is the greatest sin. Although an individual may guard his freedom though skill at arms or the accumlation of wealth and status, these are merely different means to a far more precious end. Loyalty to one's kin and neighbor and generosity to those in need are considered far more lasting than the fleeting favor of Lady Luck. Although it has been many generations since the majority of Tethyrians dwelt in tribes, the cultural tradition of loyalty to those held dear is as strong today as it ever was. Where a Tethyrian lacks kin or clan, his loyalty is transferred to settlement, guild, company, band, or other organization from a young age.
Average technological level
Through centuries of assimilation, Tethyrians have adopted the best arms, armor, and equipment of other cultures. Regional variations do exist, with Tethyrians of the South favoring Calishite arms, armor, and equipment, Tethyrians of the North being partial to Illuskan equipment, and Tethyrians dwelling along the western shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars following the lead of Chondathan culture.
Arms and Armor
Despite adapting to local conditions, Tethyrians do share some preferences. Favored weapons include blades of any sort (the bigger the better--that's why they call it "the Sword Coast"), lances, maces, and shortbows (adopted from the Calishites, who adopted them from the elves). Tethyrians wear the heaviest armor practical for a task, which can range from chain shirts and bucklers to spike full plate and a large steel shield. Moreso than most human cultures, Tethyrians have a strong knightly tradition, and the typical Tethyrian soldier is a mounted one.
Animals and Pets
Tethyrians are partial to canines, particularly those bred for herding, hunting, or working. Falcons and swamp ferrets are commonly employed in hunting and often serve as familiars. Ravens are also favored as pets or familiars, particularly in the vicinity of the High Moor.
Horses are especially prized by Tethyrians as steeds and draft animals; when they go to war, the mounts are as heavily armored as the soldiers. Flying steeds, particularly griffons, hippogriffs, and pegasi, are highly prized as well, and are often available for sale in Irieabor.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Tethyrian Magic and Lore
Tethyrians have strong arcane and divine spellcasting traditions. Bardcraft is revered, and many master bards are of Tethyrian stock. The varied nature of Tethyrian heritage has produced many sorcerers as well. Likewise, the strong influence of Calishite and Netherese cultural traditions has echoes in the large numbers of Tethyrian wizards, although most learn their craft through a traditional master-appentice relationship, not by attending a formal school.
Spells and Spellcasting
The clash of competing cultures and faiths has given rise to a large number of clerics among the Tethyrian population, and the absence of large kingdoms has permitted both druids and rangers to flourish.
Spellcasting Tradition: Tethyrians favor spells that shield them against mind-affecting spells, enabling one to escape imprisonment and facilitate travel.
Tethyrian Magic Items
Tethyrians favor magic items that facilitate survival when traveling, allow discrete movement, shield against divinations and enchantments, and enable one to escape from captors. Flaming edged weapons, while holy and disruption are preferred for bludgeoning weapons, reflecting the ever-present dangers of trolls and undead hordes that issue forth from countless battlefields in Tethyrian-held lands. Armor that allows silent movement or undead protections reflect the omnipresent threat of undead as well as the long history of Tethyrians employing guerilla tactics against invading armies.
Common Magic Items: Hats of disguise, horseshoes of speed, rings of mind shield. These items are prevalent in Tethyrian lands and can be found in any large city in Tethyr, Amn, or the Western Heartlands.
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