The Mygar Horse Lords
Stories of The Tzigani tell of their ancestors, the Mygar Horse Lords, as one of the oldest recollections in history. During the Age of Antiquity, after the rise and fall of the Saints during the War of the World Tree, the continent of Shadar was left scattered. Settlements were sparse and countries that were once grand now could barely farm their land, much less defend it. In the Hadur Mountains lived a nomadic people known then as the “Mygar”, a people of tradition and rich heritage that kept themselves separate from the businesses of the Gods and the Saints.
From these nomads, six Orc and Half-Orc princes rose to lead their people down the mountains to take the more fertile land for themselves. They would become known as the Mygar Horse Lords - feared and capable warriors who rode atop golden horses called the Ranhyrren. It is from these warriors that modern Tzigani draw their skill as horse riders and mounted combatants - as the Mygar of the time were able to use cavalry and guerrilla tactics to capture massive swaths of land from the Elven Kingdoms of the time and became one of the most dominant societies of the Age of Antiquity.
While this new kingdom did not last forever, from it spawned the many stories of the Horse Lords, who were beloved by their people and immortalized into myths and songs, buried in tombs with their captured wealth that are still rumored to exist in the Tzodero Steppe and the Csordani Ridge. This kingdom also is the cultural origin of the title of “Kende” as spiritual leader and the practice of a traveling circus festival, the first of which was called the “Red Circus”.
The end of the Mygar kingdom came with in-fighting between the surviving princes and their heirs, leading to many glorious songs and equally glorious deaths. In a weakened state, neighboring Elven Kingdoms were able to enter the region and reclaim the land of Shadar - ushering in the start of what would become the Age of Queens. After this loss, the disparate tribes of the region came together under a common lineage, bringing in refugees and lost souls into their midst, calling themselves The Tzigani.
