An Introduction to Culture & Ethnicity in Talavai

Ethnicities of Elia

• Chian (inspired by Chinese and Korean cultures)
  • Examples: Urdahna Stormfall, Ru Kai, Brother Lang
• Asab (inspired by Arab and Iranian cultures)
  • Examples: Ovet Arden, Kyra Nahib, Ieysha Ara, Rostrom "Rusty" Lockrose
• Nunangat (inspired by Inuit and South-American Indigenous cultures)
  • Examples: Sesi, Miki
• Camka (inspired by Cambodian, Burmese, and Vietnamese cultures)
  • Examples: Sangha Nahib, Chi Ngan
• Ngura (inspired by Australo-Indigenous and Mongolian cultures)
  • Example: Trampling Storm
• Moatli (inspired by Polynesian and Mezoamerican cultures)
  • Example:

It is important to note that culture and ethnicity are related but not the same.
Culture has to do with the values, skills, beliefs, traditions, and behaviours that were socialized into a person during the course of their lifetime. It is ultimately about their surroundings and how the people around them behave, not their biological parentage.
Ethnicity refers to a categorization of people by their genetic similarity, or to put it another way, shared lineage. It has to do with the biological parents of a person, not life experiences.
For more detailed information on how culture and ethnicity relate to each other in Talavai, please see:

Culture & Ethnicity in Our Campaign

The vast majority of residents of The Cahnars come from some combination of the following ethnicities, which are the most common in The Guo Empire as well:

• The Chian are the largest ethnic group in The Guo Empire, and the imperial family considers themselves upholders of Chian culture. They are based primarily on real-world Chinese and Korean peoples. Features associated with the Chian include light skin tones, elvish ancestry, epicanthal folds around the eyes, black and brown eyes, black and blond hair, and translucent fingernails.
• Asab, a stateless group who have spread across both continents, particularly the interior and western peninsula of Elia. They are based primarily on real world Arabic and Persian peoples. Features associated with the Asab include tan skin tones, dwarven and halfling ancestry, pale blue and pale green eyes, brown and red hair of a variety of shades, and bodily hair.

Compared to the average Asab citizen, the average Chian citizen is wealthier (though not by much), taller, more likely to be elvish, more likely to live on the coast, and more likely to live in a large city.
Other ethnicities relevant to the first arc of the campaign include:

• The Camka, the largest ethnicity within The Kingdom of Camkhia. They are based primarily on real world Cambodian, Burmese, and Vietnamese peoples. Features associated with the Camka include rich deep brown skin stones, deep green and blue eyes, epicanthal folds around the eyes, hairlessness, orcish ancestry, and limber builds.
• The Nunangat, the main ethnicity and culture of those who live in The Dents. They are based primarily on real-world South-American Indigenous and Inuit peoples. Features associated with the Nunangat include deep redish-brown skin tones, greyscale eyes, human ancestry, and thick and oily black hair.

Ethnicities of Kubriya

• Ifayale (inspired by real-world Yoruba and French-African cultures)
• Caraj (inspired by real-world Indian and Portugese cultures)
• Houni (inspired by real-world Ethiopian and Somali cultures)
• Yalakat (inspired by real-world Malaysian and Phillipino cultures)
• Gourem (inspired by real-world Turkish and Slavic cultures)