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Races of Faerun wrote: Human, Calishite
Regions: Amn, Calimshan, Dragon Coast, Lake of Steam, Nelanther Isles, the Shaar, Tethyr, Vilhon Reach, Western Heartlands, Calishite
Racial Feats: Calishite Elementalist, Genie Lore, Harem Trained

Since the fall of the great genie empires that once ruled south of the Marching Mountains, humans descended from the slaves of the genie lords have ruled the successive empires of Calimshan. From the shores of the Shining Sea, Calishites have migrated northwards in large numbers as far as the Fields of the Dead and the Nelanther Isles, and eastward into the Lake of Steam, the Border Kingdoms, Lapaliiya, and the Shaar.Some fled disasters in their homeland or sought new opportunities, but most came as conquerors under the banner of the Shoon Empire. Outside their homeland, Calishites form the primary racial stock of the Border Kingdoms, the Lake of Steam cities, and the Nelanther Isles. Calishites also comprise, a large fraction of the population of Amn and Tethyr. Calishite ancestry, language, and culture have influenced all the lands nearby.
Calishites reguard themselves as the rightful rulers of all lands south and west of the Sea of Fallen Stars, a birthright passed down to them by the genies who once ruled the lands between the Marching Mountains and the Shining Sea. Calishites point with pride to the unbroken line of Calishite empires dating back thousands of years. With the notable exception of the Mulan, whom they consider their equals, Calishites consider themselves culturally superior to the hoards of "brainwashed barbarians" that dwell beyond their lands.
Although often percieved by other cultures as avaricious, lazy, and corrupt, in truth most Calishites seek nothing more than a lifestyle of comfort and the respect of their peers. Calishites hold the circumstances of an individual's birth as equal in importiance to his or her own achievements. The class system is strongly ingrained in most Calishites, as is the ideal of a life of pampered luxury. Money is simply the means by which one achieves idleness. Calishites place great stock in pride-in one's own achievements, family, city, and culture. Family and the role as host are likewise held in great esteem. Magic use is ubiquitous, rivaled only by the natives of Halruaa, and genies are both highly respected and feared.
Although all natives of Calimshan are known as Calishites, only those whose ancestry dates back to the slaves brought from other worlds thousands of years ago are considered members of this ethnic group. Calishites are a bit shorter and of slighter build than other humans. Their skin is dusky brown, and their hair and eyes are most commonly of that shade as well.
Calishites make skilled rogues, fighters, and wizards, and the legacy of ancient genie bloodlines ensures that many are powerful sorcerers as well. Religious fervor and monastic devotion are largely absent among most Calishites, except among the clerics of Ilmater who minister the poor, and the Tyrrans who uphold justice.
The history of the Calishite people is largely the history of Calimshan, detailed in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting.

Races of Faerun wrote: Human, Chondathan
Regions: Chondalwood, Cormyr, Dalelands, Dragon Coast, Great Dale, Impiltur, Moonsea, Nelanther Isles, Sembia, Silverymoon, the Vast, Vilhon Reach, Western Heartlands, Waterdeep, Chondathan
Racial Feats: Caravanner, Chondathan Missionary, Plague Resistant

Chondathans are hardy folk, not afraid to take risks, travel, settle new lands, and are always looking to better themselves and their families monetarily. As Chondathan culture has taken root in so many distant lands, Chondathans are comfortable in most human societies. Many Chondathans are merchants of one sort or another, selling their skills and the fruits of their labors for coin. Although Chondathans make skilled mercenaries and cunning rogues, Chondathan culture has not encouraged study of the Art or great religious fervor. Notable exceptions exist, particularly in the study of the Art among Netherese-influenced Chondathian cultures that lie north and west of the Inner Sea.
From the cradle of the Vilhon Reach, Chondathan emigrants have settled most of the western and central Inner Sea region as well as much of the Western Heartlands. Outside their homeland, Chondathans form the primary racial stock of Altumbel, Cormyr, the southern Dalelands, the Dragon Coast, the Great Dale, Hlondeth and the north shore of the Vilhon Reach, the Pirate Isles of the Inner Sea, Sembia, and Sespech. Thanks to far-wandering Chondathan traders, the Chondathan tongue is spoken in regions where the number of pureblooded Chondathans is small or nearly nonexistent. Chondathan ancestry, language, and culture form a significant portion of Damaran, Vaasan, and Tethyrian heritage.
Chondathans are slender, tawny-skinned folk with brown hair ranging from almost blond to almost black. Most Chondathans are tall and have green or brown eyes, but all builds and hair and eye hues may be seen. Those Chondathans who dwell north and west of the Sea of Falling Stars (except Sembia) are more likely to have blue eyes and have fairer complexions and darker hair than those born in the South, evidence of a significant Neterese heritage. In Chondath itself, particularly in the lands bordering Sespech, a significant Shaaran influx in recent centuries has given many natives of Chondath more of an olive-skinned hue.
Chondaths reguard themselves as having come to dominate central Faerun almost by accident; they have "conquered" more land through trade and settlement than with armies. They show little arrogance and only a small amount of pride regarding the predominance of their language and culture. Likewise, Chondathans are more apt to identify themselves by their national origins (such as Cormyrean, Dalesfolk, or Sembian) than by their ethnic group. If Chondathans do have a common vice, it is perhaps their cultural focus on wealth and its acquisition. Among Chondathans, prestige and influence are often directly tied to wealth, and it is no accident that the merchant nobility plays a strong role in most societies influenced by Chondathan culture.

Races of Faerun wrote: Human, Damaran
Regions: Aglarond, Damara, Great Dale, Impiltur, Moonsea, Narfell, Thesk, Vaasa, the Vast, Damaran
Racial Feats: Arctic Adaption, Grim Visage, Jontbrund, Lightbringer

In the aftermath of Narfell's fall, scattered groups of Nars, Rashemi, and Sosrims struggled to survive as a wave of Chondathan emigrants settles in the lands of the Easting Reach. In time, these four populations gradually coalesced into a relatively new ethnic group known as Damarans, so named for the first human realm to be founded by this integrated population. After centuries spent battling the horrors unleashed by the ancient magics of Narfell and Raumathar, Damarans are proud and stubborn folk who refuse to buckle in the face of unspeakable evils and whose worldview leans toward moral absolutes.
Although Damaran folklore derives from the ancient traditions of Nar, Rashemi, and Sossrim tribal groups, Damaran culture evolved under the civilizing influences of Chondathan immigrants and dwarven traders, and primarily reflects the mores of both these influences. After centuries of ever-expanding settlement, Damarans now make up the primary racial stock of Damara, Impiltur, Thesk, and the Vast. Damaran settlers have tamed one land after another and form a significant fraction of the human population in Aglarond, Altumbel, the Great Dale, the Moonsea region, and Narfell. Most Damarans make their living as farmers, loggers, or miners in a harsh and unforgiving land. They make indomitable foes when angered.
Damarans are of moderate height and build, with skin hues ranging from tawny to fair. Hair is usually straight brown or black, although sandy blond is not unknown. Eye color varies widely, with brown being most common. Damarans who dwell south of the Earthfast mountains more closely resemble their Chondathan cousins, while those who inhabit Vaasa have a significant Sossrim heritage. Along the eastern shores of the Easting Reach, Rashemi heritage predominates, except in Aglarond proper, where builds are slighter thanks to a significant amount of wood-elven heritage.
Damarans see live as a series of unending challenges to be overcome, many of them legacies of the hubris of long-fallen empires. For a typical Damaran, there can be no compromise with the forces of evil, even to serve a greater good. Trust must be earned, and only those deserving of trust are to be respected. Even those who inherit titles of nobility must prove themselves worthy of their inheritance. History is not something to be cherished of exalted, but rather it is an object lesson as to the folly of unchecked power.

Races of Faerun wrote: Human, Illuskan
Regions: High Forest, Moonshae Isles, Nelanther Isles, the North, Silverymoon, Waterdeep, Illuskan, Uthgardt
Racial Feats: Ancestral Spirit, Arctic Adaption, Jontbrund, Oral History

Illuskans, also known as Northlanders, are the seagoing, warlike people of the Sword Coast North, the Trackless Sea, and the Dassarin river valley. Although their ancestors founded Illusk, one of the earliest human civilizations in Faerun, as well as the great city of Waterdeep, Illuskans have long been seen as a barbaric people, having barely risen above the status of orcs in the eyes of many southerners. Illuskans are more than just barbarians, however, as their culture has given rise to powerful rune-casters, fearless sailors, and legendary skalds. They also farm, fish, and mine in their rugged lands, trading their goods with southern merchants. however, long-fallen elven empires, barriers of geography, and a cultural emphasis on raiding over trade have conspired to ensure that Illuskan culture and bloodlines have not taken root in other lands.
Illuskans are tall, fair-skinned folk with eyes of blue or steely gray. Those who dwell among the islands of the Trackless Sea and Icewind Dale are largely fair-haired, with blond hair predominating over red and light brown. Those who dwell on the mainland south of the Spine of the World are more prone to raven-black hair, and indication of significant Netherese heritage.
Illuskans regard themselves as a strong, proud people forged by the harsh environment in which they dwell. They feel they have earned, through strength in battle, the right to claim the lands they have settled. Illuskans regard most southerners as weak and decadent, two much-despised traits. However, they are fair-minded and always willing to make exceptions for those who have proven otherwise. Illuskans themselves are bold and impetuous, given to proud boasts, the consumption of prodigious amounts of mead and ale, and quick tempers.

Races of Faerun wrote: Human, Mulan
Regions: Chessenta, Chondalwood, Mulhorand, Thay, Unther
Racial Feats: Sacred Tattoo, Theocrat

Since the fall of ancient Imaskar, the Mulan have dominated the eastern shores of the Sea of Fallen Stars. Led by two pantheons of deities, the ancient Mulan empire of Mulhorand and Unther conquered at various times Ashanath, Chessenta, the Eastern Shaar, Murghom, Rashmen, Semphar, Thay, Thesk, and the Wizard's Rach cities that lie south of the Yuirwood. In their wake, these empires have left ruling elites composed almost exclusively of Mulan. After millennia of rulership, the Mulan have become arrogant, highly resistant to change, and wholly convinced of their cultural superiority.
The Mulan are firmly wedded to the use of magic, with the only major point of disagreement being whether to pursue the arcane or divine tradition. For many generations the god-kings, powerful avatars of the Mulhorandi and Untheric deities long resident on Toril, ruled both empires as incarnate gods. The somnolent rule of the god-kings permitted the development of a powerful priest class in Mulan cultures that has long struggled with practitioners of arcane spellcasting for power. Their heavy-handed clerical rule prompted repeated rebellions by wizards and sorcerers, leading to the dominance of Thay by Red Wizards of Mulan descent.
Mulan are generally tall, slim, and sallow-skinned with eyes of hazel or brown. They lack much body hair, and many, including all nobles, shave any hair that they do have. Hair color on an unshaved Mulan ranges from black to dark brown. The lower classes of Thay, Mulhorand, and Unther often have significant Rashemi or Turami blood, leading to darker complexions. Ther folk of Chessenta have long mixed with the nearby Chondathans, and pure Mulan features are rare there.
The Mulan have a long and proud history, viewing both their society and their culture as eternal. Rapid change is regarded with suspicion, and the arcane arts either warmly embraced (Thay) or viewed with deep distrust (Mulhorand and Unther). Mulan believe themselves to be more civilized, more prosperous, more creative, more powerful (should they chose to be), and in all other ways superior to all other ethnic groups. Even in the face of evidence to the contrary, Mulan are dismissive of other cultures' accomplishments and openly arrogant with respect to their own.
The history of the Mulan is largely the history of Mulhorand, Unther, Chessenta, and Thay, as detailed in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Settings.

Races of Faerun wrote: Human, Rashemi
Regions: Aglarond, Hordelands, Rashmen, Thay, Thesk, Rashemi
Racial Feats: Aftersight

Concentrated in the harsh and dangerous northeastern reaches of Faerun, the Rashemi are tough and sturdy, undaunted by extremes of weather or human cruelty. Despite their relative isolation from the rest of Faerun, most Rashemi are surprisingly well versed in the affairs of other nations, for many travel extensively as youths as part of a coming-of-age ritual known as a dajemma. Although Rashemi barbarians and rangers are widely known across Faerun, members of this ethnic group also make skilled wizards, sorcerers, and clerics.
Descended from the nomadic tribes that fought and won the Orcgate Wars and later built the empire of Raumathar, the Rashemi are most numerous human ethnic group on the Priador plateau and in the lands that border Ashanath, the Lake of Tears. Outside Thay and Rashemen, Rashemi minorities are also found in Algarond, Damara, the Great Dale, Impiltur, Mulhorand, Narfell, the Wizard's Reach, Mulhorand*, Semphar, Thesk, and Unther. Although not widespread, Rashemi culture has had a significant influence on both Damaran and Tuigan culture, and in its day the Rashemi empire of Raumathar rivaled the power of Mulhorand and Unther.
Most Rashemi average about five and a half feet in height with stout and muscular builds. Most are dusky of skin and dark of eye, with thick black hair. Rashemi makes are unusually hirsute and often sport bushy black beards. Although handsome, many seem almost ursine in nature. Baldness is almost unknown among Rashemi males, although inhabitants of Thay are known to shave all body hair in imitation of the ruling Mulan. Female Rashemi wear their black hair long, often in elaborate braids.
The Rashemi display little of the cultural arrogance common to other major human ethnic groups whose ancestors once ruled empires. Instead, they see themselves as inhabitants of a harsh but beautiful world ruled by place spirits, and cherish their strong and abiding ties to the land. Most Rashemi identify themselves by national origins (for example, Rashemaar, Thayan, or Theskan) rather than ethnicity, although centuries of harsh rule by the Mulan in Thay have done much to strengthen sympathies between the Rashemi or Thay and the inhabitants of Rashmen. Little emphasis is placed on the acquisition of wealth or ancestry, as each child is expected to earn his or her own place in the world.

Races of Faerun wrote: Human, Tethyrian
Regions: Amn, Calimshan, Cormyr, Dragon Coast, the North, Tethyr, Western Heartlands, Waterdeep
Racial Feats: Caravanner, Oral History, Shadow Shield, Shadow Song, Spire Walking

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 Silverymoon and from the Sea of Swords to the Sea of Falling 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 refugees. 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 other ethnic groups, with the notable exceptions of upper class Calishans 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 largely Calishite upper classes. Outside Calimshan, many Tethyrians are craftsmen or caravanners, while others find employment as mercenaries in the employ of other realms. Tethyrians make skilled fighters and rogues, reflecting the 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 Calimshites. Their skin tends to have a dusky hue, although on average they are increasingly fairer in complexion the farther north one travels along the Sword Coast, reflecting a decreasing fraction of Calishite heritage and an increasing faction 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 conquerors through assimilation rather than empire. Tethyrians are suspicious of remote rulers and large realms, a cultural bias reflected in the 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.

Races of Faerun wrote: Human, Bedine

The Bedine are nomads of Anauroch who migrated from Zakhara via a portal shortly after the fall of Netheril in -339 DR and intermingled with a handful of Netherese survivors. The Bedine retained the spoken language of their ancestors, Midani, but lost all knowledge of the written word. Centuries later, traders from the surrounding lands sought them out and introduced the alphabet of Thorass. The Bedine adopted the gods of the Netherese and continue to venerate At'ar (Amaunator, a dead Netherese deity reborn as Lathander), Elah (Selune), Kozah (Talos), N'asr (some say Cyric, some say Kelemvor), Shaundakul (actually Beshaba), and many little gods as well. The Bedine are found primarily in the southern, sandy reaches of Anaruroch known as the Sword.

Human, Chultan

The jungles of Chult are home to tall, ebony-skinned humans who migrated north to the Chultan peninsula millennia ago from a great island in the southern seas of Abeir-Toril southeast of Maztica and southwest of Zakhara. Two millennia ago, there were many tribes in Chult, although the Chultans and the Eshowe were the most powerful and influential. A bloody war raged between the Chultans and Eshowe from 1800 years ago to 1500 years ago, ending only after the latter group was wiped out. The Eshowe were destroyed after unleashing a great evil known as the Shadow Giant onto their enemies, only to see it turn on them after being repulsed by the Chultan defenders. In the centuries that followed, unchecked by any rivals, the Chultans assimilated most of the remaining tribes of the peninsula into a single Chultan culture, sharing a common language and somewhat uniform social structure.
Chultans, who speak Chultan, adopted the Draconic alphabet before the founding of Mezro and spread it to the other Chultan tribes. The primary god of the Chultans is Ubtao, who is said to have brought their ancestors to the peninsula the now call home thousands of years ago and have founded the great city of Mezro in -2637 DR. The remnants of the Eshowe venerate Eshowdow, a dark shadow of Ubtao subverted by Shar.

Human, Durpari

The Durpari are the relatively short, dark-skinned inhabitants of Durpar, Estagund, Veldorn, and Var the Golden. The Durpari have dwelt along the shores of the Golden Water since before the rise of the Imaskari empire. The fall of Imaskar precipitated the fall of the Durpari kingdoms and two millennia of barbarism. During this period, the Mulan of Mulhorand often slaughtered or enslaved the Durpari tribes. In -623 DR, the first Durpari kingdoms after the fall of Imaskar arose along the shores of the Golden Water, as Mulan influence over the region ebbed in the face of the burgeoning threat from Narfell and Raumathar. With the exception of Estagund, which was briefly conquered by the armies of Dambrath during the reign of Reinhar I in 551 DR, the Dupari have remained independent ever since, trading among themselves and with their neighbors.
The Durpari speak a language of the same name- derived from a mixture of Draconic, Mulhorandi, and Rauric- and employ the Thorass alphabet brought back from the west. The Dupari venerate a small pantheon of deities known collectively as the Adama, and thought to include Selune, Oghma, Gond, Torm, and Waukeen.

Human, Ffolk

The native inhabitants of the Moonshae Isles call themselves the Ffolk, although only faint vestiges of the original human tribes who bore that name still remain. Today, the Ffolk are essentially an isolated group of Tethyrians, descended from a large wave of immigration from the Western Heartlands in 467 DR. The Original Ffolk had already conceded the northern Moonshae isles to the Illuskans centuries before the arrival of the Tethyrians, yet the Illuskans are still considered the invaders by the Ffolk.
Unlike their mainland cousins, the Tethyrian Ffolk speak Illuskan, but they still employ the Thorass script. They are governed by a strong druidical tradition.

Human, Gur

The Gur, also known as "Selune's Children" or "the people of the highway," are the nomads of the Western Heartlands. Most Gurs are members of extended family groups that travel together from settlement to settlement in motley caravans selling cheap cast-offs and working odd jobs. Others have settles in the poorest quarters of cities such as Baldur's Gate, Elturel, and Irieabor, where they struggle to survive in the face of ancient prejudices. Among those few scholars who have studied their culture, the Gurs are thought to be primarily of Rashemi descent. Although they have certainly intermingled with members of other ethnic groups, they strongly resemble the natives of Rashmen. As fragments of lore dating back to the erection of the Standing Stone refer to the nomadic Gurs, it is thought that they fled their ancient homeland during or immediately after the cataclysmic battle between Raumathar and Narfell.
Speakers of an ancient dialect of Rashemi among themselves, the honor-obsessed Gurs employ Thorass alphabet and speak Chondathan with non-Gurs. Many of Selune's Children are unusually gifted oracles and find employment as soothsayers and diviners. In addition to the goddess of the moon, many prophetically inclined Gurs venerate Savras. Their secretive faith may in large part account for the continued survival of his faith during his many years of imprisonment.

Races of Faerun wrote: Human, Halruaan

During the fall of the ancient empire of Netheril, most of the land's inhabitants fled west from the spells of the phaerimm, settling in the North. But some of Netheril's folk, led by the archwizard Raumark, fled far to the south by means of great flying ships. Raumark's followers settled the sheltered basin of Halruaa, intermingling with the small population of native Tashalans in the region. There they founded the wizard-ruled realm of Halruaa, determined not to repeat the mistakes of their ancestors. Traces of Netherese culture are strong in Halruaa, including the Draconic alphabet once employed by speakers of Netherese and Loross. The Halruaan tongue is simply a modern dialect of ancient Netherese. However, worship of the Netherese pantheon has gradually evolved into the veneration of deities such as Mystra and Azuth, to a much lesser extend Savras, and, recently Velsharon.
Early in Halruaa's history, a small band of dissidents who venerates Leira, goddess of illusions, migrated westward to the distant land of Nimbral. Although the two realms share a love of magic and the Halruaan tongue, interactions between the two peoples are few and far between. The church of Leira was the state religion of Nimbral before the Time of Troubles, but the current state of religious worship in the Land of the Flying Hunt is unknown.

Human, Imaskari

The Imaskari are the legendary inhabitants of the lands now swallowed by the Raurin Desert and the Plains of the Purple Dust. Vilified by the Mulan, the artificers of Imaskar were mighty wizards who built great portals to other worlds in order to carry off thousands of slaves from distant planes. Little is known of the Imaskari, except what the Mulan chose to preserve of their ancient masters. At one point the Imaskari Empire held sway from the Endless Wastes to the Golden Water and from the Alamber Sea to the very frontiers of Kara-Tur. Ruins of tremendous antiquity is the Plains of Purple Dust may be the remains of Imaskari cities.
The Imaskari spoke Roushoum, a precursor of such varied tongues as Durpari, the Rautic family (Chessentan, Mulhorani,and Untheric), Raumvira, and the various Tuigan dialects. The Imaskari alphabet has wholly fallen out of use, and is only found inscribed on a few ancient artifacts and the walls of Imaskari ruins.

Races of Faerun wrote: Human, Lantanna

The Lantanna inhabit the isles of Lantan, Suj, and Orlil off the northwest coast of the Chultan peninsula. Known for their large green eyes, copper hair, and parchment-coloured skin, the Lantanna are rarely encountered outside their native isles except aboard merchant ships. They trade along the shores of the Trackless Sea as far north as Neverwinter, the Shining Sea as far east as Lapaliiya, and the Great Sea as far east as Halruaa. The homeland of most Lantanna is the nation of Lantan, named for the largest island it claims.
Speakers of Lantanese, the Lantanna employ the Draconic alphabet used by most cultures descended from Netheril. As the Lantanna are not believed to be in any way descended from ancient Netheril, some scholars suspect that early Halruaan or Nimbrali traders introduced this alphabet to the Lantanna. The state religion is the faith of Gond, and many believe that the Lantanna introduced the Wondermaker into the Faerunian pantheon.

Human, Maztican

Maztica is a far-off land that lies west of Faerun, beyond even fabled Evermeet. Tethyrian explorers from Amn discovered Maztica just over a decade ago, and Maztican immigrants are now found in very small numbers in Amn, Baldur's Gate, and Waterdeep. Faerunians lump all inhabitants of Maztica into one group, nut in truth there are seven known human ethnicities in that land: the Azuposi, the Dog People, the Green Folk, the Metahel, the Nahopca, the Nexalans, and the Payits.
The Nexalans are the only group to have journeyed east to Faerun, so all Faerun-dwelling Mazticans are speakers of Nexalan, the language of the nations of Pezelac, Huacli, Kultaka, and Nexal. The Nexalan tongue is written using the Draconic alphabet. Nexlans are relatively tall, with long, lean physiques and beardless, angular faces. Nexalans are generally reddish-bronze of hue.

Human, Nar

Descended from the survivors of Narfell's cataclysmic destruction, the Nars consist of twenty or more nomadic tribes that inhabit the dry grasslands east of the Giantspire Mountains and north of the Rawlinswood. Further details of their history may be found in the descriptions of the Damarans and the Rashemi.
Nars are short and stocky, with darkly tanned skin tones and straight, raven black hair, usually worn to the shoulders. They are some of the finest horsemen in Faerun, and famed breeders of the legendary Nar heavy horse. Although they once spoke Narfelli, a forgotten tongue strongly influenced by Abyssal, the Nars now speak Damaran tongue common to lands near the Easting Reach as well as a smattering of Common. As most Nars can be considered barbarians, few can read or write, but those that do employ the Dethek runes adopted by speakers of Damaran.

Human, Netherese

Perhaps the best-known and most influential of the humans who built Faerun's ancient civilizations were the Netherese of ancient Netheril. Netheril was founded in -3859 DR by dark haired, fair-skinned humans who dwelt along the shores of the Narrow Sea, a body of water now lost beneath the sands of Anauroch. At its height, Netheril encompassed all the lands now buried beneath Anauroch, with colonies stretching westward to the Trackless Sea, and floating cities high above distant lands. The cities of the Narrow Sea came to be known as Low Netheril, while the civilization of the clouds was known as High Netheril, famous for magic of surpassing power.
Although all Netherese used the Draconic alphabet, the language of Low Netheril, and the commoners of High Netheril was Netherese, while the nobles of High Netheril spoke Loross. Both groups venerated the same pantheon, which included gods such as Amaunator (Lathander), Jannath (Chauntea), Jergal, Kozah (Talos), Moander, Mystral (Mystra), Selune, Shar, and Targus (Garagos). The clergy were far more influential in Low Netheril than in the arcanists' soaring cities.
High Netheril collapsed after Karsus destroyed Mystra in -339 DR, and all but four of High Netheril's ancient floating cities were destroyed. Three of those- Anauria, Asram, and Hlondath- were saved by the influence of Mystra and landed safely just west of what are now known as the Desertedge Mountains, where they founded surface realms of the same names. Asram fell victim to a plague spread by the goddess Talona in -33 DR. Anauria fell to an orc hoard in 111 DR, and Hlondath was consumed by the sands of Anauroch and abandoned in 329 DR. Inhabitants if these eastern "Netherese survivor states" eventually migrated south into Cormyr and east into the Moonsea region. Their descendants were largely absorbed into the burgeoning Chondathan culture of the eastern Heartlands and are now accounted as northern Chondathans or Vaasans.
The fall of Low Netheril has less to do with Karsus's Folly and more to do with the ever-encroaching lifedrain spells of the phaerimm. As the pace of desertification increased, starting around -461 DR, most of the inhabitants of Low Netheril gradually migrated westward. Most scholars divide the westward-bound Netherese migrants into two groups. The southwestern bound group founded realms in the river valleys of the Winding Water and the River Chionthar, while the northwestern branch formed isolated city-states scattered across the Savage Frontier. Little evidence of Netherese culture remains among the descendants of either branch, for both groups were later subsumed by immigrants from across the sea to the west (The Illuskans) or by the native tribes of the region (the Tethyrians).
Four small groups of pureblooded Netherese are believed to survive in the present day. The Marsh Drovers of the Farsea Marshes are thought to be descendants of Anauria who were never absorbed by the Chondathan inhabitants of Cormyr. The Tunlar barbarians of the Plains of Tun are believed to be descendants of the Rengarth barbarians (cousins of the Low Netherese) of southern Netheril. The nomadic barbarians of the Ride north of the Moonsea are believed to be descendants of the Angardt barbarians of northern Netheril (also cousins of the Low Netherese). Finally, the fourth floating city of High Netheril, known as Shade, survived the fall of Netheril by vanishing into the Plane of Shadow. Shade reappered in 1372 DR, after generations of warfare with the malaugrym in the shadow-plane. Shade now rests on the northern shore of the Shadow Sea, which was once the Shoal of Thirst.

Races of Faerun wrote: Human, Raumviran

Descended from the inhabitants of the great empire of Raumathar, the Raumvirans retain little of their former glory. Their history is described under the Damaran and Rashemi ethnic groups.
In the present day, Raumvirans are concentrated along the shores of the Lake of Mists and the city of Almorel. Physically, Raumvirans bear a close resemblance to the Rashemi, indicative of centuries of close ties between the two groups. Although taller on average than their western neighbors, the Raumvirans are also generally stout and muscular, with dark eyes and thick black hair. Raumvirans are generally of lighter hue than Rashemi, evidence of significant Sossrim heritage dating back to the height of their long-fallen empire.
Members of this ethnic group speak Raumvira, a tongue closely related to Rashemi, Dwarven, and a northern dialect of Imaskari. Raumvirans employ an alphabet of Dethek runes taught to them before the founding of Raumathar by the Siremun dwarves of the Firepeaks, a range of mountains to the east of the Lake of Mists.

Human, Shaaran

The grasslands of the Shaar are home to nomadic tribes of long-faced, yellow-skinned humans. Conquered by the armies of Calimshan at the height of the Shoon Empire,the Shaarans of the eastern grasslands reverted to their nomadic ways once the Shoon Empire collapsed, while those who dwelt along the shores of the Shining Sea and the Lake of Steam settled in cities and founded such realms as Lapaliiya and the ever-changing Border Kingdoms. Today, Shaarans are found as far west as Calimshan and as far north as the Vilhon Reach. The inhabitants of Sespech are largely of Shaaran descent, having been brought north to serve in Jhaamdath's armies centuries ago.
Speakers of Shaaran employ an alphabet of Dethek runes, adopted from the gold dwarf traders of the Great Rift before the rise of the Shoon Empire. If there ever was a Shaaran pantheon, it was long ago subsumed by the more powerful Jhamdaathan and Calishite cultures. Little record exist of Shaaran culture before it was assimilated by its more powerful neighbors, for Shaarans have long maintained a nomadic way of life and an oral history.

Human, Shou

The Shou are but one of many human ethnic groups in far-off Kara-Tur, albeit the most numerous and powerful. Similar in appearance to the Tuigan, they are yellowish-bronze in hue, with black hair and broad, flat features. At its height, the Shou empire extended as far west as the eastern shore of Brightstar Lake. Today, Shou traders are rarely seen west of Semphar, although their emperor has recently established an embassy in Elversult and made use of a ship-sized portal that opens somewhere on the Sea of Fallen Stars. The Shou worship a pantheon of deities known as the Celestial Bureaucracy and employ the Draconic alphabet to represent the Shou language.

Human, Sossrim

The Sossrims are the inhabitants of distant Sossal, a frozen land that lies between the Great Glacier and the Great Ice Sea. With skin as pallid as snow and hair with the fine, silver tint of an icicle, the Sossrims have completely adapted to their arctic environment. Sossrim speak Damaran and use the Dethek runes. They are believed to venerate the gods of the Faerunian pantheon, although the worship of a relatively benign aspect of Auril seems the be predominant.
During the Orcgate Wars, the Sossrims fought in the armies of Mulhorand alongside the Raumvirans and the Rashemi. After the followers of Gruumsh were defeated, the Sosstim retreated to their northen land, where they established the isolated kingdom of Sossal. The Sossrims briefly fell under the sway of Raumathar at the height of that empire, but they have otherwise retained their independence. Before the retreat of the Great Glacier, Sossrim traders were seen as far south as northern Impiltur, but now they rarely venture beyond Vaasa or the northern reaches of Damara, Narfell, and Rashmen.

Races of Faerun wrote: Human, Talfir

Elven writings dating back to the Crown Ward mention a dark haired, fair-skinned human tribe in the heart of the great forest of Shantel Othreier. The Talfir were the original human inhabitants of the Chionthar river valley in the Western Heartlands. Speakers of Talfiric, a long-lost human tongue based on the Draconic alphabet, the Talfir gradually disappeared over a thousand years ago, their culture overwhelmed by refugees from Low Netheril, Calishite settlers from the south, and Chondathan settlers from the Dragon Coast. Several deities of the Faerunian pantheon are believed to have been worshiped by the Talfir, including Tempus, who vanquished the Netherese god of war.
The Talfir left little in the way of ruins or artifacts, although Irieabor lies atop the ancient crypt of the Talfir monarch known as Verraketh the Shadowking, who mastered shadow magic. Talis, a ruined city of the Talfir, lies in ruins along the banks of the River Reaching in the depths of the Reaching Woods.

Human, Tashalan

Uncounted thousands of years ago, the human tribes of the Chultan peninsula, now known as the Tashalans, were enslaved by the saurian Creator Race. As with all things, the saurian civilization eventually collapsed and their human slaves won their freedom. However, many members of this black-haired, olive-skinned race took to venerating the snaked they once served, leading to the rise of the yuan-ti. Others, however, turned away from their dark masters, seeking to forge their own realms on the peninsula between the Shining Sea and the Great Sea.
Today Tashalan culture is largely confined to the middle of the Vhultan peninsula and the isle of Tharsult. Over the centuries the Chultan tribes drove the Talshalans out of the Jungles of Chult, the Halruaans and the Dambrathan drow assimilated the native Tashalan cultures of those lands, and the yuan-ti enslaved those Tashalans who contested their control of the Mhair and Black Jungles. Most Tashalans are natives of Tashalar or the realms of Samarach, Thindol, or Tharsult. Tashalan traders may be found in Calimshan, cities on the shore of the Lake of Steam, and Lapaliiya, as well as Halruaa, Dambrath, and Luiren.
Tashalans speak Tashalan and employ the Dethek alphabet. They venerate both the Faerunian pantheon and the gods of the yuan-ti, with the followers of Talona and Savras being most prominent.

Human, Tuigan

The nomadic tribes of the Endless Wastes and the Quoya Desert are known as the Tuigan, although that name is actually the name of but one of fifteen major tribes who wander the wasteland between Faerun and Kara-Tur. Closely related to the inhabitants of Kara-Tur, tribal members are yellowish-bronze in hue, with black hair and broad, flat features. Each tribe has its own dialect, derived in varying degrees from the old empires of Shou, Raumvira, and Imaskari, each of which conquered or extended its influence over the Endless Wastes at its height. The tribes of the Endless Wastes adopted the alphabet of Thorass from traders passing eastwards along the Golden Way to Kara-Tur long ago. The tribes are believed to worship Akadi, the elemental deity of air, and Grumbar, the elemental deity of earth, as well as several beast totems (Horse and Tiger).
Since the defeat of the great Tuigan horde in 1360 DR, members of the Tuigan tribe have been found in small numbers in western lands such as Semphar, Thay, Thesk, Narfell, and Rashemen. It is this group of immigrants who are best known to the inhabitants of Faerun.

Human, Turami

After their gods precipitated the fall of the Imaskari Empire in -2488 DR, the slave-race known as the Mulan migrated westward to the shores of the Alamber Sea. This migration in turn displaced the native Turami, who were driven westward along the southern coast of the Sea of Fallen Stars until they reached the coastal basin now known as Turmish. Generally tall and muscular, with dark mahogany skin, flat faces, and curly hair, the Turami are the primary inhabitants of Turmish, although they form minority populations in Chessenta, Unther, and Mulhorand as well.
Speakers of Turmic, the Turami adopted the Thorass alphabet from Calishite and Chondathan traders. No historical evidence exists suggesting the existence of a Turami pantheon distinct from the Faerunian pantheon commonly venerated today, although that does not mean that one did not exist. Turmish, the homeland of most Turami, dates back to the founding of Alaghon in -37 DR.

Human, Ulutiun

Although the Ulutiuns have long inhabited the polar reaches of Faerun, these short, dark-haired, broad-faced humans with light-brown skin are actually migrants from the northern reaches of Kara-Tur who moved westward across the polar icecap millennia ago. Speakers of Uluik, a tongue that only in recent centuries acquired a written form based on the Thorass alphabet, the Ulutiuns are divided into two major groups.
The Sea of Moving Ice, the Ice Peak, and the Cold Run (as the icy reaches of the northernmost Sword Coast are sometimes known) are home to the Ice Hunters, the westernmost group of Ulutiuns. Believed to predate the arrival of both the Netherese and the Illuskans, the Ice Hunters venerate nature spirits and are led by shamans, not unlike the more warlike Uthgardt tribes and the barbarians of Icewind Dale. In the east, the Great Glacier is home to the majority of Ulutiuns, including the Iulutiuns, the Angulutiuns, and the Nakulutiuns. They favor hide armor and weapons such as battleaxes, garnoks, hand axes, harpoons, iuaks, light picks, nets, ritiiks, shortbows, throwing axes, and tridents.

Human, Vaasan

Vaasans are the descendants of two waves of humanity who settled the Moonsea region. Refugees from the Netherese survivor states of Asram, Anauria, and Hlondath fled east toward the Moonsea to found realms such as Teshar (which was founded in -87 DR and fell in 479 DR) Yulash, and Northkeep (which fell in 400 DR). In later centuries Chondathan immigrants from Sembia, the Dalelands, and the Vast joined the descendants of these early settlements and established the Moonsea city-states of Zhentil Keep, Hulburg, Melvaunt, Mulmaster, Phlan, and Thentia. Vaasa proper was settled from the Moonsea region after the Great Glacier began its retreat, a couple hundred years ago. While this ethnic group is sometimes referred to as Tesharans, Tharrans, or Yuls, the name of the last land they settled has become the name by which they are most commonly known in other lands.
Vaasans are typically fair to olive-skinned with dark hair and thick beards. They speak Damaran and employ the Dethek alphabet, a legacy of long-standing trade ties with the nations of Impiltur and Damara. Vaasans venerate most gods of the Faerunian pantheon, although Bane and, to a lesser extent, Cyric and Auril receive the bulk of their prayers.

Human, Zakharan

Far to the south and east of Faerun, beyond the fabled lands of the Utter East, is Zakhara, the Land of Fate. Zakhara is considered a continent in its own right, not unlike Faerun or Kara-Tur, although all three continents are physically connected. The Land of Fate is home to the Zakharans, relatively short, brown-skinned, dark-haired humans who speak Midani. Zakharans born in the Land of Fate are rarely seen outside their homeland, although Zakharan traders are not unknown in the southernmost reaches of Faerun. However, at least two groups of Zakharan humans have migrated to Faerun by means of portals and are found in large numbers in the western lands in the form of the Bedine and Calishites.