Achaters

Achaters are a fictional ethnic group and trading community described in world-building material. In the lore, they historically inhabited the river valleys and highland plateaus of the fictional continent of Valmere, where they were known for craftsmanship and caravan trade. The name Achaters is believed to derive from a local term meaning "buyers" or "traders," reflecting their commercial role in regional networks.

They inhabited river valleys and upland plateaus along the fictional Great Road, with marketplaces at caravan crossroads that attracted traders from inland towns and distant coasts. They emerged in the early medieval period after migrations from upland territories and formed guild-based urban communities; trade networks extended across Valmere and neighboring regions, with external pressures from wars and plagues leading to consolidation or dispersion of communities over centuries. In modern lore, some Achaters survive as dispersed communities and diaspora.

Achatish, their language, is described as a mixed tongue with loanwords from neighboring tongues and a syllabary used for daily writing alongside ritual inscriptions using runic marks. Civic life centers on craft guilds and an elder council; education in guild schools; social roles; festivals such as market fairs, harvest rites, and storytelling; religious life includes a trade deity and ancestor veneration.

Economy is based on long-distance trade of metal goods, glass beads, textiles, and agricultural produce; caravans traveled along the Great Road, and marketplaces served as hubs for exchange between inland communities and coastal traders. In contemporary fiction, Achaters are depicted as endangered cultural groups with ongoing efforts to revive language and crafts; some communities maintain small workshops, museums, and cultural centers.