Ahlari

Ahlari is a fictional ethnic group and civilization that appears in speculative fiction, role-playing games, and related media. Because it is used by different authors, there is no single canonical portrayal; the most common depictions describe the Ahlari as a seafaring people who inhabit a chain of islands and coastal isles in a temperate region.

The name Ahlari is used across works to denote their language family and polity. The homeland is usually depicted as the Ahlari Isles, a network of coastal and riverine districts linked by maritime routes, with harbors that have long been centers of trade.

In many narratives, the Ahlari emerge from fishing and merchant communities, form a trader confederation, and develop navigational technologies and shipbuilding. They encounter inland kingdoms or rival empires, experience periods of conflict and alliance, and often undergo cycles of independence and foreign influence.

Ahlari society is commonly portrayed as organized around guilds and councils, balancing commercial power with maritime ritual. Religion tends to be syncretic, integrating sea-based animism, ancestor veneration, and occasional solar or lunar cults. The material culture emphasizes woodwork, sailcloth, mapmaking, and instruments for seafaring music.

The Ahlari language is described as agglutinative in many sources, with a rich vocabulary for weather, navigation, and kinship. Personal and place names often invoke nautical imagery, tides, winds, and stars.

In scholarship and fandom, Ahlari is used to explore themes of trade, cultural exchange, and coastal identities, illustrating how seafaring cultures negotiate distance, influence, and memory.