Nasyas

Nasyas is a fictional ethnolinguistic group native to the river valley region of the central lowlands of Eldara. In their language, the word Nasyas translates roughly as “the people.” The term denotes a community sharing language, customary law, and craft traditions.

They inhabit the Seris River crescent, where floodplain farming supports crops such as millet and rice. The population is estimated at 100,000 to 150,000, with major settlements at Valen, Riin, and Kesh. Seasonal migrations follow flood cycles.

The Nasyan language is central to identity and forms part of the regional Valenic language group. It is mainly agglutinative and SOV, and most Nasyas are bilingual in a regional lingua franca used in trade and administration.

Social life centers on clans within a matrilineal kinship system. Inheritance and land rights pass through female lines. A council of elders, advised by a leading figure called the Sira, governs communal affairs for set terms.

The economy combines agriculture, fishing, and craft production. Floodplain farming supports rice and millet; timber, pottery, textiles, and metalwork are important exports. Trade networks extend along river routes and neighboring markets.

Earliest communities date to the late first millennium CE, with the River Confederacy forming in the medieval period. Contact with outsiders began in the early modern era, bringing cultural exchange and integration into regional systems.

Religious life is polytheistic, centered on river and sun deities. Festivals, initiation rites, and harvest rituals express reciprocity with land and water.

Today the Nasyas are a recognized cultural group within Eldaran governance, with language preservation programs and cultural associations that maintain festivals, archives, and crafts.