Clan Drmiah

Clan Drmiah is a human ethnic group or semi-nomadic tribal confederation that lives in the Empire of Neressa. Despite its name, it is not a single clan, but rather a confederation of clans that share the same language, religion, race and similar traditions - these clans all swear allegiance to the leader of Drmiah, who in turn swears allegiance to the Emperor of Neressa.

The Drmiah have a long history of martial traditions, and have served as an important part of the Neressan military ever since they have existed.

Origins
The exact origins of Clan Drmiah are shrouded in mystery. Some claim that they have descended from refugees fleeing from the rule of Fathred the Great, made up of clans unwilling to join Fathred's Confederation - others say that they are descendants of the "lost pagan army" that fled south during Corlagon's Wars of Unification. While both are liked by the romanticists for blurring the line between history and mythology, serious historians reject both - the latter one especially fails to hold water and stand up to scrutiny.

Most serious historians believe, that the Drmiah clan descended from Etrandish mercenaries who were invited into Neressa to bolster the fighting force against Orcish raiders - they must have been invited during some time between 700 BEKE and 100 BEKE. Linguistics seem to support this theory, as the Dermian language clearly evolved from a southern dialect of Old Etrandish, albeit with heavy influence from Middle Neressan.

Rise to prominence and infamy
The most infamous deed done by Clan Drmiah in history was the Long Raid, during which they not only sacked the town of Talon under the leadership of Edhel, but burned the whole town the ground and slaughtered the majority of its population. Talon would never recover - the traumatized survivors all left for greener pastures, the ruins were abandoned, and two years later, a new village was founded by Couroughis family - two kilometres away from the original Talon, but still bearing its name.

Today
Today, Clan Drmiah is led by a man named Bolgar, who is considered one of the closest allies of Emperor Terkemish of Neressa. His people respects him, his enmies fear him, not just because of his strength, but also due to his knowledge of tactics - he often personally leads raids into Orcish territories, and his warriors often make forays into both south and east alike in these times.