Riverland

	Spreading out from lake Rumare, the waterways of the Heartlands extend out in all directions, much like Imperial influence itself which has indeed used those very rivers to project itself to peoples far and wide. But even when there was no Empire to spread that influence, those very waterways were used to take ideas, merchandise and people from the lands of the mighty tribes of Nede and out into the known – and unknown – world. By sheer proximity, as well as in no small part due to the directness of the routes, one of the earliest regions to come in contact with the mercantile powers of the Rumare were those to the south, populated by the Khajiit of Rawla-Kei.

	As traditional oral accounts of the northern tribes of the Khajiit, as well as old Aldmeri tales attest, Khajiiti tribes were once prominent as far north as the banks of lake Rumare. Truly, the land of the Khajiit once extended over a much larger area but a combination of many factors, the predominant of which being warfare with the Men of the north, pushed the northern border further to the south with passing time until finally settling where it remains to this day. It should be noted, however, that the existing provincial border – the origin of which is a story of its own – bears little resemblance to the actual racial border. Some of it came as a result of fluid movement, with Heartlanders pushing southwards and Wealdmen reacting to that, but the border was delineated to that effect in the first place.
	According to some, this was a sign of goodwill from the Cyrodils but according to others, this was a ploy designed to secure influence over northern Elsweyr; much like in the land of the Khajiit, great numbers of Cyrodils spill over the borders with Hammerfell and Argonia (although, truth be told, the latter is a very unique entity; the case of the Imperial territory of Black Marsh is one not comparable to any others in Tamriel). Regardless, the true impact of the population of Men is only really influential to any degree in the actual city of Riverhold, where the native Khajiit live alongside both Wealdmen, who primarily comprise the lower class, as well as merchants and craftsmen from the Heartlands whose influence has been felt in the kingdom ever since the first colonists arrived there from the north. This mercantile elite has often acted as a bridge between the native nobility and the Heartlands, serving as both the main trade line as well as a conduit for cultural imports.
	It is no wonder, then, that Riverhold has historically often gravitated towards the north, sometimes even more than their kin to the south. In fact, there were times in the kingdom’s history when it not only changed allegiance but had even been ruled by Men, sometimes acting as independent subjects but primarily serving as the Heartlands’ southern protector. All that said, the prospect of protection and an inflow of wealth from the Heartlands often attracted the native nobility as well, to the chagrin of the rulers of Anequina proper.