Cheydin Highlands

	Unlike their western neighbours who embraced much of the culture and tongue of their Nordic liberators, the Cheydinese (or the Kaht’an, as they are known in their local tongue) took a much more conservative stance towards the Nords; it helped that Nordic settlement in the region was much sparser and the actual atmosphere among the men of the greater Cheydin was far too amicable towards their Ayleid companions to let Nordic anti-mer sentiments take root in the region. In many regards, the relationship between men and mer in the highlands paralleled that of the denizens of High Rock, with the Ayleids intermarrying with some of the more prominent magical and mercantile houses that had risen through the ranks.
	Even prior to the mass expansion of the Nords south through what is today Eastmarch towards the Rift and across central Skyrim towards North Colovia, rich trade existed between the Cheydinese, the various Jerallian and highland tribes to the north, as well as the Nedic people of the Rift on the northern side of the Jeralls. Apart from that, the Cheydinese engaged in regular trade with their kin in the Heartlands as well as Nibenay proper. Another trade route led eastwards, across the Valus mountains and into Resdayn.
	While acknowledging certain commonalities with their Cyrodilic neighbours, the Cheydinese and their fellow highlanders look towards the Heartlands and Nibenay with a great degree of distance. Although Cheydin has held great power in Nibenese politics throughout history, the land has a very distinct character. As soon as one leaves Cheydinhal or any of the other urban centers, the land and its people lose even what little Nibenese character they possessed – to the north and the east, the people become much more rough, making a living as hunters and loggers. These people are known as Jerallians, although their character is nothing like that of the Cyro-Nordic Brumans. In many ways, they resemble the now long gone original inhabitants of the Rift.
	The origin of the Cheydinese lies in the ancient Men-of-Khet, a cultural group that inhabited much of eastern Nibenay, from the Cheydin highlands and into the Deep Niben, with some tribes reaching as far as northern Blackwood. They were nomads, thriving as hunters in the deep jungles west of the Valus Mountains. With time, the tribes of Khet diverged into smaller ethno-linguistic groups, with the northern people forming the Cheydinese group. The highlanders of the Cheydin plateau, the location of the city of Cheydinhal, and the surrounding valleys represent the main subgroup. The mountain Cheydinese, the smallest of the subgroups, represent another. The final groups inhabit the outskirts of the highlands; in the west, these are the Heartland Cheydinese, who inhabit the foothills on the border with the Heartlands, and in the south, there are the Lower Cheydinese who in many areas cohabitate with native tribal societies.