It is said that, thousands of years ago, the Eldarien of Ea fractured as they fled the cataclysm that ended the Years of Absence. Into four groups they divided themselves, each blessing a different part of the Elvish traditions as sacrosanct. The smallest group, known today as the High Elves, felt their highest calling was to remain in their ancestral lands and endure the tempest, hoping to one day persuade their high goddess Ilar to take pity on them, return to her creation, and unite her scattered peoples. They reused the name of their broader people, calling themselves the Eldar. The largest group fled east and took refuge in the many forests of Ibanfall. They called themselves the Syldar, or sylvan elves in the common tongue. The Syldar believed the nourishment of the lands of Blimnor would sate the anger of Ilar, and inspire her return. a small group fled north, disavowing the goddess who had betrayed them completely. The took refuge in the nothern wastes of Ibanfall and called themselves the Nuldar, now known as the snow elves. 

However, the second largest group took a different approach. They felt that only through the stewardship of all Blimnor would the elves prove themselves worthy of their creator, and thus journeyed south to find the most desolate places to live. Through fierce protection and gentle guidance, even the endless deserts southeast of Ea may one day burst forth with plenty, and the harmony of Ilar's original creation would be restored. These people called themselves the Xhaldar, but now they are known as the Xharadim, or the Sand Elves, and their home is Taesir. 

 The complex patchwork of Sand Elvish tribes that have made Taesir their home are known collectively as the Xharadim. While there are likely hundreds of small tribes, numbering 200 or less in population, only 30 are recognized officially in Seaxh, and only 11 are considered to be major tribes. The tribes of nomadic sand elves are as hostile to foreigners as the desert they wander, however there is a recent tale of a new tribe that is gradually absorbing the others with the promise to unite them into a nation to rival its neighbors. What possible resources could fund such a kingdom is a mystery.

The Great Tribes of the Xharadim

1. Ardoxh (pop. 5000)

The Ardoxhim live at the northern reaches of Taesir, in a series of mountainous villages at the headwaters of the River Taes. Their principal town, Alaxhan, can barely be called a city. Its thousand or so inhabitants are largely poor and fanatically religious, practicing a anti-materialistic hybrid of elvish monotheism and Ibanism. The Ardoxhim are known as dousers, and are some of the most adept Sand Elves at finding small sources of fresh groundwater in even the most hostile of areas. Of the historic 30 regions in Taesir, the Ardoxhim hold dominion of regions 1-4, with only 5,000 individuals identifying as a member of the tribe. 

2. Qarad (pop. 3000)

The Qaradim are a small, but legendary people of gifted warriors and survivalists who occupy much of the most hostile parts of the Gadantha Desert. While a precious few tribes of the Xharadim can be said to have endured the desolate wastes of the North Gadantha, only the Qarad can be said to have mastered it. These people are taller and more muscular than average Sand Elves, with unsually dark skin and very little body hair. Their largest and only city, Jal-Qar, contains just over two thousand inhabitants, but casts a tremendous cultural shadow over the region. It sits on the southernmost tip of the Silent Bay, and serves as a small center for trade as well as a haven for those who wish not to be found. Qaradim Warriors are best known as some of the most skilled assassins and mercenaries in Blimnor, specializing in stealth, close combat, and the use of exotic poisons. Qaradim society is not especially religious, but deeply honor-bound. Regions 10 and 11 are seen as Qarad territory.

3. Drufir (pop. 7000)

The Drufir are a seafaring and mercantilistic tribe of sand elves, who call the coastal regions of the north Gadantha home. While they live in some of the more hostile parts of Taesir, they are not known for having mastered the interior of these regions, preferring to remain within eyeshot of the coast. They are more worldly than their neighbors in Taesir, trading heavily in garments, art, and other curios from around the world. Their home city, Jal-Druad, contains over half of the tribe's population at 3,500 inhabitants. It as seen as the highest triumph as a member of the Drufir to become a merchant for the tribe, and young Drufinas (adolescent women) are often trained to use their charm and sexual wiles to persuade foreigners to part with their possessions. Regions 12, 13, 14, and 15 are generally considered to be Drufir land. However, journey away from the coasts in this area and one will find nothing but scorching sands and evil magic.

4. Xanthr (pop. 2000)

The Xanthrim are one of the oldest known tribes of Sand Elves in Blimnor. Their Sages claim direct lineage to first elvish pilgrims of the first age, and contemporary archaeology does not contradict this account. Its people are short, wan and thin of stature, with uncharacteristically light hair. This tribe has fallen on hard times in the fourth age, being surrounded by harsh lands and more successful tribes, and most live in or around their one city, Timeq. However their historical significance, peaceful nature, and the relatively low value of their lands has prevented annexation. situated on a small bluff two miles from the River Taes, Timeq contains some of the oldest architecture in Ibanfall. The Xanthrim still live in and around its gothic, sandstone ruins, and maintain several libraries of documents dating chronicling the history of the Xharadim for thousands of years. These people are poorer, more pious, and more old-fashioned than most of their neighbors. Region 9 is Xanthrim land.

5. Albarrad (pop. 20,000)

The Albarradim have recently grown to prominence as a tribe of Sand Elves on the rise. Historically, their homeland has been more in the plateaus and canyons of western Taesir than in the Gadantha proper. However, recent years have seen the tribe's rapid expansion from a cultural backwater to a industrializing economic and military powerhouse. Their largest city is Jar-Molweq, an old village on the cliffs above the L'Baxh Barranqa that has recently transformed into a town specializing in copper and iron mining. As a result, the Albarrad has both a burgeoning middle class and a stockpile of supplies for fueling a war machine. This material wealth has spurred the Albarradim into a frenzy of expansionism that has driven several nearby tribes to near-extinction. Albarrad Elves are paler of skin, tall, and wiry of build. Their society is more interested in science than most, but retains a rampant streak of racism and xenophobia toward nearby tribes. Regions 5, 6, and 18 are now considered Albarrad territory. 

6. Xufid (pop. 8,000)

Once the most powerful tribe of Sand Elves in the Xharadim, The Xufid people have been driven to near destruction in the recent years by their nothern neighbors, The Albarradim. In a stroke of historical luck, the Xufid people settled near the most fertile part of the Taes riverbank, finding both large scale agriculture and animal husbandry far easier than anywhere else. As such, the tribe enjoyed prominence as purveyors of food and supplies to less fortunate nearby tribes as well as Seaxh itself. Indeed, the Xufid are believed to be the original builders of the Sunwatch road, allowing much safer passage across the otherwise impassable Gadantha to relative safety either in Seaxh or along the waters of the Taes. However, The practice of Usury by some Xufid Elves as well as the rapid industrialization of nearby tribes has put the once-supreme Xufid in a treacherous position: militarize, or risk destruction? The largest city on Xufid land is Ben-Aluin, a modestly-built town of nearly 4,000 hugging the banks of the Taes. Each autumn, the banks of the river swell, so most houses nearby will be built on stilts of limestone imported from the Shadowpeaks. The Xufid Dominion contains regions 7, 24, 26, and 27.

7. Hajjarad (pop. 200,000)

Sometimes known as The Lower Hajalikkar, The Hajjaradim have become the most powerful tribe of sand elves in the fourth age. Their original homeland was the fertile lowlands in the extreme south of Taesir, at the border with Norgir. While the land there remains sandy, a critical amount of groundwater and clay in the earth makes agriculture far more fruitful than anywhere else in Taesir. However, since the final centuries of the third age, the Hajjarad has undergone an aggressive annexation of surrounding Xharadim tribes, by the sword or the purse until now, when the tribe controls nearly a quarter of Taesic land. As a people, one might be surprised to find the Hajjarad succeeding beyond all their rivals; in general, the Hajjarad are neither especially strong nor gifted merchants or artisans. However, their religious penchant for manifest destiny and large families has left hundreds of small towns that slowly strangle out the influence of smaller tribes. When things turn violent, even those with far more gifted warriors have found themselves unable to resist the sheer numbers of the Hajjarad.

8. Seaxh (pop. 100,000)

For thousands of years, the Seaxhim was one of the most minor tribes in Taesir. Virtually without territory, the entire culture consisted of a few hundred elves in a single village surrounded by palisades. However, the Seaxhim's biggest advantage was a large underground lake of fresh water, in a part of the Gadantha that had little for hundreds of miles. With the bare tools for survival and without major military threats on their doorstep, the Seaxhim survived growing Yufi, a root vegetable native to the area, and domesticating Drealexh, a venomous snake variety. Drealexh, also called Clay Vipers, have been bred over hundreds of years not just for their meat, but for their aptitude at hunting small game such as Desert Hares and the Gadanthan Vole. 

9. Eluned

10. Tol-Janfir

11. Ibdir