Ghûren

The Ghûren, the Guren or the Four Ancient Groups of Southern Syltör is a name given to the four ancient cultures of the Dawou, Yi'yen, Nû and Fai Cultures of what is now the Aurlûnor Velande. They would be the predecessor people groups to the arrival and conquest of the Ardolians, also known as the Celestial Elves over 11,000 years ago.

The Dawou Peoples
The Dawou would be the most powerful of these groups, settling in a settlement known as "Yu'shen", becoming the first permanent settlement in the region. They would proceed to extend to other cities where they would grow under Dawou influence. Eventually, the Dawou Kingdom would form, which would not actually be a proper "Kingdom", but rather, a large confederation of city states that settled around the region. Each of these city-states would trade and fight for dominion over their neighbors. Often, they would come into contact with the other groups, and would do the same. The Dawou were known as master craftsmen and may of been the origin of summoning magic, as there are familiars discovered in a cave north of modern day Lhûmar that dates back to 63,000 years ago. They were the first to eventually reach the Bronze Age in 11,100BCA.

Dawou's earliest settlement would be the stone-hill fort known as "Pangnin". It would be the capital of the Dawou Kingdom until the Ardol Kingdom's conquest.

Yi'yen Peoples
The Yi'yen would settle along the rivers and swamps of the region, in which they would become accustomed to fishing, and farming rice patties and relying on the swamplands for their protection and productions. The Yi'yen peoples were always known to be territorial of their lands, taking great aggression to anyone who dare tries to settle on their beloved swamp. They would be known for their taming of both the Short-Nosed Alligator (Alligator brevirostris) and the Guojiang Cormorant (Nannopterum littorum), though information regarding their relationship with the alligator remains unknown and unclear.

The oldest settlement recorded by the Yi'yen people is known as Unu'ne Shen, which is located near modern day Hloamar on the grassy parts located to the east. Evidence of a settlement was a tomb that was discovered there 4,500 years ago.

Nu Peoples
The Nû were also known to be people of the swamps, and it was said they were offshoots of the Yi'yen peoples who preferred to be more militarist, and often attacked their surrounding neighbors. They have strong cultural connections to them, but they would eventually loose their land to the Kumihos when they arrived in the region 18,000 years ago. They have since been attempting to take their land, only to be beaten back every time.

Fai Peoples
The Fai peoples were known as the Sea-fairing people, who always sought to explore far away places, and were quite ambitious. They didn't really care much about the current territory they were settling in, and often built large ships that would traverse the strange mysterious Lothranis Sea. They would be the first to discover the Great Sea Monster of the west, which hindered exploration even further. Eventually, the Fai would become more accustomed to smaller ships for maintaining their trade cargo and often traded with their neighbors, being the more mercantile of the four.

Elven Migrations and the End of the Guren States
At the same time as the guren agricultural revolution, elves began to migrate from the west of Syltör, settling in modern day Tacua province. The Elven Migration Period, as it is known, lasted for over two millennia and saw the introduction of rice agriculture to Syltör, and the further migration of elves into the deserts. The desert dwellers would become the Dune Elves of Ashura, and the Tacuan elves would found the city and later kingdom of Ardol on the shores of the Lothranis Sea. Areas left mostly uninhabited by elves and humans alike became home to the various tribes of Kumiho who would settle in the Hampo region, on the Lothranis' eastern shore. The strip of subtropical forest between the sea and desert would prove valuable to both the indigenous Kumiho civilization and later the imperial interests of Almador and Aurlûnor alike.