Melanke

From Almeopedia

The Melanke race inhabits the southern coast of Curym (Kereminth) below the Zone of Fire, the near-continent-sized island of Neinuoi, the eastern coast of Arcél, Ȟaibalai, and islands of the Island Sea extending eastward almost to Téllinor. They are the darkest race of Almea; with their fine features they resemble the Nilo-Saharan or Ethiopian peoples of Earth— except for their hair, which (as for Melanesians and Australian Aborigines) ranges from brown to orange to blonde. Skin color lightens on Neinuoi, especially in the southern regions. There is also a transition zone in Arcél between the Melanke and Kibruise with a good deal of hybridization.

Linguistically, the Melankî are divided into three language families:

• Kereminthic, whose heartland is Kereminth, but which sprawls across the Island Sea from Ȟaibalai eastward, and is also spoken in some coastal regions of Arcél
• Kemic, spoken along the eastern coast of Arcél and in the central highlands
• Neinuoian, consisting of the language of Neinuoi and two nearby relatives

Etymology: Caď. melankes ‘black’.