Karsites are an ethnic group found within The Mercurian Empire, in New Hermertia and the Old World.
Karsites originated from the Kingdom of Greater Xin, one who's culture was rich in indigenous Xinese (Native Mercurian) and Imperial Mercurian customs and traditions. Both of these groups intermingled and interbred creating the Xincurian ethnicity. Several thousand Xincurian traders and settlers left the mainland and settled on a small island near the intersection of the Sea of Fire and the Mushroom Seas; the original reason for moving to the island is unknown. As time progressed, these Xincurians grew isolated from the others and came to view themselves as what modern historians refer to as Proto-Karsites. Though near the beginning of the 3rd Era (between 138 A.I. to 144 A.I.), Imperial Mercurian traders and merchants settled on the same island as the Proto-Karsites, and the language Karsiti was born out of the interactions between the two.
The two groups of people eventually interbred and intermingled much like the original seeders of the Xincurian ethnicity did. However, Imperial Mercurian culture began taking a stronger footing within these Proto-Karsites' society, replacing many Native Mercurian traditions and customs. Eventually Imperial Mercurian merchants contacted the Proto-Karsites in the 4th Era telling them of New Hermertia, and soon enough the Proto-Karsites left for the new lands seeking adventure and new riches, and more importantly, a bigger home. This group that left is referred to as the Late Proto-Karsites or Early Karsites, as they had significantly more Mercurian heritage than their ancestors did before them. Along the journey to the new lands the modern Karsite would be bred out of Mercurian and Late Proto-Karsite intermingling. The remaining Proto-Karsites that did not flee to the new world were tortured and distorted by a troubled Xincurian who was heavily involved in the occult and a regular practitioner in dark magic. This individual, Eraban Rus, was eventually killed and his dark magic reversed but he scared many of his victims who survived into reintegrating within Xincurian society, abandoning the ancestral island home land of the Karsites.
The modern Karsite settled in many regions across the Empire, including Perth, Valtoros and even New Ertia. Their communities were heavily integrated with the society there, but a great misfortune would soon happen to the flourishing Karsite community: The Karsite Dark Ages. Terrorism attacks and ethnic tension targeted towards minorities urged Karsite leaders to push their communities to regrouping in unclaimed territories in the southern regions. While all Karsites answered to this call and fled to areas such as the Stone Peninsula and islands in the seas east of the Peninsula, the Karsite Dark Ages would create a tension that would tear apart the Karsites. Bitter rivalries led to a series of wars called "The Karsite Tribal Wars", in which Karsites organized themselves into tribes and fought each other for limited resources. In the end these Karsite exclusive wars only reduced the population and would carve harsh memories into the peoples' minds. After the wars ended in status quo, many Karsites began breeding with Native Mercurians and adopting their cultures, much like their Xincurian ancestors once did. As a result of this interbreeding, Karsites survived their Dark Ages and many lived on to see their people given a chance at proper Imperial life with the relocation of 834 Karsites to the Grand County of Laghima by Imperial Karsites Albus and Darius Stark. Now, as time progresses Karsites have begun to reintegrate within Imperial society and communities, some have even begun adopting new religions such as Reformed Creeperism, and several have returned to Perth to preach it there. The Karsites longed for a return to Imperial life and now that they are properly living as Imperial citizens, they are beginning to flourish once again like their ancestors many mercanum ago.
Following the the positive feedback from the 834 Karsites that returned to imperial life, several more began periodically migrating to Laghima. Those that survived the journey often described how life in the Stone Peninsula was: tense, lonely, and depressing. Culture was minimized as survival was maximized. Thoannum long traditions were broken and forgotten in nights. When news reached Darius Stark he petitioned the Council of the Crowned to allow him to annex the territories the Karsites resided in. In Phoenix 01-01 YoE 505 A.I. Darius Stark annexed the territories that held the remaining Karsite populations.
