The humans who expanded into the south of Alair were different from the first settlers. These were shorter, darker and considerably less amenable. Calling themselves the Erlyid, they rapidly built a powerful empire, and soon came into conflict with the Elven masters of the centre of Alair.At its' peak, the Erlyid Empire covered half known Alair, and was the highest civilization produced by mankind. But, inevitably, denied further expansion, the Empire waned.
Humans of Erlyid stock make up the bulk of the population of Nhased and Stryre as well as the Erlyid region itself. Dark, generally swarthy, and somewhat shorter than their northern cousins, they are hardy and dynamic and occasionally produce individuals of great intellect or magical power.
The Erlyid military was the best in the world, even in the years of the empire's decline. Structured around a basic absutum (legion) of 5,000 troops, divided down into fifty 100-man exardii and again into 5-man declartae, the whole dovetailed together to an awesome military engine. Discipline was iron, mainly handled by the exardiae sub-officers.
The social structure of the Empire was very defined and formal, with the plebian masses (Ligustoi) forming the bulk of the population. Above them came the merchant class, or Secundlius. Above that were the three tiers of nobility; the Urimserai, Lohrdserai and Dahrserai respectively. The Emperor was always of the highest Dahrserai blood. Senators could be of any of the 'serai (nobility). Even the lowliest Ligusto, however, was an Imperial Citizen, and regarded as superior to any outlander. The properly Imperial outlook was to regard all foreigners as either potential foes or possible slaves. The Erlyid Empire was the only human nation to hold slaves, and would indeed have collapsed without them.
The Empire was always politically volatile, and when the Flaying wiped out all the troops and nobles concentrated on the Nhasedan border in 1850, the northern nobles saw the Emperor as weakened and revolted. The resulting Erlyid Civil War consumed the Empire from within, eventually destroying it. Small scattered communities of Erlyid humans remain here and there, largely ignorant of their mighty past.