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[Lyn Farel]

Well, what do I mean by that? It's just that most bloodlines are often inspired by differences RL sources. I know it's bad form to base everything of RL stuff, but it is obvious that some inspirations have heavily weighted in most New Eden cultures and bloodlines. It often shows in their racial visual traits as well as their culture overall.

Persian/abrahamic/zoroastrian for Amarr, finnish/modernjapanese for Caldari, mongol/khan for Khanids, Sahara folks for Ni-kunnis, Han/chinese for Jin-mei, traditional/jap for Achura, norse for sebiestor, maori for brutor, etc.

However, i'm at a total loss for the Nefantar. There is a lot of lore on how they betrayed their kin, how they formed the Mandate, and actually like most of the Khanid lore, there is not much on the bloodline itself (not even a bloodline ingame description since they are not playable). Most of the lore is centered around their relationship toward the Amarr. Like the Mannar, we don't know what they look like, except in the nefantar's case maybe that they seem to have pale and white physical traits, or seem to like dying their hair white (or was that just dev actor interpretation that leaded to their ship skins ?). So basically, a lot of stuff around the Mandate and the Minmatar Rebellion, but on the bloodline, only the few hints of their past as a righteous wealthy and aristocratic tribe waging war against their Krusual barbaric neighbors. Like the Starkmanir pretty much, actually: everything we know of them is in relation to the Amarr or something else, but not much on the bloodline itself.

Well I guess i'm asking because it makes them really hard to grasp as a culture and a tribe. We know the mystic atmosphere of shamanic wanderers for the Vherokior and their Sobaki desert, their merchants. We know the giant space caravans of the Thukker, we know the archipelago martial culture of the Brutor, etc. But what kind of RL culture, historical or contemporary, is actually behind the Nefantar ?

[Nissui]

Well, you've already touched on most of what I found looking for Vhero info. I had a handful of thoughts related to wiki and game text from various missions and item descriptions, so I can bounce them here if you care to dissect them.

We know that they were the first to have to deal with the domineering posture of the Krusual, and that they themselves were known to employ strongarm tactics in commercial and political affairs, possibly as a response to their interactions with the Krusual. They were not pushovers.

Due to their habitation of the lowland and coastal regions of Houdea, one might surmise that ancient Nefantar were proficient sailors much like the Brutor, though they faced very different seas. The name 'Jade Coast' suggests much of the ancestral land of the Nefantar was green with vegetation, so it is possible they had excellent soil and clean water from runoff of Houdea's many mountains, meaning they could have been successful agriculturalists. Also, given what info we have on the geography of Matar, you are probably correct to assume the ancient Nefantar to be somewhat fair skinned.

We know that they were skilled craftsmen and had a fondness for carrying small idols of their heroes and leaders. One might take from this that they could have an extensive liturgy of tales akin to our legends such as Beowulf or Gilgamesh, idealized persons who the young were taught to emulate, or that they may even have a long poetic history told through eddas or sagas. In one respect this might have made their conversion to Amarr faith easier, since the saints would be a likely analogue.

I'd have to review Source to see if any of the old game-based conjecture stands, but these are some of the things that seem reasonable to associate with the ancient Nefantar, which might inform how other Tribes view them in the modern era.

[Samira Kernher]

From EVE Source:

The Nefantar have always seemed to be at the center of turbulent events in the history of the Minmatar. A large and powerful tribe in the early days of Matar, the Nefantar often came into conflict with other tribes and clans. The Krusual, in particular, have historically been a special enemy of the Nefantar, with very little love lost between them. Some of the last internecine conflicts of the pre-Minmatar Empire period were between the Krusual and the Nefantar, with only the establishment of a global polity on Matar damping down the last flames of open warfare. The Nefantar were keen to participate fully in the politics of the Minmatar Empire and established a good working relationship with the other main tribes, forging particularly strong ties with the Starkmanir. When the Starkmanier left for Arzad, the Nefantar sought to replace them as the preeminent tribe on MAtar. They did not quite reach the levels of esteem among the other tribes as the Starkmanir had enjoyed, but certainly their influence and prestige grew into the vacuum that had been left.

When the Amarr slave raiders first arrived, the Nefantar were as vigorous as any of the other tribes in attempting to fight back, but in the aftermath of that first crushing defeat, reality set in. As one of the largest tribes, the Nefantar had been hit hard by the raids, and their leadership debated leaving Matar for their colony world of Hjoramold. In the end, the Nefantar chief decided against the move, despite strong support for it among influential families and clan leaders. The debate's aftermath left bitter divisions within the tribe, and the acrimony would lead many of the most powerful members of the Nefantar tribe to look to the protection of their own families at the expense of others. The next time Amarr raiders came to Matar, they encountered no resistance in areas controlled by certain Nefantar families. The Amarr quickly understood these members of the Nefantar elite were willing to work with them in exchange for immunity from the raids for their own families. Over time the collaboration of the Nefantar with the Amarr became widespread across Matar, as the benefits of the betrayal of their fellow Matari became clear.

After a century of Amarr raiding, the Nefantar had become the effective rulers of what remained to the Minmatar people. Any open challengers to their control would quickly find themselves in the next quota of slaves handed over to the raiding parties. The Nefantar had already begun to ape their Amarr masters, abandoning many tribal ways and adopting an aristocratic hierarchy. Finally, just before the invasion and occupation of Matar, the Nefantar moved their capital to Hjoramold, evidently with the approval and assistance of the Amarr. Safely on Hjoramold, the Nefantar leadership adopted the Amarr faith and pledged their allegiance to the Amarr Empire. The emperor, Damius III, was so impressed he bestowed special privileges on the Nefantar and spoke of them as "Ammatar," in acknowledgement of their loyalty.

The Nefantar, as the Ammatar, enjoyed a very privileged relationship with their Amarr rulers and considerable autonomy. Many high-ranking Ammatar became slaveholders, and the use of space vessels was granted them. Even so, the Nefantar were as shocked as anyone by the annihilation of Starkman Prime. Perhaps even more so. The Starkmanir, afterall, had been almost as privileged as the Nefantar, and the two tribes had maintained links even after their respective migrations away from Matar. Some of the Nefantar elites became convinced that a great crime had been carried out and were determined to save what was left of the Starkmanir. From this time on, these Nefantar families covertly gathered to them as many Starkmanir as they could and, under the guise of establishing slave colonies, placed them in areas controlled by the Nefantar.

After the Great Rebellion, the Nefantar, now almost universally known as the Ammatar, retreated from the Minmatar worlds with their Amarr masters. Uncertain whether or not the Minmatar rebels would ultimately survive, the NEfantar conspirators took their Starkmanir charges with them and settled the on one of the worlds under their control in the new buffer state the Amarr set up for them: the Ammatar Mandate. The inadvertent discovery of the Starkmanir by the Sisters of EVE was almost a disaster. Fortunately, the Nefantar conspiracy controlled the Mandate through the governorship of Ana Utulf and was able to delay repercussions under the Elder Fleet invaded the Mandate and recovered the Starkmanir. The Nefantar conspirators and their families led a mass defection of many Ammatar back to the Minmatar Republic at the same time. Today, the Nefantar tribe has been restored as one of the Seven Tribes of Matar, even while many of their bloodline remain loyal to the Amarr Empire.

In the above, as well as most articles I've read, their current culture is described as very similar to Amarrian culture.

As for appearance, it should be noted that the image from "A Man of Values and Faith" depicts Ammatar/Nefantar:

[Lyn Farel]

That's funny, that Source article is almost a total rip off of the wiki article... I thought they retconed that stupid conspiracy to save the Starkmanir ? I'm sad to see that thing still lives...

So anyway, that's what I said above, that article doesn't tell us much on the culture and like most Nefantar/Ammatar lore, it speaks about them in relation to the Amarr... Reading the chronicle now though... I haven't read that one. Looks interesting.

@Nissui : I didn't know or remember about those idols. That's interesting. For the looks I mostly referred to the few dev actors that played nefantar tribe characters mostly. So that's maybe one or two... And the actors behind made them pale skinned with washed out hair. Not sure if that was meant as a main trait or just a specificity of the characters in question...

[Samira Kernher]

That's funny, that Source article is almost a total rip off of the wiki article... I thought they retconed that stupid conspiracy to save the Starkmanir ? I'm sad to see that thing still lives...

When I told you about it before, what I had said isn't that they completely wrote it out, but rather that it's downplayed. It's not 'all of the Mandate', it's 'a few families' going rogue after the destruction of Starkman Prime. It isn't portrayed as something that justifies everything the Ammatar ever did, simply that a schism occurred with some people having a change of heart after the Starkmanir genocide (which is perfectly reasonable).

[Lyn Farel]

Indeed. Though it's still present in that chronicle... Well, at least we can consider that as a the delusions of the man...