The Nanwu are the second oldest surviving Wizard Realm of the Seven Realms of Wizards. (The Salien are the oldest surviving Realm. Other Ancient Realms existed but these have since disappeared. To find out more, read Wizards and Magic - A Comprehensive History - Principles of Wizardry Volume Four. It will be available soon.) The modern day territory of the Nanwu is extensive, it covers all of Asia (including parts of Russia, China, all of the Pacific Rim down to Singapore, and the Western and Southern Pacific Islands). The main Seat of Power of the Nanwu is near the modern town of Lhasa (Tibet).
The Nanwu first appeared in 9018 BCE. (This is according to verbal tradition. Written Nanwu records, held by the Sabril settlement, begin about a thousand years later.) The Nanwu were a diverse group of wizards who shared a common heritage (they are genetically linked) and common powers but they lived in small, isolated settlements spread throughout Asia.
Written records pick up the history of the Nanwu in 8015BCE. It was at this time that the Sabril Wandmakers began crafting and trading wands throughout the Nanwu territory. The Sabrils (who are very adept at Parkour) were the original links to the widespread Nanwu settlements. Eventually, the Nanwu settlements (who learned parkour from the Sabrils) began to interact with one another. In 7889 BCE, the Nanwu formed the Realm of the Nanwu centered in Lhasa. This was the first formal organization of the Nanwu and it exists to this day.
By 4142 BCE, the Nanwu had extended their Realm to include many of the Pacific Rim areas and the nearer Islands. (These areas were overrun by the Iskanga and Firanga. The Nanwu cleared these lands thereby making them habitable to settlements.)
The Nanwu are divided into over two hundred smaller tribes. All Nanwu have wand powers and can parkour. Individual powers are spread throughout the Nanwu (and are very rare - less than 9% of the population have one of these additional powers, less than 1.7% of the Nanwu have more than one of these powers). These powers include Valutus (shapeshifting), Ennustamas (divination), and Lehvima (flying). The rarest of all of these magical gifts (less than 0.2% of the Nanwu) is Adrsya (invisibility).
The most noted tribe of the Nanwu are the Sabrils. These are the world famous Wandmakers who live in their own enclave high in the Himalayas (the exact location remains a secret). The Sabril have wand powers and parkour. They represent approximately 39% of the Nanwu who have the power of Adrsya.
