The pre-Adantri dominant race/culture of the Simtakka area was called the Tzaltakans. The Tzaltakans are culturally related to the peoples of the Zinaco Empire to the far west. Their initial racial similarities to that people have been somewhat diluted by interbreeding with the aboriginal population of the Simtakka area and with the Adantri. In appearance, the Tzaltakan or mostly Tzaltakan people of Simtakka are darker and shorter than the typical Adantri and distinctly oriental in features.

The Tzaltakans, like their cousins the Zinatacs, originated on the southern plains to the west of the modern Empire of Lirith Kai. It is conceivable, since Ghea is such a crossroads world, that they may have come to the plains from some other world, but that does not currently concern us. The first people identifiable as Tzinatzal--the name applied by scholars to the root-race/culture--were on the southern plains about a thousand years ago. They were semi-nomadic farmers and pastoralists paying tribute to the now largely vanished Genarit Kingdom of the southern plains. They lived in villages of sod houses during the winters, planted their crops in the spring and then took off with their flocks of sheep and goats, following the warm weather and new grass northward till midsummer. After midsummer, they started drifting southward again, and they were back at their village sites in time to harvest the crops and settle in for the winter. They were then, as now, weavers of note, and paid their tribute in cloth.

About eight hundred years ago, a man now known as Nalzitlor became the headman of the largest village. Being smart, ambitious, and charismatic, he succeeded in drawing the loosely-linked village/clan groups into a strong unit, "cast off the Genarit yoke," and moved the whole tribe northward in search of a place where they could become the dominant people. [The "casting off of the Genarit yoke" was probably nothing more than a few skirmishes, since the Genarit were not, in fact, the rulers of the Tzinatzal, the Genarit Kingdom was in decline, and in any case would not have been interested enough to stop any group of "peasants" that wanted to move out of their sphere of influence.] At some point on the way north, a hitherto obscure tribesman had a revelation, started to prophesy, and came into conflict with Nalzitlor. The tribesman's name has been lost, and he is now remembered simply as "the Prophet." After enough dithering and quarreling to bring them dangerously close to winter, the tribe split in two. The larger group, under Nalzitlor, moved west, eventually becoming the Zinatacs. The smaller group, about 2000 people in all, followed the Prophet to the north, becoming the Tzaltakans, the "chosen people."

When the Tzaltakans reached what is now called the Simtakka Valley, the season had advanced to the point that they were getting pretty desperate for winter quarters. The main oases with their hot springs were occupied by an unwarlike farming people who lived in dispersed villages. They were no match for the invading Tzaltakans, and by spring were a subject people. The Tzaltakans were firmly convinced of the Prophet's holy inspiration--had he not led them to a land where it was always warm and where each man, woman, and child of the tribe had two personal servants, and other people toiled for them in the fields? Clearly, they had been favored by the gods, and the gods, therefore, must be repaid amply. Where before the Tzaltakans had been content to sacrifice sheep and goats, they now would sacrifice some of their subject people--people who should consider themselves honored to be allowed to give their blood to feed such splendid gods. Initially, no more than half a dozen a year were sacrificed...but the gods liked human blood better than that of a goat--

Seven hundred sixty years ago, the Tzaltakans, feeling that the gods were strongly on their side, attempted to expand their holdings along the foot of the mountains and took on the Sendori of Korvan Saleh in a war which the Tzaltakans lost. They blamed the loss on trickery and sorcery practiced against them by the Sendori and refused to make peace--although they were unable to continue to make war--or to resume trading with the Sendori.

By the time another twenty years had passed, the original people of the valley had had more than enough, and they rose in rebellion against the Tzaltakans. They were, however, still unwarlike and when they lost were forced into an even more vicious subjection. How long they would have continued to exist at all is unknown, since ten years after that, seven hundred thirty years ago, the Adantri came pouring through the passes of the Han Torra Khang and into the valley. The Prophet's followers discovered that they were not such great warriors after all--for the Adantri had been raised on swords and battle--and the aborigines rose and welcomed the Adantri as saviors.

After a thirty-year period as a conquered territory, while the Adantri tried to wipe out all signs of the Tzaltakan religion--the human sacrifice, especially, was abhorrent to them--the area became a member province of the Empire of Lirith Kai. This was seven hundred years ago.