The principal ethnic group of Hepekeria is the Numec. Most non-Hepekerians think of the Numec as the nomadic tribes which roam the desert inland of Hepekeria, but in actuality both the coastal and inland peoples are of Numec stock. The coastal peoples, whose lives are focussed in and around cities, generally identify themselves by the political unit to which they belong, rather than by their ethnic heritage. Nevertheless all of these peoples speak dialects of Numer, the ancient language of the Numec, and they all use Hekori, the traditional script of Numer. The dialects vary in their mutual (in)comprehensibility; generally the closer two peoples are geographically the closer they are linguistically.
The principle Numec ethnic subgroups include the Daoudim, Korluim, Falanim, and Berdazhim. The Daoudim are the nomads of central Hepekeria, the Korluim the coastal peoples of northwestern Hepekeria, the Falanim the peoples of the southern coasts, and the Berdazhim are the Numec peoples of Dalanya. In addition, the mysterious Taugari, who are supposedly not of Numec stock, live somewhere in the heart of the desert.
All of the Numec peoples are similar in build and appearance. They tend to be lightly built and slightly shorter than average. Skin color tends towards a dark caucasian, though the Falanim tend to be somewhat darker, probably Anzelorian influence. Hair color is uniformly very dark brown or black and eye color is normally dark brown. Occasionally a baby is born with gray eyes and this is considered a powerful omen for the tribe of its birth. Such individuals are considered to be touched by the gods and hence have important destinies, though whether that destiny is for good or ill is unknowable until it comes to pass. Generally their eyes darken as they age and as adults no outward sign of their special status is visible. It is widely known that Faesul of clan Petar of the Daoudim, was born with gray eyes.
While Numec culture varies in and around Hepekeria, all the Numec peoples share a few characteristics. As a group they are very fond of music and are very talented musicians. The specific types of music and the instruments preferred vary but music is a key ingredient in Numec life. The Daoudim in particular are known for their drumming and singing, while the Korluim are known for their artful flute-playing. All of the Numec peoples have a strong sense of their culture's worth and superiority to other cultures. To the outsider they routinely seem haughty and condescending, or at least smug.
When the first Numec arrived in Hepekeria they found the land already inhabited, though sparsely so. Numec legends hint that there may have been an elven community of some sort in the interior, though there is no other evidence to support this. The elves of Elshavel have been remarkably reticent on this issue when questioned by Azeryani scholars and so the question remains unanswered.