The Tairnadal are one of the two dominant cultures on Aerenal. Whereas the Aereni reside over most of the island, the northern steppes of Aerenel are home to the Tairnadal. There is also a sizeable population of Tairnadal on Khorvaire in the nation of Valenar, though these are specifically the Valaes Tairn. The Tairnadal are driven and defined by their patron ancestors, legendary elves that did great deeds, many of which dating back to the Age of Giants on Xen'drik.
There are many factions that make up the Tairnadal.
- The largest faction amongst the Tairnadal is the Valaes Tairn, who seek to emulate the deeds of their ancestors in spirit, pursuing great foes to test their mettle against (even if those foes differ from those fought by the patron ancestors).
- The Silaes Tairn seek to emulate the ancestors actions on Xen'drik. They hunt giants, and seek to recover or destroy artifacts left by the giant civilisations.
- The Draleus Tairn seek to emulate the deeds of those who fought in the Argonnessen-Aereni conflict, and hunt dragons.
- The Kel Gryfaen, a subset of the Valaes Tairn, emulate ancestors who fought against the Dhakaani Empire. Their ancestors tamed and rode griffons, and the Kel Gryfaen follow in their ancestors footsteps.