Yethisi Cultural Groups

The term Yethisi refers to a number of cultural groups that populate the Yethis Desert, in modern day Yethisia, as well as to the language spoken by these groups. The term derives from the Groki name for the desert, Jethis, and is little used by the Yethisi themselves, who instead use Damari, meaning children of the Dama. The Yethisi can be broken down into three sub-groups - the Nazadi, the Sufi and the Lakani. More recently, the term has begun to see use in referring solely to the Nazadi and the Sufi - the 'civilized' peoples of the river, rather than the nomadic Lakani, who roam the deep-sands.
Many of the Yethisi are commonly believed to be descendants of the ancient Maniqi, who populated the lush lands of Maniq during the Age of Radiance, until a terrible cataclysm befell them. An ancient myth holds that each of them descends from a legendary Prince - the Nazadi come from Naza, the silver-tongued; the Sufi from Suf, the sculptor; and the Lakani from Lakan, the warrior. These mythological ancestors have played a major role in influencing the values of each group, into the modern day. While this tale distinguished the groups within the Yethisi, it should be noted that during the Warring Times many refugees came to the lands of the Yethisi: dwarves, and humans, who would join the Yethisi, and become integrated members of their society.
Generally, the Yethisi tend to share several key beliefs and values that dominate their culture. Unlike the rest of the ancient world, the Yethisi abandoned worship of the celestial gods and goddesses, instead turning to worship of their sacred river, the Dama, and the heavenly sun. After maintaining neutrality during the Warring Times, these practices remained remarkably consistent over many centuries, the ancient Yethisian religion sharing many similarities with the modern Cult of Dama. In the case of the Nazadi and the Sufi, these beliefs have evolved slightly to encapsulate a sacred reverence for the Crown of Flowers and its mortal bearer, a reverence which is also bound to a shared civic duty: ensuring that only the worthy be allowed to wear the sun-forged crown.
Perhaps the most unusual aspect of Yethisi culture is their abandonment of writing systems. Early myths about the events surrounding the Desolation led the first Yethisi to abandon their ancient script, and eventually condemn any form of writing as blasphemous. Most Yethisi stories are instead told through oral tradition, or even through the medium of sculpture and painting. The Yethisi greatly revere the Isada, story-tellers who spend their early lives memorising their ancient history through the medium of myths and legends, and share them with the community in order to convey moral truths. The Yethisi also tend to stray away from the study of arcane magic, in part due to their dismissal of writing, and in part due to some strange superstition that arcane magic is inherently dangerous and corrupting.
The Nazadi are known as the traders of the desert, and populate most of the northern course of the Wannib River. They were the only group to consistently trade with the dwarves of Grok Makar, exchanging spices and paintings from the Sufi for rare goods from the north. The Nazadi are also known to be laxer in obeisance of their pagan traditions, borrowing the Groki numeric system (though still refusing to utilise their heretic script). The Nazadi are well-known in the wider Empire of Nara Tok for their appreciation of gallows humour, which likely stems from the hostile nature of desert life. Many Nazadi idioms have bled through into wider use throughout the Yethis, colouring the language with grim metaphors.
The Sufi can be found along the southern course of the Wannib river. They are renowned for their artistry: Sufi sculptures and portraits have been considered luxury goods among many northern courts for many centuries, even driving the historical Greatwood Exchange. Among the Yethisi, the Sufi are known for their piety, and their appreciation for aesthetic beauty. Sufi are the most numerous among the Yethisi, and make up the majority of the population of the city of Iferi, the largest settlement in the region.
The Lakani are the most starkly distinct of the Yethisi peoples. Their exact numbers are unknown, but believed to be relatively small. They populate the deep sands of the Yethis desert, and unlike the Sufi and the Nazadi, the Lakani do not consider themselves subjects of the Empire of Nara Tok. The Lakani are warrior nomads, who survive by hunting the desert's creatures. They believe that it is their sacred duty to protect the ancient secrets of Maniq from interlopers, and as such they often set themselves in opposition to those who seek Maniqi Ruins. More recently, they have also established themselves as enemies of the Empire, conducting attacks on imperial settlements and garrisons, for reasons that remain unclear. Little more is known about them, but their combat prowess is feared even among Jarnish mercenary companies.
Sufi-Nazadi Kingdoms ruled much of the Wannib river for many centuries, and as a result cultural distinctions between the Sufi and Nazadi became much more ambiguous. Individuals of Sufi or Nazadi heritage are commonly found throughout both the north and the south, and the terms have lost much of their historical meaning as a result. More recently, under prolonged imperial occupation, the Damadi (used here to combine both Sufi and Nazadi) have seen their cultural heritage grow even more faded, blurred with 'imperial' culture. Some in larger cities have even begun to engage in worship of the celestial gods, and learned to read and write in the imperial script.