Unbowed Nomads
"If you can look past their love for raping, pillaging, and enslaving, the nomads aren't bad folk." - Jericho Hyaal, Crawite Merchant of House Hyaal
The Unbowed Nomads, or Nomad-Kings are one of the oldest ethnic groups in Traia. predating even the kingdom itself. They are a hard, proud people who spend most of their lives roaming across the northern veld and western wastes of Traia. This is territory that stretches from west of the Bowra Pass canyon lands, south to the Silver Mountains, and north to the badlands and border with Jandal. The vast majority of Unbowed live in nomadic tribes of horsemen or camel riders raiding cities, towns, caravans, and even soldiers on the march, though there are a scant handful of permanent settlements throughout the territory. With a few notable exceptions these settlements tend to be small and have little to offer traders and raiders alike.
Each band of Unbowed has a self styled King who rules the entire tribe. Tribes range in size from a few dozen to thousands, though most only number in the low hundreds. Kings are not hereditary titles, each King is selected through a process of ritual combat and once chosen the King must strive to maintain that title either through bringing the tribe glory and spoils through battle, or by beating any challengers to the title in combat. The former is preferred. In this way a King who is personally fearsome in combat may find his tribe deserting him to strike out on their own if his plans continually bring loss and failure for the rest of the tribe.
Life in the veld and wastes of Traia is a hard, savage thing and many Unbowed are hard, lean people with skin as dark as soot and mahogany. Black or brown eyes are by far the most common eye colors with the curious, and rare, exception of an incredibly dazzling green. This trait is also evident in Ethnic Traian's who can trace their ancestry back to the Unbowed. They favor light clothing, and little or no armor. Falcatas for swords, and bows designed to be fired from horseback. Bright colors are favorite among all the tribes and many people, especially warriors, paint their faces and bodies either as a means of scaring foes or to combat the heat.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Unbowed speak a dialect of Ishna called, Nomadic Ishna, a very pure, and old form of the most common tongue spoken in the kingdom. Ethnic Traian's speak Ishna, and the two languages are close enough that fluency in one makes the other understandable with a little effort.
Shared customary codes and values
Unbowed generally believe anything you can't stop someone from taking isn't yours to begin with; theft, enslavement, murder, and rape are all common among the nomads and generally not considered crimes. Notable exceptions: killing a horse or camel, and enslaving other nomads. Doing either without a very good reason could get someone killed.
Falconry is very common for the Unbowed, especially among women. As a result eagles, falcons, hawks, and even owls are so highly prized they're used as currency and there's even famous lineages of birds. Having a trained bird is a status symbol.
Average technological level
Metal is rare among the Unbowed and is almost exclusively used in weapons. Armor consists of leather, padded fabrics, bone, and even shaped pieces of rhinoceros beetle carapace.
The hard, nomadic life of the Unbowed makes the time and discipline necessary to become a Wizard all but impossible. Sorcerers are rare, and Psionists are exceptionally rare, though more Psionists are either Nomads, or descended from Nomads, than any other group in the known world.
Common Etiquette rules
It is courtesy to praise the length of a man's beard.
It is rude to wear your weapons in another man's tent; there is often a designated place (usually an empty wooden box, or sometimes a woven basket) set outside most tents for people to disarm before entering. Stealing from this basket is a great offense to the host and they will go well out of their way to avenge the slight. Many men have been killed or dismembered.
Men and women do not cut their hair except as a punishment or in mourning. Beards are never cut and it is a great mark of shame for a man to have his beard cut.
Common Dress code
It is a common practice for Unbowed to paint their bodies and faces with vibrantly colored paint. The practice is so common containers of paint are often used as currency.
Clothing is generally made of leather, camel or horse hair spun into thread and worked into cloth, or, rarely, wool and linen. Linen, wool, silk, and other fabrics must be traded or looted from travelers so they are rare and a sign of conquest.
Women and men tend to wear breeches for riding, and sandals, though boots aren't uncommon. Men and women either go bare chested or wear tunics equally. All items are decorated with fine beading depicting various conquests, religious icons, horses and camels, or anything else the wearer finds appealing or meaningful. Self expression in this regard is encouraged.
Steel and iron are rare among the Unbowed except for weapons and certain other items that the tribes come across. Most armor is made of padded cloth, leather, bone, or even beetle carapaces.
Art & Architecture
Unbowed have no architecture save for their tents, which are made from the treated hide of horses, camels, and other beasts. Often they are painted in intricate styles meaningful to the families living within.
Despite a nomadic lifestyle Unbowed do have a significant affinity for certain types of art. Few items are purely decorative, but intricately decorated musical instruments, especially lutes and guitars, are common. Weapons almost always have their hilts and scabbard worked in various ways. Clothing is universally decorated with gems and beads.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Men grow their hair and beards as long as possible, going through great lengths to protect them. This has led to some interestingly bound bears encased in gold rings or behind specially made "suits" of armor to protect them. Women, likewise, are forbidden from cutting their hair. Cutting hair is reserved as a punishment or for mourning. Cutting beards is reserved as a dire punishment and mark of shame for men.
When meeting with a King for the first time it is customary to bring a gift. What this gift is almost doesn't matter, but the more useful, unique, or valuable the object is the better the reception is likely to be. The point is that it is some acknowledgement of the King's status, and an unspoken request for hospitality among the tribe. If the King accepts the gift then the hospitality is given. People should be wary however, a single gift from, say the leader of a caravan, may or may not count for the entire caravan. This is entirely at the whim of the King, and more than one caravan has found all but one or two of its members murdered and looted by a tribe that used this caveat to their advantage.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Like Ethnic Traian's, Unbowed have myths tied to the naming of children, and some historians posit that the Traian myths have their roots in the Unbowed practice of not naming children before their fifth winter. The myth itself stems from how hard the life of an Unbowed is. The constant moving, the weather, the search for water, and food often means children get sick, and in such environments the sick are especially vulnerable. Child mortality is very high among the Unbowed.
Coming of Age Rites
Most children will be gifted with their first horse or camel, and will undertake a journey called a spirit-walk. During the spirit-walk the children, usually around thirteen, must go out in a group, away from the tribe to one of the many offering sites and sit in meditation. They are not given any food and little water to force their spirits to awaken fully. Once the children have attained the appropriate level of spiritual awareness they will be granted a vision. In this vision the children are given some insight into themselves, and when they return they begin an apprenticeship of sorts as warriors, shamans, or other craftsmen.
During the preparation phase for the spirit-walk much is made of the children needing to find their own way back to the tribe. While this is true Unbowed are also acutely aware of how few of their children survive to adulthood, so while the tribe never stops moving through the spirit-walk their progress slows to a crawl, rarely covering more than a mile or two in an entire day, giving the children every opportunity to find their way back.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Birds are revered and worshiped among the Unbowed so when someone dies their bodies are often left as offerings to them. Throughout the veld and wastes large, flat stones are littered with bones and stained with blood to mark their use as offering sites. This practice is called Touching Heaven. Being buried is a dire, sacrilegious insult to the dead. Those buried become food for beetles and worms; land dwelling vermin. This atrocity denies the deceased's spirit the opportunity to return to the sky, condemning them to an eternity on earth.
Common Taboos
Various religious beliefs have made cutting one's hair or beard a taboo, and having either or both forced upon someone is a severe punishment.
Enslaving other Unbowed is considered a nigh sacrilegious act among the Unbowed. Few give an enemy the opportunity, instead opting to save themselves the shame by committing ritual suicide or fighting to the death. Regardless, any individual who makes a habit of taking his fellows as slaves will eventually find himself Touching Heaven.
Common Myths and Legends
Unbowed believe they are the offspring of the sky and the first eagles. This is why they have such an affinity for falconry and offer their dead to the birds in a ritual they call Touching Heaven.
Somewhere in the veld of northwestern Traia is a great aerie for a a massive eagle. This eagle is said to have all kinds of magical powers and strengths, even being credited with raising a few legendary Nomads from the dead. No one can say for sure if this mythical bird exists, but the areas are home to several rocs, and their feathers, eggs, bones, et al... are highly prized as sacred religious artifacts.
Traians have a lot of their own myths about the Unbowed. Most of them are untrue, but a few are listed below:
Many Traians believe the Unbowed are cannibals. There is no evidence to support this theory, and indeed, the act is considered heinous among the nomads. This is probably an old wives' tale that just took off and is largely accepted as a truth now among those who don't know any better.
Unbowed enslave children. This, unfortunately, is true. Children are rarely killed by the Unbowed, but they are abducted and enslaved with abandon. Children enslaved to the Unbowed can expect a hard life growing up as a second class citizen in the tribes doing the menial labor the Unbowed refuse to do for themselves, along with any other, more nefarious, needs the Unbowed have in mind. This varies from tribe to tribe, of course, and it's not uncommon in certain tribes for children to be adopted into Unbowed families. This is truer in the southwestern tribes which tend to be more heavily influenced by Traian societal norms than their wilder, northern counterparts. Once these adopted children are of age they are sent on their Spirit Walk. If they return, like all Unbowed children, they are welcomed as full adult members of the tribe.
Historical figures
Tranion, the first King of Traia, was the last Nomad-King of the eastern tribes. When he brought all the other tribes east of the Bowra Pass to heel, forcing them to acknowledge him as their king, the way of the tribes died in the east, and the Kingdom of Traia was born. A Nomad-King has not ruled southeast of the Pass since.
Kargul, the Blood King is the current king of one of the largest and most vicious tribes in the veld. They claim a huge territory and commonly venture into the Bowra Pass, and even as far as Ein Bowra, looking for slaves and plunder. Kargul and his horde are feared all over the Pashtu.
Untaran the Sky, the Warrior of the Eagle, the Cursed is a legendary Nomad-King who ruled the largest horde of Unbowed ever recorded. He waged war against King Kolkim I Wazida 340 years ago in what became known as the War of the Veld. All but Untaran's most trusted warriors were scattered or enslaved by the Traian army over the course of ten years. In Battle of The Black Knife. When Untaran's remaining forces were surrounded and defeated the survivors were executed and allowed to Touch Heaven. Untaran was beheaded, his body placed in a weighted leather sack, and dumped into the middle of Black Knife Bay.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Beauty standards vary wildly among the Unbowed, but one thing remains constant: color. Men and women paint their faces, bodies, and nails. Jewelry made of precious metals, enameled and jeweled, are highly prized, not for their actual value but for the colors they contain. Some of the most valuable trinkets in a Nomad's collection could be entirely worthless to someone who values gold and coins as a currency.
Gender Ideals
Across tribes men and women have varied roles. For every one that treats them equally there is one that confines women to second-class citizens with roles that reflect their station. There are tribes where women have much say in the politics and religious life of the tribe, and some where they have none. There are tribes where women are revered, and even hold positions of power and leadership, and others where they're little more than slaves themselves. There's even a scant handful of tribes where the men are relegated to second-class citizens, being used as little more than breeding stock and laborers.
Courtship Ideals
Courtship among the Unbowed, like most things with the nomads, can be a dangerous affair. When a man finds a woman he wishes to court he first gifts her father with a horse or camel. If the father finds the gift, and the suitor, acceptable he will accept it and invite the suitor to dine with his family. There, the man gives the young woman whom he fancies a fine, sharp knife. If the knife meets her standards she will accept and the meal will commence. This knife is a useful tool to everyone in the tribe, so the gift is appreciated anyway, but it is also a sign of trust and respect.
By arming the young woman the man is saying that he will treat her with dignity, such that it is among the Unbowed, and that he trusts her with his life. These two things are paramount to the Unbowed. Life is short, and hard, and brutal for the Nomads. Having someone they can trust entirely is a rare boon to many of them.
At the end of the meal the man will attempt to bring the young woman back his tent. She does not necessarily need to go willingly to this tent for their union to be sanctified. However, if the woman finds the man unsuitable for any reason she is encouraged to use the knife on him. Most men get the message when the knife is brandished, and move on to find another suitable companion. Some press the issue. Of those, some succeed in getting the woman to his tent regardless, and claim their new wife. Some die...
Major organizations
While the Unbowed live in territory belonging to the Kingdom of Traia they do not consider themselves part of it, indeed suggesting as much is an insult that will, at best, be met with derision. While maps may show Traia's border touching Jandal the reality is the Traian army isn't big enough to bring the Unbowed to heel. On paper, Traia rules the land. In practice the northern reaches of Traia belong to the Unbowed.
Diverged ethnicities
Related Organizations
Related Locations
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