Kovoy

In the north of Fulmany, in Kamaukul, the Kovoy nomads roam from the edge of the western steppes to the eastern tundra. According to scholars, there are five great tribes of the Kovoy - Artoz, Anyo, Karik, Omo and Malar, from eastmost to westmost. There is relatively little known about these people, and what is comes mostly through rumours filtering south through their neighbouring states. Even then, that information tends to be about their conflicts with those groups.
The western tribes are in constant conflict with the Kamauk steppe nomads in the plains, raiding them for their livestock and other food stores.

Life in the Tundra

For most of the year, the tribes remain close to the coast where they can fish and whale, retreating back inland towards the mountains in the late autumn, to avoid the extremely low temperatures the coast reaches. Each of the tribes have their own territories, living across several communities within them with their own hamlets and villages on the shore, then travelling back to larger communities inland where several of those will occupy a larger town. The kovoy herd reindeer with them as they move, which belong to the group's chief and are loaned back to the herdsmen - similar to the way that a king owns all of his country, and loans it out to his vassals - who pay in labour and resources.
The Kovoy have a type of flat-bottomed boat used for fishing that can be easily converted into sleds when they travel north. The shape also allows them to navigate quite far up rivers and through shallow water, although does not sail as smoothly in deeper seas - this is not usually an issue, but when the opportunity arises to catch a whale, animals which live in deep water, but can feed a community for weeks, it means that it can be easy to lose people overboard. As such, successfully hunting a whale is considered a great achievement, and indicative of a brave hunter. Many young men seek to prove themselves by bringing home such a prize.

Conflict

Conflict among the tribes, and with their neighbours, is always conducted in a hit-and-run raiding style. Ideally, a group of warriors surprise an enemy camp at night, steal what they can, and flee back into the darkness with the spoils. This is the same approach the Kamauk take to their warfare, although Kovoy do not use horses (putting them at an enormous disadvantage when in Kamauk territory). As a result, the two cultures are often seen as cowardly by their southern neighbours who fight in organised armies, but this is far from the truth. Among the Kovoy, the loss of even a handful of warriors means less hands to fish and herd the reindeer, or grow what crops can be produced in the climate, and so even a victory along 'traditional' lines could be a devastating loss for the tribe.

Magic

The Kovoy have a type of shaman, known as the Tadibey, who are said to have great magical power. Very little is known about them and their abilities, with the Kovoy attributing many great events to their magic - such as the sinking of an Ulman fleet in 455MC when the Empire tried to expand northwards - but no clear descriptions of how it is performed, nor any detailed accounts written by a Tadibey are known in the south. They are said to be impossible to kill.