Arshan
Arshans are a semi-nomadic tribal culture that lives in the Arshan Forest or, as they call it, Home Forest. Each of their tribes is concentrated around a fortified settlement known as a freehold. Each such settlement controls the farm area around it as well as forest hunting grounds.
In arshan culture the forest plays the most important role. They believe that their duty is to protect the forest from harm. To ensure that it isn't devasted by constant fighting, leaders of the freeholds created a union meant to keep the peace in the Home Forest. This union is known among the arshans as the Confederation of Tribes. Outsiders, however, don't use that name. They simply say "Arshan Freeholds" when talking about the union. Usage of that alternate name is additionally propagated by the propaganda agencies of the Solis Empire. The empire wants people to see arshans as wild and uncivilized people who don't have a political organization.
Culture
Shared customary codes and values
To be an arshan means to respect and protect the Home Forest by all means necessary. No arshan will ever idly stand by while others destroy it nor they ever join them in such an endeavour. They would rather die.
Average technological level
Arshans' respect for the forest and desire to protect it resulted in them not being as technologically advanced as the Solis Empire. For example, their military technology is still limited to swords, spears and bows. However, they compensate that by their excellent skills in navigating the forest as well as hit and run tactics for which the solis army is not prepared.
Art & Architecture
Most of arshan architecture is made out of wood. Mining clay and making bricks out of it is considered to invasive to the forest. Buildings are also simple in style and have very little ornamental elements. Such things don't have a practical value, so obtaining resources to make them would be harmful to the forest in they eyes of the arshans. For the same reason, there is almost no art among the arshans.
The only exceptions from the wooden architecture can be found in some of the freeholds in the northeast part of the forest. That area is covered with hills that have an easy access to stone deposits. Because of that, people there often built with stone and wood.
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