Raurindi desert tribes (raow-RIN-dee)

The Raurindi people are hardy desert dwellers living in the The Desert of Desolation, descended from those who lived in the region a thousand years ago when it was a fertile valley. Only a few tribes remain, huddled around oases in the desert like the Oasis of the White Palm. Many of them are losing their cultural identity as they are swallowed by the Durpari people who have moved in since the desert was reopened for trade caravans.
A central tenet of Raurindi faith is that all gods are divine and thus all should be worshipped equally. This is anathema to the monotheistic Durpari, who worship only Anu, god of merchants and wealth. It has resulted in many clashes between the two and the Raurindi have been driven nearly to the brink of extinction as a result. A core of the Raurindi people are starting to fight back. They are known as Dervishes for their fanatical defence of the temples and holy sites which the Raurindi tended and protected for generations, until the Durpari arrived and began to deface or convert them.
The Raurindi dress identically to their Durpari cousins in lightweight flowing robes to protect themselves against the scorching sun and sun-baked sand. They all wear curving daggers as both tool and defence against marauding wild animals, and when they prepare for war, they add lightweight leather armour beneath their robes and belt on curving scimitars. They strap light bucklers onto their forearms, and their fighting style is a series of fast slashes, flicking in to draw blood before an enemy can react, gradually weakening them. This style also serves particularly well for fast-paced mounted combat. The Raurindi tribes field unparalleled light cavalry.
A type of desert-adapted horse has been bred in the region for many generations, and the Raurindi have taken it to a fine art. Raurindi horses exported out of the Desert fetch staggering sums, even though these mounts are not the best stallions or mares, which are reserved for the breeding herds. A Raurindi mount will only obey its master or mistress, and the bond between horse and rider is near-psychic, so well can the horse anticipate the next command. The long nose and wide, liquid eyes of the desert horses make them look particularly attractive, but the long legs are only deceptively slender. When the horse rears to bring stiffened forelegs down on an enemy, or wheels around to kick with crushing force, it can deliver amazingly strong blows. Likewise, Raurindi-bred horses use little more than half the water required of a normal horse in the desert.