Khaid'bon
The Khaid'bon are a human people group indigenous to the Tiāoyuán Plateau who have slowly filtered outwards into new lands over time, expanding their control. Preliminary studies have concluded that it's likely the Khaid'bon culture initially developed in and around the Rilong Gorge, a long valley between the plateau and Jade Mountains. The Khaid'bon, as they grew, claimed more and more of the highlands, eventually encompassing the rest of the previously-untouched (by humans) plateau. The highland Khaid'bon soon came to dominate trade between the Jade Dwarves and the nascent Hymari civilization, allowing the others to focus on artisanship rather than braving the dangerous mountain passes. The Khaid'bon are primarily pastoralist herders or subsistence farmers, though some more advanced economic activity as well as cash crops aren't unheard of.
Khaid'bon culture was highly influenced by the development of the Hymari Pantheon, which had a large cross-cultural effect. Developing alongside the Eastern Dwarven Panthon, the two began to take on similar aspects and dominate the region. This, of course, influenced the Khaid'bon over time and led to their eventual conversion to the Hymari Panthon. At least, for most. As Hymari culture and influence spread, those who rejected it moved southwards, settling in isolated valleys and preseving their indigenous religion. These people groups, though all are Khaid'bon, soon diverged greatly.
Khaid'bon civilization is bounded in the west by the Jade Mountains, which are dominated by the dwarves. To the south, their culture stretches into the foothills and valleys of Apastajaii. While some Khaid'bonic states have advanced quite far into the region in the past, for the most part their impact is limited. Inversely, in Hymar itself, large communities of Khaid'bon have settled over the years, though the states of the region have typically been Hymari-run. To the north, their borders are more porous, as many live in and amongst the halfling states of the more fertile highlands. These regions were once majority Khaid'bon before their gradual replacement with Halfling settlers who could better utilize the lands. No Khaid'bon communities are found in the Temperior Forest, however, which represents a hard boundary in the north.
The Khaid'bon are composed of several distinct groups, which have evolved over centuries of contact with various cultures, races, and religions. They are usually grouped as follows: Four "outer" peoples (Garamathrama, Zngaoang, Lhyogas, Rilongas), and the three groups of "Khaid'bon proper" (Kyryang, Phyosang, and Ha'emaer). All of these seven subgroups have specificly evolved traits involving bloodflow which allows them to process low-oxygen environments efficiently, and are well-adapted to their mountainous lands. This is least pronounced in Rilongas, and most pronounced in the Kyryang, but all of the Khaid'bon operate well above normal human levels in such harsh environments. Due to this, they are extremely athletic, able to travel long distances, and never short of breath in lowlands. They make powerful mercenaries for these reasons and for the toughness of their homeland. However, they are also a very spiritual people, reflective and considered wise teachers. In general, the Khaid'bon are a well-respected people by most.
The main group of Khaid'bon is composed of Kyryang, Phyosang, and Ha'emaer, all of whom are closely related and followers of the Hymari faith. They are notable for their beautiful monastary-forts, ruled over by warrior monks who serve as governors for the rulers of each Khaid'bon state. These monastaries also serve as spiritual leaders and have great influence, generally being more powerful as a whole than the monarchs on average. They serve as refuges during war, schools in times of peace, storehouses, the seat of legal courts, and mustering grounds for levies. They also serve the Khaid'bon communities outside Khaid'bon-ruled lands, such as for the Phyosang and Ha'emaer where they enjoy less influence but generally more autonomy due to lax policies.
The Kyryang people have the largest concentration of monastaries, many of which have been standing for a thousand years and possess great stores of knowledge and history. The Kyryang live on the High Plateau, making a living primarily in herding and in cultivating high-altitude plants. Generally, lower valleys with sufficient irrigation from snowmelt are cultivated with Barley, while the upper reaches of such valley and less-irrigated regions are grazed by yaks, goats, or sheep, depending on elevation. Barren regions are not utilized for anything, and represent restrictions on available space which is always present. Kyryang also practice large-scale gathering of flowering plants for medicine, roots and tubers for consumption, and wild herbs for both during the spring and summer. Certain types of dyes also flourish in the region, as well as the [tbd] plant, which is used as a drug. Both are sold as cash crops to other communities but are usually only grown by wealthier families with large amounts of land to spare. Food scarcity remains a concern, as weather can be tempermental and ruins harvests in regions on occasion, making herding critical. About 50% of Kyryang are occupied in nomaidic herding practices, while a further 10-15 graze on more static lands in and around specific communities. The Kyryang primarily rely on Dwarven metalworkers to mine and produce weaponry, though some deposits have been explored. Other economic activities such as weaving remain small but important contributors to their economy.
The Phyosang are the most closely related group to the Kyryang. They practice many of the same organizational, herding, and agricultural methods, though due to the lower northern elevations they do have a lower percentage of herders (~33%). These herding groups less trusted than the sedantary Phyosang living among the halflings in the region, as they resist arbitrary borders and closed communties. However, they also provide an important sector of the economy and many of the meats and furs that the halflings use, while also dominating trade routes. For their part, Phyosang have gotten into disputes as halflings utilize former grazing lands to build their own communities, disrupting patterns. Occasionally the Phyosang migrate further south, and there are several groups who live among the Kyryang on the higher plateau. They also have close ties to the Rilongas, as many descend from a mix of proto-Kyryang with the Rilongas who originally populated the region. Phyosang have been known to cultivate a more extensive reach of crops, making use of the more fertile lands they live on. They are more experienced metalworkers than the Kyryang, as there are less dwarves to purchase weapons from, but don't have the same ability to cultivate exotic dyes. Phyosang monastaries are prominent, with only slightly less than the Kyryang.
Further east, one can find the Ha'emaer. No longer residents of the Khaid'bon plateau, they are nonetheless settlers closely related to the Kyryang and Phyosang. As Khaid'bon unity and influence waxed and waned, groups present in the outerlying regions of their states gradually lost political control to Hymari states. Though cuturally similar to the Phyosang and Kyryang, they have far less monastaries, since most of their population centers only date back a few hundred years. They are only rarely herders, mostly in the west, and occupy similar economic positions to the Hymari-majority population of the region. They also represent an important connection to Khaid'bon merchants from the plateau and hills, and merchants and Ha'emaer often form mixed families, in both directions (as there are many Ha'emaer merchants as well). This contributes to their strong cultural unity amongst their people. They generally have avoided intermarriage with Hymaris, preferring to stay within their own communities, aside from the upper classes.
Besides the main groups of Khaid'bon, the Rilongas are the largest population. In fact, they are the most densely populated group of Khaid'bon, despite their small cultural sphere. Found only in the long valley of Rilong Gorge, they are very isolated from the outside world. Many still practice their idigenous relgion, though the majority have converted to the Hymarian Pantheon. Some Rilong do live in the southern reaches of the gorge, where it widens, but that area is more populated by Ghuraki peoples and gnomes. Many of the Rilongas of that region work on the outskirts. Rilongas differ from the previously mentioned Khaid'bon due to their totally settled population, which has both pros and cons. They, much like the Kyryang do very little metalworking, instead making a huge profit selling excess crops east, as well as with sericulture. This is because while the silk weavers of the Rilong valley are not as skilled as elven master artisans there is a large population of high-yield moth species only found in that valley. Rilong silk is the main rival to Hymari and Temperior silk, and is preferred by the dwarves of the region due to ease of access.
On the other side of the mountains are the Lhyogas. A small group encompassing just the Khaid'bon who are isolated off the plateau and not within the wider Garamathrama population, they are on generally good terms with just about everybody. Primarily inhabiting small, isolated villages on the boundaries of habitability and edging up into dwarven lands, they are primarily followers of the old folk religion of the Khaid'bon, with the Hymarian pantheon only making inroads among the northernmost tribes. This is due to the fact that the Lhyogas don't inhabit any major trade routes, regional or otherwise. Therefore, they are left in their little corner of the world, a relic of older times. The Lhyogas as perhaps the best mountaineers anywhere in the world, but few know about their existence. Originating from traditionalists who withdrew from the wider Kyryang society around the time the Hymarian panethon was spreading, they have kept alive a number of older spiritual traditions. Organized into 12 different tribes, these tribes nonetheless don't really affect statebuilding. Both Lhyogan states are very decentralized, with monarchs being more of figureheads guiding a region than true dynastic rulers.
Unlike the isolated Lhyogas, Garamathrama is a catch-all term for a wide group of disparite peoples originating in the more connected parts of the mountainous south. Garamathrama populations can be found throughout the southern mountains, making up a majority in any elevation beyond foothills. Similarly to the Lhyogas, they migrated south following religious disputes, preferring to keep the old traditions. In the modern day they are split between traditionalists and followers of the Lightning Dragons, who are viewed as divine messengers by all but only worshipped by some. These dragon worshippers are organized into the nation of the Ladong Ladozong Skyala, while the others are situated in the mountains surounding lake [tbd]. The Garamathrama is extremely fractal, and there have been many different microstates existing in the mountains, with populations from a few hundred to tens of thousands. Nonetheless, such decentralization has been forced to change due to the threat of the Zngaoang.
The Zngaoang are not really true "humans" per-se, but rather the bastardized spawn of dragon and man. Engineered by the dragons of Zngaoang in an effort to create a loyal not-fully-human subjects, they have nonetheless identified closely with many aspects of the Garamathrama. However, their loyalty ot the sovereign and unnatural nature of creation via forced birth has caused many to label them as an abomination and increased distrust of natural dragonborn. Ironically, the draconic rulers of Zngaoang don't fully realize that in spreading their aritifical culture, they are spreading a bastardized version of Khaid'bon culture, and not a draconic one.
Khaid'bon culture was highly influenced by the development of the Hymari Pantheon, which had a large cross-cultural effect. Developing alongside the Eastern Dwarven Panthon, the two began to take on similar aspects and dominate the region. This, of course, influenced the Khaid'bon over time and led to their eventual conversion to the Hymari Panthon. At least, for most. As Hymari culture and influence spread, those who rejected it moved southwards, settling in isolated valleys and preseving their indigenous religion. These people groups, though all are Khaid'bon, soon diverged greatly.
Khaid'bon civilization is bounded in the west by the Jade Mountains, which are dominated by the dwarves. To the south, their culture stretches into the foothills and valleys of Apastajaii. While some Khaid'bonic states have advanced quite far into the region in the past, for the most part their impact is limited. Inversely, in Hymar itself, large communities of Khaid'bon have settled over the years, though the states of the region have typically been Hymari-run. To the north, their borders are more porous, as many live in and amongst the halfling states of the more fertile highlands. These regions were once majority Khaid'bon before their gradual replacement with Halfling settlers who could better utilize the lands. No Khaid'bon communities are found in the Temperior Forest, however, which represents a hard boundary in the north.
The Khaid'bon are composed of several distinct groups, which have evolved over centuries of contact with various cultures, races, and religions. They are usually grouped as follows: Four "outer" peoples (Garamathrama, Zngaoang, Lhyogas, Rilongas), and the three groups of "Khaid'bon proper" (Kyryang, Phyosang, and Ha'emaer). All of these seven subgroups have specificly evolved traits involving bloodflow which allows them to process low-oxygen environments efficiently, and are well-adapted to their mountainous lands. This is least pronounced in Rilongas, and most pronounced in the Kyryang, but all of the Khaid'bon operate well above normal human levels in such harsh environments. Due to this, they are extremely athletic, able to travel long distances, and never short of breath in lowlands. They make powerful mercenaries for these reasons and for the toughness of their homeland. However, they are also a very spiritual people, reflective and considered wise teachers. In general, the Khaid'bon are a well-respected people by most.
The main group of Khaid'bon is composed of Kyryang, Phyosang, and Ha'emaer, all of whom are closely related and followers of the Hymari faith. They are notable for their beautiful monastary-forts, ruled over by warrior monks who serve as governors for the rulers of each Khaid'bon state. These monastaries also serve as spiritual leaders and have great influence, generally being more powerful as a whole than the monarchs on average. They serve as refuges during war, schools in times of peace, storehouses, the seat of legal courts, and mustering grounds for levies. They also serve the Khaid'bon communities outside Khaid'bon-ruled lands, such as for the Phyosang and Ha'emaer where they enjoy less influence but generally more autonomy due to lax policies.
The Kyryang people have the largest concentration of monastaries, many of which have been standing for a thousand years and possess great stores of knowledge and history. The Kyryang live on the High Plateau, making a living primarily in herding and in cultivating high-altitude plants. Generally, lower valleys with sufficient irrigation from snowmelt are cultivated with Barley, while the upper reaches of such valley and less-irrigated regions are grazed by yaks, goats, or sheep, depending on elevation. Barren regions are not utilized for anything, and represent restrictions on available space which is always present. Kyryang also practice large-scale gathering of flowering plants for medicine, roots and tubers for consumption, and wild herbs for both during the spring and summer. Certain types of dyes also flourish in the region, as well as the [tbd] plant, which is used as a drug. Both are sold as cash crops to other communities but are usually only grown by wealthier families with large amounts of land to spare. Food scarcity remains a concern, as weather can be tempermental and ruins harvests in regions on occasion, making herding critical. About 50% of Kyryang are occupied in nomaidic herding practices, while a further 10-15 graze on more static lands in and around specific communities. The Kyryang primarily rely on Dwarven metalworkers to mine and produce weaponry, though some deposits have been explored. Other economic activities such as weaving remain small but important contributors to their economy.
The Phyosang are the most closely related group to the Kyryang. They practice many of the same organizational, herding, and agricultural methods, though due to the lower northern elevations they do have a lower percentage of herders (~33%). These herding groups less trusted than the sedantary Phyosang living among the halflings in the region, as they resist arbitrary borders and closed communties. However, they also provide an important sector of the economy and many of the meats and furs that the halflings use, while also dominating trade routes. For their part, Phyosang have gotten into disputes as halflings utilize former grazing lands to build their own communities, disrupting patterns. Occasionally the Phyosang migrate further south, and there are several groups who live among the Kyryang on the higher plateau. They also have close ties to the Rilongas, as many descend from a mix of proto-Kyryang with the Rilongas who originally populated the region. Phyosang have been known to cultivate a more extensive reach of crops, making use of the more fertile lands they live on. They are more experienced metalworkers than the Kyryang, as there are less dwarves to purchase weapons from, but don't have the same ability to cultivate exotic dyes. Phyosang monastaries are prominent, with only slightly less than the Kyryang.
Further east, one can find the Ha'emaer. No longer residents of the Khaid'bon plateau, they are nonetheless settlers closely related to the Kyryang and Phyosang. As Khaid'bon unity and influence waxed and waned, groups present in the outerlying regions of their states gradually lost political control to Hymari states. Though cuturally similar to the Phyosang and Kyryang, they have far less monastaries, since most of their population centers only date back a few hundred years. They are only rarely herders, mostly in the west, and occupy similar economic positions to the Hymari-majority population of the region. They also represent an important connection to Khaid'bon merchants from the plateau and hills, and merchants and Ha'emaer often form mixed families, in both directions (as there are many Ha'emaer merchants as well). This contributes to their strong cultural unity amongst their people. They generally have avoided intermarriage with Hymaris, preferring to stay within their own communities, aside from the upper classes.
Besides the main groups of Khaid'bon, the Rilongas are the largest population. In fact, they are the most densely populated group of Khaid'bon, despite their small cultural sphere. Found only in the long valley of Rilong Gorge, they are very isolated from the outside world. Many still practice their idigenous relgion, though the majority have converted to the Hymarian Pantheon. Some Rilong do live in the southern reaches of the gorge, where it widens, but that area is more populated by Ghuraki peoples and gnomes. Many of the Rilongas of that region work on the outskirts. Rilongas differ from the previously mentioned Khaid'bon due to their totally settled population, which has both pros and cons. They, much like the Kyryang do very little metalworking, instead making a huge profit selling excess crops east, as well as with sericulture. This is because while the silk weavers of the Rilong valley are not as skilled as elven master artisans there is a large population of high-yield moth species only found in that valley. Rilong silk is the main rival to Hymari and Temperior silk, and is preferred by the dwarves of the region due to ease of access.
On the other side of the mountains are the Lhyogas. A small group encompassing just the Khaid'bon who are isolated off the plateau and not within the wider Garamathrama population, they are on generally good terms with just about everybody. Primarily inhabiting small, isolated villages on the boundaries of habitability and edging up into dwarven lands, they are primarily followers of the old folk religion of the Khaid'bon, with the Hymarian pantheon only making inroads among the northernmost tribes. This is due to the fact that the Lhyogas don't inhabit any major trade routes, regional or otherwise. Therefore, they are left in their little corner of the world, a relic of older times. The Lhyogas as perhaps the best mountaineers anywhere in the world, but few know about their existence. Originating from traditionalists who withdrew from the wider Kyryang society around the time the Hymarian panethon was spreading, they have kept alive a number of older spiritual traditions. Organized into 12 different tribes, these tribes nonetheless don't really affect statebuilding. Both Lhyogan states are very decentralized, with monarchs being more of figureheads guiding a region than true dynastic rulers.
Unlike the isolated Lhyogas, Garamathrama is a catch-all term for a wide group of disparite peoples originating in the more connected parts of the mountainous south. Garamathrama populations can be found throughout the southern mountains, making up a majority in any elevation beyond foothills. Similarly to the Lhyogas, they migrated south following religious disputes, preferring to keep the old traditions. In the modern day they are split between traditionalists and followers of the Lightning Dragons, who are viewed as divine messengers by all but only worshipped by some. These dragon worshippers are organized into the nation of the Ladong Ladozong Skyala, while the others are situated in the mountains surounding lake [tbd]. The Garamathrama is extremely fractal, and there have been many different microstates existing in the mountains, with populations from a few hundred to tens of thousands. Nonetheless, such decentralization has been forced to change due to the threat of the Zngaoang.
The Zngaoang are not really true "humans" per-se, but rather the bastardized spawn of dragon and man. Engineered by the dragons of Zngaoang in an effort to create a loyal not-fully-human subjects, they have nonetheless identified closely with many aspects of the Garamathrama. However, their loyalty ot the sovereign and unnatural nature of creation via forced birth has caused many to label them as an abomination and increased distrust of natural dragonborn. Ironically, the draconic rulers of Zngaoang don't fully realize that in spreading their aritifical culture, they are spreading a bastardized version of Khaid'bon culture, and not a draconic one.
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