The desert cultures

The desert cultures are a group of cultures that are quite similar to each other, in the desert area south of the mountains. There are some distinct differences between the areas and between settlements too.
In the northern parts, closer to the mountains, people are most hospitable. They know the wilderness is dangerous and ruthless, and anyone left to their own advices will probably die, unless they are very skilled. So they take care of people, as the hard life close to the desert and wildmark will make you appreciate the joys of life and loved ones even more. The river is extremely important in these parts of the region, is it literally the lifegiver.
Seafare is a thing that is important closer to the seacoast. The sea is as important as the rivers and in the inland regions.
In the settlements closer to the seacoast, people are still hospitable, but not to the extreme that they are in the inland regions. There is a belief, that everybody can thrive, and people who are poor or not succesful are sometimes seen are not trying har enough.
Some common traits are the belief, that one should not be confined into the shape one was born. All kids, regardless of sex, are raised the same, and when they reach adulthood, they choose their social gender, and start dressing and acting the part. Sometimes people may choose both. In some areas the gender roles are still quite strict, in other places there is more leeway to dress like one social gender but act like another.
Knowledge is highly praised in these societes, they have many schools, and everybody who can, will study. The more you know, the more powerful you are. The cities are most often ruled by a council of scholars, who make the descisions. The council is chosen by the residents, everyone who has a soulstone can vote.
Soulstones are another common thing. You can read more about them here: Soulstone
Magic is also very common in the desert regions. It is a respcted occupation, and some cities have entire schools and libraries for only magic-related stuff. People who are able to do magic practice all sorts of occupations, and it is also required for some, for example soulstone makers.
There are regional variants in the dress, but the general style is similar; loose, flowy materials, in some parts people cover their heads and even faces, in others it is less common. This is mostly done because of practical reasons, to protect one's head and face from the strong sunshine, and the occasional sandstorms. Closer to the sea people do not cover their heads as much. Women's clothes are more embellished and decorated, while men's clothes are usually plain, or feature simple geometrical patterns woven into the fabric.
Many desert cultures value horses a lot. The horses in the desert areas are usually of the desert type, slender in build, long-legged and have a good stamina. They also have smaller horses, about 120-130 cm tall, usually ridden by kids or used to pull carriages. Wealthy people might even keep horses as just pets and status symbols. There is also horse racing competitions, and they are popular mounts for travel. The desert people commonly ride their horses without bits or bridles, with only a neck rope or even nothing. They do however use saddles for comfort. They train their horses gently, and place extra weight on the comfort of them. Only the good-natured and healthy horses are allowed to reproduce, and it is being closely monitored, so close relatives do not mate together. However, they studbooks are kept open as in order to bring in new blood and more variety.