Beshnomi

"I've never seen anything like it. We march in there, swords drawn, looking for trouble, and the next thing I know we're dancing in the middle of the village sharing food with the locals." - Sirtzite Warrior

Basic Outline

Appearance

The Beshnomi are all kinds of brown. They usually have kind-looking faces and eyes. Their common garb is light shirts with flowing sleeves and pants made out of breathable fabrics for both men and women.

Common Habits

Mores

• Put up no unnecessary fight

• Elders lead and should always be listened to

• Family is the most important thing you have and should be stuck with

Folkways

• Be generous to visitors even when you don't like them

• Stick to what you know

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History

Ashfall

Beshnom was connected to the larger empire, but, due to the environmental conditions of the region, the roads wore out far quicker and they were essentially isolated from the rest of the world. Each village was separated from each other and had to fend for themselves. Since they already had their own culture mainly with their immediate communities, this wasn't that big of a deal. They had hard times, but a lot of them were able to survive and the starving Beshnomi were often given aid.

No one town or village took a majority of power in Beshnom, some city states just became more successful than others. They had no interest in conquest, just survival.

This all changed when Sirtza started conquering from the north.

The Conquering

Beshnom didn't have nearly the same amount of resources as Sirtza. Not only that, but none of them wanted to put up an unnecessary fight. Sirtza quickly swept through and conquered it for themselves. The Beshnomi cities on the coast had already started treading across the sea with Myr. That's how Myr came and started to claim the coast for themselves.

Myr first recruited them into their war against the larger armies of Sirtza after 10 years. The Beshnomi were recruited into their armies, but weren't great fighters and did their best to not do anything. They always did the bare minimum that was asked of them because they didn't wan to fight and just went with the flow.

This went on for decades. Sometimes the Sirtza would push Myr out. Sometimes Myr would push Sirtza back. Myr held control for over 130 years at one point, but now Sirtza has control again and has kept it for almost 200 years. Myr has hired mercenaries and sparked conflict around Beshnom in order to apply pressure while feigning ignorance. The entire time, the Sirtzites would have to defend all around, putting them into more conflict with the native Beshnomi.

The Beshnomi just want to be left alone and have some sort of normalcy. Their attitude can best be summarized as, "Live and let live." The elders are advising everyone to just let the powers fight amongst themselves and try to stay out of it as much as possible.

The Nation

Government

The Beshnomi don't have their own government, their ruled over as an extension of the royal family's land. The families of the generals who fought in the previous wars now have control over the area. Beshnomi elders rule over their villages and towns while reporting back to the lords who rule their land.

Society

The Beshnomi value wisdom above all else. They associated age with wisdom and all their communities are ruled by the oldest of them.

The spiritual leaders of the Beshnomi serve as guides to the elders and frequently perform rituals to grant visions.

Each community is essentially like a big family. The eldest has the most authority in a household.

Culture

The Beshnomi are notoriously some of the most friendly people in the entire region. They are spiritual, but don't really have a unified religion. They have a conglomeration of shamanism and animism that they follow to varying degrees.

Their fashion resembles aspects of both Myr and Sirtza. The light, breathable fabrics of Sirtza with the shirt and pants style of Myr. Sandals are the most common footwear.

The Beshnomi are known for their rituals that use the poppy to induce visions within people.

Military

The Beshnomi themselves don't have any formal military at all. The most they have is whatever militia they can make up. However, there are thousands of mercenaries in Beshnom. They fight for both Sirtza, Khairae, and Myr -- whoever is paying. They cause problems all around the ports and borders of Beshnom. The mercenaries are made up mainly of Sirtzite peasants that follow a denounced "heretical" branch of Vowg called Evlogdesh (Desheen).

Economy

The Beshnomi in the rural areas get a lot of work from the orders of Sirtzites. The poppy is being grown en masse, but a lot of Beshnomi are uncomfortable since they associate the plant with their spiritual traditions. The port city Beshnomi usually end up as servants, artisans, in gangs, or sometimes merchants.

Almost all products the Beshnomi sell are heavily taxed by the king, so the goods are especially expensive in Beshnom and it's gotten hard for regular Beshnomi to be able to get their own luxury items.

Beshnom Subtropics

The land is dominated by the colorful flora, dense trees, and diverse fauna from alligators to elephants. The air is always humid and it rains constantly. It's perfect for growing rice and eggplants during the summer and grains during the winter.