Diabolic Tribes
Structure
Organization of these unholy tribes are built upon a very simple structure of theological autocracy, but often expand the hierarchy as they gain history and grow in numbers. This leader usually takes the form of a few archetypes: a blasphemous messenger, a brutal chosen champion, and even a "divine" being. The leader must be incredibly powerful, crafty, or both, to survive long holding such a position of power. Most long standing tribes often have the same leader for a time, till they begin to fail in their duties or simply grow too old to defend themselves against a particularly ambitious kinsmen.
Culture
Though the culture of any given tribe largely depends on the specific beliefs, tenants, and figure of worship, there is once again a loose foundation all tribes follow. Tribes are often built upon the pursuit of power at all costs, power they seek to gain from devilish benefactors. Worship of such entities is equally sincere as it is lip service, as tribesman will recognize and rightly bow before a higher power but with the intent on one day being powerful enough to reverse the current roles. It is for this duplicitous faith that devils accept them as worshippers and even bestow powers unto select members, as devils admire this shared disposition amongst mortals and seek to prove themselves to their own masters or even just for personal sport and amusement. Though demons can be equally powerful, if not more so, then their diabolic cousins, they hold a different place in the faith of the tribes. Demons are by their very nature destruction incarnate, and therefore seen as powers to be broken and bound to the will of a powerful enough mortal rather than idols of worship in and of themselves.
Tribes know that they are outcasts in the eyes of the larger world, which sees fiends and their evil nature for what it truly is: uncontrollable self-destruction. But this only makes them more zealous in not only their faith, but in their eternal spite to a world they see as weak. For this reasons, tribes (even those rare groups not found in The Fangs of the Divide) constantly seek to undermine and utterly destroy the world that has foolishly forsaken them. Whether that's acting as petty raiders or organizing destructive campaigns against an entire local region, so long as the tribes are given a chance to prove themselves before their fallen lords and exact hateful retribution, they are pleased to live this way of life forever.
It should be noted that though they are not of fiendish nature, Bhaal, Bane, and Myrkul have their place among these tribes, some of which have fully embraced them as their figure of worship. The tribes that do include The Dead Three explicitly are uncommon but far from rare, as the cults of these three gods have been known to work with such tribes. Why the acceptance of The Dead Three among these tribes is not universal is a matter of mystery for those who study them, but some theorize that such tribes believe The Dead Three to be an extension of some greater force that more closely aligns to the tribal customs and theology. If this is the case, it is just another case of backwards savages being unable to understand what they're worshipping, as The Dead Three have no official ties or mention to such a force within their theological canon.
An interesting note to be made is on the subject of cannibalism. Cannibalism may seem something that would not be taboo among the tribes, but that is actually not the case. Cannibalism is discouraged among the tribes, except for rare ceremonies or religious services, likely due to the fear that a tribe could too easily fall into literally cannibalizing itself if it was accepted and many tribes see the eating of such flesh to be dangerous, as they hold many beliefs on how ones soul in connected to the body. This is usually interpreted as a tribal fear that eating the flesh of another sentient being can cause you to become possessed by the spirt that inhabits that flesh. However, scholars who study the tribes and organizations that actively defend against potential invasions from them in the mountains say that there is word of a particular tribe in the mountains near Randorf that actively encourages cannibalism. This tribe is said to be given a wide berth by others, both out of fear and sincere respect, and be one of the oldest among such tribes. Such information has been gathered via confessions of tortured tribesman and the occasional chatty and well traveled "adventurer" (no legitimate adventurer would have work in The Fangs of the Divide, the closest thing being defending against an attack in the lands below, which would not give them any understanding of the matters concerning such a mysterious and seemingly isolated tribe) so make of that what you will.
History
There is no official history of the tribes, among themselves or in the civilized world, beyond that they were ancient peoples who traveled up into The Fangs of the Divide. Why anyone, especially such fledgling and technologically deficient tribes, would travel en masse to live in such treacherous and hard living conditions is a mystery few have any answers for. From what little information of any serious veracity gathered from actual tribesmen, the current school of thought is that they felt called there. Though this is actually only half true, for the tribes never originally intended to settle in the mountains, but The Great Scorch below, their traversal only being a cruel necessity. The mountains became their home after the Aestabari arrived and cast them out by force shortly after. After many failed attempts to enter the desert once more, the tribes simply accepted their new home. From there, they have lived out an existence that is hardly noticed by the outside world, save for when they descend to wreak havoc.
Type
Religious, Cult
Location
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