The Siar Clansmen culture is deeply rooted in their connection to the land. They live in small settlements scattered across the wilderness of Upper Siar, rarely connected to the rest of the kingdom by road with the clansmen being very adept at navigating the wilderness of Upper Siar via the millenia worth of goat tracks crisscrossing the landscape. Their societies are semi-autonomous, governed by Clan Chieftans elected through a semi-democratic process in councils attended by clan elders and renowned warriors.
The Clansmen are renowned orators, known widely as storytellers and bards, with their histories being primarily preserved through oral tradition.
History
During the Elven Age, the Siar Clansmen were left largely to their own devices by the ruling Elven Kingdoms who viewed the clans as insignificant. While some clans paid tribute or offered labour to the Elves, most lived an oslated existence trading occasionally but mostly subsiting through hunter-gathering, rudimentry agriculture and raiding neighbouring clans. The Elves exerted some influence primarily through intermediaries, and while some aspects of Elven society were adopted including agricultural practices and metalworking techniques, the clansmen retained their culture, languages and sovereignty.
As whispers of the Human Rebellion spread through
Siarland, simmering resentment of increasing Elven involvement in the clans affairs led many Chieftans declaring for
Alerio's cause. For the first time in their history, the clans unified under one banner, forming the Army of the Clans. The Clansmen were instrumental in taking Elven Colonies in Siarland and liberating the slaves that toiled in them.
In the waning days of the Human Rebellion, the Siar Clansmen found themselves faced with new challenges. The
Kingdom of Farraige, which itself had been established by
The House of Eleras as a sanctuary for Half Elves, sought to consolidate its control over the newly liberated territories including the lands of the Siar Clans. However, the Clans resisted this attempt with Farraige failing to maintain any new holdings it established in Upper Siar.
The liberated slaves of Upper Siar, the most notable of whom aligned themselves with
Alerio's cause, returned from the war and declared the Kingdom of Upper Siar in late 1IE. Though the clansmen had played an instrumental role in their emancipation they maintained a cautious distance from the new fedual society that emerged in their homeland, successfully negotiating semi-autonomous status within the new Kingdom. The Clan Chieftens swore nominal allegiance to the King, but in practice retained almost total authority and governance over their own territories.
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