Nomadic cultures

Team spirit

Nomadic cultures originated, at first, from exiled members of draconic villages. The first groups were exiled from northwest villages because of their failure during the coming of age ceremony. However, the more recent tribes originated not because of exile, but because of a desire to explore the world.

Because of their journeys and the dangers they meaan, they have become less attached to dragons and have shifted their respect towards nature as a whole instead.

History

Origin

Because physical skills are very valuable for northwest draconic villages, those who fail the coming of age ceremony are exiled from the village and left to fend for themselves. As a result, a lot of young adults were at the bottom of the mountains where their villages are, without anyone but themselves and their friends to protect them.

However, it came a point where they were basically a village themelves. While some enjoyed this as it reminded them of where they came from, some others began to realize that the world outside the mountains was gigantic and meant to be explored.

This was a popular idea amongst everyone, and, with the exception of a few, everyone packed only what they deemed irreplacable and began traveling.

Their original aim was to explore as much as they could and return home, or even install a settlement of their own to continue the draconic traditions. But they found themselves walking in circles, almost literally, because some places were just too dangerous to approach, such as the forest or the sea.

Before they realized, they had adapted to being nomads. This also changed the way they saw the world and their previous cultures. They slowly began to form new traditions and ways of thinking.

Expansion

As said before, nomadic tribes originated as a result of exile from northwest draconic villages. But as any culture, soon they seeked to expand their territory. This wild idea was to be carried out by the tribes which were closest to the sea.

Nomadic tribes began to travel the world long before Kolbein learnt to walk

-Someone who didn't like Kolbein, probably

They already had knowledge when it came to bodies of water, but the cold harsh truth was yet to hit them, as they forcefully learnt that rivers are in no way alike to the open sea. Proof of this was the amount of destruction inflicted upon their boats by the sea, not to mention how big the waves were. This experienced enlightened them, making them realize their place in the world. But this new way of thinking did not discourage them, and they began building bigger, more efficient boats that would be able to carry around 10 people and would successfully face even the strongest of waves without being pushed back. These new boats used the winds as their main source of energy.

They sailed as soon as the boats were ready, leaving behind only the most vulnerable members, accompanied by experienced young adults to take care of them, to continue to promote their ways of thinking and view of the world.

They traveled for a few days before encountering a river through which they entered a new, uncharted island. They left their boats behind for good and began to explore the island by foot. They encountered several draconic villages, some of which they formed an alliance with. Some members of those villages even joined the nomadic tribe. As a result, the tribe grew too big to stay together and had to split into smaller groups, all of which went their separate ways.
The newly created tribes all expanded throughout the island. There is not much to add to what happened later - the only thing worth mentioning is their failure to reach the eastern part of the world by traveling eastwards. Instead, they managed to get there by traveling westward, but they never realized it until several hundreds of years later, when new waves of nomadic tribes arrived.

Way of thinking

This culture was the most accepting of all differences, which is to say a lot considering that draconic villages were already very accepting of these. This didn't only apply to skin color, but also sexuality, gender identity and body diversity, among many others. This probably stems from the origins of the nomadic tribes - young adults exiled because of their differences with the village.

They have also learnt to be less aggressive. This is in part because of their constant journeys, where it's crucial to avoid any conflict anytime possible to avoid injuries. However, it's also because they have learnt that there are other ways to solve conflict, even if it means running away. Thus, they only fight if they're provoked, but even then will try to avoid conflict.

Their philosophy is to respect others as long as they respect you. They value friendships and family and believe that a selfless person is a fulfilled person - which is especially important given that, since they're always traveling, one must be willing to get hurt in order to save others.

In fact, they cared so much for everyone's well-being that they soon realized that scars could exist even if not physically. They began to treat these with meditation and by encouraging others to speak about anything that troubled them, and some people named them 'mental illness' to be able to further study them.
This knowledge was passed on to Trader Cultures once they formed, but the treatment and overall acceptance of it was lost to time.

Traditions

New Chief: Like draconic villages, these tribes' Chiefs are replaced only when the current one passes away, and the person who takes the title is their eldest child. Unlike draconic villages, however, they hold an entire ceremony to have the child become chief. This ceremony includes a funeral for the previous Chief, having the soon-to-become leader give a speech about their parent and have them promise to always take care of the tribe. Music and dancing: These are the two most important forms of self-expression to the tribes. It's so incredibly personal because, in a way, it draws them closer to the world.

Because it feels right; because, when I dance, it feels like that's what I was always meant to be doing

A young man from a nomadic tribe.

Relations with other cultures

Draconic cultures of the East: The ones with which they had the least contact. Anytime these two cultures ran into each other, they always treated each other with the most respect and peacefulness possible.
Draconic Cultures of the South: Many times these two cultures interacted. The Nomads always had interesting tales from their trips, which were appreciated by the draconic villages, whereas the people of the south always provided them with supplies and shelter should the nomads be behind schedule or otherwise in need of help. Sadly, this connection slowly faded away with time, as the Nomadic tribes began to find other, more convenient routes for traveling and better ground to build their settlements on.

Just because you aren't as skilled as you wished, doesn't mean you're worthless.

Chief Caedman