Ktübtog

Hidden in the verdant highlands and the rugged cliffs of Hunar, in Miesz, dwell the Ktübtog, a people of the mountains who have carved a niche for themselves distinct from their Hunarz cousins. In the cradle of nature's grandeur, they have nurtured a culture that draws life from the bountiful spirit of the wilderness, steeped in beliefs and customs as deep and unyielding as the mountains they call home.
Where the Hunarz, the plains people, concern themselves with the affairs of governance and trade, the Ktübtog look to the whispering leaves, the babbling brooks, and the stoic mountains for guidance. Each river, each towering peak, each age-old tree is revered, housing a sacred being within its heart. This animistic worldview, woven into their faith in the Congregation of the Ascended, births ceremonies as unique as the Tree Whispering ritual, where newborns are introduced to the guardian tree that will watch over them throughout their lives.
The rhythm of Ktübtog life is a communal dance. Every child is the village's child, every field a shared bounty. Cooperative farming is not merely a practice but an expression of unity, an extension of their shared parenting principle. These customs, likely born out of their early survival needs in the harsh highlands, have held fast against the winds of time, granting them a sense of community that permeates every facet of their life.
Language, too, is a playground for the Ktübtog. Their use of Hunarish may link them to the Hunarz, yet they make it uniquely their own. Proverbs fly between them like sparrows, imbuing the mundane with a sagacious quality that highlights their profound connection with the world around them.
Historically, as the Hunarz thrived on the fertile plains, the Ktübtog found solace in the challenging yet rewarding embrace of the mountains. This divergence of habitation led to separate cultural evolutions, with the Hunarz fashioning a society colored by political intrigue and trade, and the Ktübtog retaining their reverence for nature and community bonds. This difference in life choices continues to reverberate through their relations today. For while there is no hostility, an undercurrent of cultural aloofness from the Hunarz who consider themselves the torchbearers of civilization, often punctuates their interaction. But the Ktübtog are unperturbed. They hold their traditions as their identity, their strength - a badge of honor that they wear with undiminished pride, a shield against the lure of wealth and power.
Nevertheless, their diverging paths cross at regular intervals. Threats from outside have, on occasion, seen them stand together, their shared ancestry and shared language forming the bridge over their cultural divide. Their shared festivals and rituals also serve as threads of commonality, woven into the rich tapestry of their intertwined histories.
Through the ebb and flow of time, the Ktübtog continue to thrive, their resilience rooted in their profound bond with the mountains and each other. They are a testament to the power of tradition, a beacon for those who value community and connection to nature over material wealth and power. The story of the Ktübtog is a melody sung by the mountains themselves - a song of strength, unity, and the spirit of survival.