Yaguri

Yaguri is a name given to the tribes of humans, halflings and orcs who live in the eponymous Yaguri Highlands, outside the walls of the Orchid Empire. As the Laozi war machine has ramped up, they have required more land and resources. In this way, the Yaguri people have been pushed from their customary regions and routes of travel and forced eastward. These badlands, which border the elven jungle of Pa Saksiid, and the foothills of the Rigaveda mountain range, are a much more difficult place to eke out an existence off the land; the elves of Pa Saksiid do not appreciate people entering their sacred lands, and respond with volleys of poisoned arrows; the Vedic peopoles to the north are not cruel or enmitous, but the Rigaveda mountains are so difficult to traverse by anyone who does not know the way, that it isn't worth it to the Yaguri to seek refuge there either; the Grand Wall of Shun Hui keeps the Yaguri from crossing into Laozi lands, or the lands of the Talabi empire beyond them. There are those who joined the ranks of the Laozi army, tempted by the prospect of an easier life and promise of riches. Currently, the confederacy of tribes that make up the Yaguri nation is led by Qhagan Tsustaii, a massive orc who claims descent from ogres, and his band of warriors known as the Chogtor clan.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Mide, Nergui, Altun, Nomolun, Chotan, Soghotai

Masculine names

Onggur, Khashin, Jungdu, Maqali, Tordung

Unisex names

Tatar, Badai, Ogui

Family names

Khouk, Chono, Bar, Mogoi, Mori

Other names

Qaghan- Chief or Leader of a clan

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Yaguri people speak their own language and are isolated from other language groups. Because of their lifestyle and lack of contact with outsiders through trade, the Yaguri have not picked up any vocabulary or structure from the surrounding kingdoms, and so their language is very insular, known only by native speakers. Laozi and Vedic scholars have made some attempts throughout history to communicate with them, with little success. They also have a secondary language made entirely of whistles- the high pitch allows sound to travel across the rolling hills of the highlands, much further than a person's voice would. This language can be used to communicate simple but important messages such as "a herd of animals came through here a while ago" or "there is water over this ridge."

Culture and cultural heritage

According to their oral history, the many tribes of the Yaguri people have always existed on Terrathria. The elves of Pa Saksiid have records of their presence dating back further than the earliest human kingdoms, dating as far back as the Elven-Dwarven Armistice Agreements. However, as nomads, they don't have any real, lasting heritage sites or monuments to their existence. The closest they have is a collection of standing stones in the middle of the Yaguri highlands, at which the Yaguri people will sometimes meet for inter-tribal discussions or action, when the situtation calls for it, which is rare. The Yaguri do have a fabled bow and spear that are sometimes used to invoke leadership over the clans. The last person to invoke the title of Qhagan- A woman named Resha- used this bow and spear to unite the clans against a rogue wyvern. It is supposed she was buried with them, the but younger generations of Yaguri believe Qhagan Resha to be more myth than fact.

Shared customary codes and values

Freedom is valued perhaps most highly among the Yaguri people. Their nomadic lifestyle dictates that each person be able to come and go at a moment's notice, and to be rather self-sufficent; much of what a Yaguri owns is meant to be kept in the saddlebags of their mount, with a family having a buckboard or other sort of wagon to carry extra baggage. They balk at the idea of living in a city, with taxes and bureaucracy. They don't even like farming, or animal husbandry; they hunt and gather everything they need from the migratory animal herds across the highlands. Their laws are not codified in any way, but rather kept through an oral tradition. Some clans have differing laws about similar topics, and so conflict between tribes can occur, especially surrounding marriages between one tribe and another.

Average technological level

The highest level of technology the Yaguri have attained has been borrowed from others- metal pots and weapons, forged by foreigners.

Common Etiquette rules

When two Yaguri meet, they can ususally see each other from a good distance away- the topography of the highlands means that there is not much in the way besides perhaps some tall grass or the occasional herd of yaks. It is customary for one Yaguri to whistle to announce their presence and intentions to the other rider. When approaching, it is also customary for a Yaguri to present their weapons in a nonthreatening manner- be it a peacebonded sword or an unstrung bow- to show that they have no ill intentions towards the other rider.
When two Yaguri tribes see one another from afar, they often acknowledge each other but less often interact in any way; being as independent as they are, their sense of expanded community is not as strong as other cultures'. If there is a family connection of some kind, a rider from one clan may be sent to another to check in on their kin, and may bring them a gift from their original famiy.
Yaguri are strong, but are not above asking for help. They understand that some tasks simply cannot be completed alone. However, if one attempts to help a Yaguri when they did not ask for it, they will percieve this as an insult. The Yaguri assumes the other person thinks them weak, stupid, or otherwise incapable of completing the task.

Common Dress code

Yaguri clothing is all very utilitarian: it's designed to last for a long time in the harsh Yaguri climate; it is intended to make life atop their mount more comfortable and easier; it is also designed to protect them from the wild animals they hunt, and occasionally from other Yaguri.
They dress in tanned skins and hides, sometimes with the hair or fur still attached if it's in the colder half of the year. Their boots have curled tips, which assist them in staying in the saddle during rough rides and, in a spiritual sense, ensure that their footfalls do not disturb the earth. Sometimes Yaguri will attach poles with decorative feathers to their helmets or their saddles, partly for aesthetic purposes, but mostly to make a threatening noise when riding towards an enemy.

Art & Architecture

Since the Yaguri are a nomadic people, there are no statues of their heroes nor monuments to their history. All of their art is carried with them in the form of their personal belongings: a fine saddle or pair of boots lovingly hand-tooled with intricate designs, a shirt embroidered with fine silk thread, a mantle made of raptor feathers, a patterned blanket to keep one warm on a cold night or to place beneath the saddle, a knife handle whittled into a totem of protection or of luck. Such items are considered fine art to Yaguri people.

Foods & Cuisine

The Yaguri eat whatever they can find. Consequently, many of their dishes are variants on a few ingredients: meat, root vegetables, dairy products and wild berries. Though their mounts are by and large sacred, they often take mare's milk and use it to make cheese, yogurt, and even a fermented drink they take after meals to cleanse the pallate and help them sleep.
They're fond of dumplings, flatbreads, and other foods that are easy to cook over campfires and can be eaten without utensils.

Coming of Age Rites

When a Yaguri comes of age, their are given their own mount, and tasked with one- or more- of the Five Trials: They must track and hunt something on their own, pass a trial of endurance, race a champion of the clan on their mount, fight a champion of their clan in combat, or have a vision quest which tells them their place in the clan, usually aided by psychotropic herbs and a sweat lodge. Though completing only one of the Five Trials is necessary to become a full fledged member of the tribe, a Yaguri may attempt as many Trials as they wish and will be granted higher social standing relative to the number of Trials successfully completed.

Funerary and Memorial customs

The Yaguri usually do not bury or burn their dead, they simply lay them in a shallow pit, daubed in ceremonial paints and a crown of herbs or flowers. The deceased is laid face up while their survivors chant and scream towards the heavens, so as to announce the deceased's coming. In this way, the Yaguri believe, the spirit of the deceased may pass on to the Skylands, an elysian pasture where the game and the wild vegetables are plentiful, the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and illness and death are forgotten. The pit is not covered, however: the Yaguri believe that once the soul has left, the body is no longer sacred, and if an animal eats the deceased, they are merely giving their essence back to the food chain.

Common Taboos

Yaguri never kill and eat their mounts: as members of the family, and extensions of the person themselves, eating a horse or a pony would be tantamount to cannibalism. Mounts are buried in the same way that a family member would be.

Common Myths and Legends

The Yaguri believe in Father Sun and Mother Earth creating all that they experience: the birds, beasts, plants and rivers that give them life are all their distant cousins, coming from the two great life-givers of the world. Many Yaguri myths are told about interactions between themselves and their animal bretheren.

Historical figures

Aside from Qhagan Resha, who once met with one of the many emperors of Lao Tzu, The Yaguri have not yet made a notable mark on world history.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Physical strength and endurance is valued highly among the Yaguri. Following this, a muscular frame is seen as desirable in a partner. Though body fat can be an indication of wealth or status, and therefore an admirable trait, it can also indicate an above-average consumption of resources, which could be unattractive in times of need. Being overly thin is seen as physical weakness or a sign of malnutrition or malady, and therefore not very attractive. Humans and orcs intermarry fairly consistently, but it is much rarer for a human or an orc to court a member of one of the halfling tribes. Being genetically incompatible, these unions will not result in children, which are important to the continued existence of the tribe. For this reason, these pairings are often seen as hedonistic or immoral, and the members of such a union ostracized from their original tribe or family.

Gender Ideals

Life on the Yaguri plains is harsh, and therefore everyone is expected to pull their weight, whatever that looks like. Both men and women hunt and gather to support the tribe with food, as well as weave textiles and baskets. Chores are done by both genders, and Yaguri women as well as men are fearsome warriors. But the roles are fairly open: a man may stay at home if he demonstrates a proficiency for weaving that his wife does not, and a wife may go hunting with her husband, or alone if she seems to be the better of the two.

Courtship Ideals

Potential suitors might attempt to demonstrate their worthiness by carrying a large load a long distance, or complete an arduous task efficiently and quickly. In this way they demonstrate a capacity to take care of not only themselves, but a partner and family unit. Suitors may also make personal gifts to give to their intended, such as: good luck charms or totems of protection, blankets, tools, or other desirable items. Marriages are rarely used as political tools, and input from the community about who should and should not marry is infrequent. Only unions that seem overly one-sided or otherwise ill-fated are ever contested by the tribes.

Relationship Ideals

Life out in the Yaguri highlands can be harsh, with few comforts. A strong and loving bed-mate makes that life worth living: someone to keep you warm during the cold nights, someone who is reliable and steadfast, a true "ride-or-die" companion who will stay by your side until death tears you apart is the apex of romantic relationships in Yaguri society.
Because the Yaguri are so independent, parent-child relationships turn quickly from protective or domineering into mentorship; everyone in Yaguri society is expected to pull their own weight, and children are seen as relative equals to their parents, so long as they can keep up with needed chores. Elders in the tribes are respected, as they have wisdom and experience that young people lack. But an elder who cannot contribute or one who is taking more than their fair share of resources quickly becomes a liability to the tribes. Sometimes, in times of famine or hardship, the Yaguri will leave the elderly, sick, or infirm behind when they move their camps. These people are given a choice to take their own life- usually in the form of a ritual where they ingest a concoction of herbs that painlessly kills them- or fend for themselves outside the protection of the tribe.