Ashkuz Xhanate
Consisting of ten tribes united under the banner of the Great Xhan Menghi, the Ashkuz Xhanate is a loose multi-racial confederation of Human, Half-Urk, and Yari nomadic horsemen that claim the Ruden Steppelands as their sovereign territory.
Structure
The Ashkuz Xhanate is composed of the following tribes:
- Oltan
- Tai Arin
- Bagun
- Alqas
- Yur
- Bergir
Culture
As nomadic horsemen, the culture and economy of the Ashkuz Xhanate is centered around the breeding and husbandry of the various equinoid species found in Tel as well as other livestock useful in a lifestyle of nomadic pastoralism and raiding. It is almost impossible to overstate the high regard horses and other equinoids are held in Ashkuz culture. They are a source of food through milk and meat in a climate not well suited to sedentary agriculture, as well as a source of muscle power to pull the wagons and tents belonging to the constantly migratory Ashkuz tribes. As such, horses are the most important form of wealth within the Xhanate, being exchanged by a groom to his future bride's father as bride-price or as a consequence of tribal elders awarding them as payment to the aggrieved party in a dispute.
History
Located on the eastern border of the Rexan Empire, the Ashkuz horsemen were often hired as mercenaries to fight with the Rexan legions, due to their reputation as skilled cavalrymen and horse archers.
