Talhari

Nomadic tribal people that live in the plains in the center of Valdia, while on a map it appears as a part of Valdia, none of the nobility make a claim of any of the Talhari lands. A very long time ago there was a Valdian king that attempted to send people to settle in the grasslands, and tried to get the Talhari people to join the kingdom. It did not end well. An entire army of 1000 Valdian soldiers went into the grasslands and simply vanished. No one ever heard from them again. There was never any sign to follow and no communication or demands or boasts of any kind from the Talhari, they simply acted as if nothing had happened.
It is well known by the well traveled people of Valdia that attempting to navigate through the middle of the plains is asking for death. Every once in a while someone foolishly stupid or brave attempts it and is never heard from again.
The Talhari do trade with some people but only in the camps that the Talhari set up for specifically that on the edges of the plains. Within those camps merchants are welcomed and often leave with sacks of unrefined gold nuggets. And a wide assortment of strange crafts.
The Talhari people are not one specific race of people. However the majority of them are half elven in appearance.
The Talhari have a very peculiar way of life in comparison to the rest of the kingdom. They are willingly isolated from the rest of the world and like it that way.
The people of the tribes follow herds of grazing beasts across the plains year round. A large part of the livelihood of the Talhari requires them to be very quiet for long periods of time. So as a result their society has developed to be quiet most of the time.
Another large factor in the life of the Talhari revolves around dealing with the Sand Worms. Or the Aarluk - (or a hand held up fingers spread out and pointed upwards)
The Aarluk are a huge remorhaz sized beast that tunnels beneath the plains and hunts everything and anything that moves. The Talhari live in fear of the Aarluk as a single one can be the end of an entire hunting band.
As a result the Talhari have developed many habits to avoid the Aarluk
Their campsites when they set them up are very strange, they have wooden poles they set up and hang hammocks in between, they also camp atop large rock outcroppings if possible.
The Aarluk are more terrifying than the usual remorhaz or purple worm, because in addition to being ferocious and incredibly deadly in a straight up fight, the Aarluk also fights with its mind. Using its telepathic scream ability to debilitate people, potentially paralyzing them and making them easy prey.
So therefore the Talhari have developed the practice of hardening their minds, making them resistant to psychic damage and giving them advantage on all mind altering saving throws.
Notable Individual Talhari people Gatira Koro - Hunt Master Koro - The hunt master of the war party that found OATH
Whaea Roha Hiaai - Plains Mother Roha - Hiaai is a name of endearment meaning "Bright One", Roha is the Plains Mother that gave Tox the teleportation circle to Kaainga - Or Rock Home, the name for their one permanent settlement.
Rakau Hara Kikorangi - All Mother Hara - Overall leader of the Talhari, and the oldest of the plains mothers.

Naming Traditions

Family names

Surnames are not based on parentage, instead it is based on which hunting band each individual was raised in, hunting bands are essentially like small family units of around 20 individuals. Hunting bands will leave the larger settlements in order to go on a hunting expedition, these hunts generally will go for an entire season in which the hunting band will subsist on what they are able to catch and will slowly gather long lasting things such as herbs and skins which they will bring back to the settlement at the end of the season.

Other names

Individuals do keep track of their parentage through middle names, generally it will be a less frequently given name that is not shared unless asked for, and will be (name)son, or (name)daughter

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The language of the Talhari is a unique combination of speech, hand signals, and body language that isn't seen or used in any other region of Yonder. The majority of people throughout the wastes only speak this language, the common tongue for the rest of Yonder is not common here.
All of the important and essential things for communication can be shared with simple hand gestures and sign language, the only time that actual speech is necessary is for convenience, and to communicate more complex ideas or thoughts.
The language developed from a short hand shared between hunters as they stalked the wastes where silence is often incredibly important, often times being a matter of life and death.
Some Common words in Talhari
Hunter - Whai - hand shaped like a knife making a stabbing motion
Hunt Master - Gatira - hand knife motion palm up first and a second stab palm down
Plains Mother/Father - Whaea / Tama - Right arm over chest, tap left shoulder once if tapping multiple times it indicates higher status.
Tribal Chief - Ariki - Hand like a knife placed palm to forehead fingers upwards
Aarluk - Hand pointed upwards fingers spread and pointed up like a claw. Name for the psychic sand worms that stalk the plains.
Home - Illu - a clenched fist in front of the chest - To the Talhari, the meaning is Home, they do not really understand the meaning of "The wastes" because to them it is a place full of life not a wasteland.
Friend - Hoa - closed right fist, left hand grabbing wrist
Rock Home - Kaainga - hand flat palm down chopping motion outwards from the forehead. Name for the one permanent settlement in the wastes.

Shared customary codes and values

The ability to be silent and having a strong mind are two of the most essential and valued strengths among the Talhari. This is purely based on survival, as individuals who are able to remain calm and silent while out in the wastes are the ones who are able to hunt effectively and are able to survive and bring supplies back to the settlements. Without these abilities the Talhari would not be able to survive within the wastes.
Among the Talhari all people regardless of age or ability it is important that all contribute to the society in some way, freeloaders and lazy people are looked upon with disgust and are often publicly shamed for their ways.
Crime happens among the Talhari as it does among all people but they have very strict and unforgiving ways of dealing with criminals that discourages many from breaking their laws.
Minor infractions include: Not pulling your own weight / Not doing the job assigned to you for no good reason. Slander / spreading rumors. Punishment for things like this would be supervised hard labor for a limited time.
Common Infractions: Theft, Public Intoxication, Brawling - Infractions like this can be punished in a number of ways, one such way is to be locked in a cell, similar to a drunk tank. Sometimes this is enough but if things got out of hand sometimes offenders are locked into a gibbet in public for a set amount of time. They are given food and water and their health is monitored, the punishment is more for public shaming. For more serious or repeat offenders public whippings are a more serious punishment.
Serious Infractions: Disturbing the peace, murder, and all other capital crimes - The easiest and most common punishment for serious things like this is exile. Being exiled from the hunting bands and settlements is essentially a death sentence as it is nearly impossible for a solitary hunter to survive in the wastes for any length of time. For more serious things occasionally however execution is an option as well. For individuals in this case, who have murdered or done a crime of passion sometimes it is allowed that they choose their own punishment, and in that case the honorable method of execution is chasing the Aarluk, this essentially means the solo hunter will go and attempt to kill an Aarluk by themselves, this will be witnessed by a small group of volunteers, often the volunteers will be victims or those affected by what the offender did, such as the family members of an individual that was killed. It is tradition that if the individual is actually able to kill an Aarluk by themselves that their crime is forgiven. This has only ever happened once and not in living memory, there is a legend of one such hunter, but it is also said that the hunter died soon after doing so of the wounds sustained while fighting.
Disagreements and conflicts between individuals are settled in a number of different ways, if serious enough it could be through discussions mediated by a Hunt Master, Plains Mother/Father, or a Tribal Chief. Or if the individuals are serious enough or it is a matter of honor, duels between disagreeing parties is allowed, there are formalities to be observed, such as duels must be sanctioned by either a Hunt Master, Plains Mother/Father, or a Tribal Chief. Duels must also be observed by at least three witnesses, allowing one for each side and at least one neutral witness. Most duels are simply to yield, first blood, or knock out. But occasionally for more serious matters duels can be to the death.

Related Locations

• The Valdian Plains