<b>On the Great Tribes of Rishea</b>
<i>An excerpt from Elder Scholar Pshably Payles’ “Star Children: A Social and Economic Study of the Great Northern State of Rishea and Her Peoples”. </i>Obtained by The Department of Collections, Returns, and Acquisitions
Collection Date and Location: 20 Ehi''aho i0051. Natuqala, Rishea <i>1:110:ARL:17</i>
LIBRARY CLASSIFICATION CODE: Restricted - Level 1 of 3.
To truly understand the history of Rishea, it is necessary to start with the Seven Great Tribes of Rishea. Through understanding the cultures, political machinations, and structures of these communities, the true story of the vast lands of the north and its people appears. What the study of these tribes also illuminates is a rejection of the perception of the North by the “civilized” lands of the South. Rishea is a vibrant land with a cultural identity extending back far further in time than is typically believed.
The coalescence of the Star Children into the Great Tribes happened well before recorded history, and only a handful of mythic stories remain in regard to the origins of this process. At one time, it was thought that there were as many tribes in the region as there are ancestors in the sky. As is often the case, the accumulation of resources and the need for power, often justified under the false banners of security and prosperity, merged these independent groups into larger and larger ones. By the time Emperor Veru I and his armies arrived in Rishea to expand his empire, these groups had integrated into the Seven Great Tribes, each with unique territories, traditions, skills, and cultures, and the interplay between them presents an intricate web of resource-sharing within this land.
<b>The Royal Tribes</b>
Shortly after the Siege of the Mezqala (i0008), Chief Hasus of the Temyri called for the Council of Elders, a rare gathering of the leaders of all the great tribes. There, they were presented with a difficult choice: end the violent conquest of Rishea by swearing allegiance and fealty to Lord Veru’s Roaring Throne or continue to resist and fight a war that could no longer be won. Following Chief Hasus’ legendary speech, five of the seven tribes chose to kneel to the invaders and, by doing so, were richly rewarded.
<u>Temyri</u>
The strongest and most powerful tribe in Rishea, the Temyri, were given full control of the region after assisting Lord Veru and the Verushan Empire’s conquest of the region and the subsequent acculturation of Rishean society. Historically, the members of this tribe have a strong sense of class structure and devotion to family and tradition. They are based around the area surrounding the Rishean capital city of Temyrqala (or “home of the Temyri”)
<u>Natuk</u>
The second largest tribe in the land, the Natuk, has the distinction of claiming direct lineage to the Roaring Crown after Lord Veru took the Natuk princess Ninye I as his wife. Due to this connection, they are the only tribe to be granted the “Imperial Exception.” As such, members of the Natuk tribe can become imperial administrators and military officers. The Natuk also have a substantial presence in the gilded halls of the Empire’s capital city, Verughar.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
<u>Zhabaki</u>
Members of the Zhabaki are trained at birth to be strong warriors, especially in hand-to-hand combat and with the favored weapon of the Zhabaki, a barbed, short spear known as bzagha,(or “wicked tip”). The Zhabaki are known for having volatile internal politics, which have historically been settled through formal duels. Unlike the other tribes, formal duels also determine the tribal leadership in this tribe.
<u>Ghasa</u>
Hailing from the dense woodlands of Sur Rishea, the Ghasa have a well-earned reputation as scholars, craftspeople, and archers. Because of their homeland''s proximity to Rishea’s border with its rival nation, Erikenyea, the history of the Ghasa is defined by ongoing conflicts with Erikenyean raiders and the complex, violent history of the Redlands, the land between the two nations that is claimed by both and controlled by neither.
<u>Hatuwa</u>
Originating from the island of Hatu just outside Mylar Bay, the Hatuwa people are active traders well-known outside of Rishea, and there are few who know how to navigate the frozen waters of the Northern Ocean better than them. The Hatuwa are one of the most common Rishean people in Zhidao, their most active and long-lasting trading partner. Because of their significant economic importance in the region, the Hatuwa were the last of the tribes to join the Empire and were coerced to do so by maintaining a complex political independence with the Empire and the other Royal Tribes, who continue to profit off their strong trading network.
<b>The Lesser Tribes</b>
The “Lesser Tribes” of Rishea are those who refused to kneel to their conquerors and were smudged for this impudence from Imperial history, both figuratively and physically. While the scholars, administrators, and soldiers of the Empire believe that they have successfully extinguished most of the Lesser Tribes from existence, like many conquerors, they fail to realize the depth of connection Risheans have to the old ways and the strength of their resistance to Imperial rule. Two Lesser Tribes remain to this day, mostly either hidden within cities, gathering amongst themselves, or in villages far from the Emperor''s grasp.
Ushykhei
Once as large and important as the Temyri, the semi-nomadic and independent tribe of the Ushykhei refused Imperial rule until the end of the Rishean Civil War in i0022. By that time, the Ushykhei were reduced to a small fraction of their former population. Because of this, they have a very tenuous and mistrusting relationship with the Royal Tribes. The last of their people live deep within the Khade Desert, a dangerous place where only the Ushykhei dare to travel. Ushykhei families are matrilineal, and they are most well known for maintaining the Rishean cultural practice of singing their ancestry, known as the oruné, as well as for being excellent horse riders.
Zhemyri
“The Children of the Guiding Star” are the most mysterious and misunderstood of all the Rishean tribes. Zhemyri live in the Frozen Steppes of Mylar Bay and are considered the oldest and most revered of all the people of this land. Their long, tragic history guides the ethos of many in Rishea. It is generally agreed that all Risheans come from the Zhemyri, as does the land’s traditional religion, Zhawanism, the complex belief that the ancestors of Risheans journey into the sky after death and become stars. The small but significant Zhemyri tribe was destroyed during The Battle of the Frozen Steppes at the end of the Rishean Civil War, and if any of the ranks still live, they are too few to be significant.<sup>1</sup>
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1. Handwritten in the margins of the text: Must talk more to Miza at the Last Heart about possible Zhermyi descendent, Umi N’uz. Number of living Zhemyri could be greatly undercounted. If so, significant revisions are needed in this overview and for pages 754-814. I’ll never be done with this Zhawa-forsaken book!