Pronunciation: BAH-hah-MUTT-ee
Demonym: Haruta/Haruta
Racial Distribution: dragonborn (96%), other (4%)
Primary Languages: Bahvul
Tribal organization - each clan is ruled by a chief or chieftess. This position is typically passed to the eldest child of the chief when they die, but the chief may also designate an alternate heir, which may be another of their children, a different relative, or even an unrelated individual. The chief of a tribe can be identified by the intricate necklace of scales and beads - one scale from each clan member that has died under their leadership, and beads to denote other events such as births, hunts, or victories in battle. One can learn much about a chief by observing their necklace - many scales and many battle beads may indicate a warmonger, a necklace with few scales and many beads for births and hunts belongs to someone ruling in a time of plenty, and a necklace with little of anything belongs to a chief who is newly appointed and inexperienced.
Haruta enjoy hunting and largely rely on it for their diets, so most of their trading goods are excess from that pursuit. Pelts, leather goods, dried meat, and items made of bone or horn are common offerings. Haruta are also excellent at carving and dying beads, which may be used to craft jewelry for selling or trading.
Haruta land spans much of the Talnora Plains, and includes portions of the Kiebe Forest and the Thunderwood as well. The Talnora Plains blend from a standard grassland further north to a tropical one further south, and the area sees frequent storms. The Myossa Swamp lies at the southeast corner of their territory, but it is rarely claimed as Haruta territory because most of the clans find it creepy. Only a single mysterious clan braves the eerie mists and frequent storms to take up residence there.
In ages past, the Haruta were known for their magical prowess, but that changed during the Crimson Sword Era's Forest War, when a desperate and destructive ploy by the Merkori destroyed most of their spellcasters and left them with an ash waste on the site of their defeat. In the months after they slowly swore off magic, banning its practice and exiling or executing anyone caught casting spells. Only in the recent years of the Alliance Era have they begun to warm up to magic again, though most clans still react with distrust, fear, and suspicion to spellcasters and magic items in their midst.
The Haruta are a strongly clan-oriented group, putting the name of their clan ahead of their own given names as a sign of respect. Clan members are expected to contribute to the wellbeing of the clan in whatever way they can, and if one cannot be of use, their membership in said clan may be at risk depending on the circumstances. Children, those temporarily sick or injured, and elders who once served the clan in their prime are cared for, but those with more permanent impairments may be cast out in lean times. Elders may also leave voluntarily if they no longer wish to burden their clan. While solitary elders tend to spend their final days traveling to or enjoying the beaches to the south, the chronically ill and permanently disabled usually make for the other civilizations to the west and north, hoping to find a more manageable lifestyle among a less nomadic and pragmatic society.
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