Nomads of Khur

The fiercely independent and proud people of the deserts
of Khur are renowned for their ability to weather even
the most inhospitable climates and the most tyrannical
oppressors. Like the Ice Folk, the nomads of Khur were
once many different groups; tribal folk from the region
of Dravinaar united with stragglers and survivors from
the impact of the fiery mountain under the leadership of
the great khan Kaja. His seven sons, Garmac, Weya-Lu,
Mayakhur, Hachakee, Mikku, Tondoon, and Fin-Maskar,
inherited their father’s khanate but divided the tribes
among them. Garmac’s tribe, the Khur, swiftly rose to
prominence and gave the region its name. The other sons
sided with or against Garmac, and their inter-tribal battles
characterized much of the first three centuries of the Age
of Despair. The Dragonarmies invaded Khur during the War of
the Lance, but it was the brutal warlord of the Khur tribe,
Salah, who truly locked Khur into a future of insurrection
and violence. Salah and his family have maintained control
of Khur ever since, using their alliances with evil forces,
such as the Dark Knights, to oppose resistance within
their domain. Most nomads of the desert consider this to
be the fault of civilization; each tribe now has a nomadic
population and a civilized one, further complicating the
politics of the region.
The nomads of Khur believe very strongly in fate,
or maita, which enables them to deal with tragedy and
misfortune stoically. They see everything as having a
purpose, and while the gods govern the world, it is up
to each individual to understand his maita, and live
accordingly. Khurish law is harsh and strict, yet the
nomads live lives full of adventure, laughter, and faith. The
Khurish people who have settled in the coastal cities of the
region have lost much after years of Dragonarmy or Dark
Knight rule; the nomads believe that one day, their cousins
will abandon the cities to the sirocco winds and return to
the desert.
Within the past ten years, many events of note have
taken place within Khurish lands, from the passage of
the Heroes of the Heart through Ak-Khurman and the
blockage of Dark Knight ships to the role the Mikku
nomads played in aiding a small band of heroes pursuing
the mystery of the Key of Destiny. Most recently, with
the influx of elven refugees around Khuri-Khan and the
growing frustration of the Dark Knight-supported Khurish
ruler, Sahim-Khan, the Weya-Lu tribe rose to power under
the leadership of the influential matriarch, Adala. She has
united the various nomadic tribes of Khur together to
oppose what she sees as the corrupt rule of Sahim-Khan
and, more importantly, the alien presence of the elves.
The Khurish olive skin and distinctive hawkish
features come from the Dravinaar people, although some
intermarriage of Solamnic and Nerakese bloodlines
has produced occasional fair-skinned or dark-skinned
individuals.