Kemish

Kemish
Example of a Kemish scratch-sign, meaning "community" or "Kemish"
Capital	None
Ruler	No singular ruler
Government	Tribal meritocracies
Demonym	Kemish
Adjective	Kemish
Languages	Aserdian
Religions	Saurian hunts; Auva, Markab

The Kemish (pronounced KEH-mish) are a nomadic people that live in Brightmarch, known for their use of dinosaurs as beasts of burden and for defense. Dinosaurs play a significant role in Kemish culture, central to their society, religion, and livelihoods.

Demographics

Each Kemish tribe is generally no more than fifty people. The Kemish hail from a number of ancestries, though most are human, half-elves, or vishkanya. Some lizardfolk can be found within the Kemish as well, though they tend to form their own tribes.

Culture

Migration

Most Kemish tribes follow herds of large dinosaurs, especially sauropods, as they trek across Brightmarch. The presence of these immense creatures deters most threats, something the Kemish long ago learned to use to their advantage. Each tribe typically follows a herd for decades, allowing the dinosaurs to become familiar with their presence, though the creatures are rarely tamed due to the difficulty in doing so. Kemish tribes can usually be found in the lands around the Ikena River, especially in the inland stretches of the river where it passes through fern prairies and low-density forests.

Tribes frequently meet to share information and resources. When these meetings take place, it is also common for members of each tribe to join the other for a time, until their travels bring them together once again, learning their ways and forging new personal relationships.

Languages

Aserdian is, by a large margin, the most-used language amongst the Kemish. It is typical for at least a few members of each tribe to speak Common as well, but knowledge of this language is generally not widespread.

Writing

The Kemish use a unique system of logograms called scratch-signs. This system is typically used to write the Aserdian language, but it can be adapted to other languages as needed. Scratch-signs are designed to be easily marked into surfaces, and therefore are largely patterns of straight lines that can be made quickly and without specialized tools.

Though they are also used to write on paper, clay, or other transportable mediums, scratch-signs are primarily etched into rock faces, trees, or other locations in which they can be easily found in the future. When used in this way, the logograms inform future travelers of possible dangers, resources, or other nearby locations.

This logographic system is ever-growing in complexity and size. In addition to the standard (if very large) set of symbols, it is traditional for each Kemish that learns to write using scratch-signs to develop a personal sign to represent their own name. Some choose to have these symbols written on themselves using either tattooing or scarification.