Abanir

Abanir
Capital	None
Ruler	Many
Government	Monarchies (nomadic peoples); bureaucratic autocracies (cities)
Demonym	Abaniri
Adjective	Abanir
Languages	Targai, Orcish, Elven
Religions	Abanir pantheon; Orcish pantheon; Elven pantheon

Abanir (pronounced ah-bahn-EER)

History

The history of Abanir is that of multiple peoples coming into contact with each other, peacefully or otherwise, as they cross the steppe, some doing so as part of their constant migrations and others simply traveling to more populated lands to the east or west. The nomadic clans of the steppe have lived on the endless grasslands for as long as their oral and written histories recount, certainly for many thousands of years, though the various fortified cities that now dot the landscape are considerably newer. Primarily found along the major trade routes across the Aban, these cities were established within the last two milleniums to take advantage of increased mercantile traffic making the journey between Rovakhit and the nations to the west.

Elves and orcs have both had long histories in the region. After multiple aeroliths made landfall to the north, in the area now known as Yurukan, their elven populations began to travel and spread out, many joining the nomadic clans or what were at the time fledgling cities. Orcish history in Abanir, not only peaceful trade but also raiding and the laying of sieges to important cities, began somewhat more recently, only after their mass exodus out of Thadria in the ninth millennium.

Culture

Society

The people of Abanir generally consider themselves to fall into one of three broad groups:

• The Targai (pronounced TAR-guy) are the nomadic peoples of the Aban Steppe, traditionally pastoralists and skilled equestrians. To the broader world they are perhaps the best known of Abanir's inhabitants, renowned and sometimes feared for their skills on horseback.
• The Gatai (pronounced GAH-tie) are the descendants of Targai clans that have settled in one of the cities that dot the steppe. Gatai may be those whose families have lived in the cities for centuries, or those who only recently left their nomadic ways behind - the term is used to refer to all settled Targai.
• The Arvai (pronounced AR-vai) are a loosely defined group, perhaps better described by who they are not than by who they are. Any inhabitants of the steppe who are not Targai or Gatai are generally considered to be Arvai. The term is mostly used to refer to travelers or those who settled in the region from elsewhere. Arvai who adopt the lifestyles and culture of the Targai or Gatai usually find themselves relatively quickly considered to be one of these groups instead.