The Akwarai (pronounced ack-WARR-eye), frequently also known as the Akwara Caravaneers or the Dunewalkers, are a loosely affiliated nation of nomadic dwarves that live within the Sangora Desolation. Experts in surviving and thriving in the harsh desert landscape, these dwarves are instrumental in maintaining the trade routes between Yarma, Sahramina, and Khapesh.
History
Akwarai legends hold that in ancient times they resided in homes dug deep within great mountains, much like many of their dwarven kin around the world. These mountains are said to have suddenly collapsed into sand, their stony peaks becoming the dunes of the Sangora Desolation. Exiled from their destroyed homes, the early Akwarai took to the newly-formed desert, adopting the lifestyles they have maintained since. Particularly large rock outcroppings in the Sangora are believed by the Akwarai to be all that remains of these mountain abodes.
The veracity of these stories are intensely debated, both by the Akwarai themselves and by outside scholars. Some choose to take them literally, while others instead hold the legends to be an allegorical account of self-exile from the other dwarven peoples of the Fangs of Khurazar.
Demographics
The Akwarai are almost entirely dwarven. A small number of individuals of other ancestries have been adopted by the Dunewalker clans, but this is very uncommon and highly unusual. Precise estimates as to the total population of Dunewalkers are difficult to attain, as many clans remain within the desert for decades at a time, but they are unlikely to number more than twenty thousand spread across the Sangora.
Culture
Religions
Akwarai religion blends the worship of the gods of the Aserdian and Dwarven pantheons, and they often use names, depictions, and aspects from both collections of deities. Hurra, Zulka, and Brulnan are the three most important gods to the Akwarai, embodying the Dunewalkers' heavy cultural emphasis on loyalty, peaceful mediation, and mutual protection. Many Dunewalkers also worship Saclateni, who they see as a reflection of the continually shifting desert landscape in which they live. Prayer and religious offerings among the Akwarai tend to be communal but are very rarely performed at temples or holy sites.
Some Akwarai hold to mystical practices and traditions that center around the belief that the desert itself is alive. Guided by wisdom taught by a long line of Akwarai ascetics who have turned to solitary life in the Desolation, adherents to this loose faith hold that life can only be understood through recognition of the vast lengths of time required for natural systems of change to complete their work. Through contemplating and communing with the desert, some Akwarai dwarves believe they can form connections with the ancient past and far-off future, and better realize the role they play in history.
Traditions
Among the Akwarai, hospitality towards guests is of paramount importance. Visitors at Dunewalker camps can expect to be offered any food, drink, knowledge, or services the Akwarai can provide. Akwarai caravans will sometimes even gift many of their personal rations to those they pass within the desert, even when it would put them in a precarious situation in the future. Failing to show the proper respect and gratitude towards one's hosts, however, is seen as a great insult. While any that break these rules of etiquette will still be treated very well, other Akwarai clans and caravans will be informed of this behavior and go out of their way to avoid the offender in the future.
As soon as they are able to walk, Akwarai children are gifted with a staff bearing decorations indicating their family and clan - this serves the same role in Akwarai society as clan daggers do for many dwarves elsewhere. Mostly used as walking sticks, these staves can also come in handy as weapons or tools for a variety of purposes. Despite their wooden exterior, these staves contain a metal core that provides them with a surprising amount of durability and strength. Most dwarves continue to modify these staves over the course of their lives, adding more decoration that reflects their experiences.
Society
The Akwarai generally do not care for personal wealth acquisition, instead preferring to trade any valuables they come into possession of for useful items - gear, food and drink, magical items, weapons, and so on.
Language
Dwarven is the most often spoken language among the Akwarai, though most of the dwarves also learn either Aserdian or Common. Other regional and racial languages may be adopted by Dunewalkers that frequent areas in which their knowledge would be beneficial.
Art
Tattooing is widespread among the Akwarai. It is very common to have tattoos that indicate clan affiliation, and many dwarves also decorate their bodies with religious symbolism or imagery that represents loved ones.
The smiths of the Akwarai are known for their masterfully crafted tools and ornaments, including earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. Made primarily out of meteoric iron, these works are both worn by the Dunewalkers and sometimes sold to outsiders. Weapons are less-commonly constructed out of this material. Akwarai forges are communal, owned by no caravan or clan. Usually located at popular gathering sites, the forges are some of the few permanent structures used by the Akwarai.
Akwarai camps can often be spotted from a distance by the colorful kites that some deploy when stopped for an extended period of time. Usually shaped like birds and colored brightly, these kites are a form of art themselves.
Food and cuisine
Some Akwarai are pastoralists, mostly those that remain near Xatabra or in the less harsh southern parts of the Sangora Desolation. The herds of goats and sheep they keep provide plenty of food, but do require constant migration towards fresh sources of nourishment for the animals. The Dunewalkers that venture further into the desert usually acquire their food through hunting and foraging. Trade provides a significant variety of food as well that otherwise would not be available in the desert. Tea is consumed in great quantities by the Akwarai, either traded for or sourced from desert plants.
Travel
The Dunewalkers travel in caravans of a usually a few dozen across the desert - larger groups are rather uncommon, as food and water quickly become an issue. Caravans periodically stop by common meeting spots, usually oases or cliffside retreats in the desert, to exchange goods, share stories and news, and provide an opportunity for the dwarves to choose to join another group going a different way. Some semi-permanent encampments exist, mostly around Yarma, Sahramina, Kharakun, and Xatabra, but the inhabitants of these constantly rotate as new groups leave and older ones depart once again.
Camels are most often used as pack animals across the Sangora, though goats are also sometimes used when remaining in the southern parts of the desert.
The concept of a close-knit, nuclear family is not something the Akwarai have retained. Families may be spread out across hundreds of miles at any given time, though married couples tend to remain together. Children within caravans are considered the responsibility of the entire group, which allows them to separate from their family if desired and still remain cared for.
Architecture
In general, most Akwarai prefer the open skies over the confines of buildings or even tents - even at night, most Dunewalkers would rather sleep under the starry sky than have a roof over their heads. In very adverse conditions, however, most caravans do carry with them large hide tents that can be erected when required. Those that intend to camp at one location for an extended period of time often intentionally bury their tents underneath a thick layer of sand, in order to keep their dwellings cool during the heat of the day.
Magic
Sorcerers of the elementalist bloodline are disproportionately common within the Akwarai. Those that learn their magic through other means frequently choose to become elemental specialists as well.
Recreation
Kite flying competitions are a popular recreational event for the Dunewalkers. Some of these competitions are simply about seeing who can put on the best display, while in others the aim is to cut the string of opponents' kites using blades attached the leading edge of one's own.
Fashion
Full body outfits of loose, flowing robes and veils are the most common form of clothing among the Akwarai. Clothing is usually dyed distinctive colors - most commonly maroon, but some clans have specific colors and patterns they use to distinguish themselves. Some dwarves also weave metallic fibers into their garments, giving it the appearance of shimmering in the sunlight. For footwear, most wear tied sandals that both provide protection and are flexible, useful when traveling over rougher terrain. Scarves the Akwarai wrap around their heads provide protection from the heat and sand.
Unusually among dwarves, the majority of Dunewalkers keep their hair, including facial hair, cut very short or shaved - initially done for pragmatic reasons, this has long since become a cultural practice among Akwarai of all genders.
Equipment
Armor is rarely used by Akwarai guards, adventurers, and others whose activities may lead them to combat. Instead, most prefer to wear their typical robes and carry a shield as their only protection, as doing so is significantly lighter and less of a hazard in the hot, desert environment. Akwarai meteoric shields are typically darkened on their convex outer faces and polished to a reflective shine on the reverse - many Akwarai use their shields for secondary purposes, such as boiling water or as a signal mirror. Meteoric shields crafted by Akwarai smiths are widely known as the toughest one can buy, short of those made of adamantine.
Venom spears are a favored weapon amongst some Akwarai. Made of giant scorpion stingers affixed to a shaft, these can be filled with potent venoms, delivered to a target through a successful attack. Paralyzing venom, sourced from desert wildlife or plants, are particular favorites for users of Akwarai venom spears.
Government
Like many dwarves elsewhere, the Akwarai social structure is heavily based around clans, where each clan is effectively a large extended family. However, the clan hierarchy only manifests itself when the Dunewalkers are congregated at one of their many refuges within or around the desert, usually at oases or other locations of plenty. At all other times, the Akwarai look to the trusted figures within their travel group for guidance, disregarding clan affiliation entirely.
Some clans arrange for their members to be present at a given time and place every so often, usually every four years, in order to keep everyone acquainted, share information, and engage in festivities.
Economy
The Akwarai are critical to the success of the trans-Sangora trade routes connecting Yarma and Khapesh. The caravaneers both carry goods themselves across the desert as well as serve as guides to others. The Dunewalkers' most valuable resource is information; with their knowledge of locations to find water and shade in the desert, they are invaluable to any who wish to cross the Sangora.
Some Dunewalkers also make a living by locating and selling the meteoric iron that falls from the sky within the desert. Widely prized for a variety of purposes, the Akwarai are by far the largest provider of this material to the markets of Yarma.