Ril'ya

## Geographical Distribution

The Ril'ya people are located in the hot desert in the centre of Kashar Maht, which they refer to as Redsidàgdà (/ʀɛd siːtˈdɜːgdɜː/). In the are they inhabit there is an oasis , called Yermam Chìs (/jɜːˈmæm ʧɪs/) in Ril'ya, in which various fruits grow, migratory birds congregate and relatively clean drinking water can be found. This loaction is important to the Ril'ya as it is a gathering spot for them and often vital for surviving thoughout the year.

## Arts and Culture

The Ril'ya value textiles and fashion strongly as due to their nomadic lifestyle, they are unable to have large amounts of material wealth with them, as such a major way of demonstrating their wealth to their peers is through clothing. Golden jewelry and piercings are commonplace regardless of gender. They generally wear loose fitting clothes due to the desert climate they traditionally inhabit, the wealthier people will have intricate patterns embroidered in their clothing and beads stitched in. To have the latest fashions in the highest quality materials is a symbol of wealth and status, to the point where if two Ril'ya tribes encounter eachother, the less well dressed of the two will often recognise the more fashionable as their superiors. Tapestries that can be hung in tents are exceptionally valuable as it is rare for the Ril'ya to be able to access enough high quality thread to create one, when they are produced, they often depict religious scenes or scenes of tribe history.

As for other methods of art, there is traditional music and dance that generally occurs when two tribes meet in the desert as a matter of diplomatic custom, or at weddings and other similar events. The dance focuses on shoes with bells sewn to them and moving in a particular way as to generate music in tandem with musicians playing flutes. Religious and cultural tales are almost always passed through word of mouth/oral tradition, very few written records of the Ril'ya exist and they have generally poor literacy rates.

Ril'ya society generally upholds 3 "great sports" The first of which is archery, which the Ril'ya practice regularly as a matter of course. Children are taught it from a young age and expected to practice regularly. The second is riding, this is the talent of riding Zhen or other rideable animals quickly and precisely. Due to it being more generally dangerous and unpredictable than archery, it is reserved for older children. Though many begin practice at an early age, 16 is considered the age at which it is acceptable to participate in any competition. The third is Aathrar Arta (/ɑˈθɹʌ ʌˈtæ/) which has a long and complicated ruleset, that is generally only memorised by shamans, but the essentials of it are a test of desert survival. This is by far the most dangerous of the sports and is often only practiced by the most daring in any given tribe.

## Religion

The Ril'ya worship two principal gods, Redyà (/ʀedjɜː/), the god of the sun. Redyà is generally viewed as a God of Justice. He is who the Ril'ya believe judges them upon death, believing the righteous join him in his infinite kingdom in the sun and the sinful are cursed to live below the earth in an eternal sandstorm. The second god is Buchyuzh (/buːʧjuːʒ/), she is a water goddess. She cares for the sentient beings of the world and supplies them with the necessities for life. She is said to be in eternal conflict with Redyà as she is generally more forgiving, her realm of authority is the world of the living as opposed to the world of the dead. The tenets of the religion generally uphold the idea of being charitable to your fellows, specific commandments include leaving a marker for water sources should other tribes pass in need of water. Religious tales also encourage an idea of honour in combat, but due to the lack of a unified religious doctrine there is no actions that are explicitly off limits. Things in conflict that are generally considered to be immoral across Ril'ya tribes are, killing of children and the unarmed, sexual violence and permanent destruction of valuable resources such as water sources. Looting and destruction of property are generally considered acceptable in feuds between two tribes.

There is a lack of a unified church, religious tales tell of a prophet who will one day arrive and unite all Ril'ya tribes, lead them to paradise and glory, and make the gods live in harmony with eachother through attracting both their blessings. Each tribe has one and only one shaman who is responsible for memorising tribal and religious lore. Shamans are usually magically gifted in some capacity, most commonly they are gifted with an innate ability to sense water and food sources in the desert and limited foresight. While there are tales of shamans being masters of these abilities and being able to control the flow of water or see decades into the future, these almost always manifest in a weak form, like a faint buzzing or ringing at the back of the shamans mind when something dangerous is coming, or a feeling of running water on their skin when water is near. Shamans of Redyà dress in red or yellow, shamans of Buchyuzh dress in blue. When a shaman is sick or elderly, they take an apprentice. The training to become a shamans apprentice is lengthy, and consists of memorising religious tales and plant lore as well as becoming proficient in desert survival. The training lasts 2 years on average, culminating in a "vision quest" at the Khu'aesu (/χuː'æɛsuː/). This consists of the apprentice being given hallucinogenic plants and being sent into the desert to kill a monster and bring back a piece of its body as evidence. After this there is a short ritual in which the magical abilities of the apprentice are awakened, this process almost always results in somewhat impaired sight, giving shamans a milky eyed look.

## Wider Cultural Values and Lifestyle

People live a nomadic lifestyle, travelling from place to place and never staying at one stop for more than a month or two. They are open to being contracted for jobs by most if not all people and generally trust outsiders. Hospitality is an important custom, especially towards foreigners, this can lead to foreigners sometimes being included in customs unfamiliar to them. They are generally welcoming and warm, though they will take offence if people refuse to observe their customs repeatedly and especially if they refuse to eat the food provided to them. Familial bonds are considered to be especially important, as such marriage is taken very seriously and marriages are often highly emotional occasions.

Due to the importance of family, marriages are often political as a marriage means an alliance between families or tribes, however those getting married are always consulted for their thoughts on the matter even if it is an arranged marriage, and the marriages are usually stopped if one or both of those getting married are against it. Tribes are usually made up of 4 or 5 large families with the leader of the tribes being the defacto "leader" of one of those families.