The Inuid Clans

The Inuid Clans, known to their inhabitants as simply the Confederacy, is a loose confederation of settlements spread across various oases, hills and valleys of the desert and steppe. The state is a new development, created by general agreement between the previously independent Inuid clans about the need for a common front, in terms of both common defence and internal safety. As such, the power of the state's leader is currently quite limited, with the heads of the Clans and especially the powerful Houses still holding most of the power and competing for primacy. In this climate of low governmental control an safety, competition and trade both flourish.

The stories of the dog-headed traders have persisted on trade routes across the continents for a while, but only recently their subject species consolidated enough to be recognized as a proper political entity by its neighbours, rather than just some odd tribes inhabiting deserts and badlands.

The origin of the Inuids is unknown. Their general body shape is similar to that of a human, though more hairy. Their head however is that of a canid, most usually one that would be considered a mongrel. Certain clans however present the visages of specific, distinct dog races, with the maintaining of those traits across generations being for them a symbol of their power and purity.

The Inuids are on average weaker than the compared species of humans, however what they lack in raw strenght they more then make up in other traits. They are naturally leaner than humans, faster on their feet and more agile. Their senses are, like a dog's, far more developed than in other species, especially their hearing and smell. Both of those prove to be incredibly useful on the deserts they inhabit, as great hearing allows them to avoid dangers while smell lets them find both water and sustinence where other races find only death.

The Sight is the most outlandish traits of the Inuids. As it happens, their dog heads do not poses the structures required for what other races consider speech. Instead however, all of their race exhibit a common magical ability that makes up for their limitations. The Inuids are able to communicate directly through eyesight, able to send and recieve words, sentences and even complicated ideas with those into whose eyes they stare, be it Inuid or another species, crossing language barriers without issue. This medium of communication is both odd, powerful, and yet very limiting. This means that an Inuid can only talk to one other being at a time, making this medium impractical in settings such as command of armies. To compensate for that the Inuid have also developed a very complex system of non-verbal communication, based on boy language, gestures, and sounds their mouths are able of producing. While this system is natural for the Inuid, it can however make other races uncomfortable on first contact, seing an odd creature staring them depply into the eyes and words appearing in their head out of nowhere. The Inuid are skilled negotiators and diplomats, so these tensions usually resolve fast, but some less savory events have happened.

Inuid Society is organized into and controlled by patrilineal Clans, with the head of each clan called a Khuda. Those class are the fabric of Inuid society, and betraying them is seen as one of the gravest crimes. Especially powerful clans can call upon the loyalty of lesser, subservient clans, creating larger socio-political structures called Houses. The heads of Houses are called Pishin, and are also usually leaders of their settlements. The Houses are the main political powers of the Confederation, leading generational struggles and rivalries in competition between each other.

The ruler of the Confeeration is chosen from among the leaders of the Houses, by the Houses. The position's wielder is called the Ipishid, a position to which they are chosen for life.  The election happens after the death of the last Ipishid, however the result is often long determined. The Houses use their immense wealth to gather votes, with the position usually going to the leader of the currently most powerful one. The position is very prestigious, but its limited authority does not usually allow the ruling House to gather power to further distance themselves from the others. On the contrary, with the obvious target on them due to their position, they are often focused on and outcompeted by their rivals, leading to constant flux in the power hierarchy and preventing a single House from monopolizing the monarchy. The capital of the Confederacy moves along with the monarchy to the settlement of the chosen House.

The current leader of the Confederacy is Ipshid Dogge from House Piest, hailing from Bukkana.

Each clan is built around their leader, the Khuda, with both familiar connections and merit controling each member's position in the internal hierarchy. The male Inuid born into a Clan have two options: they can work their way up in the clan through loyal servitude, hoping to one head be chosen as the next Khuda, or they can choose the route of the Ayyar, striking out on their own into the wider world. The Ayyar wander the world in search for their luck and their place, free from the clan structure and to define their destiny. They often become traders, sellswords or guides through the desert, among many other options. Succesful Ayyar can end up funding their own clans or even Houses, especially if they become rich traders. Less lucky Ayyar can still be adopted by other clans, go back to their own, or continue their life separated from most of the Inuid society, if that is their wish.

The female Inuid lack the opportinity of the Ayyar. They can work diligently for their clans, even reach high positions, but a female Inuid has never been chosen as Head. They have however been known to grow very powerful in their own right, sometimes becoming very influencial.

The Inuid are natural wanderers and traders. Their resilience and stamina, along with their hightened senses, make them feel right at home as travelers over the deserts, where most other races would fear for their lives. They are quite Xenophilic, believing that good relations with other species are profitable to both sides. Their caravans cross the continent in increasing numbers, their Houses growing rich off trade and transport of goods.

As their primary dwellings are in the desert oases, the Inuid are not an agricultural nation. Their one major herd animal is the trusty camel, who accompany them over the trecherous deserts. The major Houses can own seemingly endless herds of those, serving as both sources of food and mounts. Thanks to the species' trading acumen, they are also able to enjoy many other foods from across the continents.

While their homelands are not rich in many resources, the Inuid are able to import many, leading to their craftsmen being no worse than those of other nations, creating ornate trinkets in their own style. Outside their own settlements, Inuids often sell their services to other races as translators, negotiators, diplomats, guides and rarely sellswords.

While the Inuids have not invented coinage or writing, their vast trading network led them to adopt the ways of their neighbors, repurposing existing alphabets and creating coins in imitations of those of other species.

Inuids are not warlike by nature, but they will defend their settlements. The rich Houses often employ vast armies of mercenaries, especially from nomadic nations, whose number and quality of gear serve as symbols of status for the contractors.

When it comes to native warriors, high ranking members of the Clans fight as Aspar, camel cavalry, usually armored. The rich Houses especially use this as an excuse to show off their wealth, making their Aswar especially heavily armored with ornate patterns and various other intricacies.

While using The Sight on non-intelligent species is usually considered a waste of time, many expierienced Aspar are known to converse with their camels, insisting of the depth and power of their bond with their animals.

Most of the members of each clan fight as infantry. While normal formations of grouped warriors are common, the Inuids with their heightened senses and agile bodies are especially fit for ambushes as well as hit and run tactics, able to appear out of nowhere and disappear back into the desert in very short order.

The Inuid worship a singular major deity, the Lord of Light, associated with the Sun. It is the Sun that allows them to not only see but also communicate with each other, so to them, it is the greatest gift giver.

The gravest punishment in Inuid society is blinding, followed by exile. As the Inuid communication system is completely sight-based, blinding makes the victim completely unable to communicate, to them little more than an animal. The punished is then droven out of the desert, where the judgment is doled out. As the priests say: "The Lord of Light gave us sight. If they are innocent, the Lord will return sight to them. If they are guilty, the Light will judge them so.

Outside the Sight, Inuid magic is not very developed, and what is there is tied to their religion. The pinnacle of offensive magic known to the Inuid priesthood currently is the ability to send blinding beams of light in their enemies' faces, used to confuse and disorganise instead of doing any actual damage.