Růmzqūse People

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The Růmzqūse People (derived from růmzq- run)live in a small area located in the central-southern part of the Eastern Continent.

Overview

The Růmzqūse are a nomadic people living in the southern flatlands of the eastern continent. They are a primitive peoe, hindered by the lack of natural resources and building materials in their home area. Having discovered the use of rich iron and silver deposits within the desert and mountain areas, they have recently begun mining operations in the area.

For the most part, however, they are a nomadic people who are deeply rooted into their surroundings. As large game is scares within the flatlands, they are mostly foragers who have developed the ability to consume various types of grasses.

Geography

The area colonized by the Růmzqūse initially consisted of a wide strip of grassland, known simply as the Zbbuongte, or the Grasslands. However, they soon spread to the nearby steppe, having found the flat terrain very similar to their first home in the plains. In the center of this area is a small area of rocky desert, which in turn gives way to an anomaly within the heart of the colonized area, the Nō̄neůik Mountains.

The Růmzqūse have a great affinity towards their landscape. The majority of the known world consists of flat, shadeless expanse, and anything that juts out of the landscape is considered novel and sacred. The Nō̄neůik Mountains, therefore, are believed to be the physical manifestations of the most important deities.

Climate

The climate in this area is arid, with dryness increasing in intensity further away from the grasslands. Water preservation is a necessity in the desert and steppe regions.

People

Skin color ranges from a medium brown to a lighter color. Height is variable, average height is about 1.75m. Noses are long, thin, and sensitive to plant aromas. Hair is dark brown, perhaps a tinge of green, ears are wide from the front to back of the head, while thinner vertically. Eyes are brown, becoming lighter in the mountain and grassland regions, and darker elsewhere.

Diet

Living on the plains does not seem to pose a significant difficulty to the food supply, as the Růmzqūse can stomach many different kinds of grasses found there. There are for the most part exclusively vegetarian foragers.

Architecture

Housing consists mostly of the nomadic tent variety. They are generally constructed out of whatever strong grasses are available in the area and have grown to become almost as sturdy as brick while still being very lightweight and transportable. Individual structures generally take up an area 10m x 10m, rising to height of 6m. The pliability of the material also makes for easy modification for various purposes, such as the formation of aggregate structures in larger settlements.

Stonework is also a prized craft in the construction of buildings. Masonry is always dry, and pieces are cut to fit and support each other perfectly. This has been facilitated by the use of iron tools. Olneůik's cave system consists of very fine artistic stonework, although the actual structure was not constructed by people.

In the mid-first-negative millennium, more distinctive and permanent architectural styles began to emerge as settlements such as Puvtå Iāltuxhe grew in size and established themselves as complete functional entities.

Belief System

The Růmzqūse practice a folk religion based on the transience of natural spirits which manifest themselves physically on the planet. These deities can be accessed through objects that are considered anomalies on the flat landscape, such as large rocky outcrops, trees, hills, and mountains. The mountains, which are the largest of these anomalies, are considered to be manifestations of the most powerful deities.

Any Růmzqūse person can access the network plotted by these anomalies, or vazůlav, and through careful arrangement and study, can apparently use them to make predictions about future events and navigate.

Skilled in painting and synthesizing various natural dyes from plant species. This is used to paint to body, commemorating religious interactions with the vazůla. Religious leaders have many elaborate body paintings. Aesthetics therefore plays a large part in the belief system, eventually trickling down to aspects of everyday life such as fortuitous construction patterns and ornamentation of personal objects.

Clan Life

Settlements in the flatlands consist of several familial units, usually about 150 members total. Each settlement is a clan of related people, and can be said to exercise a certain amount of control over a swath of land and the vazůla contained within. Clan members are expected to maintain and propagate the vazůla endemic to their people; these can serve as territorial markers for each clan.

Naturally, each clan wants to expand its own territory. For natural vazůlav such as trees and shrubs, marking can be done by planting seeds of clan-specific species on adjacent lands, exercising the sovereignty of one clan over another. Of course, this method is fairly mutable as plants are subject to destruction and burning. Rock formation vazůlav are considered the offspring of the main vazůl, the The Nōneůik Mountains, themselves the heart of Exhpazixh. Rock vazůlav, or tovazůlav, are immutable centers of gathering and mystical power for each clan.

Some major tolålå, or clans, include:

• Tolål Pebbů (derive names later) - located in the northwestern corner of the savanna. About 600 members.
• Tolål Metång (above) - southern central, near the rainforest. About 450 members
• Tolål Iāltuxhe, from “we are to be avoided” (1s.EVIT) - far east, clustered around the Bārūze Mileong (Bay of Life)