Theugombrians (concept)
The Theugombrians have no homeland. They have wandered the Continental interior since time out of memory, occasionally setting down roots on small patches of wasteland to farm or herd in heavily fortified communities, but more often roaming in great caravans, setting down fortified camps for a few weeks or months at most. Their culture stresses both discipline and martial training for youths of both sexes and they are often referred to by chroniclers and poets as an army without a country. Indeed they often sell their services as mercenaries or auxiliaries to anyone who will pay. Their culture seems to hold little guard for distinctions between sexes, placing equal responsibilities upon both men and women both within the Theugombrian household and while under arms. Additionally, It is not uncommon for Theugombrian women to take multiple husbands, sometimes up to three, though the reverse among Theugombrian men is exceedingly rare.
Their nature as permanent outsiders and nomads has made the Theugombrians the frequent victims of suspicion and distrust by their settled neighbors, an attitude they are more than willing to reciprocate if needed. While they have occasionally been the victims of mob violence, the heavily armed and militarized nature of their society means that this often ends badly for their aggressors, and most towns with a tendency towards xenophobic paranoia have learned to swallow their prejudices and leave them well enough alone in their fortified camps.
Their tightly knit kin-groups are based around matrilineal lineages which can in some families be reliably traced back over fifty generations. Indeed, a few of the oldest histories written by the societies of the Continental Interior mention a people clearly recognizable as Theugombrians, implying that they have held onto a discernable cultural identity far older than almost any people still extant on Aeras today.
The Theugombrians do not, as a rule, recognize slavery. Captives taken in war are either sold back at random, executed if they have attracted some particular ire from their captors, or adopted into the clan itself if the prisoner proves themself willing and useful. In this manner Theugombrian clans can often develop quite a mixed ethnic appearance, with Kathuni, Sarradonian, and even Damotan ancestry not unheard of within individual families.