Paidem (culture)
The Paidem, native to central Kashirya, are traditionally used by travellers as a marker for where the lush forests and plains grow dry in the approach to the Kharadan mountains. As a culture in control of many overland trade routes, the Paidem have slowly evolved to be a people famed for their discretion. The caravans of the Paidem often unload unexpected goods in foreign markets, and appear to leave without buying a single thing in return. Whilst bafflingly clandestine to most, the deals made by their quick hands often change the fate of their neighbors.
Paidem girls are often trained as spies, reporting on the deeds of their husbands to their fathers and brothers. Such history has given outsiders a hesitancy to marry into Paidem families, and the once expansive lands of their kingdom have slowly shrunk since the Dharya Varha and their failed attempts to play all sides against one another. However, a fall from grace did not stop the nobility of the Paidem; in the shadows, they still work to manipulate the trades of Kashirya to their benefit.