Rahikaya (culture)
The Rahikaya are a famed culture of warriors, carving out many kingdoms along the winding path of the Kayawi River. Their painted faces are famed across Kashirya, with intricate patterns ranging anywhere from simple spirals to depictions of great battles against gods. With each battle won, the Rahikaya bathe their enemies' weapons in the river for three days and nights, and then reforge the shattered metal and wood into rings and bangles to wear atop their armor. After failure, one of every thirty in an army sacrifice themselves to Kartikarma by marching into the river.
Rahikayan society is heavily hierarchical, with a hundred different social orders signified by the colour of garb, style of hair, and size of dagger at a man's hip, amongst other things. Whilst such distinctions once meant a great deal to the Rahikayan nobility, greed soon allowed such honours to be bought, forever destroying any hope of coherence amongst the classes from town to town.