Caeda Culture

Summary of History
No one knows how to Caeda tribe came to existence, though it is believed to have been a break off from a larger tribe. The Caeda was apart of the Tribal Federation on Nuown, a group of similarly cultured tribe far far to the west of Rathnir. Caeda literally translates to Alloy, in part because of how they were the federations top smiths, and so they could say, "Alone, our metal is weak, but when combined together, our alloy is strong." They were well respected enough to gain the patronage of Torah, the god of Smithing and Diligence. Due to the benefits gained from having the patronage of such a highly respected god, many of the lesser tribes began to resent the Caeda, as well as the higher tribes as well. A civil war broke out for an unknown reason, and the Caeda sided with the ruling tribe. As was customary, the Caeda and the other losing tribes had their patronage revoked, and their gods were replaced with resented gods. Hearing tales of "Yumi Aadul" (Misinterpreted Yimmu Audal) they began a long trek east, eventually reaching the western world border after 6 generations of nomadic migration. Days after the tribe entered, they became scattered, as game was scarce, bandits constantly threatened them, and they were introduced to new sicknesses. Many Caeda regrouped in Bardonia some time after the initial scattering. They appointed NattyNuke as the new leader, being the eldest male relative of the previous chief, his uncle. Under Natty's leadership, Natty negotiated for the rights to settle Hiroka-Lani in Theios-Essukdal territory, allowing for the Caeda to become one of Great Houses of Anoshphey.

Early Life
A nomadic Caedan childhood is not easy, at the age of 4, the children leave their families tent and are forced to live in the same tent with 3 other people of the same gender. Each child is responsible for carrying the supplies needed to set up a tent, as well as their bow. Because of the hunter gatherer lifestyle, Caedan children learned how to hunt at a young age, they were also required to learn skills such as basic bow crafting, what is and isn't edible, and how to survive on their own. At the age of 8, the child is given 3 weeks to craft a bow. The bow serves as a test of the child's skills, which determines what they'll do in the future. The Caeda always had a few sheep that provided wool they would use for clothing, most girls became hunters, scouts, and tailors, though every 10 years the 8 year old with the best memory would become an apprentice to the Reris, or Lore Keeper. Most boys became hunters, resource collectors, warriors, general laborer's, and smith's.

Language
The Caedan alphabet is identical to the English alphabet. The language is rarely spoken any more, but it still holds cultural value in Hiroka-Lani. It is not particularly hard to learn the language, but a large number of vocabulary is long missing, and only a few of the rules are remembered. Caedan words occasionally have the same pronunciation or similar spelling to its English translation, such as Orne (Ore-neigh), translating to Iron. An example of the opposite is Nala, translating to Flee, Route, Retreat, Withdraw, etc.

Gendering words is slightly different in Caedan, Ren means Man, and Sen means woman. When writing formal documents, the Caeda with add Ren or Sen to the end of someone's name, e.g. Eddy would be Eddyren, or Sara, Sarasen. If you are unaware of said person’s gender, it is polite to add Gen at the end instead of Ren or Sen. This rule does not apply in speech, only in writing very official documents. Specific objects are gendered as well, as brushing one’s hair was a strictly feminine activity in nomadic Caedan culture, the word for hairbrush is a strictly feminine word. Pinsen is the word for hairbrush, whereas Pin means Potato, and Pinren means Potato Man. There is no plural version of Ren or Sen, so when referring to a group of men, instead of Ren's or Ran, the group would be called Ren-tora, meaning Man Group. If the number of females outnumber the males in a group or there's only females, the group would be called a Sen-tora, meaning Woman Group. This gender rule is one of the only rules to differ from the English language.

Religion
The Caedan religion was actually apart of a larger pantheon. When the Caedan people lived among the Tribal Federation of Nuown (not in Rathnir), each tribe in the federation had a patron god. Any new tribes would be given a god from the pool of existing gods. Any new gods that were similar to an older one would be devoured by them. The gods of the Tribal Federation of Nuown were not traditional gods, rather they were spirits of sorts. The gods of Nuown did not walk the earht, rather, each of the gods would have an item tied to them. This item was their essence, the source of their power. The item would display the power of the god, each of these items would be highly guarded by the tribe the particular god is patron of.

Torah was the traditional god of the Caeda people, Torah was the god of Smithing and Diligence. Torah was a much better god to the Caeda people. Despite Torah being taken away from the Caeda during the exile, whispers of Torah still exist among the Caeda. Torah quite literally translates to "Smith," in Caedan tongue. Torah was said to be very diligent in shaping metal, to a point where he'd sacrifice his followers health to do so. Torah's patronage was highly respected in the Tribal Federation of Nuown.

Baat was the god of Mischief, Treachery, and Sand. To have the patronage of Baat was a great disrespect, as Baat was not seen as a good god in the Tribal Federation of Nuown. Baat, starved of attention, coveted the Caeda people at first, but after a mere two generations of patronage, Baat got bored. Baat wished to return to the Tribal Federation, but he was tied to the Heart of Baat, and as the Heart of Baat was in the possession of the Caeda, he'd harass them constantly. The Caeda had also hated Baat, much preferring their old god, Torah. Knowing they couldn't survive without a patron god, they chose to give offerings to the Heart of Baat. Despite the mutual hatred, Baat still protected the Caeda, as it was his duty.

Granbak the Greedy
Granbak the Greedy is a classic Caedan tale, it tells the story of a group of women who entered the forest, searching for a sword of iron. They came upon the base of a mountain, where they found a small cabin. Knocking on the cabin, a dwarf appeared, introducing himself as Granbak. He had three children, and all of them hated the women, but the women were well equiped, so he chose to show them hospitality. After listening to the women's story, he told them he knew knew the location of the sword. He said that he'd only tell them if they went to the cave and slew the monster that had been eating his family. The women complied, but one of them died during the battle. Returning to Granbak, grieving, they asked for the location of the sword. Seeing how weakened they were, he and his children attacked the women, and killed all but one. No one knows the accuracy of this tale, but it was written in the first book ever written by a Caeda, as well as it being orally passed down before that.

Nala Ren
Nala Ren translates to Running Man. There is very little information on this folktale, but it is believed to have been a monster of sorts, used to keep children from wandering to far from home.