Race & People Primer
The Khuzait people are born into motion. Where the folk of forest and march learn roads and borders, the Khuzaits learn wind, grass, and water. Their identity is shaped by the steppe itself: wide skies, long distances, and the constant need to move with herds and seasons. To a Khuzait, land is not something to be owned in fixed parcels but something to be read and used in cycles. Grazing routes, wells, and river crossings matter more than walls or boundary stones.
Khuzait families are organized into extended kin groups that travel together with their herds. These groups gather into clans when war, trade, or ceremony demands it, and disperse again when the grass thins. Loyalty flows first to family, then to clan, and finally to the Khanate. The idea of permanent settlement exists in towns and fortresses, but many Khuzaits view such places as useful anchors rather than true homes. Even city-born Khuzaits tend to measure distance in days of riding rather than in roads and milestones.
The Khuzait body culture reflects life on horseback. From childhood, people are taught to ride, shoot, and sleep in the open. Long days in saddle produce a people comfortable with endurance and weather. Their clothing favors layered felt, leather, and light armor suited to movement rather than heavy protection. Decoration often marks clan identity and personal deeds: dyed cords, carved bone, and stitched patterns that tell quiet stories of raids, hunts, and long journeys.
Khuzait nobles are not defined primarily by land ownership, but by herds, followers, and proven leadership in war and migration. A Khuzait noble, often called a noyan or beg, holds authority through the ability to gather riders, protect grazing routes, and secure water access for their people. Their wealth is measured in horses, sheep, and cattle rather than estates. A noble who loses the loyalty of their riders quickly becomes noble in name only. Rank is maintained by action: successful raids, protection of trade routes, and the defense of clan honor.
Khuzait society recognizes noble bloodlines, but birth alone does not secure lasting status. A noble’s children are expected to ride, fight, and lead from an early age. Weakness in leadership can see a clan’s allegiance drift toward a stronger rival within the Khanate. This makes Khuzait nobility more fluid than feudal systems elsewhere. Titles persist, but authority must be continually proven. A noble who cannot provide for their people is abandoned by them.
Common Khuzaits live close to the herds. Shepherds, drovers, caravan hands, leatherworkers, and felt-makers form the backbone of steppe life. Most common folk are competent riders, though only a minority become skilled mounted warriors. The difference between riding for travel and riding for war is stark. Combat riding, mounted archery, and coordinated maneuver take years of practice and access to training within clan warbands. This keeps elite cavalry as a distinct class within Khuzait society rather than a universal skill.
Spiritual life among the Khuzaits centers on sky, wind, and ancestral presence rather than fixed shrines. Open-air rites are common, performed at high points, river bends, and old camp circles. Shamans and spirit-speakers guide these rites, interpreting signs in weather and animal behavior. The steppe is seen as alive with presence, not bound to single places but moving with the seasons. This worldview reinforces the Khuzait resistance to permanent enclosure and heavy fortification.
Across Calradia, the Khuzait Steppe Folk are known as relentless riders and unpredictable allies. To outsiders, they seem unrooted. To themselves, they are bound to the oldest root of all: the moving land beneath an unbroken sky.