Ashken Tribe (Desertborne Humans)

Overview

The @Ashken Tribe , the largest and most populous of the Desertborne, stands as a pillar of tradition, artistry, and martial strength. Unlike the rest of the Desert Tribes, the Ashken are permanent settlers, deeply rooted in the @The Sacred Caverns , their sprawling underground refuge. Known for their stratified social order, exceptional craftsmanship, and formidable warriors, they balance pride and artistry with a rigid hierarchy that often leaves their society divided by class and privilege. Currently the leader of the tribe is @Arim Ashken.

Appearance

@Ashken Tribe @Desertborne Human exhibit the typical resilience of desert dwellers, with sun-darkened skin, wiry builds, and keen eyes accustomed to both torchlight and desert glare. Unlike other tribes, their garments are more elaborate, woven with dyes and adorned with symbols of clan and status, reflecting their strict social stratification. Nobles wear finely worked jewelry of bone, bronze, and polished desert stones, while the lower classes dress in simpler garb of woven fabrics.

Culture and Society

The @Ashken Tribe are a proud and status-driven people, valuing lineage, artistry, and martial skill. Their society is strictly hierarchical, with noble clans presiding over artisans, scholars, and common workers. This stratification often deepens inequality and is maintained through their reverence for tradition and order. The current leader of the tribe is @Arim Ashken .

The @Ashken Tribe are the industrial heart of the desert tribes, home to countless workshops, smithies, and crafting halls where artisans produce weapons, tools, ornaments, and cultural artifacts of exceptional quality. Their goods form a vital part of intertribal trade.

The tribe also treasures knowledge and history: their libraries, archives, and cultural spaces safeguard centuries of desert lore, art, and memory. Many Ashken see themselves as guardians not just of their caverns but of the heritage of the @Desertborne Human .

In some sense, the @The Sacred Caverns city is the capital of the Shifting Sands Desert. And the Askhen Tribe are proud of it.

Territory and Settlements

The @Ashken Tribe live exclusively within the @The Sacred Caverns , located deep inside the @Sacred Mountain . The @The Sacred Caverns are a massive underground city filled with glowing fungi, underground gardens, and grand halls etched with carvings of desert legends. An underground river sustains life, powering irrigation systems for vertical subterranean agriculture.

On the outside, there are few @Ashken Tribe places. One is the @Sky-Watcher's Perch . Perched atop the Sacred Mountain, this ancient observatory offers breathtaking views of the desert plains. Used for stargazing, astronomical study, and spiritual retreat, it is a site of wisdom and guidance. And another worth noticing could be @Hawk's Nest , a rugged cliffside sanctuary where the Ashken breed and train desert hawks, crucial for hunting, scouting, and war communications across the harsh desert.

Resources and Sustenance

The @Ashken Tribe enjoy relative abundance compared to other tribes:

  • Water: Drawn from the underground river that flows beneath the caverns.

  • Food: Sustained through vertical farming systems, subterranean fungi cultivation, and selective animal husbandry.

  • Crafts and Trade: Their artistry and craftsmanship make them the primary industrial hub of the Desertborne, exporting finely made goods, tools, and weapons.

Military

The @Ashken Tribe field one of the most organized and disciplined armies among the desert tribes.

  • Infantry: Heavily armored warriors trained in tight formations.

  • Cavern Guards: Elite units trained for defense in subterranean environments.

  • Noble Champions: Warrior-nobles who fight for prestige, often wielding masterfully crafted weapons and armor.

  • Hawkmasters: Scouts and hunters who employ trained desert hawks for communication, reconnaissance, and combat support.

The @Ashken Tribe prize strategy, discipline, and martial tradition, making them a formidable force within and beyond their mountainous stronghold.

Relations

Relations with @Karkrei Tribe (@Desertborne Human ):

  • The @Ashken Tribe maintain a respectful but distant relationship with the Karkrei, whose obsession with death and spirituality contrasts with the Ashken’s industrious pragmatism. They trade occasionally but rarely form deep ties.

Relations with @Shishan Tribe (@Desertborne Human ):

  • The Shishan caravans are essential trade partners, carrying Ashken goods across the desert. Relations are strong, though the Ashken often see the Shishan as mere traders, dependent on Ashken goods for prestige.

Relations with @Tallesdin Tribe ( @Sand Elf ):

  • The @Ashken Tribe deeply value the @Tallesdin Tribe’s woodcraft, as they provide the precious timber that sustains Ashken industry. Relations are strong, though at times the Ashken push for more wood than the Tallesdin consider sustainable, creating occasional disputes.

Relations with @Indaks Tribe (Dune Dwarves):

  • The @Ashken Tribe and Indaks share a sense of craftsmanship and resilience, maintaining close ties. While the Indaks are less wealthy, their sunstone quarries and artifacts are beyond Ashken knowledge, making them steady allies.

Relations with @Qarroshy Tribe ( @Desertborne Human ):

  • There is a continuous tension between the two tribes, as the biggest military powers among Desert Tribes. The @Ashken Tribe see the Qarroshy as kind of savage frontier soldiers, and the Qarroshy see the @Ashken Tribe as well-off citizens without courage. They also compete with the leadership of the Desert Tribes, which the @Ashken Tribe virtually holds even without official recognition, sparking some resent on the Qarroshy. Even with that, cooperation between the two tribes is necessary for both survival.

Relations with @Ruyen Tribe ( @Desertborne Human )

  • The @Ashken Tribe are both respected and resented. Their stability, industry, and wealth make them vital to the survival of the Desert Tribes, yet also create tensions. Many see the @Ashken Tribe as aloof and proud, removed from the true struggles of nomadic desert life. Still, their goods and leadership in the @The Sacred Caverns ’ annual council are indispensable.

Relations with @Zhainin Tribe ( @Desertborne Human )

  • The @Ashken Tribe are both respected and resented. Their stability, industry, and wealth make them vital to the survival of the Desert Tribes, yet also create tensions. Many see the @Ashken Tribe as aloof and proud, removed from the true struggles of nomadic desert life. Still, their goods and leadership in the @The Sacred Caverns ’ annual council are indispensable.

Relations with @Khenan Raiders ( @Desertborne Human ):

  • The @Ashken Tribe regard the Raiders as criminals and parasites, a destabilizing force that undermines desert unity. Raiders are killed or captured when caught near Ashken lands.

Relations with @Khazk Horde ( @Sun-Scorched Orc ):

  • The @Ashken Tribe consider the Horde a constant and barbaric threat and help the Qarroshy fight the orcs in times of great need. They treat any @Sun-Scorched Orc with despise and hate.

Relations with @Scorvian Queendom ( @Scorvian ):

  • Contact is rare, but neutral. The @Ashken Tribe respect the @Scorvian Queendom’ isolationism, and keep their distance due to their alien nature and scarcity of trade. They treat any @Scorvian they see with fear and distance.

Relations with @Sszarath Sandscale Dominion ( @Lizardfolk ):

  • Relations are respectful but cautious. The @Ashken Tribe admire the @Sszarath Sandscale Dominion’s magical mastery and survival ingenuity, but without understanding what are the Dominion's ambitions, there is fear of a bigger threat from them.

Relations with @Green Republic ( @Grassborne ):

  • The @Ashken Tribe maintain trade with the @Green Republic with the help of the @Shishan Tribe, and also have periodic diplomatic relations with it. But they also distrust the Republic’s excess wealth and ambition. Poaching and smuggling also harm relations, making the Ashken wary of long-term ties. They treat the @Grassborne with respect but caution and distrust.

Relations with @Brackish Consortium

  • The @Ashken Tribe mainly ignores its existence. Just a few individuals suspect it.