Eleftheroi

The Eleftheroi, "The free people", live on the steppelands at the Eastern edge of The Eastern Calradian empire. Originally the descendants of runaway slaves and debtors, they soon became highly valued by the local imperial commanders for their knowledge of the frontier zone. They grow up in nomadic horse-bound tribes, fighting bandits, Northern raiders, Eastern barbarians, and monsters alike, as they forge a home in lands that many civilized peoples would call desolate and worthless.   In exchange for their services, their leaders have been granted titles, their strong young men and women taken into the retinues of archons and emperors. But although they are loyal to the idea of the Empire, they remain quite hostile to its actual authority. Their peoples value the strength of the individual to rise up against any odds, and they believe this was the true path meant for all people under the saints, and that the city dwellers have fallen to weakness and debauchery.   Members of the Eleftheroi are marked by golden bands that they forge around their own arms, carved with depictions of their strengths and successes, as symbols of pride. Many of the oldest and most skillful of their people have arms covered in gold, a testament to a long hard life. This tradition is to ensure that they do not acrue too much wealth, else they become as weak and complacent as the ones they serve.   The tribes do not farm, but they should not be mistaken for unproductive. The hunters of the tribes can catch any game, and they use the leather to create some of the best saddles, and horse armors on the continent. In addition, their artisans are known to be some of the best anywhere at carving, and are frequently hired to help construct anything from statues and jewelry, to city walls. This comes from a long tradition of fashioning temporary camps, carved into the walls of cliffs or small hills, which are dotted around the steppes for their peoples to stop in and rest. Some say these outposts are ideal places to raid, as the Elefthroi are not always present, but all know that these peoples will hunt you to the ends of the earth if you dare defile their resting places.