Wegwiur

The Wegwiur, or Wolf Nomads, are more decentralized and tribal, with a loose confederation of clans led by war-chiefs and spiritual leaders. They are called Wolf Nomads because of the deep symbolic and totemic importance of the wolf, which represents endurance, loyalty, and cunning. Unlike their Chakyik cousins, the Wegwiur are less inclined toward conquest, instead favoring raiding, migration, and pragmatic coexistence.

• Government and Leadership: There is no single Khagan among the Wegwiur. Instead, each major tribe is ruled by its own Khan, with influence rising and falling depending on martial success, wealth, and religious authority. When united, they may form a temporary council or follow a dominant war-leader for a specific campaign.
• Military and Diplomacy: The Wegwiur rely on swift raids, ambush tactics, and superior knowledge of the terrain. They often serve as mercenaries or temporary allies for other nations, though their loyalty lies first with their own kin. Their relations with neighboring peoples—such as the Rovers of the Barrens or the lands of Iuz—are complex, ranging from hostile to opportunistically cooperative.
• Society and Culture: Wegwiur culture is more egalitarian than that of the Chakyik, with tribal assemblies and strong traditions of hospitality and oral history. Shamans and spirit-talkers play a central role in governance and mediation. The wolf is revered not just as a warrior symbol but as a guardian of the soul and a guide through the spirit world.

Both the Chakyik and Wegwiur:

• Trace their origins to the Baklunish Empire, retaining ancient customs, language, and spiritual practices.
• Live as semi-nomadic herders and raiders, following seasonal migrations and tending herds of horses, sheep, and cattle.
• Resist external domination fiercely, valuing autonomy and clan loyalty above any foreign alliance or ideology.
• Pose a constant strategic challenge to their neighbors, especially the western nations of the Flanaess, due to their mobility, unpredictability, and martial skill.

Though often viewed as “barbarians” by city-dwellers, the Chakyik and Wegwiur are sophisticated political actors within their own cultural frameworks. They engage in diplomacy, trade, espionage, and calculated warfare. Their shifting loyalties, internal rivalries, and external raids influence regional balance from the Baklunish West to the northern frontiers of the Flanaess.

They are not empire builders, but neither are they mere marauders. The steppes they roam are theirs by right and tradition, and anyone who seeks to tame or ignore them does so at their peril.