Xaela
Unlike the Raen, the Xaela have to this day not abandoned their ancestral home, living a nomadic life as hunters and gatherers on the vast Azim Steppe. With suitable grazing land sparsem conflict between individual tribes is common, with tribes forming, disbanding, and dying off in a ceaseless cycle of war and bloodshed. At last observation, Xaela tribes numbered fifty-one, though there is a high likelihood that recently splintered or merged tribes have rendered that count outdated.
As nomads, a Xaela tribe is only as wealthy or prosperous as the size of its herd. From horses and oxen to great winged beasts, preferred breeds of livestock vary from tribe to tribe, but nonetheless the herd - both its quality and scope - symbolizes the strength and status of the tribe as a whole. Meat, fur, skin, bones - the Xaela let no part of any beast go to waste. In this way, the herd provides not only food and clothing, but even shelter from the elements in the form of the tents that serve as temporary housing. The Xaela are known to consume not only the flesh of their animals, but their innards and blood as well. They are also known for their dairy products, including an alcoholic beverage made from beasts' milk. Those who have partaken of this drink beneath the yurt of a Xaela can take pride in knowing that they have been accepted as a friend - at least for the moment.
The Xaela believe their veins run thick with the blood of the Dusk Mother-their lustrous black scales and fiery wills serving as proof of this divine lineage. While their size and stature is almost identical to that of the Raen, their physical strength, hardened by generations of war and conflict, far outstrips that of other races.
Xaela names are relatively orthodox, composed of a given name and a tribal name (this will be expanded upon in the March and April issues). They are unique, however, in that they were passed down as sounds instead of letters, as the Xaela did not develop a written language until comparatively recent times. As such, upon coming in contact with lettered cultures, individual Xaela are forced to come up with spellings of their own devising, leading many to perceive their names as needlessly confusing and nigh unpronounceable.