Murir

The Murir are a nomadic culture currently living mostly across mainland Benevis. They have light brown hair, dark olive skin, and dark brown eyes, and are said to have some level of innate cold resistance.

History

The Murir are thought to originate from the Qarar Grasslands, a stretch of grassland along the northeastern coast of the Karber Sea. Around 100BD, the Xilou Hoqomer had begun to expand into the area, and the people were displaced from their homes. They fled into the mountains and lived a simplistic, nomadic lifestyle, hiding from the brutal slave trade of the Xilou. It's said the people developed a level of cold-resistance during this time. Around six hundred years later the Derhnu Priestdom was the dominant force in Sheber and they were pacifistic and had a comparatively small slave trade. The Murir reemerged and lived on the outskirts of the priestdom. But when the Oolu Empire was founded in ~650AL the Murir fled to the northwest to escape the strong slave trade of the new empire. With a relatively low dependence on slaves, the Murir found security in the kingdoms of northern Baracsa, and started to travel through Simber and Umber, and sometimes into Ideitess, Nor, and Seleru, where they live to this day.

Culture

The Murir have several dialects which are barely similar to modern Qarbak languages, borrowing words from ancient Menlu peoples, Benevan cultures, and anywhere else nearby. They value large, interconnected families, and see the purity of children as sacred. Grandparents lead families, and they are highly superstitious about anything relating to food, structures, magic, belongings, nature, death, sex, and repaying deeds. They have a religion which essentially involves giving thanks to the land for providing to them, but the spirits are nameless, and they don't oppose other religions. They live in colourful tents and carriages and when they travel they do so in caravans, often sticking to the outskirts of towns and cities where they won't make too much of a dent on the local economy. They celebrate with nightlong music, song, and dance, for every birth, death, coming of age, marriage, and so on, much to the dismay of anyone who lives nearby.

Despite their generally peaceful yet mildly disruptive lifestyle, they are often endured because the best Murir camps produce and trade unique and colourful textiles and jewellery, though it's often seen as tasteless by the middle and upper classes. Sometimes they are labelled as con artists, thieves, and spies, and if things get too tense they tend to move on to the next town. In the past there have been ruthless purges of entire camps where a strict leader will make an example of the Murir. This was usually for serious crimes committed by some of the Murir, such as starting riots, getting involved in political scams, abducting local children, or assassinating controversial figures. Some local lords take to assigning a number of guards to a camp, just to keep an eye on them.

Music

As mentioned, music plays a massive part in Murir culture. They sing, dance, and play music all night for most milestone celebrations. Almost every Benevan play or tale from within the past five hundred years has a stereotypical Murir character who is always trying to turn things into a song or musical piece. Murir music is very different to the music of the wealthy, so they tend to share it more with the folk songs of poorer people. Murir stage performances are common in some towns and cities, and donations go to the local camp. Sometimes Murir musicians become famous, especially when they play a part in spreading and continuing local folk songs, despite often giving them a different musical flair in the process.