Dehxie

The Pelatchians were a ethnic group who inhabited the wooded hills, hollows, and coastal plains of southeastern Tlantika. Although divided into several distinct groups by their strong sense of regional identity, the Pelatchians were all united by their shared Pelatchian language. The Pelatchians were known for their hardiness and fearless attitude towards life. They lived in several divided tribes and cheifdoms who frequently warred with each other and surrounding cultures prior to their conquest by the Khagoan Empire.

The Pelatchians were divided into two broad cultural divisions, the Highland and Lowland Pelatchians. The Lowlanders lived along the Tlantik coast and were traditionally more settled, living in small towns based around Hillforts, which served as the home of their tribal chiefs. They also were more accustomed to agriculture and developed large Chiefdoms which sometimes would trade with outside peoples like the Kajuns. The Highland Pelatchians inhabited the rugged hills and forests of the Platchehn mountains, which ran down the spine of the Tlantikan Subcontinent. They were fiercely independent and warlike, rejecting agriculture or any form of urban life, surviving by raiding their neighbors and hiding out in their mountain dens. Even once under Khagoan rule the Highlander tribes remained fiercely outside of imperial rule, ambushing anyone who dared to travel through their homelands mountain passes. However, the Lowland Dehxie quickly began to adopt many aspects of Khagoan urban culture after their conquest, and many settled in new trading cities along the coast, bringing them into the greater civilized world.

The Pelatchians followed a religion which revered the forces of nature, wildlife, and the spirits of their dead, the tribes all adhered to the spiritual leadership of the Snake-Druids, who were known for performing miracles and handling snakes without getting bit by them. To the Pelatchians, the fact that the poisonous snakes did not attack them was proof of the Snake-Druids holiness and visions of salvation.