Asdriags

The Asdriags are a collection of nine Ioriag tribes that dweltfor much of the Second Age among the arid foothills of thePustrava. In T.A. 1100 the tribes were forced to flee theregion they called home because of mounting aggressionfrom their stronger neighbors in Nurad and Khand. In T.A.1640 these scattered bands inhabit areas of central Gathodand eastern Dor Rhûnen. The Gondorian military governor atThorondir blames much of the recent instability of DorRhunen's frontier on the Asdriags and has led repeatedexcursions into the plains to drive these tribes back into theeast. The westernmost tribes are the most desperate of theirkind, sheltering where possible in the foothills of theDwergabergos and the Ash Mountains, living on what can behunted or scavenged in the wild.In Gathod, the Asdriags have anjoyed a bit more success.Some tribes have laid claim to lands on the fringes of Odhriag and Brygath ranges. Other than the occasionalterritorial squabble, these Asdriags dwell for now in relativepeace. They have settled into a stable migration cycle acrosstheir territory, which while poor by the standards of theirneighbors, is a place of abundance in comparison to thePustrava. In the end, however, the Asdriags are an Ioriagpeople and are sometimes wont to revert to the martial waysof their ancestors. Odhriags, Donath, and Ibnotithuida alike cast a wary eye toward Asdriag lands. While their lack of numbers has never allowed them to dominate their neighbors,their fierce warriors are more than capable of wreakingsignificant mayhem in Gathod should the need arise.The easternmost Asdriag tribes dwell in ranges near the cityof Mistrand and have become entwined in the politics of thatcity. Nemol has recognized in the traditional tribal priestessesof the Asdriags a rare talent for witchcraft. As a result,Asdriag priestesses enjoy some degree of respect within thecity. Some of the more prominent preistesses have evenworked their way up through the ranks of Kerkassk'sreligious organization and now sit on the osvoda's personalcouncil in the city. There is now even the rumor of a unionbetween the current osvoda and Taran Karkuva, the chief priestess on the council. This coupled with the increasingreputation of Asdriag warriors within the Kharg Hukapromises to raise the Asdriags to a new level of prominencein southeastern Rhun.