Overview
The Tribes of the Scorched Earth is a large alliance of tribes banded together for trade and protection purposes. They dominate a large area, of the heavily wooded, radiation infested Dark Coast. The reason for their flourishing is simple: nobody else wants the west coast.
The Tribes of the Scorched Earth are still however split up in separate tribes which govern their own area of the land, making the alliance more of an alliance of convenience rather than a separate political entity. From time to time there are minor skirmishes and blood feuds between the various tribes that comprise the alliance, but no outright wars. Major feuds between tribes are settled by the Council of the Scorched Earth.
The Tribes of the Scorched Earth do however have several things in common with each other. One is that they believe that the world was brought to ruin by technology. As a result, the Tribes shun most but not all - technology, and believe that measures should be taken to prevent such a catastrophe, which includes living off the land, balance in nature, and guarding any technological relic zealously, so that the men of the present cannot commit the sins of the past again.
An example of a holy site that is guarded zealously is the Jade Stillshrine, guarded by the tribe of Greenhorne. Lately, there seems to have been a disagreement between the Tribes of the Scorched Earth and the tribe of Greenhorne.
The other thing they all have in common with each other is that each tribe is extremely territorial. Any threat to a tribe’s territory will be hotly contested. Skirmishes erupt between tribes often for the tiniest infringements. Travellers through the Tribal Countries will do well to heed the dangers of going through those areas unprepared.
Leader: Ironfoot
Elite: Hunters of the Worm
Geography
The Tribes of the Scorched Earth control a significant portion of the inlands of the Dark Coast, mostly steering away from the coast. There are one or two settlements on the coast affiliated with the Tribes of the Scorched Earth which engage in regular trade with other settlements on the coast. The Tribes of the Scorched Earth have virtually no power towards the northern part of the Dark Coast, as these lands are under the claim of other competing tribes.
Politics
The Tribes of the Scorched Earth as mentioned before is an alliance of a large number of tribes all over the Dark Coast. It is run by a Council of Five Elders. These Elders are from the Five Great Tribes of the Scorched Earth, and their positions are virtually unchallenged. There is a sort of lower house consisting of the representatives of the lesser tribes. The system resembles a feudalistic form of governance. The Tribe has a Grand Chieftain chosen from one of the Five Great Tribes, although currently the seat remains unoccupied. Disputes are mediated by one of the Great Houses, although old rules remain that a dispute can be settled by means of a duel. Blood feuds are technically forbidden, however because of the lack of enforcement of the laws (as each tribe has their own laws), blood feuds still persist among some of the lower and even middle ranked tribes.
Spirituality
The Tribes of the Scorched Earth worships a plethora of spirits and guardian deities derived from the land and animals. For example, they may pray to a local rain spirit to increase rainfall for their crops, or believe that a large bear is the lord of a certain domain. They pray to these spirits and deities to watch over the lost and dangerous technology that they keep vigil over as well, hoping that the spirits will keep the technology sealed and safe from prying eyes. Note that they do not worship technology, believing that the abuse of such will resort in the world returning to it’s destroyed state.
Economy
The Tribes of the Scorched Earth maintain a self-sufficient Economy. A majority of the lesser tribes operate under a hunter-gatherer economy, while most of the larger tribes settle down in places to plant crops. A tithe is gathered and given to one of the larger tribes for protection and favour. It is up to each Tribe individually to decide to trade or not, however most trade is internally, with other tribes. In a period of excess or a period of shortages, the Tribes of the Scorched Earth is likely to trade with others.