Kardwen

The Kardwen have lived and hunted in the primal forests of Katraddia since time immemorial, being responsible for the disappearance of many a traveller unfortunate enough to wander into their ancestral homelands. For outsiders they are often seen as no more than malevolent spirits hiding in the dark among the rustling leaves - creatures from children's stories told by Sjalvolki elders to warn against misbehaving, or mythical adversaries seasoned Aversarian legionaries haze new recruits with around campfires.

But to those of their own kin, the Kardwen are the chosen people of the gods that had liberated mankind from the chains of tyrannic titan Mawloc and his sadistic Lothbroki servants, and inheritors of their strength through partaking in their flesh. Proud hunters and expert ambushers, they devour the bodies of their enemies and trespassers while preserving their heads to serve as battle trophies. These heads are believed to grant warriors extraordinary strength and that only those who can produce evidence of their slain foes can gain entry to the glory of the afterlife and feast among the gods. This practice of head-taking, known to the Kardwen as "Wo-Ashanan" or "Spirit Capture," is a hallmark of conflict among their people. Believing that the soul resides within the skull while maintaining consciousness until it is ceremonially broken, the Kardwen often take intact heads of their slain foes as hostages until they can be exchanged at the resolution of peace. Alternatively, the most egregious criminals will have their heads embalmed so that their spirit may never see the release of the afterlife, forever peering out of their own hollow eyes.

Completely culturally isolated with no known relatives among the inhabitants of Katraddia, their gruesome and generally misunderstood rituals have resulted in severe enmity from their Sjalvolki neighbours, earning them the monkier "volkloveki" - the People Hunters. First recorded Aversarian contact with the Kardwen has also been marked by conflict, as the command of Legio XXIII "Greenfingers" mistook an offer to exchange skulls of the fallen as an act of aggression instead that of reconciliation, provoking a brutal response leading to a harrowing war in the frontier and the subsequent disastrous defeat of the Legio.

Frodbrokna and Sjalvolki Migration
The Kardwen way of life like that of many others has been shattered by the Frodbrokna, forcing them out of their forests and on the move. An unlikely alliance was formed when Cenware Witch-Breaker offered them a place in the newly formed Sjalvolki Imperrech - a controversial decision that has turned away many who had suffered Kardwen raids previously. And thus, a combine was forged at Was-Banthon, with tribal leader Wishiwashi at the head of the united Kardwen tribal confederation within the Imperrech. Often operating independently of the Sjalvolki forces, the Kardwen have extracted a bloody toll on Aversarian armies, most notably orchestrating the ambush that has led to commencement of the Battle of Fourteen Trees.

Language
The language of the Kardwen consists of whistles and whispers that resemble the wind blowing through the trees and the rustling of leaves. It never rises above the volume of a whisper. Their naming practices follow suit, with names sounding like the rustling of tree branches on the wind:

Religion
Nearly all Kardwen practice their own ingenious faith called "Kardawai". The Kardawai believe that the world was ruled by the great tyrannic titan Mawloc who abused and starved his sons, commanding them to build giant statues of himself. He was aided by his sadistic Lothbroki servants, who whipped his progeny into submission. It was the eldest son High King Kardwen who rose against his oppressors, devouring the Lothbroki and gaining their power. With this newfound strength, he led his people to victory against the cruel titan-father, dividing the flesh of his corpse among them, with those who partook in it becoming the gods of this world.

As a polytheistic religion, the Kardawai worship a pantheon of gods :
 * High King Kardwen, the head of the pantheon
 * Dedgültiod, demonic god of death
 * Krigtigen, god of war
 * Frukeit, god of health and fertility
 * Nachster, the trickter god of the night
 * Haualt, god of fate and patron of witches
 * Wasseelt, god of water
 * Reitum, god of wealth
 * Hestaon, god of the hearth
 * Kenntmels, god of knowledge

The faith's rites are practiced in semi-permanent places of worship called "Zalbets", where the flesh of slain foes and hunted beasts alike is ritualistically shared among worthy warglyph-covered warriors, and is overseen by the Kardawai priesthood called "Lukvars". A divergent religious tradition of the Kardawai, the Benkassai believe that while Kardwen demands that flesh be eaten, for it is a sacred act, the flesh cannot be obtained through violent means. This outright heretic sect has never grown large, but some Benkassai communities still persist in following their cannibalistic pacifism despite disgust from both the Kardawai and the unfaithful.