In Southeastern Australia, bordering Dregu to the east and Vasugu to the west, Dezh is a feudalism of sorts, but a much looser one than its eastern neighbor. Social mobility is relatively open – if you can hold your land against all challengers, you are accepted into the upper class of landowners. Some landowners pay tribute to larger, more powerful clans, creating extended groups of loyalty. There are three or four “kings” or "queens" scattered throughout Dezh who control the largest swathes of territory and most important resource deposits, but they do not control the entire region by any means. The rest is split up among various smaller chiefs and families, some in smaller networks of commitment, some holding small patches of land entirely alone (usually through a combination of living on undesirable land and sheer cussedness). While they do not necessarily unite to combat Dregu, Dezhadi will generally prefer a different clan of their own neighbors over outsiders. They live on a mix of agriculture and grazing animals, and are the most skilled at animal husbandry in all of Australia (excluding, perhaps, Ragosh's special relationship with their raptor mounts). There is a strong tradition of semi-ritual cattle raiding, with specific associated honorable conduct.
Religion[]
Dezh emphasizes Rodas the ankylosaurid, Tagishi the sauropod, and Dibavi the turtle, deities of home and community, food and prosperity. They are more defensive than aggressive as a people, and may be the most religious as a group of the three groups sharing the pantheon. Dezh funerals are solemn and respectful affairs, though not necessarily somber.