Tabotan

The Tabotans were a human ethnicity of the countries of Tabot and Phutan in Kara-Tur.

Description
The Tabotans were close kin to the Shou and the people of the Plain of Horses, but were shorter than the Shou, with wider cheekbones. They had straight but somewhat coarse black hair and brown almond-shaped eyes,

Personality
As a rule, Tabotans were hardy and strong and accustomed to the cold, harsh weather, but they were also apt to celebrate every little victory won in their difficult lives.

Society
The ordinary Tabotans were a nomadic people who followed their herds. They only assembled in cities for the sake of trade and other conveniences and the key settlements were in fact the monasteries. The monks taught them the deeds of the first High Lord of Oceans, H'Dang Li, so they were zealously firm in their faith and patriotically loyal to the government, which they believed to be strong and improving their lives. The people were relatively well educated at all levels of society, particularly in matters of religion and faith. The monks claimed to preserve the wealth and cultural heritage of Tabot.

Language
They spoke the Tabotan language, a simple easy-to-learn tongue that nevertheless held the nation together.

History
In their founding myth, the moon descended to the earth one night in the form of a beautiful woman. As she wandered through the night, all the white tigers of the land gathered at her side and were entranced by her. She touched her hand to the foreheads of nineteen of them and they were transformed into human men of strength and intelligence. After the moon woman returned to the sky, the new men performed heroic deeds and founded the various clans. One founded Phutan and the rest the lowland kingdoms of Tabot.

Following proclamation of the Organization of Thought in Shou Lung in, Shou monks and temple guardians escaped into Tabot and founded their monasteries from to. At first they avoided both the barbarian kings, but later allied together to repel a Shou invasion in the Battle of Tsagang in. With the Peace Land Treaty between the tribes and the monks, they founded the new nation of Tabot.

Trivia
The Tabotans were inspired by the people of the real-world Nepal and Tibet.