Tribes of Tamriel, Volume II: the Nomads of the Alik'r

A tribe, or more a collection thereof, which have barely been researched by Imperial anthropologists, is the Alik'r nomads, who travel the desert of Hammerfell. This people is mostly unknown outside of Hammerfell, due to their small population, as well as little contact with people outside of Hammerfell.

The history of the people is unknown. The Alik'r nomads themselves hold that they were some of the earliest spirits on the World-Skin of Sep, but, because they did not know their new bodies and needs, and only those of their earlier selves, they chose the Alik'r desert, rich in magicka, but poor in water and food.
The Redguards have a different belief, namely that the Alik'r were those Ra Gada that were cast out in the earliest conflicts between the Crowns and the Forebears. They were the people that did not agree with the general consensus of their city-state, and were banished to the Alik'r.
There has been a myriad of scholarly theories as to how the Alik'r came to be an independent group, ranging from the will of the gods, to social developments, to simple climate change. Due to ever shifting sands making any reasonable archaeological survey into a nomad people virtually impossible, no scholarly consensus has been reached.
The Alik'r have been left unscathed in most of the conflicts in the area, with the Warp in the West being a possible exception. The nomads have always steered clear of political unrest in the area for their own sake.
The Alik'r have a history of trade, yet isolation. This strange combination made it possible to survive the desert, while sticking to the old Yokudan customs and believes.

The day to day live of a nomad is incredibly hard. Most of the Alik'r travel through the desert, from the port towns of the Illiac Bay to the more temperate zones along the Colovian border, trading products. They survive the long distance through the desert by making constant stops at the oases and Dwemer wells sporadically spread throughout the desert. Due to the ever shifting character of the landscape, the Alik'r have been known to 'read' the desert. This is a religious and magickal ritual, in which a mage specialised in sand magicka divines the sand, and guides his tribe to a source of water and food. Most of the Alik'r do not have this gift, and are instead more focussed on tracking, remembering old routes via landmarks in the dessert, and trading with the people living around the desert.
While the Alik'r are some of the most trusted when it comes to transportation of goods, they aren't very popular in Hammerfell. Indeed, in colloquial speech, an "Alik'r trick" is synonymous with ripping someone off. The only group that is remotely friendly with the nomads are the Halls of the Virtues of Wars, the temples of the Sword-Singers, which are predominantly found in the deserts, to stay away from regional politics. The Alik'r are the main source of food and water for these temples.

Alik'r custom is very similar to that of the early settlers of Hammerfell, combined with many necessities for surviving the desert, and has survived most of the Imperialisation of the province. The Alik'r are cloaked completely in long, light drapes, mostly black or red. This is to provide protection from the sun and sand, as well as a means of cooling the body. When near populous areas, the Alik'r make a custom of putting black and gold studded leather over the cloaks, to add some protection when dealing with less than sound partners. Along with the armour, Alik'r are most easily recognised by their scimitars, carried on the hip.
Trade is the main source of income for this people, and as such Alik'r will go to extreme lengths for a maximum profit and the protection of their goods. Since they are skilled bargainers and shrewd traders, many people have taken a disliking of the group, as they are able to sell and buy anything at the best cost. Most Redguards accuse them of stealing and ripping off. While it is not entirely unthinkable that the Alik'r can make unfair deals, Alik'rs aren't convicted disproportionally for thievery and fraud.
The nomad groups are generally comprised of ten to twenty individuals, often family. The groups have a strong hierarchy when it comes to command and the distribution of water and food. The highest in the group is the patriarch or matriarch, whose family name is used to name the group. Directly below him is the sand mage, followed by the trackers, the traders, the tamers of the pack animals, when available (guars are popular), and at the bottom children and travellers. Children aren't always present, as most groups have nowadays taken to bringing them under at family or friends in the cities until they are old enough to help the tribes. When food is scarce, the people in the lower ranks are sometimes left in the desert, in order to preserve the rest of the group.

Alik'r religion is virtually the same as the ancient Yokudan pantheon, with addition of the personifications of the sand and desert. Without boring the audience hoping to understand the Alik'r with tales of the Yokudans, I will focus on the worship of the desert and the sand.
The Alik'r desert is strange in that it seems to be one of the more magical places of Tamriel. According to the theory of the Second Era scholar Afa-Saryat, as described in her work The Alik'r desert and its influence on magica and religion (Daggerfall Court Press, 2E 473), the sands of the Alik'r, being rocks grind down, radiate the magicka once stored in them during their Creation. As a result, the stones and sand have developed a memory (albeit no sentience), and the mages of the Alik'r have found ways of reading this memory, so that they can trace their way through the vast desert. Because of this, the sands fulfil a protective and caring nature in the Alik'r pantheon, although they can also appear as vengeful. The desert on the other hand is always a deity of torture and pain. The sands often work for her, but, since they are smaller and know the people's every inch of body, they also pity them.
The Alik'r have mostly resented Imperial Cult missionaries, as they are considered a burden to the travelling groups. Apart from this, the Alik'r belief that refraining from worshipping the sands and desert makes them mad, which means the end of the Alik'r.

The Alik'r are a group that has not been given enough attention. Their strange, hate-love relation with the desert and sand is something worthy of any anthropological research. The Alik'r have found a way to live where no other can.