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AABN:  13792
Title: a book entitled "Races of Men: The Jali"

In the southern deserts of the mainland lives a hardy breed of humankind.
They are known as the Jali. Their civilizations range from tiny nomadic
clans on the fringes of the Ash Mountains to the grandeur of the city-state
of Ubar.

There are said to be Twelve Tribes of Jali wandering the southern deserts,
though four of these "Jali" people are actually tribes of Jann: the Jammu,
the Danajahil, the Dao and the now extinct Padawani. Eight major groups of
purely human Jali are now recognized.

The Jali people are related to the humans of Suboria. It is unknown whether
Suborian humans came to the mainland and developed into the Jali, or if
ancient Jali explorers colonized Suboria. The Aztecs are known to come from
the same stock as the Jali. The culture and phenotype of the nearby people
of Xochitl suggest they are an intermediate culture between the Aztecs and
their Jali neighbors. The Xochitl count themselves as Jali, and resent the
Aztec culture that they feel is forced upon them.

Three major tribes of Jali occupy the Great Southern Desert: the Abelhadi,
the Benzani and the Sashala. The Abelhadi follow a patriarchial tribal
leader known as a sheikh, a position that is passed down from father to
son. Abelhadi men do much of the tribe's hunting and trade, while the women
tend to crops and children. They farm amaranth and various root crops on
the outskirts of the Aztec jungle. They are able smiths of copper and iron,
most of which they acquire via trade with the Benzani.

The Benzani are led by the eldest tribe member, male or female. They live
deeper in the desert than their neighbors. They rely on limited amaranth
farming combined with hunting, gathering and trade to survive. They are not
known for their craftsmanship, but they have a strong alchemical tradition.
They will also mine copper and iron to trade with the Abelhadi.

The Sashala are mysterious and xenophobic. They originally came from east
of the salt flats. They were driven to their current home by armed conflict
with their neighbors. They are known to raid nearby settlements for food,
metal and treasure. They sometimes kidnap men and female children for
unknown reasons. They are currently confined to a single stronghold,
flanked by Benzani and Abelhadi territories.

Across the salt flats, in the Rud'Jali Desert, nomadic Jali are limited to
a few wandering clans. In the open desert, humans were supplanted by janni
tribes. Most of the Jali population is concentrated in Ubar, a great walled
city in the northwest part of the desert. Founded around a fertile oasis
and profitable opal mine, Ubar has long dominated the politics of the
region. They were even able to repel an attempt at conquest by the Naginag
Combine, leading to the Combine's first military defeat. They eventually
joined the Naginag Combine, though they retain a great deal of their
autonomy. 

The city of Ironheart was founded by the final three tribes of Jali people:
the Salbians, the Khadonians and the Gorthians. Ruled by the line of Kerim,
these three tribes have largely melded together culturally, though most
people in Ironheart know their tribal descent. The city has maintained its
independence, largely due to its isolation. They trade sparingly with the
western Dunn Hurr through the Sentinel Pass, and with the frost of elves of
Silverwind to the north.