The Pol-Joni live on the Plains of Prax. Unlike the other Praxian tribes, the Pol-Joni are horse-riding, cattle-herding nomads who worship Orlanth and the storm gods rather than Waha. They mainly herd domestic cattle and a smattering of Praxian beasts taken from raids or trade. As a result, they are hated by their fellow Praxians and called the Cattle Bastards. However, even the Praxians respect the Pol-Joni for their martial prowess.
By 1420 cattle-herding, horse-riding people had been re-introduced into Prax by Derik Pol-Joni, a friend of King Yarandros of Tarsh from the Dundealos tribe, who was in command of defending the Praxian March. The event caused considerable unrest and fighting, but the newly arrived people were well able to take care of themselves. They carried battle magics, and their magicians worshipped Rune gods, unlike the shamans of Prax. These cattle people offered proper sacrifice to the deities of the Paps and steadily forced their way into Prax history as the “illegitimate” tribe of Prax. The animal nomads were content when the “cattle bastards” kept mostly to the regions of No Mans March, the Better Place, and the approaches to the Storm Mountains and Moonbroth Oasis. Horse clans did, however, wander far on occasion.
In 1489 a nomad shaman alliance summoned many of the old spirits who had driven out the Pure Horse People some 230 years earlier. Led by temporarily incarnated spirits acting as puppet leaders for the shamans, the barbarian tribes began a terrible war against the cattle peoples. The Pol-Joni proved more powerful than anticipated, and were aided by mercenaries from Dragon Pass as well. The ancient spirits, who had been counted on heavily, were defeated by the Pol-Joni, who were aided by Orlanth and his god-children from Dragon Pass. The shaman alliance began internal squabbling, but the appearance of the holy man Sartar saved the situation and provided honorable compromise for all. Sartar himself recompensed much of both sides, and personally led a campaign against recalcitrant shamans. Sartar offered the Pol-Joni a partnership in the city of Swenstown. They agreed and there formed a bond between the land of Sartar and the people of the Pol-Joni.
The Pol-Joni were always fiercely loyal to the House of Sartar and bore them great love. During the Lunar Occupation, they no longer could rely on the support of the other Sartarite tribes, and in 1608 the Praxians drove them away from Moonbroth. Two years later, the Lunar Army defeated the Praxians. The Pol-Joni continued to herd their cattle along the Pol-Joni March, and their numbers were bolstered by the Dundealos exiles. The Pol-Joni swore loyalty to the White Bull in 1624 and aided him to defeat the Lunar Army at the Second Battle of Moonbroth. After the Dragonrise destroyed the Lunar Army, they aided their Dundealos kin in reclaiming their homeland.
Tribal Center: nomadic
City: Swenstown
Population: 10,000
Clans: Three (Amber, Ansil, and Potor)
Major Temples: Orlanth Adventurous (3 major temples), Humakt, Storm Bull
Minor Temples: Ernalda (3 minor temples), Issaries, Yelmalio, Eiritha the Cattle Goddess (3 minor temples), Waha (3 minor temples)
Notable Shrines: Chalana Arroy, Lhankor Mhy, Foundchild
Notable Spirit Cults: Hippoi, Hyalor, Kuschile, Lightning Boy, Thunderbird, White Bull
Language: Sartarite, Praxian