The Lost Clans of Scoosha (World Building Notes)

I was going to write a post for This Prompt. In which The World Building Community asks about Faction Goals, and paints a story for us to get involved and write in.

That was my intention, but then I started to talk about a faction I haven't spoken about before, and the idea got derailed and I re-wrote it.

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There are a few factions in my world that I haven't actually explored here on Hive and who have not currently shown up in any of my short stories.

The main faction, who we would be spending our time with during their story is called... The Boneheads. Literally just a working title, and a crap one at that. What these guys are called hasn't been important to me, however, as I was having more fun coming up with ideas for them, their story, and their region and thought I was better off focusing on that, rather than getting hung up and what to call them.

The idea itself is about their society I guess, which popped into my head and I kind of built the idea of them around this one idea.

They're a warrior culture, based on strength and trials. When someone in their party comes of age, they are sent out of their encampment alone, to face the wildlife of their planet. One piece of wildlife in general called a Guro, which are huge hulking beasts that are bi-pedal but can also use its arms and hands to charge a bit quicker. On average, they're about 6 ft while standing, and about 4 ft when in their slouched position.

The people of the "Boneheads" have to go out and fight and kill one of these things and bring its corpse back to their camp, where they would skin it, and hollow out the creature's skull, which would then be dawned as a helmet for the warrior, as proof of their hunt.

Anyone who doesn't pass their trial is cast into a subservient group, who essentially carry out the whims and wishes of the warriors. But, that's only if the clan leader allows that, for whatever reason, it could be decided that the person may be forced to fight to the death in the pits; to earn back their family's honor.

Also, this is reserved mainly for people who chicken out and slink back home with their tails between their legs, as most people who fail to kill a Guro after initiating a fight would most likely be killed. Doing this for generations has wheedled the strong from the weak and in general, they are a pretty tough bunch.

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My Intentions With This Story
I thought of it maybe two years ago, and I thought the actual story - Which I'm not going into too much detail about, in this post - was interesting. But, I didn't see it as a novel or whatever, I saw it as a comic book, because the story itself is very visual in nature, and would be much better as such.

Because of this, I drew some of the scenes out as a storyboard, which, I'm not showing publicly to save the eyes of anyone who looks upon the scratching's, and to save my embarrassment of sharing my "art."

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Their Region
Their home is a mountainous and rocky location near the top of a summit, and there are only two ways out of their camp. One is a pass, which leads down to the Guro territory, where no travelers are crazy enough to pass through.

The other road is long, winding, and narrow, and the only ones who come this way to visit their encampment are slavers and traders from the coastal villages to the south.

Between the coastal towns and this mountainous region is a large forest, and some rolling plains. Throughout this location, there are multiple groups of cannibals and in general psychopaths, who attack any who pass through. Beyond the mountains to the north is a large bandit clan, as perceived by the "Boneheads" - I know, it's a bad name. - They don't exactly know what this clan do, or what they want, but they have a mostly peaceful time living close to them. However, the "Boneheads" do spy on them, from large towers erected throughout the mountain.

To the west of the coastal towns and villages is a huge bomb-blasted and destroyed city, which was never repaired after the war. Within, are multiple hostile groups, and some friendly ones dotted around the ruin itself. They're in a constant struggle to survive against each other and the even more hostile wildlife.

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The Planet
I see this whole region as people who are completely cut off, and forgotten by the rest of the world, and they all have no choice but to survive and make do, as best they can.

The planet is Scoosha, which is a desert planet, as described in all of the stories told on this world. One major city; left to fend against the encroaching desert.

Beyond the city is "The Wastes" - Which is a large area of typical desert, dunes, sand plains, the odd oasis, teeming with hostile creatures and people exiled from the city, and heaps of scrap metal and shells of ships, being eaten by the sand.

Beyond that is "The Wider Wastes" - This region is still a desert, but has a few distinct differences, it is mountainous, and within the multiple mountain ranges are old mining settlements which are in the process of being made operational, once more.

Over the mountain ranges of this region are the "Boneheads" and all of the other groups that call that area home. The people of the major city of Scoosha see themselves as the remnant of the planet, and the people locked beyond the wasteland think they're the only ones left.

That idea to me, is kind of interesting too, as Scoosha is an outer world, on the edge of space with no nearby neighbours; so that attitude is almost a side effect of their location in general.

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Timeline
I see the story of the "Boneheads" taking place in the far distant future of this world, as I don't think one generation is really enough time for these people to devolve into what they are in the story.

I'd imagine the events of their story, would be about 270 years A.C.I (After Confederation Invasion) and they have been left all of this time in isolation, there would have to be a pretty solid reason for being left that long unnoticed, so that's something I would have to work on too, to make this make sense.

I suppose, one thing I could do is, don't set it on Scoosha and make it take place on an entirely isolated and forgotten world that was never visited by anyone after the war, but they're all worries for another day.