> Chris, what is your assumption regarding the frequency of these nomads moving from one locale to another? How often do they move? Do they ever return to a locale, perhaps cyclically? At what speed do they relocate? How much time & distance is passed until the former locale is insignificantly influencial? Are the new locales previously unknown to them?
The thing about Praxian Nomads is that they have always been on the move.
They have preferred grazing grounds. The Good Place and the Better Place are named for a reason. This is where Praxians prefer to graze as they provide good grazing all year round.
However, there has always been competition over these grazing grounds.
The Pure Horse Tribe was dominant in Prax for a while and controlled these areas. The Pol Joni control these areas now. So, Praxians cannot normally access these areas, but retain memories of which places are good. These are passed down in stories, in memorised lists and in myths.
The Lunars have forced many of the Praxian tribes into the Wastes. Now, outside of the Vultures Country, the Wastes aren't that bad, especially in Winter. Most Praxian tribes know where is good grazing, where is poor grazing, which areas are too near Chaos Nests and so on. Again, these are passed down in the tribe or clan.
In my game, the Ronance Paths have more nutritious herbs and grasses than other areas, so members of the Ronance cult can lead clans along those paths. The Waha Trails have a similar function, but more tribes know about them so they can be easily depleted.
So, yes, clans do return to those areas which they know about and when they are able. They do have favourite places which they prefer, and these depend on the nation in question - what is suitable for rhinos isn't necessarily the same as for impala.
As to k#how often they move, that depends on the season, on the quality of grazing and on the size of the clan. A smaller clan can graze an area for longer than a large clan. Better grazing lasts longer than poor grazing. Winter grazing is better than summer grazing, on the whole. I would say that a clan won't stay on poor grazing for more than a week, in fact poor grazing would be a stop-gap while the clan is travelling to better grazing grounds. Only weak and poor clans remain permanently on poor grazing. Strong clans often push weaker clans out of good grazing areas, forcing them to move away. Once an area has been grazed, it is then poor grazing until it regrows, so the patterns of grazing areas constantly changes. This means that Praxian clans have to know about the movements of other clans, the quality of grazing, the seasons, the weather and a host of other things when deciding where to travel.
Another thing to think about is that Oasis are always fertile. They always have water and have their own indigenous crops that can be raised, traded for and stored in baskets for eating later. Control of oases is important as this provides resources that are not normally available.
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