The Ahquus were a group of wood elf tribes found in the savannah between the Badir and Venidine Rivers in inland Luxiterra. They were a peaceful people, living a pacifistic and nomadic lifestyle tending their horse and sheep herds, and worshipping a group of gods collectively referred to as the Herdsmen. These gods were widely considered to be the deistic equivalent of sheep or horse herders, but for their human flock. Ahquus life revolved around their animals - great import was placed on ewe and mare milk, as well as the meat of both, and tending the herds was a spiritual endeavour. This was to such an extent that even their name for themselves - the Ahquus - means "Horse herder".
The Ahquus' pacifist nature and low population left them open to conquerors however. The Sijis, Salijis, Barits and Venidis all preyed on the peaceful horse and sheep herders for slaves, conquest, and their horses - Ahquus horses are amongst the more suitable for riding long distances in harsh environments. Most notably, the Siquur Kings conquered much of the land roundwards of the Badir River, ruling over large parts of the Ahquus population for several centuries. By 621 YM, when Magnapuri were settling in the area, the lands of the Siquur Kings had retracted significantly, and there were once again free Ahquus on the Badir, though many were still subjugated in more lightwards regions.
Centuries of being beholden to and exploited by foreign powers finally caused a shift in Ahquus culture. In 715 YM, one Ahquus of the name Nectar chose to leave behind the pacifist lifestyle, and start fighting back against those who had wronged his people. To the leaders of dozens of tribes, Nectar gave his still infamous "When the wolf is at your flock" speech, telling them to fight back against the invaders to protect their people. The assembled leaders nominated Nectar their Grand Chief, and he is often referred to as the First Ahqukh (translating to horse soldier or cavalryman). From this time onwards, the use of the term Ahquus as a self descriptor for their people and culture declined, and by and large only Ahqukh is used by 1181 YM.
The Grand Chief led an army mostly of Ahqukh horse archers to attack the Siquur Kings as they fell into civil war following the death of High King Afryx "the Uncle", allying with some of the Xilaq tribes to finally defeat their oppressors. Nectar slew the last of Afryx's nephews somewhere counterroundwards of the Badir in 718 YM, and laid claim to these lands despite not being traditionally Ahquus, cementing his rule by marrying two of Afryx's nieces - Ambria and Vespyx.
Unfortunately, fortune smiled as little on the free Ahqukh as it had the Ahquus. Ambria and Vespyx each bore Nectar an heir and several other children, but the Grand Chief would not live to see any of his children reach adulthood, dying in 729 YM of a mysterious illness. In true Siquur fashion, Ambria and Vespyx immediately launched a civil war over which of their children would claim the Grand Chiefdom, despite the title not being ever made hereditary - many of the Ahqukh tribes fought against both, pushing for independence.
As the war wage, Xilaq tribes that had once been allies claimed all lands that Nectar had conquered counterroundwards of the Badir. Magnapuri settlements began to infringe on what had traditionally been Ahqukh lands - Cintagar (later Tombranajar) especially was on a site that had once been a sacred place to the Herdsmen. The war waged on an off between the descendants of Ambria and Vespyx for almost 40 years, until the lines and claims were united by the marriage of Nectar II (or possibly III or IV dependent on which claims you recognise) "the Saddle-sore" and Anastracia. Much Ahqukh land had been lost, many lives were spent, and the culture had been irrevocably changed from the pacifistic Ahquus. Fewer than a third of the tribes that had sworn themselves to the First Ahqukh swore fealty to Nectar II, with many having claimed independence in the civil war, gone extinct, or fallen under the influence of outside powers.
History did not get any kinder to the Ahqukh. The rise of the Quyosh around the Magnadee River seemed distant, but the rapid expansion of these new tribes swiftly crossed the Venidine, conquering, displacing or wiping out the native Ahqukh as the went. Tomber, Thakur of Tombranajar and later the Red Magnus, conquered large areas of Ahqukh land for the Magnapuri Empire, including the sacred site of Bataur where the Ahquus had once watered their vast herds of horses.
Modern Ahqukh tribes are thinly people, and their once vast herds have dwindled. More are beginning to pay homage to the Grand Chieftess, a sorceress of the name Sarazma, though whether this is an act of desperation or sense only time will tell. She has promised the liberation of their lands and people from the Kel Quyoshli, and from the various Magnapuri successor states, with words harking back to her ancestor's "When the wolf is at your flock" speech, leading to many Chiefs being willing to put their trust in her to lead them forwards, and turn a new page on Ahqukh history.