Combat is the center of Dihoma life. When it comes to the monsters within the Deep Forest of Garuda, the Dihoma stand as the first line of defense. Being able to protect one’s self and loved ones is a prime dogma of the Dihoma, and they train relentlessly to follow through on it.
The Dihoma are numerous families and traditions under one common banner. The terrain of the Western forests pushed these families to unite far before the Divine Order of the Phoenix formed, and they have some of the oldest human records in Garuda. The Dihoma say they owe their creation to the Divine Entity Mawu-Lisa.
The Deep Forest
In the over 1,000-square-kilometer rainforest, the twin spirit Mawu-Lisa set down their people, the ones who eventually became known as the Dihoma. They received one edict from their creator god before she moved on: protect the vulnerable lands from the last of Xavian’s creations and monsters. While most humans think that places like the Deep Forest are naturally occurring locations that just happen to invite monsters, the Dihomian people know better. Some places still leak the Withering King’s power, and for the Dihoma, the Deep Forest is their cursed place to guard.
There are over 500 different combat art forms taught throughout Dihomian society. The most famous, however, is a traditional Dihoma art, Dambe — so popular that it created the profession of the Damenga. Young Dihoma are expected to have perfected a martial art; all Houses, noble families, and others with notoriety consider a teenager an adult only after they’ve bested an elder in combat or killed a monster in battle.