kehtiks

Kehtiks are a fictional ethnolinguistic group created for worldbuilding and speculative fiction. In most portrayals, the Kehtiks inhabit river valleys along the Keht River in the imagined region of Alathar, where they form a network of semi-autonomous settlements linked by trade routes.

Etymology: The ethnonym Kehtik is said to derive from keht, an ancient word meaning river or to flow, with the collective suffix -ik. The language is treated as the defining feature of the group.

History and society: Kehtiks are depicted as riverine traders who organized into clans and a rotating council of elders. Social life centers on kinship ties, seasonal markets, and festivals.

Language: Kehtik is described as a language with a simple consonant inventory; it's often presented as agglutinative with rich noun phrases and a flexible word order. It has several dialects corresponding to river basins.

Culture and economy: They are known for blue-glazed pottery, copper ornaments, and woven textiles. Their boats—reed coracles and canoe-like vessels—facilitate inland trade, while coastal sections engage in salt and fish trade. Historically bronze-working appears in late phases.

Modern usage: In contemporary works, kehtiks serve as protagonists in frontier stories or as a setting for trade-based economies; they appear in role-playing game supplements and serialized fiction, often explored themes of migration, adaptation, and cultural exchange.