Áali

The Áali¹ are the natives of Áal, a region that forms the northwestern corner of the Adynían continent. They are related to the Záali to the south, but are generally more warlike than the latter.

Society

Áali society resembles that of the záali, being made up of different tribes and each lead by a chief chosen by elders. An important distinction between the two is that slavery, while practiced to some degree by the záali, is much more commonplace among the latter.
Slaves are usually acquired by raiding other tribes (whether záali or other áali) or attacking settlements further south, along the coast of Núrak. The latter used to be more common before the founding of the Kingdom of Núrak.

Culture

Art

Architecture

The áali use two kinds of housing depending on the season; tents on raised platforms during summer and pit-houses during winter, both accessed via ladders which can be removed when under attack.

Apparel

Clothes are generally made of hides and furs, often dyed with ochre or decorated with feathers, amber- or bone beads.

Cuisine

Áali cuisine consists mostly of deer, porpoises, seals, walruses, fish and common scurvygrass. Eating birds and eggs is not as taboo as among the záali -fermented eggs are especially popular- although warriors tend to abstain from these before battle.
Herbal tea and broth are the most common drinks aside from water.

Religion

As with the záali, the áali depict their gods as various birds, chief among them being the arctic tern, who's worshiped as the goddess of war. Warriors honour her by imitating the birds' screeches in battle, and some shave their hair and paint the top of their head black to imitate their plumage.

¹Original icelandic: Áalir, singular: Áali