Yursida
In battle there is only winning and losing. Rules against hurting are for games. - Gorfin Styronsson
The mighty Yursida are a race of bearfolk that have made the Icemane Forest and the Peaks of Winter their home along side the Keldar, forming the Nordurriki. The Yursida are often unjustly feared as the result of tales depicting them as being quick to anger, unpredictable, and acting rashly. While they do have the capacity for all of these things, the truth is they are generally gentle giants with a love for the outdoors and nature. Though their anger is ferocious, they are not quick to it. Their culture is one of loyalty to their ways, their families, and their friends, and once this is understood, they are not at all unpredictable. As for being rash. Well...yeah. They can be rash sometimes.
Yursida Names
As a result of living in such an unforgiving environment, most Yursida are given only a single name by which they are known until their seventeenth year, because many young urchins perish to the risks inherent in the environment. When they reach their seventeenth year, Yursida celebrate their "name day" wherein they are allowed to adopt the family surname. A family's surname is typically a root name with a suffix of 'sson' (pronounced 'son) or 'dottir' (pronounced: 'daughter') denoting the gender of the person who bears it. This is typicall of not only Yursida, but also of Keldar as well, as it is a part of their culture.
As a member of the Nordurriki, Yursidan names are typically influenced by the real-world analog of the ancient norse and scandanavian heritage.
Male Adult Names: Aesbiorn (Ace-byorn), Fromund, Halfdan, Isi, Kormak, Magre, Ulfgrim, Steinkel, Thorhall, Var.
(Quick reference with loose definitions: https://www.babynames.net/boy/old-norse)
Female Adult Names: Asny, Aslaug, Brenda, Brenna, Eerika, Eira, Horv, Gudfrid (good-frid), Hrodny, Ingrid, Nanna.
(Quick reference with loose definitions: https://www.babynames.net/girl/old-norse)
Family Names (son/daughter): Arnthor (Arnthorsson/Arnthordottir), Bruni (Brunisson,Brunidottir), Gellir (Gellirsson/Gellerdottir), Havard (Havardsson/Havardottir), Ingfast (Ingfastsson/Ingfastdottir), Northri (Northrisson/Northridottir), Thidran (Thidransson/Thidrandottir), Vestein (Vesteinsson/Vesteindottir
Yursida Traits
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1, and your Constitution score increases by 1.
Age. Yursida mature at the same rate as humans, but can live up to 120 years.
Alignment. Yursida value their freedom and have a strong sense of community and working together towards a common goal for the good of all. They value and protect their own, willing to make sacrifices to serve the greater benefit of their people, and so are generally good.
Size. Yursida range from 6 to over 7 feet tall and generally have thick builds. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Primal Fury. As a bonus action, a yursida may call upon their primal fury, which lasts until the end of their next turn. While in this state, the yursida gains resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. After the primal fury ends, they cannot use this ability again until they have had a long rest.
Keen Smell. Yursida have a keen sense of smell, which is particularly effective in rural areas. When not in a city or settlement, yursida have advantage on wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on smell.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Yursidan. Yursidan is the native language of your people which uses a series of guttural sounds, growls, and at times full-throated roars of variable length and volume. Most outsiders often mistake it for nonsensical bestial growling, and during a particularly heated debate can find the experience intimidating.
Subrace. Though they consider themselves one people, the Yursimar are very much products of their environment, which manifest as two different subraces: Yursimar and Yursimid. Choose one of these subraces.
Yursimar
The Yursimar are natural warriors, scouts, and berserkers, often lead by Knights of Frost who serve as officers and generals among their number. Surprisingly, they are also known for their talents for engineering. Many of the larger and more complex structures in places like the capital city of Rastivik, and the shipyards of Vaskara have been built by teams of Yursimar and Keldar(Goliath) working together. While many live in Rastivik, there are many towns, villages, and hamlets that have grown out of natural, shallow caverns that have been expanded or hollowed out, giving rise to respectable communities living under the shelter of a mountainous overhang. Their fur typically ranges from white to shades of gray.
Yursimar Traits
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
Shelter in the storm. A Yursimar's ability to survive in the harsh cold environment in the Peaks of Winter has evolved them to the point that they are able to create a fire without the need for supplies. Over the course of ten minutes, you are able to call upon your innate ability to create a bonfire. This effort takes ten minutes to do so. The effects are the same as if casting the "Create Bonfire" cantrip as a ritual, without the need for any verbal or somatic components.
Yursimid
The lowland cousin to the Yursimar, the Yursimid inhabit the Icemane Forest. Though not as strong as their highland cousins, Yursimid warriors are still a force to be respected, often making up in ferocity what they lack in strength. In addition, many of Nordurriki's most talented shamans have come from among Yursimid halls. Yursimid skinwalkers are also to be respected. Typically accompanying northern border patrols, Skinwalkers have an affinity to nature and are able to take the forms of various beasts seemingly at will.[\p]
Yursimid take great pleasure in hunting and fishing, and carefully tend slow-growing groves of pine to produce lumber for trade. Their fur tends towards shades of brown and black.
Yursimid Traits
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Primal Heritage. Though their more robust cousins tend to be stronger, the Yursimid's connection to the savage wilds of the Icemane Forest courses through their veins. You can innately tap into the Redhi nathr of the world around you to cast the "Primal Savagery" cantrip as a bonus action, without the need for any somatic components. At level 10, the duration increases to 1 round.
