Knárs

The Knárs¹ are nomadic hunter-gatherers native to the Plain of Spirits in northern Dragonía.

Appearance and abilities

Knárs have centaur-like body plan, with a lower body resembling that of our world's bighorn sheep or argali, a humanoid torso with a head again resembling that of wild sheep. They are covered in short but thick coat of varying shades of brown and grey, with lighter belly, legs and nose.
Knárs have strong arms with three thick claws on each hand, but their movements are restricted in such way that they cannot throw things accurately. Men and women alike have horns that grow throughout their lives, though men tend to have larger ones and elders often suffer from chronic discomfort due to their horns' weight.
Knárs have an instinctive fear of fire, a fact which their ancient enemies the Móerkels and their descendants the Mörkels have used against them numerous times.
Due to their location on the plains, Knárs -especially those to the east- have little to no affinity to magic, and are among the few dragonían peoples who lack mages in their societies.

Knárs by Lappalingur

History

The first Knár societies appeared some 40.000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age when what is now the Plain of Spirits and Plain of Kings was covered in vast woodlands. Initially they were not alone in the woods, sharing the area with the ancient Ixpons and Paqolns until the latter two peoples died out due to warming climate around 30.000 b.Dr, after which they were the only sapient creatures inhabiting the plains which slowly replaced much of the forest.
It was not until around 3000 b.Dr that the Knárs came into contact with Útels from Ela'k Forest to the southwest, at first explorers and later settlers on the plains. Relations between the two people were mixed, and the two generally avoided each other, but became hostile as the settlers gained independence from the Útels of Ela'k Forest and began to progressively expand their territory on the plains.
The next centuries were characterized by near constant struggle between Knárs and Móerkels (as the settlers called themselves), with the latter being gradually pushed further north and east as their opponents exploited their fear of fire and built their cities around and atop huge earthen mounds to slow the Knárs down, making them easier targets for their bows and javelins.
All this changed some 800 years ago, when a monster known as The Dragon appeared and caused chaos and destruction throughout Móerkel lands and beyond, causing many Móerkels to flee eastwards and settle in what is now the Plain of Kings. Those who didn't flee perished at the hands of Knárs eager to reclaim their old territory, and the only thing that remains of the Móerkels today are their mounds, many of which are now homes or places of assembly for Knár tribes.

Society

Knárs are divided into numerous tribes, usually lead by chiefs voted by their people depending on their current needs, though sometimes the most skilled warriors are rulers, a relic from the wars with the Móerkels. The latter is most common among the western tribes near the coast of Klalaþan Sea, where the Ameders -cousins of the Útels- have established colonies along the coastline.
A common custom among Knárs is to punish criminals by shunning them, meaning that other members of the tribe act as if the criminal doesn't exist for a certain amount of time. More serious crimes, especially murder, result in the criminal being mortally wounded with their own weapon and left to die; the weapon is then buried to prevent it from attracting evil spirits to the tribe.

Culture

Apparel

Clothes worn by Knárs are mostly decorative, usually consisting of furs wrapped around the shoulders or blankets of woven plant-fibers adorned with feathers placed on the back. More elaborate variations of these are worn during festivals.

Cuisine

Knár diet consists of virtually any plants and animals they find on the plains, including carrion, all of which is eaten raw. The only things they avoid consuming are fish, which makes them sick, and overripe fruits and berries, as even the smallest amount of alcohol can be fatal to a Knár.

Language

Before the Móerkels, the Knárs spoke a number of different languages, the majority of which were are now lost either because the speakers perished at the hands of Móerkels or became supplanted by Jiktón, a common tongue devised by the different tribes as they were pushed from their territories and had to live in close proximity at the time.
Today most Knár languages belong to either Western Jikt or Eastern Jikt, with other major language families being Ökk to the south and Jerr-Kán to the north.
The name Knár is actually an exonym used by the Móerkels, based on the common Knár war cry Kna úrt!, meaning 'trample them'.

Religion

A common theme in most Knár mythologies is the idea that the world has gone through numerous cycles of creation and destruction, the fall of the Móerkels marking the beginning of the current cycle, with many plants and animals believed to be remnants of previous cycles.
Another common custom is to bury the dead with some of their belongings, not that the owner is believed to need them after death (the notion of afterlife is usually vague or nonexistent in Knár societies), but because these belongings are said to 'die' along with their owner, and keeping them could bring misfortune to the tribe.

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¹Original icelandic: Knárar, singular: Knári

Geographic Distribution

• Plain of Spirits