Caronorn
The Caronorn are Halflings that originally came from a far-away island that according to legend sank beneath the waves before the founding of Giant's Leap. Before the arrival of Skaldorans on the continent of Illiria, the Caronorn occupied what is now Ter Eira, and now live only on the larger islands situated between Ter Eira and Lancaster, primarily Frosthome and Bear Island. Of the Halflings, the Caronorn are the tallest, rarely standing shorter than three feet tall. They tend to have pale skin, blond hair, and pale eye colors such as white or silver. They have smaller ears proportionally than a human's, but they are pointed and near-fused to the head. They have the smallest feet of all the Halflings, but still larger proportionally than a human's. Caronorn are the only Halfling group that consistently wear foot coverings of any kind.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Margret, Isa, Kristin, Brigit, Viktora, Freyja, Johanna, Anna, Elisabet, Katla, Gerdur, Elin, Sigrun
Masculine names
Jon, Johan, Sigurd, Rolf, Kristjan, Helgi, Ketil, Einar, Joakam, Aigar, Magnus, Porkel, Tjor
Unisex names
Rune, Leaf, Umi, Wyrn, Beke, Tolgrun, Wol, Kylun, Ililun
Family names
Caronorns do not believe in familial legacies beyond the immediate family. As such, the concept of familial names is foreign to them. For the purposes of identification, they commonly give the name of their father (for women) or mother (for men). For instance, on the Imperial Census of the Northern Reaches, a Caronorn leader gave his full name as Rolf, son of Brigit.
Other names
Caronorn who follow the Dance of the Wind Spirits might take on the name of their spirit guide, such as Orca or White Bear.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
In addition to Chorapar (Halfling), Caronorn tribes share the Railek tongue with the Yaunuk humans. With both languages, the Carnorn accent relies on changing the pitch of a word to alter it's meaning. A higher pitch implies sarcasm, for instance, and a lower pitch is used for questions. Many Carnonorns speak a pidgin of Chorapar, Railek, and Common in day to day use.
Shared customary codes and values
Fierce competition for resources and a harsh environment has produced a major sense of tribalism among the Caronorn. They treat bonds of family and friendship with near-religious significance. A popular Yaunuk saying is that 'A feud with a Halfling is a war with the tribe' in reference to this bond. They also place importance on using all of their environment to their advantage, such as using every part of a kill or every branch of a tree.
Average technological level
The Caronorn are renowned shapers of bone and leather, and artisans are frequently sought out by warriors with a religious aversion to metal. Caronorn frostfury harnesses are considered the standard of exotic saddles.
Common Etiquette rules
Caronorns believe that intentions should always be declared up front, to save time. It has become tradition to give small trinkets as gifts when encountering strangers they desire no quarrel with. These trinkets are very commonly crafted of bone, but gifts of preserved flowers are considered an especially polite meeting gift.
There are different greetings depending on how close a Caranorn is to a person. Close family always are embraced, friends clasp arms, and lovers touch noses. Mostly, everyone else is met with a single short wave motion with the thumb tucked to the palm. The exception to the rule is a stranger that is viewed with great respect, who should be met with touching the right hand to the left shoulder, thumb tucked to the palm. Thumb-tucking is important to the Caranorn, as it means they have no intention of fighting. 'No thumbs' is slang for 'no trickery'.
Common Dress code
Even when they travel south, the Caronorn are most comfortable in fur-lined leather and massive hoods. In climates where this is infeasible, decorative fur is a popular addition to Caronorn clothing. Jewelry made of dyed bones is a popular decoration, while preserved flowers worn in the hair or on jewelry is a sign of abundance or wealth.
Art & Architecture
Caronorn art is known for being minimalist, often painted on hide or wood sheets in black ink. Buildings are built in a quarter-cylinder style, usually of wood treated with rockwhale fat. Visitors to Caronorn villages are often surprised and impressed with the bridges that are built to connect each roof.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
When a woman goes into labor, she is brought into a special hut or building specifically used for birthing. All village women with any kind of medicine lore are expected to help, but men are not allowed inside.
Caronorn mothers wait until the child's first birthday to give them a name. The baby is brought before the village and introduced on it's first Naming Day. Each member of the village then takes turns passing the baby around a circle and each introduce themselves to the child formally. The last person to 'meet' the baby is the village's religious leader, who determines the child's spirit guide at this time. If the village happens to have a new litter of frostfuries around this time, it is commonly believed that the child is destined to become a warrior, and the family is given one of the kits to pass onto the child when it is old enough to learn to ride.
Coming of Age Rites
When a Caronorn youth feels they are ready to take on the responsibilities of adulthood, they are brought along on a special hunting trip. The war party traditionally hunts for moose, but ultimately the adult-to-be chooses the game. While this is technically a formality, as any animal can be chosen and will be accepted as valid, Caronorns who choose small or non-dangerous creatures are often mocked by their peers for the rest of their lives as cowards.
Funerary and Memorial customs
The funeral of a Caronorn looks very similar to a naming ceremony. The deceased is laid out on a simple litter, wrapped in a white blanket. The face is painted with ritual symbols by the village shaman. Each member of the village forms a circle around the deceased and says goodbye. Then everyone dips their hand in paint and presses a handprint to the blanket. A religious service is then held, saying goodbye to the dead one last time before they are set on fire, sent to join the wind spirits. One Imperial observer has described Caronorn funerals as 'inappropriately joyous occasions, followed by spectacles of shame and idiocy fueled entirely by liquor'.
Common Taboos
The consumption of walrus meat is forbidden among the Caronorn, a holdover from centuries of war with the Yaunuk. The slaying of animals with young is believed to bring a dozen years of divine retribution. Outsiders asking a Caronorn about their spirit guide is a personal question, and likely to upset them greatly.
Common Myths and Legends
Caronorn oral tradition tells that Lyrica, who is the mother goddess of all Halflings, was trapped inside of a giant tree who's shade covered the world. As the years passed, the love goddess became one with the tree, for a god can never truly be trapped. Still, she was a tree, and lived a lonely existence. Her only frequent visitor was Nex Szar, who reigns over death, and likes to travel the world in the form of the north wind. Eventually, the two began to fall in love, and every time Nex visited Lyrica, he took a little bit more of her away from the tree each time, knocking down her leaves. These leaves in the wind would fall to the shaded world below and become the Halflings. When Lyrica was finally all the way free of the tree, she had no more leaves and the world became full of light, and music. Thus, the wind is the father of all Halflings, and the trees are the mother.
Historical figures
Sigrun and Viktoria were a well-known Caronorn couple who led the northern smallfolk against the Empire during the Sevenstones War. In particular, they are best known for the sacking of Giving Town and an attempted raid on Dragonscale before their forces were obliterated by a Lancaster-Imperial alliance. While Viktoria was captured by the Empire and held as a prisoner in Triumph, Sigrun would go on to fight in Giant's Leap and later found The Giants of the Hill.
Halfling hero Klaus Ironhat, who supposedly slew the unholy champion of The Dreaded One, was Caronorn.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
The Caronorn tend to appreciate scars and other asymmetries, up to a certain point. There is a certain obsession with hair among them, to the point where heroes in their stories tend to be described by how they wear their hair. Braids are especially preferred, the more intricate, the better.
Gender Ideals
Caronorns believe that medicine is the exclusive domain of women, and look down upon male healers. Due to the nature of divine magic, this means that religious leaders tend to be women as well.
Courtship Ideals
Life is short and rough in the frozen reaches of the North, and the peoples there tend to reflect this with a lower emphasis on courtship rituals. Most Caronorns simply proposition prospective lovers or spouses. Traditionalists, however, put together a wreath of flowers to present to the person they are interested in.
Relationship Ideals
Caronorn tradition tells of a Keltak, or Soul Bond. Once two Caronorns do decide to settle down together, it is supposed to be for life, and beyond. The Soul Bond is supposedly so strong that the first to die will linger as a ghost to watch over the survivor.
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