Ursi

"There’s no glory in freezing to death, no song in starving quiet. We do what we must, and we do it well. If that makes us beasts, then may the gods bless every tooth in our jaws."

The Ursi are a powerful, hardy race descended from the shamanic coastal cultures of Omendahl, on northern regions of old Tarmahc that too birthed the Half-Giants unto the world. Towering and broad, with thick fur-covered bodies and ursine features, the Ursi are often mistaken for brutish beasts, their appearance belying a shrewd, pragmatic people with deep spiritual roots. Born of coastal raiders, fire-singers, and frost-clad ritualists, the Ursi were once second-class citizens in Tarmahc's final days, seen as temperamental laborers and unrefined warriors. But when The Fall shattered the continent and sent kingdoms beneath the sea, the Ursi did not flee with the others toward the soft shores of Chikara, the Elflands soon-to-be Everwealth. They sailed north, into uncertainty and ice. Arriving at the war-torn land of Kathar, the Ursi found the Orcish and Canid peoples locked in a bloody struggle with the Dwarfish strongholds that clung to the mountains. The land was cruel, but an offer to secure their future became very clear. Ursi chieftains proposed a pac with the Orcish leaders: their strength and resilience in exchange for a place among the victors. This "Hand for Land" agreement forged one of the most enduring alliances in Katharan history. Ursi warbands helped breach the Dwarfish defenses, marking the beginning of the "Dwarf Dusk" that would send Dwarfs fleeing into exile. In scholarly circles, this moment is often cited as a domino that set The Great Schism in motion, eventually leading to the rise of Everwealth itself. Now, centuries later, the Ursi remain a cornerstone of Katharan culture. Their communities blend into the rugged frontier, their longhouses wreathed in smoke and snow. Though many view them as slow or simple, the Ursi are nothing of the sort. They are deliberate. Patient. Brutally effective when they act, but only when necessity demands. They have little love for lofty ideology or the formalities of southern courts. Survival, to the Ursi, is its own philosophy, and those who ensure it, by any means necessary, are never wrong. Though most Ursi live in the north, a number migrated with Human, Smallfolk, and Half-Giant refugees toward Chikara or south into Everwealth's heartlands, where they are now a common sight in many border towns and military outposts. Rarely scholars, politicians, or mystics, Ursi are instead known as stalwart laborers, blunt bodyguards, unyielding warriors, and iron-willed survivalists.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

• Yelva.
• Mirsha.
• Anka.
• Olyana.
• Dravka.
• Belya.

Masculine names

• Koska
• Varn
• Dragmir
• Stovan
• Rurik
• Malrik

Unisex names

• Sova
• Ilven
• Branik
• Voska
• Trel

Family names

• Stonejaw
• Coldreach
• Daughter of Snowfall
• Borne of Ice
• Emberguard
• Son of Vinterhul

Other names

Frostborn (colloquial), Furbacks (slur), Ironfur (honorific), Bramblebloods (rural term), Snowsons (old poetic usage).

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Ursi speak Omengar, a deep, growling tongue with drawn-out vowels and rhythmic stress. Many also speak Katharan Common, albeit with a clipped, guttural accent.

• "Morak veth ulka." - Strength is in stillness.
• "Thrun kal es vorn." - The land does not lie.

Culture and cultural heritage

Ursi culture is built on the foundations of shamanism, oral tradition, and seasonal survival. Ritual songs, fire circles, and carved bone tokens are all echoes of their Omendahli past. Though much was lost during The Fall, their values endured: resilience, clarity, and community above all. Most Ursi live in extended family lodges, with decisions made by elder consensus. Clans are less about blood and more about shelter, who fed you, who kept you warm.

Shared customary codes and values

• Keep your word or keep your silence.
• Eat last if you brought the food.
• Never mock the dying.
• If it works, it was the right choice.

Average technological level

The Ursi are not inventors, but they are masterful adaptors. Their cold-forging techniques allow them to craft steel without fire. They are adept with fur-based insulation, sled design, and geothermal channeling in their settlements. Weapons are simple but brutally effective: poleaxes, spiked mauls, wide hunting spears.

Common Etiquette rules

• Always knock twice before entering a home.
• Do not speak during snowfall rites.
• Share warmth without question.
• Gloating is frowned upon; the deed should speak.

Common Dress code

Heavy woolen or fur-lined coats, often stitched with bone toggles or dyed hide. Ursi favor functionality, layered tunics, belted robes, and leather wraps. They decorate with carved ivory, not gems.

Art & Architecture

Ursi longhouses are carved into hillsides or built from snow-packed stone and fire-cured wood. Inside, communal hearths burn constantly. Walls bear carved records of the clan's lineage and deeds. Art is mostly oral or tactile, songs, etched bone pieces, runes burned into driftwood. Tapestries are rare but sacred, depicting stories in abstract symbols passed down through generations.

Foods & Cuisine

Ursi cuisine is dense, preserved, and filling. Stewed root vegetables, smoked meats, fermented fish, and thick oat-cakes form the staples. Mead, pine spirits, and thick-brewed tea are common. Meals are always hot when possible, a mark of hospitality.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

• The Hearth-Standing: A ritual where one must remain awake by the fire for three nights after a great mistake or failure.
• Winterteeth: A clan rite marking the first snow, when warriors gnash painted teeth over their weapons for luck.
• Stone Songs: Communal storytelling around cairns, using rhythmic stomps and voice harmony.
• Birth & Baptismal Rites

Birth & Baptismal Rites

Newborns are washed in snowmelt, then marked with charcoal and fur. Their name is chosen after their first winter, not before.

Coming of Age Rites

A youth must live one week beyond the hearth, bringing back a piece of the land: antler, stone, or story. They are not expected to fight, only to endure.

Funerary and Memorial customs

The dead are not burned but left in stone tombs carved into hills, marked with a sigil and wrapped in their own cloak. Those who die in war are sometimes left upright, frozen in snow, facing the wind until they fall.

Common Taboos

• Sleeping through Winterrites.
• Wasting a full meal.
• Using the name of a dead clan-elder lightly.
• Leaving without leaving a token.

Common Myths and Legends

• The Bear Below: A slumbering god beneath the ice who breathes through caves and grants strength to those who whisper their fears.
• Ashfur the Laughing: A trickster hero who won battles through mischief and luck, not brawn.
• The Night That Froze: A legend of a single night so cold that even time froze, and an Ursa elder walked into the stars to steal fire from the sky.

Historical figures

• Voska the Silent: One of the first Ursi chieftains to forge alliance with the Orcish after The Fall.
• Ena Stormbinder: An Ursi huntress who led survivors across three glaciers to reach Kathar's northern edge.
• Rurik Blood-Deep: Known for holding the gate of Frosthold alone for two days during the Dwarf Dusk.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Ursi find strength beautiful. Wide frames, thick fur, worn hands, and long endurance. A cracked tooth is a badge. A weathered coat is pride.

Gender Ideals

Gender roles exist but are flexible. Survival needs outweigh tradition. Mothers wield spears. Fathers sing lullabies.

Courtship Ideals

Courtship begins with shared labor: building, hauling, surviving a storm together. There are no flowery words, only the mutual respect of those who do not need to speak.

Relationship Ideals

Loyalty is expected, but not performative. One shows love by making the other’s burdens lighter. A good mate finishes the task you were too tired to name.

Interesting Facts & Folklore:

• Wintersleep: Ursi require 3-4 extra hours of rest during the cold season. Those who do not indulge in wintersleep live shorter lives, often dying before fifty.
• Snow-Wards: Talismans made of braided fur and pine hung over doorways to ward off starvation spirits.
• The 140 Rule: Most Ursi live to 140-150 if well-fed, well-slept, and not subjected to prolonged war.
• The Hibernation Curse: A saying among soldiers who fall asleep on duty: "He caught the Bear’s Curse."
• Firebones: It is said that the bones of honored Ursi elders smolder faintly in the cold, keeping graves warm.

Idioms and Metaphors:

• "Good enough is perfect." - The most well-known Ursi phrase, meaning pragmatism over perfection.
• "The fire is quieter when it burns true." - Refers to honest labor, done without boasting.
• "Eat what you carry, carry what you kill." - A metaphor for responsibility.
• "Snow forgets, stone remembers." - About impermanence and legacy.
• "A warm hand beats a sharp word." - Emphasizes action over argument.