Breathnóirí Tribe (BREADT-NO-REE)
Overview
The Breathnóirí (BREADT-NO-REE) are a tribe of warriors from Northern Rhesos. Their people hail from the northern reaches of the empire, in the mountain range along the border of Stonewyth. Many generations ago they were a group of elves and humans that lived harmoniously together, but as the elven races shifted further inland, the population took on a mostly human appearance while retaining some elven abilities of their ancestors. Their villages and cultural centers remain in the mountains, and each year a group of young warriors are selected to be sent to Tarleigh to serve and protect the royal family.
Their skin is typically more tanned than what you will find in the human populace of Rhesos, and their eyes tend to be a gleaming silver blue, with shocks of white hair, regardless of age. Typical height for both men and women is around 5’8" – 6’4". Women tend to weigh around 140lbs and men tend to be heavier at 180. Their lifespan is about 20-30 years longer than humans because of their elven heritage.
History
When Rhesinos and his band were traveling south, there was a horrific attack led by a pack of gnolls that divided the settlers. Wounded and lost, the smaller group of humans wandered into an elven encampment. The humans remained there and lived among the elves, even taking relations with them, despite the vast differences in lifespans.
As the human population to the south grew, the strange settlement retreated deep into the northern forests of what we now call Rhesos. After several generations, the humans and elves melded together as one, creating a new people, a new tribe, and they called themselves the Breathnóirí. They walked among the shadows of the forests, choosing to remain hidden, keeping themselves a secret.
A few hundred years or so later, a terrible plague ravaged the Breathnóirí people. They called it the Burning Fever, a sickness that wreaked havoc on the body, making your skin burn to the touch and resulted in a slow, painful death. Among the fever, there was also the threat of a large Orc raiding party to the west. The peoples of the newly founded Rhesosian Empire stumbled into Bel'tar, and offered a cure they had discovered, as well as protection from the Orcs, but there was a catch. The Rhesosian emissaries had seen what the Breathnóirí people were capable of, and demanded that the tribe swear fealty to the Emperor, and offer up their finest warriors to serve the Emperor and his family in an eternity of servitude.
Desperate, the Breathnóirí matriarchs agreed. The cure was dispersed and the tribe was saved from being wiped out. They upheld the agreement, and offered up their finest warriors to protect and serve the Emperor of Rhesos. Now, whenever a new heir is announced, the Royal Family comes to Bel'tar to choose a new personal attendant and guard to protect the heir to the throne. Children between the ages of 12 and 16 participate in a series of trials and and the strongest who remain at the end are chosen to come live in Tarleigh, and are trained by the Breathnóirí warriors who already live in the Palace.
Naming Traditions
Family names
The Breathnóirí do not have surnames or family names.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
A blend of elvish and common, the Breathnóirí people speak in a tongue known as Shadowspeak.
Culture and cultural heritage
The Breathnóirí culture is a heavy blend of both human and elven influence.
Shared customary codes and values
The tribe is lead by four matriarchal figures, but the society as a whole is largely egalitarian. Everyone puts in their share of work.
The whole village acts as one large familial unit, where children are raised by multiple sets of parents, and it is expected that everyone watch out for each other.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Children between the ages of 12 and 16 are eligible to become Royal Attendants to the newest announced heir of the Rhesosian Empire. In order to be considered, they must complete a series of trials.
Funerary and Memorial customs
The Breathnóirí people believe in being one with the nature that surrounds them. When someone dies, they are placed upon a funeral pyre atop a hill outside of Bel'tar for 14 days for a sky burial. After 14 days has passed, what is left of the remains is burned, and then the ashes are scattered among the forests to fertilize the ground and return them to the dust from where they came.
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