The Rahari

The Rahari are a tribe of semi-nomadic people indigenous to the northwestern, icy and rocky cliffs of Telondra's Wrathlands. For countless ages, they have been depicted as aggressive, tumultuous, and bloodthirsty. In recent times, the latter has been disproved, if at least partially. Because of their hostility towards outsiders, not much is currently known of their species beyond the findings of Saffa the Enlightened, dating back just before the Hundred Years War.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Brya, Rana, Kora, Dene, Liny

Masculine names

Brynn, Rauk, Dorsh, Malv, Lork

Family names

Ironbreaker, Stonebearer, Waterspeaker, Clothbinder, Cliffwatcher, Fishcatcher, Treesplitter

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Rahaan is the spoken language of many of these groups. In some cases, there are a few groups that know Common, and even smaller numbers that speak neither, and have their own language that remains unnamed.

Shared customary codes and values

Outsiders are almost always forbidden inside the tribal grounds. As to what they consider an outsider is almost always someone who was not born inside their camp, or their walls.

Average technological level

Many Rahari know how to crudely craft metal weaponry, while the others are highly skilled with stone tools.

Common Etiquette rules

Tribe members often give head nods to each other that they consider to be equals. A sideways fist to a person's shoulder often indicates high trust, or a sort of "thank you". Generally, most tribes have a sort of community pile of goods that anyone can take, but keep most things to themselves. Stealing is considered to be a heinous crime, especially in the presence of community goods.

Common Dress code

Common clothing is often made of leather, wool, or arctic plant fibers. The latter is more rare, since there are few tribes that have access to such plants, and fewer that have the ability to refine them into textiles.

Art & Architecture

Art largely consists of hunting trophies in some form. Music however, is used often in Rahari society - drums and flutes are commonly played during ceremonies, births, funerals, and every occasion in between.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Should a Rahari tribe come into contact with another group of Rahari, a battle immediately takes place. Everyone able to fight gathers a weapon and charged into the lands between the groups. There are nearly no rules for these battles, with the exception of not killing any children or pregnant women - instead they are exiled, or in some rare cases, taken into the tribe as a slave, and as an equal in even rarer cases. Whoever wins the battle takes over the encampment, and pools their findings in the center for any and all to take. After this, whatever is unwanted is burned, and a grand revel is hosted to show the gods the achievement of the victors, while also celebrating those who died in battle.
If an unfortunate adventurer be spotted by a group of Rahari, they will be chased down, be shot at with arrows, or be lured into traps. Survival of these ventures is often low.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

At birth, close family members and friends will give practical gifts to the newborn that they will use growing up. These gifts range from clothing to weaponry.

Coming of Age Rites

Children have three stages of coming of age. Their first comes when they are about five years old, where they pick a crafting profession and learn how to create simple things with it. At ten, they are taken on their first hunt with their parents, though sometimes this proves dangerous, and the child is accidentally killed. Should this happen, a special funeral service is held. At sixteen, they are considered adults, and instructed to build their own house, and/or to start dating multiple people.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Funerals largely consist of funeral pyres outside of their encampments for those of old age, or those who died in battle. For more tragic deaths, like dying on a hunting trip, bones or crafted objects are taken and given to the parents or spouse to hold, and a more grand funeral pyre is constructed.

Common Taboos

Talking about death is largely taboo among the majority of the tribes - as to speak it invokes the spirit of death itself to come and snatch someone away. As stated earlier, speaking with outsiders is highly forbidden, and allowing them into your camp is considered grounds to be killed, with very few exceptions. Additionally, though nearly all Rahari are ley-mute, those who are not are considered to be demons and are either killed, or exiled. These exiled Rahari are generally more accepting of outsiders.

Common Myths and Legends

They believe that their harsh lands give them great powers, and that they are in a constant struggle to prove themselves to their gods, who have put them in the Wrathlands for that exact purpose.

Historical figures

Liny Fireweaver (an exile) is the origin of most of this information during her time in contact with Saffa the Enlightened.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Women are often considered to be more beautiful dependent on how many craft skills they know, and how they display this. Some tribal garments of women consist of multiple crafting materials like leather, cloth, and metal. The more intricate, the better. Aside from this, some subgroups find that women of darker hair are more beautiful, lighter eye colors, or if they have wide, childbearing hips.
Men however, are considered to be handsome the more they can lift heavy objects. Those of the family name "Ironbreaker", and "Stonebearer" are often considered leaders for this reasoning. Additionally, similar to women, the more items they can craft with, the more attractive they are.

Gender Ideals

Because of the amount of necessary tasks throughout the days, men and women are both often held to the same ideals - to be strong, have the ability to survive, and to have at least one crafting skill. Men are held to a slightly higher standard when it comes to strength, however.

Courtship Ideals

Young men and women are encouraged to "carve", or date, many people in their adolescence to try and find a singular partner to join to afterwords. Small gifts are often given, especially handmade ones such as knives or pendants to both men and women alike. Necklaces made of animal teeth and gemstones are highly coveted, and often considered the grounds for "bonding", or marriage (aside from closeness in a relationship).

Relationship Ideals

Trust is key in these dangerous lands, and as such, married couples will do nearly everything together. Hunting, building, crafting, and so on, are all considered to be things that you do with your current spouse (unless, of course, you do not have one). With the danger in these lands, bonding is never considered to be entirely permanent. Should your partner die, you are encouraged to find another after you have grieved, often times being one of the people that one had "carved" before. The only exception to this is elderly couples who have been bonded for over thirty years.