Kellid
The original natives of most of Avistan before the spread of the Taldan Empire, the Kellids (pronounced KEHL-ids) represent what every resident of the continent thinks of when they refer to "barbarians". Sandwiched between an empire of orcs, marauding demons of the Worldwound, and the witch-haunted kingdom of Irrisen, Kellids are a pragmatic product of their harsh environment and direct descendants of a more savage age. Kellids in northern Avistan cling tightly to their traditional ways, while those in southern countries like Druma and Isger have largely integrated into the local Taldan or Chelaxian culture.
The appearance of the Kellid people is sculpted by the landscape in which they have to survive. They are generally lean in physique, gaining and shedding fat with equal ease as they feast heartily and march their lives on their backs across hundreds of miles. Most have very dark hair and light brown skin with deep tans; their dark eye colors range from brown to green.
Most Kellids bear scars from combat or their environment, and those who do not are often derided as weaklings given up to unbecomingly comfortable lives.
Nomadic Kellid tribes wander northern Avistan from the arid steppes of Numeria to the snowy plains west of the Tusk Mountains following game herds, ancestral trails, omens, and the ambitions of charismatic chieftains. These bands must contend with threats from all sides, both natural and supernatural. Between the curses of the winter witches of Irrisen to the west, the savage orc hordes of Belkzen to the south, and the demonic
horrors boiling from the Worldwound in the east, the Kellid people have well earned their deep distrust of outsiders, as well as of magic and those who wield it. At home in an environment where daily survival is the first—and often only—concern, their small tribes are uncomplicated by elaborate codes of etiquette and other luxuries found within city walls. Indeed, Kellid tribes thrive in brutal conditions that would break more rigidly structured societies. As unforgiving as the tundra they wander, Kellids nevertheless possess a unique code of honor, and would rather offer a hated enemy shelter from an arctic storm than allow another to suffer an undignified and grim death by exposure or starvation.
The few Kellids who abandon nomadic life settle in cities and towns where their skills as warriors and trackers are desired, or put down roots where prey, iron, or other desirable resources are relatively easy to come by year-round. Despite this, urban and settled Kellids continue to observe the practical lifestyle of their roving kin. Even in the best of times, a Kellid owns little more than he can carry or wear. It’s not that Kellids disdain physical luxuries and creature comforts, but rather that they rarely have the luxury or good fortune to accumulate such things, and in many cases would not know what to do with them if they did. In the end, a typical Kellid needs nothing more than a mammoth hide across his back, a spear in his hand, and a challenge in his sight.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Common female names include: Addit, Belka, Bevka, Dejik, Eht, Garra, Inkit, Jerda,
Kagur, Kanat, Larat, Medda, Renka, Serit, Telka, Vehk and Yala
Masculine names
Common male names include Anok, Brud, Dron, Droguk, Gotor, Gurog, Jokon, Hrunga, Jod, Korut, Kronug, Mortok, Nunek, Purat, Torg, Yort
Family names
Kellid names often sound brusque and harsh, with guttural sounds and hard consonants. Usually consisting of no more than two syllables, Kellid names are brief by necessity. In the unforgiving and violent wastes of the North, the half-second it takes to bark a Kellid name
can often mean the difference between survival and death. Kellids make little use of second names within their own communities, though renowned
figures can earn descriptive titles befitting their deeds and accomplishments. Traditionally, Kellid children go unnamed until they survive their first winter.
Titles: Beast-Stalker, Giantkin, Long Years, Many Scars, Red Spear, Snow Mane, Trollkill, Tuskbreaker, The Unbroken
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The language of the Kellids, Hallit, is a coarse language with no written form
Culture and cultural heritage
Kellid culture, like the Kellid people, is shaped by its harsh surroundings. It is a primitive tribal culture that values tribal loyalty. Few Kellids trust magic due to being beset by the magical threats of the Worldwound and the witches of Irrisen, or technology for the alien threats of Numeria and its Technic League.
Kellids value strength, bravery, and cunning over the academics of the weaker southern peoples; while as capable of intelligence and insight, their situation allows little room for learning that does not aid in their struggle for survival. Other cultures' concepts of scholarship, ownership, and government mean little to a Kellid clan, and when among a group of foreigners, Kellids show little patience for compromise, carelessness, and weak leadership. They prepare for danger to strike at any time and prefer to always be armed.
Kellid clans are nomadic, and each clan member carries only what they and the clan need to survive. Those who set up even temporary homes do little to furnish them with the essentials for survival and emergencies, and always prepare to abandon it without hesitation
Shared customary codes and values
KELLID SAYINGS
Although Kellids possess different cultures and customs depending on where they live, several expressions are common among all Kellids, and often reflect the harsh nature of their homelands. Step first with your spear. (Literally, test the ice before you put your weight upon it, but also a general caution to look before you leap.) To taste the marrow, first crack the mammoth’s bone. (Only great effort brings great reward.) Braiding a mammoth’s tail. (Engaging in a pointless activity.) Praise winter in the summer. Praise sickness when in health. Praise hunger at the feast. (Be thankful for the hardships you survive.)Common Dress code
Kellids tend to dress in primitive clothing made from leathers, furs, and hide. Their exact style of dress tends to change depending on the individual tribe and the local climate. One item of clothing unique to the Kellids is their zoic fetishes, small charms made out of bundles of twine hair and stone that are often enchanted with powerful druidic magic.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
Kellids view most gods introduced by contact with southerners as indistinguishable from nature, and often see arcane and divine magic, forces of nature, coincidence, and the fundamental acts of survival as equally valid expressions of spirits that live in all things. As such, many Kellids are druids who follow tenets similar to the Green Faith. Kellids believe the world is governed by invisible spirits that they must please to maintain balance with their harsh homes. This extends to compassionate displays, even to enemies, when faced with great natural adversity as they consider ill-mannered acts in a spirit's presence as a reliable way to upset it.
The precursor nation of Sarkoris also believed each clan was protected by a patron spirit that the most attuned among them could call into physical form, a tradition that modern Kellid summoners maintain.
Of the imported southern gods, Kellids most respect Gorum and Desna, though the Kellid interpretations of these gods often puts them in conflict with other races. In particular, Kellid insistence that Gorum is one of their kind rather than an orc or half-orc leads to further conflict with those races. They also see Desna not as an elf but as a Kellid woman riding an elk who shows them the way to herds of game.
Some Kellids also follow Erastil, while those who see violence as an answer to the problems of the Worldwound and Numeria venerate Rovagug. Power-hungry Kellids near the Worldwound might even turn to Deskari in exchange for power. In the Realm of the Mammoth Lords, some Kellids worship the giant god Minderhal.
Encompassed species
Related Organizations
Languages spoken
Related Locations
Comments