Northern Clans

The rough people of Borem and northern Doloria are regarded as wild by the other humans. Even if they are divided and disunited among individual tribes, they are united by a common faith and culture.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Female names of northern clans are composed of words like:
Alt-, Bien-. Berk-, Dann-, Etl-, Fan-, Gut-, Heim-, Ils-, Jun-, Kreem-, Krot-, Lounk-, Meit-, Nort-, Rast-, Sont-, Shon-, Tilt-, Trokk-, Ult-, or Wiem-
As well as the endings:
-frik, -ka, -krun, -heit, -hilt, -hin or -mait

If the prefix ends with the same letter as the ending begins, a doubling is usually not used.
Example: Berkrun, Dannka, Etlheit, Kreemhin

Masculine names

Male names of northern humans are composed of words like:
Alt-, Benn-. Berk-, Drok-, Elt-, Fank-, Grott-, Gut-, Gunn, Heim-, Jorr-, Jun-, Kort-, Left-, Marr-, Nort-, Rast-, Sont-, Tann-, Ult-, or Wieto-
As well as the endings:
-bert, berk, -fritt, -kar ,-ken, -kin, -munnt -nar, -ren, -weit or -tall

If the prefix ends with the same letter as the ending begins, a doubling is usually not used.
Example: Berken, Altfritt, Grottkar, Jorrtall

Family names

The northern tribes have no surnames, only a name supplement which refers to the father, respectively for daughters to the mother.
Example:
Jorem Bergen's Son
Uldhin Droga's Duttr

Other names

A tribal member can also earn an honorary name. This is either worn after their own name or replaces their own name completely.
Examples:
Grottweit da Slagter Jorrem's Son
Eltfritt da Erlig Fankbert's Son
Grog Baren Rastkar's Son

Culture

Shared customary codes and values

The people of the north may be divided into tribal clans, but their customs and traditions are quite similar.
Their shamans are highly respected advisors and magicians who assist the chiefs.

The chieftains of the clans are determined by election, often based on a duel.
Victories and honor are the greatest achievements a northern man can obtain.
It is the will of the gods that everyone must prove himself and show himself worthy before his ancestors in order to be allowed to join them in the afterlife between the stars. Striving to prove oneself is a prestigious goal to conquer land or wealth or to die while fighting for it. The death of a warrior is the most honorable of all. But even if a warrior is denied an end on the battlefield, he can die honorably if he remains victorious and reaches an old age. As long as he has victories and his honor is intact, death by age is acceptable.

Common Dress code

The clothing of the Northern Tribes is primarily functional. It should warm or protect and must not serve any other purpose.
Therefore the clothing of the North is mostly made of fur or leather armor to protect the most important parts of the body, but in warm times it can also be extremely scarce or even left out altogether.

Art & Architecture

The art of the North refers entirely to honour and glory and to their representation. Poems of great warriors, songs of victorious battles or carvings of great achievements in the halls of warlords.
Their architecture either serves the same purpose or is simply designed to be functional.

In this way great warriors and rulers of the northern tundra have decorated wooden halls reflecting their victories and those of their glorious ancestors. The common people, however, have huts that provide shelter from the cold for men and livestock equally.

The clans of central Doloria and southern Borem tend to be nomadic and roam the savannah on their horses, where they live as hunters and gatherers in tent villages.

Coming of Age Rites

At the age of 10-16 years is the time of proving, in which the young northmen can prove themselves worthy as hunters and warriors. This applies to boys and girls who choose the path of the warrior. Girls who choose the path of the mother will be considered adult with their first bleeding and can be conquered.

Funerary and Memorial customs

The culture of the north knows three types of burial. The ordinary people are buried in nameless graves with grave goods that are supposed to prove to their ancestors that the dead man is worthy to join them. The bigger the dead person was in life, the bigger his burial mound should be. Honourless dead are buried in simple graves without grave goods and are forgotten. The greatest warriors, however, are burned at the stake or with one of their ships to carry their souls on the flames to their ancestors, and their deeds are remembered in celebrations that often last for days to honor them.
It is not unusual for such great warriors and leaders to be remembered with songs or poems.

Common Taboos

It is not forbidden to kill a rival in open combat, death is also permitted as a punishment for subordinates. But cowardly murder is one of the most dishonorable crimes known to the people of the north.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

The people of the North don't care much for beauty. As trinkets they wear symbols of their victories. Teeth of hunted animals, claws or conquered coins. A person is considered attractive who is well nourished or even strong or can show many victories and great deeds.

Gender Ideals

A man must be strong, a good hunter or warrior, honourable and courageous. Women can also follow the warrior's path, or submit to a man and follow the mother's path, give birth to his children and raise them in his will.

Courtship Ideals

Like much of the culture of the northern tribes, the courtship of a bride is more likely to be a conquest.
The woman is a prize to be conquered, often fights are made between candidates, but rarely until death.

Relationship Ideals

Warriors can freely choose their partners for the nights without having to enter into a fixed relationship. This applies to both men and women. If, however, they enter into a firm partnership, the woman submits to her husband like a spoils of war or an oath of allegiance to a war chief.

Diverged ethnicities

• Northern Kingdoms

Encompassed species

• Humans

Related Organizations

• Berken Clan