Duskmen

The Duskmen are a tribal culture of humans that live on the frozen ocean ice shelf that connects the East and West continents at their most northern borders. Roaming the edge of where there is no sunset or sunrise, only the briefest moments of dawn and dusk, the place they call their home is known as the Evertwilight .

Nomadic Community

There is only one central establishment of the Duskmen. Known to them as Kassimavik, when the entirety of its people are together, the population could rival that of a moderate city. It is the gathering place for the Duskmen for holidays, ceremonies and is a place for a tribe to go if there have been lean times in the areas they wander. Each individual tribe, known as Ilatka, takes on a name for what they are most known for or what they are most proud of. Each tribe is not limited to a single family. Quite the contrary, when crossing paths or meeting at Kasimmavik, tribes often trade members as new families are made or old friends are found.

Spiritual by Nature

With nothing but ice and darkness, the Duskmen have found themselves in a much more spiritual side of things. They rely on the stars and the moon. They serve as their light, their maps, their guides, taking each day as a blessing and every event as a sign meant to help them with their survival in the harsh conditions. Some such thinking could be that if a tribe is having trouble finding enough fish to catch or game to hunt, the stars must be calling them home to Kasimmavik. Such a reliance on the celestial bodies in the sky has brought a reverence to the two moons in other such ways as well. Most blessings and thanks given in a spiritual manner are to Selûne, Goddess of the Moon. Their belief goes far enough that many Duskmen believe the smaller, but always full and shining moon over Malgrave, Fener, is Selûne herself watching over them.

Tribal Structure

Each tribe makes its own leadership choices, but typically there is a chieftain in every Ilatka, assisted by that Ilakta’s head shaman. Hunters, fishermen and gatherers each have one that they choose to advise and inform the chieftain and shaman, essentially making each tribe have a five person leadership. These roles tend to be a little more fluid, based on who has the best plans and ideas each month.
In the Kasimmavik, there is a Grand Chieftain chosen every year collectively by the people. It can be the same person if the people think that they did a good enough job turning their stay. They choose a collection of shamans and advisors that they trust to serve as council. Because each tribe is self reliant, the Grand Chieftain is more in charge of ceremonies and protecting food storage for those in need. The Grand Chieftain does not promote themselves, but rather someone else speaks their recommendation and if enough people agree with the choice the person is allowed to either accept or decline. This does not automatically make them the Grand Chieftain. People make suggestions until there are no more to put forward. Of those that accepted, then they talk of their ideas to keep the tribes healthy and on track and the people then choose their leader from there.

Albinos

With a general lack of light, it has become more common in the Evertwilight and especially with the Duskmen to have albinos born into their tribes. Usually one every generation, any tribe that has one in their midst is considered blessed. Seen as Apostles of Selûne, it is believed that they are more capable and in touch with their goddess more than any other Duskman. These rare and special individuals are raised to become spiritual guides, becoming leaders, advisors and protectors of the tribes. Most end up staying in Kasimmavik once they reach adulthood, taking on the roles expected of them.
Within the culture, there is a prophecy that should the guardians of the Duskmen, the Twilight Guardians ever all be Selûne’s Apostles that the tribe would be blessed with prosperity and led to the Eden of Evertwilight.

Lycanthropy

As part of her domain, Selûne is also Goddess to good aligned lycanthropes. The Duskmen have adopted this into their culture and believe lycanthropes are chosen warriors of Selûne. Understanding that there is corruption, for many of them and that those that manage to align themselves with good were the ones able to master the curse, they believe that if a good lycanthrope bites someone and passes on the curse it is considered a blessing from Selûne. Conversely, when someone is bitten against their will or by an evil lycanthrope it is considered an affliction.
In the Evertwilight, each lycanthrope of any breed is chosen from people in the various tribes that have proven themselves worthy. Most are mighty hunters or unrelenting warriors. To take on the curse is a responsibility that most shy away from and so over the centuries it has been less and less common among the people to be a lycanthrope at all.
The five most prominent figures that once carried lycanthropy were the Polar Bear , Snow Leopard, Arctic Wolf, Lemming and Tundra Boar. They were the Twilight Guardians, protectors of all Duskmen in their beginning but have since faded as almost mythical figures. The Lemming and Tundra Boar have been lost so long that the tribes no longer remember them ever having existed. The mantle of the Arctic Wolf faded, as being a werewolf was the hardest lycanthropy to master, the last Arctic Wolf refused to pass on his blessing and requested an end to his life as he slowly lost himself to the rage. The Polar Bear was more recent, but as the heartiest of the three guardians, whoever held the mantle was usually the last to flee an enemy, barely managing to pass their blessing before they passed until one day they never made it back. The Snow Leopard still remains, a fur pattern variant of a weretiger, they alone have stayed the constant defender of Kasimmavik. Without the other four mantles being taken up, as there is no one to pass it, the current Snow Leopard is unable to watch over all the wandering tribes as much as they would like to.

Sharing the Evertwilight

Few venture into the Evertwilight, the conditions considered too harsh by most civilized cultures. There are the rare Frost Giants that can be seen once in a while, but it seems Duskmen and Giant alike give each other wide berths and rarely interact. Those that do, find the Frost Giants surprisingly cordial, but often see them as a broken people. The people of Frostbane do not seem to acknowledge that they know of the Duskmen that wander the tundras near their lands. Most Duskmen fear getting too close to the area, sensing dark magics and an oppressive culture. The people beneath the ice are more friendly, being the glacies sirine, or ice mermaids. These beautiful creatures are like their mythological counterparts, charming and luring people with their songs, however, the fair featured songstresses use these abilities to save people, guiding them to shelter before storms or pulling them a different direction than from a rampaging beast or hungry monster. To be gifted one of their tears, which freeze shortly after contact with the air and never melt afterward, is said to be one of the greatest gifts in the whole of Malgrave.

Language

As people that mostly speak in the celestial tongue, given to them by Selûne, many of their more common ways to address each other seem very different to most other cultures and can in fact be confusing. The biggest difference comes in the fact that all Duskmen address each other as a family member, or at least that’s how it appears to an outsider. Using the celestial tongue, every member of the family has their own specific term, and the Duskmen use it so frequently that they aren’t even aware of how complex it could seem. The biggest confusion is that the term widely accepted as ‘cousin’ is actually a way of acknowledging that they are of the same people but not of the same family. A direct translation of an actual cousin is more akin to ‘mother’s sister’s son’ and such variations that come out as single words in celestial. The other is that they are in the habit of referring to all who are not Duskmen as ‘stranger’. In the context of their own language, it is more closely related to being called ‘traveler’ or ‘wanderer’ as opposed to the negative connotations usually held in civilized nations.

Holidays and Events

Despite being nomadic, the Duskmen look forward to returning to Kasimmavik every year. For a month they trade stories, new tools, experiences and interesting items with each other during this time for celebration. This most important holiday is celebrated for it being the time of the year that Fener is brightest and lights Lysenth, the larger two of the moons, to be full the entire month. This holiday is known as Selûne’s Grace.
There are not many other holidays for the Duskmen, the wanderlust keeping them from staying in the same place too long. There is an opposing holiday where they gather to stave off the oppressing darkness and solemnly join together to remember those who have been forever lost. Zephyr Sky is a month where Fener is blocked out by Lysenth, blackening the sky. It is said that when there was only darkness and the creatures of evil still roamed the land, those that were lost chose to become the stars in the sky to light the way and guide those that were lost in the darkness. It is a somber holiday that makes them appreciate who they have lost. Events that all gather to see are weddings. As celebration of bonds and new life to come, it is an event every tribe wishes to be a part of, especially since everyone has at least one blood relative in every tribe.
One thing that makes any celebration or holiday extra special is the arrival of Muktuk. Muktuk is a giant walrus that is said to bring good fortune or be a good omen whenever he appears in Kasimmavik. A long time visitor to the Duskmen, the beast is very friendly and enjoys being fed by the people and even allows the more bold children to climb on him before their parents whisk them away, offering apologies to him.

Overall World Relations

The Duskmen are a peaceful people and very reclusive and withdrawn from the rest of the cultures in the world. They have little desire to be caught up in the political messes of the other nations and enjoy their privacy. They have adapted to one of the harshest environments Malgrave has to offer better than any other people. Survival and community are at the core of their culture and so they will not turn away or leave weary travelers to their fate. They will be welcomed and cared for, even assisted back to their own lands, but they refuse to meet with leaders of the closer nations. Periodically, some of the scientists and wizards will capture or slaughter entire tribes for the sake of their experiments. This has led to the Duskmen becoming more cautious as they are their only neighbors that have shown the resilience to survive the frozen wastes and yet still maintain a level of cruelty unseen to any of their written knowledge.