FrostBrands
Cunning as wolves.
Resilient as the ice trolls.
Territorial as drakes.
The frostbrands fights everyday against the monsters of the North, but to survive in those harsh, they paid the price to share a mind of beast and man.
Befriend them and they will tear through your opponents, make an ennemy of them and be sure they will respond with untold savagery.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Astrid, Brynhildr, Hilde, Siv, Svanhild, Torumn, Yngvild
Masculine names
Arne, Eirik, Ivar, Leif, Olaf, Valdemar
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Most frostbands knows the primary language of Hailen, which was made by themselves.
But almost half of them are fluent in Tran , the language most used in the Kingdom of Tränenfeld .
Culture and cultural heritage
Frostbrands are an ethnicity which story is filled of hardship, violence and harsh fight. The life in the North is not the simplest, but as the Tränenfeldians, they believe this is their duty to fight another day.
During the first decades of existences, they encountered most antagonists and belliquous species which treatened their existence numerous times. But their art of war is close to none. Women and men are expected to know to defend themselves in case of a raid, which makes any civilian more dangerous than the usual commoner, and it is a duty to know to use the bow and a melee weapon. Many works related to the hunt and fighting are valued in the Frostbrand culture: from skinning to leather working, but also things like cooking and woodwork. There is no higher honor for a frostbrand to die in a cause that helped their tribe.which makes them daredevils at times, but not too reckless to know their disadvantages.
Average technological level
Frostbranders are among the least advanced in technological levels of most humanoid ethnicities, partly by choice. They disregard the Tränenfeldians' technological race as they believe it strays too far from the importance of having a strong body and will to fight another day.
Common Etiquette rules
A common etiquette when visiting a Frostbrander is to knock strongly at their door and presenting yourself by shouting before getting an answer. If the visitor knock poorly or lacks vocal strength, it may be implied the visitor is coming with ill intent or doesn't really want to partake in a social discussion.
Another one related to sanguine reaction is, when the bard finishes a song in a tevern or somewhere else, you must show your appreciation with a strong cheer and slamming whatever object you can (usually a mug). It is a custom coming from religion, as it is rumored that if the bard gets a strong agreement through powerful noise, the gods may be interested to see what's happening and appreciate the music as well. Simple claps is seen as pretentious and forced for them.
Common Dress code
Frostbandeds value greatly trinkets and accessories made with the creatures they fought. This helps reckognise the strength of the individual or his family. When working the leather or other furniture, it is a common custom for those working the material to had a brand to authentificate the owner, mostly using the family crest. Someone wearing a piece of clothing hunted by another family can be seen a huge insult, unless it was offered as a wedding gift, which then will contains both crests.
As for their usual clothing, they value a full cover clothing even in the most temperate areas to protect their bodies from unnecessary carelessness. However, they take care to clean their attire as much as possible to avoid it to smell from work or effort and lure beasts easier.
Art & Architecture
Frostbrand architecture favors a lot of wooden architecture, and make extra effort to make their biggest housing ornated with trophies or masterful woodwork making it look like imposing creatures or totems. Woodwork is often an art learned young as some value the learning of dexterity through it which can become useful for skinning beasts.
Some also made their houses with clay or stonework close to the ground which froze later than the surface. The frostbranded usually make some safe distance between wooden houses to avoid fire hazard to spread too fast.
In some rare cases, some attuned with boreal witchcraft creates sometimes icework, and are always kept in the settlements they are made.
Some considere icework a reminder than existence is short lived, like the ice melting on some more temperate areas.
Birth & Baptismal Rites
Since the birthing could resolve in death at times, the mother was often brought in more spacious temples were midwife member of the clergy were assisting in the birth. the child was then kept for 10 days in a temperature controlled auditorium with soothing incenses so the child doesn't get complications from the temperature. When the 10 days were done, the father would then accept the child in the family by holding them and giving a kiss on the forehead. Then, a small ritual eau de vie cup would be given to the child as a rite of welcoming in the family. The temple auditorium would then pass the day celebrating with the family and friends invited until dawn where the parents would leave with their child so it see the first morning in his new house.
Coming of Age Rites
When the young reaches adulthood, they are given a harsh but defining task. In their sleep, the cleric are administrating the young one a cocktail made to put the body in a little anesthetic statis. They then enter them in a makeshift wood coffin with survival gear including a hunting knife, a small bow with 6 arrows, a rope, and other simple gears. The coffin is enchanted to reduce animal interference for the stasis' duration. When they woke up, they are left to find back the village by their own means and survival instinct.
It is possible for the child to also get a divination during their sleep. If they try to decipher it so, they may discover old altars which will give them attunement with the gods to become priests/shamans/oracles. If such thign happens, they will be blessed from any dangerous fauna attacks.
When they arrive, they will be greeted as adults and will receive a feast where the new adult's family and friends will gather, along with some members of the clergy and the tribe leaders about their journey and what they had to do to come back.
Funerary and Memorial customs
When population need to be regulated or if a mother doesn't desire to keep the child, a infanticide may be possible.
When agreed on, the member of the clergy proceed into putting the child to sleep and the mother is made responsible to drown the child or kill them through hypothermia. The clergy considered dying through hypothermia would be a less terrible death as the body would rest.
The mother is then expected to fabricate a memento for the child which includes a lock of hair in a wodden lantern burning with a evercold flame. It is a custom that on death,the spirit of the child would find the lantern through it's attunement with it, and be able to carry it as a protective trinket during his fey traveling on Arcamunda.
As for burial, all dead are expected to be buried at least 8 feets under the ground so evil feys or necromantic energys wont get interest in them easily. Some less nomadic tribes also build cairn
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
In Frostbranded culture, having white hair at birth is considered a blessing by their god's pantheon.
They also like a person with weight, has it means they are able to enjoy and fulfill themselves to stay healthy in those harsh lands.
However, they prefer muscle over fat: chubby person is totally fine, and sometimes found cute, but overweight just may imply the person is too glutonous or greedy to share with their brethren, or that they profit too much of someone doing the hard work for them, since a overweight hunter would be detrimental.
Courtship Ideals
Directed by their beauty standards, frostbranders value strength and stamina, but also force of will. It is not uncommon for the pretenders to a family's daughter or son to participate in a showcase of skills. Either by crafting alongside an elder or accompany them to a hunt to show their capacities. Because of this, families will push their children to value more "useful" candidates over love in other to make their kind better through time, but they usually won't forcefully block a marriage. They can however show their discontent verbally.
Major organizations
The Frostbrands are mostly separated in Clans which rules kingship over specific regions and interact with each other.
Encompassed species
Related Organizations
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