Staagur (Staa-gur)

The Staagur are Humans native to the northern regions of Orisia. They live in ice cold forests that really only have about two months of non winter each year. 
The tend to have:

• Pale White Skin
• Blonde/Dark Blonde Straight Hair
• Blue/Black Eyes

Naming Traditions

Family names

Staagur are a tribal people and really only have a last name to indicate what tribe they are from. These are indicated by a Ur' for males, and Do' for females.
Ur' Ta'Skol = Son of Ice Cove Do' Ta'Skol = Daughter of Ice Cove

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Staagur speak Staagur.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

The Staagur look over their recently born child. Unless both parents are happy with their newborn, they usually leave it out in the woods to die. Some bonded Staagur sacrifice their first born to their god for good favor and fortune before having children to raise.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Those who fall in combat are respected and given a stone grave in ancestor lands. Their heart is often consumed by people they were close to to gain their courage.
Those who were murdered are sworn to be avenged by the rest of the tribe.
Those who died of sickness or old age are forgotten shortly after. A particularly attached Staagur may choose to bury someone who died this way, but it's considered weakness.

Common Taboos

Murder is the ultimate sin to the Staagur. Challenging someone to fight to the death is perfectly understandable and sometimes encouraged, but to murder someone is seen as cowardly and weak. A tribe will spend however long it takes to find out who did it and punish them. Usually by beating them, impaling them on a tree branch, and letting them hang from it while still alive with their intestines wrapped around other branches. This is done to beg the forest to forgive the rest of the tribe for the weakness of the one.

Common Myths and Legends

To the Staagur their chilled forest is not only their home, but a living breathing thing. It has no real mind, but creates and takes life at it's own whim. 
There is a single god to the Staagur, and a series of humans turned demigod due to their brave actions. Their god is simply known as the Staag. Legend has it that their ancestors struggled to survive and the violent nature around them claimed them constantly. One day a gatherer left one of the mountain caves to look for roots in the middle of winter to feed himself and saw a magnificent white stag in the field. Before long a pack of wolves attacked the stag slashing into it's flesh and knocking it over, the man looked away knowing the stag was doomed, but turned back when he heard a wolf cry out. The stag had attacked one of the wolves and stabbed it with it's horn through it's neck. Other wolves continued to bite and slash at it, but it slowly killed one wolf after another bashing their heads with it's hooves and biting chunks of flesh off. The man swallowed his fear and charged the wolves, which bit and scratched at him as well, and together the two killed all the beasts. He stood there covered in blood, his heart beating hard. He watched the badly wounded stag get closer. He finally stopped just inches away from the man, one of his massive wounds bleeding deeply into the ground. The stag bit into the man's chest and ate his heart. The man, in shock fell over. The stag stood over him and bled into his wounds, feeling the deer's chilled blood enter his chest. The wound quickly healed and the man felt himself getting stronger and healthier by the second. Before long he felt stronger than he ever had. He leaned up and thanked the stag. The Stag then ran off into the woods. The man brought the wolf bodies to his cave and ate well the rest of that winter. The Staag now lives within that cave, watching over the forest, ensuring that only the strongest survive.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

To the Staagur, every scar is beautiful, and every scar's story is fascinating. Raiders, hunters, and housewives alike enjoy hearing about the cause of a scar.

Gender Ideals

To the Staagur, a man and woman are equal. Once a woman is with child they are expected to stay home and raise their young, but to never let their skills in combat wear thin. Should an attacker come, they must be ready at any moment. Men usually lead raiding parties, but women have been seen among their numbers.

Courtship Ideals

An event called a bonding is held between an interested person and the person they are interested in. If the challenger wins the fight, their prize is theirs, if they lose their prize can choose to kill them, exile them from the tribe, ban them from attempting again, or encourage them to try again in a year's time. The last of which seems to be almost a form of flirting among them.
One who is claimed is allowed a chance to fight for their freedom from the relationship at a later time if they so choose, but most Staagur are pleased with being selected by someone at all.
Blood is shared between them signifying they are bound together.

Relationship Ideals

A relationship to the Staagur is known as a bonding. They don't have any particular status such as marriage, rather it is known that they will lay and breed children for the tribe.
Once a heart is claimed, they belong to one another through thick and thin. If one partner is abusive to another however, they are fully permitted to fight back. To them, a scar that comes from a heated argument or a heated night in bed can be just as interesting as one from combat.
Cheating is a concept punishable by the victim's choice. Popular choices are castration, exile, and of course death.

Related Locations

• Orisia