The Walara

The Walara are a strange bunch; but I suppose you have to be to survive in the frigid Wastes of the north. They are masters of camouflage and stealth, hunters of strange beasts, and seem to have no real civilized culture to speak of. They appear to kill each other just as often as they kill the wooled reindeer, and their weapons are of a strange make. They are untrusting of outsiders, yet for some reason have taken my party into their hidden caves and have treated us as if we were family, but somehow still remain guarded. I don't quite know how to describe them. It is something that has to be experienced for yourself.

from the diary of Reginald Woolsworth, explorer and entrepreneur

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Flurry, Snowflake, Tempest, Icicle, Storm

Masculine names

Bear, Wolf, Caribou, Whitefox, Lemming

Family names

There are no family names, individuals are instead referred to as son of ___ , or daughter of ____

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Broken Common, Walar, Snowspeak

Shared customary codes and values

Each member of the tribe looks out for every other member of the tribe. Survival of the tribe is the most important thing. Food is to be shared with the whole tribe. A portion of each hunt is set aside for those too weak to hunt for themselves. Kindness to travelers: the environment is harsh, and though outsiders are not to be trusted, they are to be aided. They are to be fed and sheltered as if they belonged to your own family. If one saves your life you owe them your trust and your love, and you must repay the debt if given the chance.

Average technological level

Mostly flint arrowheads and stone knives. Tanning, weaving, and slight craftsmanship with wood.

Common Etiquette rules

It is polite to eat with your fingers, bow your head in greeting, and keep your eyes averted during moments of stress or weakness so that others are not shamed by the sight of their tears.

Common Dress code

Lots of layers and warm furs. Women and men alike wear pants. Heavy snow boots for men and warm slippers for women. Men wear fur hats, women let their hair flow loose.

Art & Architecture

The Walara do not build stone structures, they live in cave systems, sometimes expanded by chiseling away at the walls, with tent cities created using animal pelts and cured wood. They paint pictures of their hunts, weddings, births, and other clan records on the walls of these caves.

Coming of Age Rites

Young men go on their first lone hunt when they come of age. Young women complete a fur tapestry, starting when they reach adolescence and completing it the night before their wedding.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Dead tribe members are wrapped tightly in furs and left a mile from the cave in the tribe's burial ground, which is full of frozen bodies. A feast celebrating the life of the deceased is prepared while the men take the body out and the rest of the evening is spent in feasting and celebration.

Common Taboos

Wasting food, leaving parts of the hunt that could be useful, betraying a visitor or a host, refusing to help someone who once saved your life, going back on your word.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

The ideal man is strong and stocky, with broad shoulders and light hair. The ideal woman is slim with long, blonde hair.

Gender Ideals

Men are tough and strong, they never cry in front of others, they are silent when they have nothing important to say. They are hunters, warriors, and protectors. Women are gentle and healers. They do not cry in front of strangers, but are permitted to cry in front of close friends. They are quiet, storytellers, and teachers.

Courtship Ideals

Men and women can both initiate a courtship, traditionally by kneeling in front of the other and offering them a slice of caribou meat (to women) or bear meat (to men) from a bowl held in both hands.
The courtship should be long and chaperoned, with the couple never being alone together. It consists of the man hunting for the woman, the woman cooking for the man, and the two of them talking or going on walks. It also consists of prolonged periods of separation of the two. Essentially, they will court for a couple of weeks and then stay out of each other's way for a couple of weeks. They do this periodically in order to see when they are the happiest.

Relationship Ideals

A couple should be loving and supportive of each other, each providing for the other, and caring for their children. The man should protect and care for his wife, and his wife should care for and provide support to her husband.

Encompassed species

• Mammoth Elk

Languages spoken

• Walar