Wolfmen

Wolfmen are residents of Moroza who resemble humanoid wolves.

Government Structure

Wolfmen do not have a singular government. Instead, they are a multitude of packs, which are formed around hunting together.

Pack Leader

Pack Leaders are the heads of the Pack. They are in charge of all hunting operations, though they may delegate these tasks if they are sick or injured.
Pack Leaders also deal with diplomacy and internal relations. Anyone who is having any problems confides in the Pack Leader, who guides them in anything they can. Pack Leaders are of varying strength, some of which being stronger and carrying the pack, while others do not gain individual strength, instead opting to train their Pack to be as strong as them so they can be on equal footing.

Guyug the Wolfman by Jarhed

Settlements

Wolfmen do not build permanent settlements. Instead, they are nomadic, roaming around Moroza with Frost Giants and their Pack to hunt.
Sometimes during wars with the Mishans or Fenns they will occupy their cities for some time. This is the closest one gets to the Wolfmen owning land.
Wolfmen have often taken control of the Mishan settlement of Kisemna, a port city accessible to outsiders in the rest of Totania. This is how outsiders have become as aware of Wolfmen as they are, since finding a Pack would be nearly impossible without help.

Culture

Wolfmen Culture is not very well known, as few people have studied the residents of Moroza. Here is what is known.

Famous Tales

Not too many famous Wolfman stories are known. There is one famous Wolfman story, which gets told over and over again. A story featured in The Bear Book, a story of Mishan folk tales.
This story is known as the "Mole in the Snow." It is of a Wolfman named Nazar who was caught in a war with the Mishans.
Nazar found that his fellow soldiers were being wiped out by the Mishans left and right, and in a desperate attempt, dug under the snow.
Here, Nazar found that he could still hear where the Mishans were above him. Slowly but surely, he dug out traps in the ground to take out the Mishans. They would fall in and the snow would collapse, suffocating them. He continued this until only the Tsar was left, and then popped out from the ground and killed the Tsar.
This story is meant to be a warning of the many dangers under the snow in Moroza, and that you should always watch your step.

Courtship

Wolfmen are, unsurprisingly, wolflike in their mating culture. They mate for life, with partners sticking together until one of them dies.
As is customary in culture, there is a weeklong mourning period for the Wolves when one dies, and then they are expected to get back out on the dating scene and find a new mate.
Wolfmen date by hunting with another Wolfman that catches their interest. Then, they bring their prize to this other Wolfman and hope that they like it.

Education

Wolfmen do not study at any school or learn much of anything at all. Their only formal education is from spies who learn Fenn and Mishan learning techniques.

Gender

Wolfmen are called Wolfmen, but they do have women as well. There is no defined difference for them in society, other than the fact that women bear children.
They cannot farm or weave clothes like in other societies because Wolfmen simply do not do either of those things. Instead, they hunt like all other Wolfmen. Outside researchers call them Wolfwomen, but Wolfmen have asked kindly (by biting said researchers) to stop calling them that.
They are considered fierce and terrifying women, as they hunt even when pregnant.

History

Wolfman history is more well known than the other races of Moroza. This is partially due to the partnership with the Frost Giants, the only race on Moroza who are aware of the greater Totanian practice of recorded history.
Wolfman history's first documented event is their partnership with the Frost Giants in -1210 after Pack Leader Mykyta defeated the Frost Giants in battle. Here, the Frost Giant known as Elias recorded the event, and also said they told stories of a great Pack Leader named Ruslan who was the first to defeat the Mishans in battle.

Yakiv by Jarhed

Elias estimated that Ruslan did so, based on their accounts, 50 years prior in -1260. There is no proof of this, and the year Wolfmen were created is unknown, but this was an estimate given what Elias knew of their lifespans and that they seemed to talk of him as if a couple generations had passed since.
Wolfmen society's next major historical event was the quake, where multiple Packs are said to have clashed in battle. It was said to have been devestating, but when the Mishans attempted to capitalize off of this, all Packs unified to rush against the Mishans.
Their footsteps are said to have shaken Moroza, and that is why they no longer unify together. It is said they will once more unify when a great threat has been detected, though many scholars speculate that if the World Court were to call them together, they would follow the order.

Trade

The Wolfmen do not trade. They will give scraps they have left to the Mishans in return for some things, and they are given other items by the World Court.
The Wolfmen do not engage in trade officially. The Mammen city Ruzrugh, which keeps record of world trade, does not even list the Wolfmen. The only mention in the Ruzrugh Records features the World Court sending food and weaponry to them.
Some Wolfmen packs decline these, saying they will hunt for food and make their own weapons. Others take it, as it is useful for them to not need to get everything themselves.

Famous Pack Leaders

Some Pack Leaders of the Wolfmen have been immortalized in the oral traditions of their culture. Here are some of them.

• Ruslan- The first Pack Leader of note, who was the first to triumph in battle against the Mishans.
• Mykyta- Said to have single-handedly defeated a pack of Frost Giants, Mykyta is responsible for the alliance of Wolfmen and Frost Giants.
• Guyug- Killed the Mishan King with his mighty bite, and is the first Morozan representative to go to the Magic College.
• Yakiv- Pack Leader at the same time as Guyug, Yakiv was Guyug's mentor and the first Pack Leader to bow to the will of the World Court officially.

Religion

The Wolfmen worship Chernobog, the God of the Void and Demons. He is also God of Tyranny and Domination.
Not all Wolfmen are religious, as a matter of fact their religion is very barebones. They simply do rituals to honor Chernobog whenever they win a battle or are eating a meal. The pack leaders do a bit more in worship of Chernobog, making sure to build effigies of him out of bones and carry them at all times.
He preaches that the Wolfmen must be subjugated by the stronger pack leaders to keep them in check. Wolfmen do not dislike this as some other societies do, saying that the strong should be the one who leads them in hunt, which is what most of their society is based around.

Diplomatic Relations

Wolfmen have a complicated relationship with the other Morozan races.
Their closest allies are the Frost Giants, who live with Wolfmen in their packs. The Wolfmen hunting packs either hunt and fight prey with the Giants, or lead their prey into the traps of the Giants. They sleep protected by giants, and lead them into battle. They have been called like Dogs to the Giants, but in truth Giants are like Dogs to the Wolfmen.
With Mishans, Wolfmen have fought endless wars throughout their entire history. The two races considered each other their worst enemies for much of history, however once the Wolfmen killed the last Mishan Tsar, relations changed.
Tsar Sackerton of the Mishans has been friendly to the Wolfmen, even abandoning their old ally the Fenns to ally with the Mishans and Frost Giants.
The Fenns have never been on good terms with the Wolfmen. As the most "civilized" race on Moroza, the Fenns value intellect and softness in all aspects. Wolfmen are brash and violent, never settling down. Therefore, the two races are diametrically opposed.
The final major relation the Wolfmen have is to the World Court. The Wolfmen are sent things by the World Court in exchange for following some basic rules of order that the World Court gives out to them. Sometimes, the World Court even orders packs of Wolfmen to carry out tasks, which they gladly do in return for the goods the World Court gives them.

A more recent historical event is that death of the Mishan Tsar at the hands of Guyug, a young man who was then promoted to Pack Leader. He was taken under the wing of fellow Pack Leader Yakiv, who introduced Guyug to the World Court.
Slowly but surely, the Wolfmen have gotten on friendlier terms with the World Court, intent on using this connection to invade Elone and attack it as they do the Morozan settlements of Mishans and Fenns.
To do this, Yakiv and Guyug allied with Tsar Sackerton, the new Tsar of the Mishans, against the Fenns. The Fenns opposed the invasion idea. Due to this struggle, the Wolfmen are considered to not be a true threat, as the Fenns have been able to put up a good struggle against the joint force, and the World Court would surely stop any invasion like that.
Some consider the envoys of Guyug, Fjord, Boris Nesti, Janusz Lisi, and Moroz to be a part of this plan. They say they might be scouts, but the Mishans specifically insist they are to make diplomatic ties with Elone and other important figures in the world.

Biology

Fur

Wolfmen grow fur over their bodies, which keeps them warm during wintertime. The fur color denotes the different species of Wolf they may be. This is genetic, and is passed down from parent to child.
The fur grows back quickly when shaved, and some Wolfmen do this in summertime when it gets warmer so they can grow a new coat. Others consider larger, older coats of fur to be signs of strength, as none of it has been cut away in battle or in the hunt.
Those that do cut off their fur sometimes make jackets, which are distributed for a high price to visitors of Moroza if they can find Wolfmen that have them.

Height

Wolfmen can range from 6ft tall all the way to 8ft tall. They often walk on all fours, so it is rare to see one at their full height. It is, however, possible.

Claws

Wolfmen have claws on their fingers and toes, which are razor sharp. Wolfmen often do not carry weapons because these claws serve just as good a purpose.

Teeth

Wolfmen teeth are feared throughout Moroza. It is said the bite of a Wolfman could tear through flesh with ease, and if force were applied, even the toughest Emetian skin would struggle to withstand them.

Diet

Wolfmen eat meat primarily. It is unknown whether they could survive off of a diet of entirely plants, as plants do not normally grow on Moroza. Frost Onions are one of the few types of plants, and Wolfmen have a severe dislike for the bland taste, preferring meat soaked in blood or, in recent times, the sauces and spices given to them by the World Court.

Lifespan

Wolfmen are said to live for at average 30 years. Some old Wolfmen, if they retire from hunting and are protected by their pack, may live to 50 or even 60. Others die in the hunt before their 20th birthday.