Verian

The wild men of Veria and Kohst are broad, stocky, powerfully built, fair-haired warriors who dwell within the endless forests and grey mountains of the uncivilized green lands.
They are proud people who's successes in the Tryperian outskirts have emboldened their sense of identity and ambition in recent generations.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Addela, Amerlia, Bjorga, Edda, Girhild, Gilsa, Hild, Ishilda, Ragna, Signi

Masculine names

Aegulph, Aelfgar, Baggi, Dagr, Ebhardt, Gerbern, Gerulf, Hurt, Oldric, Sindag

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Verians speak Verian. Those in the extreme north of Kohst or Verian may also or exclusively speak North Speech and those near or in Tryperia may speak Eperian Franca.

Shared customary codes and values

Verians value the land, they revere the forest and the mountains if not the individual trees and stones. Centuries of conflict with the Tryperians and among themselves have forged Verians into fierce warriors.

Common Dress code

Verians wear clothes of wool and gambeson, often dyed in a variety of colors, blue and green being the most common. Beards and hair are usually kept tied or braided. Warriors in battle often fight bare chested.

Art & Architecture

Verian architecture is purely functional. Usually living in yurts or other forms of round, thatched huts made from wood or unshaped stone. Verians will sometimes carve or paint murals on large rocks or carve scenes into living trees.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

To earn the right to use a sword a warrior must return from battle with the severed head of an enemy.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

The baptism of blood occurs when an animal is sacrificed to Kahl and the mother paints her breast with it's blood before the first breastfeeding of a newborn child. It is said to imbue the child with a gift of strength from Kahl.

Coming of Age Rites

A captured wild animal (or sometimes a condemned prisoner) will be loosed into the wilderness wearing a tag or collar. A young man will be sent out in pursuit. He will be considered a warrior when he returns with the tag. The occasion is often commemorated with a tattoo.

Funerary and Memorial customs

The bodies of the dead are painted with traditional markings and wrapped in white or blue (or red in the case of veteran warrior) linen and feasted around for an afternoon before being placed upon a pyre and burned.
In the event of mass death such as in battle, the bodies may be placed in a burial mound rather than burned.

Common Taboos

To hide the spoils of a hunt from the knowledge of the tribe is considered theft.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Pals skin and fair hair is considered attractive. Men are expected to have beards and tattoos are common. Women are expected to grow their hair long and keep it braided and tied out of the way.

Courtship Ideals

Young men will often barter with the fathers of prospective wives. If there are multiple suitors the father will give his daughter's hand to the one who offers the most valuable deal.

Languages spoken

• Verian