Wolven
Note: The following text describes the society and lifestyle of a majority of wolven, yet it is not fit to hold for all of them. In regions where the wolven are a minority (a minority not dominating the rest of the society that is), the wolven have adapted and their habits have changed. Besides, the wolven have existed for over thousands of years, and there are wolven tribes out there which still hold on to social structures and habits, which the majority of the wolven have long forgotten. So, read up, but don't take it for fixed in concrete. Take it as an advice and a possibility to play wolven characters consistently, but nothing more.
"…As we walked towards Caer Winterrage, my guide and friend Conr Irongrip pointed at the human, elven, goblin and wolven corpses, which bordered the path which led up to the entrance. They were thrusted on spikes and spears, sometimes complete corpses, sometimes only the heads, all of them still wearing their armors, or at least their helmets, which gave them away as being soldiers once. Flies were swarming them, some of them already crawling with white maggots, yet most of them seemed to be dead only for days. The path between them was tinted in the color of dried blood. All this sent a clear message: Mess with us, and you end up like this. No second chances. The Caer itself was basically a wooden fort, or better… a fortified village. I saw wolven in crude leather armor patrolling the ledges of the fortified walls, staring down on us, as we approached. The exchange of a short nod between Conr and the two grey furred wolven guarding the entrance gave us the permission to enter. But as soon as we passed this magical border, everything changed. I saw smiling wolven women, carrying embellished wooden baskets with food. I saw humans and elves, I knew already they were slaves, talking and even joking with their wolven masters, and I saw children, humans, halfbreeds and wolven, playing in the dirt. I saw all this, just a few footsteps away from the corpses of slain enemies which were still visible through the closing wooden gate behind us. It confirmed what I learned years ago with my friend. To wolven, death was an eternal companion. The growling voice of Conr pulled me out of my thoughts. “Three packs of Tribe Winterrage live in this Caer, Edoron, together with their slaves and children. We have to apply to the Caer Alpha, to get the permission to stay for longer than a day. Follow me..."
“The pack has roamed this area long enough. We have to leave and return next year, when the hunting grounds have replenished.“ The pack alpha nodded to this statement of his shaman, and stepped out of the tent. I followed him.“Ulfar is right, this region has nothing for us to gain anymore. Let Gaea do her part, such we may return next spring”. His gaze wandered about the 27 tents which were the home of his pack before he turned to me: “We will leave this area now, and move to the north, to hunt for mammoth. Your way leads south, but I encourage you to stay for a little longer, and share one last evening with us. We will feast and then we will mate, and it seems as if Shanra has found quite some interest in you, “Elven Emmisary”." I never had any regret about staying for the evening. I saw the impressive efficiency, with which the wolven took down their camp, taking half a day for something which I estimated as at least two days work. And when the evening came… I did plan to wander south, meet with my kin, and write the book I had been researching for 2 years. But this last evening, this evening with Shanra, made me change my plans. It is only much later now, that I write these letters, yet I still recall every minute of this fateful day, and I shall never forget it, as long as I live”…
Basic Information
Biological Traits
Wolven remind at large antrophomorphic wolves, and thus share at least superficial commonality with werewolves, which as led to some tragic misconceptions in the past. Whereas Werewolves are humans or eadun elves infected by the lycanthropy expression of the plague, wolven are a proper race with an, although shamanistic and primal, culture, which very well distinguishes them from the raging beasts which are werewolves.
Wolven carry a dense fur, which aids them in the nordic climate from which they hail from. It gets denser during winter, and lighter during summer. But, as well as they are adapted to the northern cold, as bad they are adapted to the south, where the ever present heat in regions like Orom, the Evergreen penisula, the Eternal Forests or the Plain of Eridu really puts a test to their constitution.
Genetics and Reproduction
Wolven, Sex and Procreation
Wolven do not have many children. They explain it with the intricate and complex designs of several gods which influenced their creation, instead of being just one, as it is the case with the other races. Of course this may be a myth, yet the fact remains that wolven are not blessed with children very often, and, rumors aside, never with litters, as many humans may think, extrapolating their experiences with wolfs. When pregnant, wolven women rarely ever give birth to twins, which is often considered a wonder and means that the parents had been host to the spiritual essence of two wolven gods, and should be considered candidates for the ascend to godhood in the End of Time. Given this, wolven would have become extinct long ago, if they followed similar social taboos as many human societies do. However they do not. Wolven do not know monogamy, and consider even the concept of "staying faithful" as unnatural. Each adult wolven in a pack may have more than one partner, and it is not frowned upon. However the result of this mess is that it often becomes quite hard to tell which child belongs to which father, but the wolven solve this dilemma by raising their children by the pack. In fact every wolven of the pack feels a strong obligation to do this, and the protection instinct of wolven concerning their children has become close to legendary. This protection instinct even transcends to halfbreeds and, oddly, to the children of other races too. It is said that one does not know rage, who didn’t dare to threaten a child in the presence of a wolven. Be it as it may be, this community effort to raise children also benefits the pack as a whole, because it allows wolven females to take on their role in the pack shortly after weaning the children, thus mobilizing necessary resources in the usually harsh environments wolven live in.Halfbreeds
Often humans think that wolven will not allow halfbreeds to live, that they consider them a disgrace to the wolven legacy, and a waste of a perfectly good chance to father a “true” wolven, yet this is the result of superstitions, false myths, and probably even projection of what humans would do (at least that’s how wolven rationalize this stupid belief.) In fact wolven often take slaves, and not just for hard labor. Sometimes children are the result of this. Given the false myths, one might think that this brings disgrace to the wolven who owns these slaves, but it doesn't. The wolven who owns pregnant slaves shows that wolven women are not waisting their time, and wolven women who have just shown their fertility by giving birth to a halfbreed, will be wanted partners, shortly after they weaned it. Nevertheless, there are differences between halfbreeds and full wolven. While full wolven are allowed to challenge another wolven for a place in the hierarchy, this opportunity is never given to halfbreeds. Thus they are always bound to the lowest rank, the rank of the omega wolven, yet, even worse, they have no chance to escape it, like ordinary wolven do.Additional Information
Social Structure
Wolven Organization.
Wolven have two social groups they belong to: The pack, and the tribe.The Tribe
The usual wolven tribe consists of 10 and more packs (the biggest tribes count around 50 packs), yet the Tribe as a whole plays a relatively small part in the wolvens everyday life, and thus, speaking importance, takes a place beneath the pack in the wolvens mind. In times of peace, wolven barely ever think about the tribe, even though they automatically respect other wolven from different packs, yet of the same tribe, as some of their own. Yet, the tribe simply has no practical relevance, as long as there is no threat of a war or no pack is in dire need of help In these rare occasions though, the wolven of a tribe gather in a formal tribal meeting, which they call a thing. They meet either on a place which has spiritual meaning to the whole tribe, or at a place which is strategically advantageous to wolven. In either case, decisions will have to be made, and this means that there has to be a tribe alpha. The alphas of each pack gather and decide, or fight for, who shall take the position of the tribe alpha. Because wolven like decisions to be made quickly, this process seldom takes longer than the first day of the thing. When the alpha of the tribe is decided, the other alphas become his representatives or generals, depending on the occasion which called forth the thing. Then the reason for the thing is brought before this council of alphas and their trusted shamans. Each pack is allowed to speak, before the Tribe Alpha decides: Be it either to go to war (which he then consequently leads), be it that he reconciles or decides the argument that stands between the packs or be it that he decides to grant the help of the tribe to the pack in need, or, very rarely, deny it.The Pack
Wolven are organized in loose packs of up to thirty adult wolven (not counting children, halfbreeds or slaves), even though a pack might grow to up to twice this size. Yet, this only happens before the pack splits, thus creating two packs which then roam the territory of their tribe independently. This Splitup is a necessary consequence of the aggressive and dominating nature of the wolven, because in a working pack every wolven has its place in a clearly defined hierarchy. In times of peace, every wolven might be challenged by another wolven for his rank, and it often happens. When the pack grows too large, this habit becomes a stress on the overall efficiency of the pack. And when the place of a particular wolven in the pack becomes blurry, because there are just too many wolven competing for the same rank, they become uneasy, even more aggressive than usual, until the alpha and the shaman of the pack decide, that it is best for the pack to divide. If this happens, the secondary shaman of the tribe, for there are always two, becomes the new primary shaman of the new pack and proclaims the “Path” (the wolven God) which the new pack is going to follow. Then both shamans pick a new student from their remaining packs, to prepare for the next division, or for the death of the primary shaman. Now the division of packs is complete, while the wolven of the new pack immediately begin to compete for the ranks in the hierarchy of the new packs.Hierarchy of the pack:
The Alpha
No one knows where the Word "alpha" originated, yet it is a common name for the rank of the leading wolven in a pack, and fix part of the wolven language. The alpha wolven may be a male or female wolven leading the pack.The wolven have, due to their polygamous nature, just one leader, instead of a leading couple, as it is the case with wolfs and in the strong superstition of humans about wolven. The alpha wolven leads the wolven in times of war, and this is the only time when he cannot be challenged by other wolven for his rank. In times of peace, the alpha decides where to hunt, and were to roam and also about wolven law. He may seek counsel with the shamans, and, in difficult cases even the warriors (yet never the godspeakers, their perspective is too skewed because they are too close to the ideal of one particular wolven god). The role of the alpha Wolven have few fixed priorities to protect, but those they have, are adamant, and it is the alphas job to watch out for them: 1. The Well being of the Children Wolven have few Children, and they will not tolerate anything, that threatens them. You threaten the Children, and your life is forfeit. There won’t be a call to the alpha, there won’t be a court. The wolven will gather and end you. No pack or tribe will protect you. You are a dead man walking. But not for long. 2. Well being of the pack The alpha leads his pack and is its final judge. He is responsible for the well being of the pack. The “Eye for an eye” mindset of wolven is prone to lead to feuds, if none of the wranglers yields, and without the wolven alpha there would be no way to keep these conflicts in check. As long as such a feud runs with just two wolven, it’s their matter, yet if it begins to spread and threaten the functionality of the pack, it becomes the matter of the wolven alpha. In this case, as in all cases when the behavior of a particular wolven becomes a threat to the pack, he may decide to end the feud (or the malicious behavior) for good, and, depending on the damage which it caused, punish the wolven as he sees fit.The shaman and the secondary shaman
It is said, that sometimes, when a wolven is blessed with a soul older then ages, which has lived many lives already, he feels the urge to choose the Common Ground as his Path. The wolven then knows, that he is either the reincarnation of a shaman, or a soul that stands on the brink of becoming one. But the shamans path comes at a price. While all other wolven can at least hope to become the avatar of one of the seven gods one day, the shaman gives up this possibility when choosing the path of the "Common Ground". No god would choose the shaman as his avatar in the End of Days, for it means that the deity would have to give up too many of its views. Nevertheless the Gods are not ungrateful. With the power to see the spirits which inhabit the world, and the ability to talk to them, Shamans can wield great magic. Because of this, and because of the great sacrifice the shamans bring, when choosing their path, they are truly honoured by the wolven of their tribe. The rank of the shaman in the wolven society, together with the rank of a secondary shaman or a godspeaker, cannot be achieved by a challenge. Given the wolven beliefs it is also not a rank to strive for, at least for most wolven. When a wolven pack splits, or the old shaman dies, the former secondary shaman becomes a fully recognized shaman, either in one of the new packs, or in the old pack itself. The role of the shaman is to give advice about the will of the gods to the alpha and to the pack. In questions important to the whole tribe (or pack), the Alpha can turn to the Shaman and ask for the advice of the gods (which happens seldom, so the Alpha would not to lose his face, meaning the believe of the other wolven in his ability to make own decisions.) Thi advice however is just that, an advice, even if the most wolven Alphas listen to the words of the Shamans. The Shaman then retires from the material world for a few days, and holds council with the gods. Assisted is he by the tribes (packs) godspeakers, which accompany him in his tent. Within this debate, the shaman represents the wolven point of view, while each godspeaker represent the view of their god. Thus the shamans task is to moderate the differences of the gods, so the council could come to a result. It is an important role, and almost immediately after a wolven becomes the primary shaman of a pack, he searches for a secondary shaman to train. If a wolven pack loses its primary shaman, without there being a secondary who has finished the training, the pack has to rely on other packs of their tribe. When a secondary shaman loses his teacher, before the time is right, he seeks out the Alpha and asks for a formal tribe meeting (a Thing), in which he presents the case and asks for assistance. Often a secondary shaman of another pack will then join the asking pack as a new primary one, or, if there is no fully trained secondary shaman yet, the other packs allow the asking secondary shaman as an additional student to their primary shaman. Of course this means, that the pack, which lost their primary shaman, will roam the lands completely without proper spiritual guidance for at least some time, and the first solution remains the preferred one.The pack warriors (beh'ta)
The warriors , called "beh'ta" are the "second in command", the officers of the alpha. They may represent the alpha in decisions which do not affect the whole pack, they enforce his decisions, if necessary, and they are leading wolven on the hunt and in battle. Most packs will have five or six beh'ta which lead on the rest of the pack.The Godspeakers
"Judge me by my size, do you? Hm? Mmmm? You should not. For my ally is Fenr, and a strong ally he is"Old souls, which have lived many lives, and proven valuable to a god by following its path truly through many generations, sometimes become chosen to be the Gods Speakers for one life. These souls feel the urge to spread his word, and his views. Being a godspeaker for one live means of course, hat the wolvens soul has at least some chances of becoming an avatar in the End Of Days, because he followed the god's path so well. This is the reason, why the wolven often see Godspeakers as role models. Godspeakers are, as the name indicates, able to speak to their gods, even if the wolven believe, that the reason is completely different to the reason why Shamans are able to speak to do so. The wolven shaman can speak to the gods because of his ability to sense and manipulate the spiritual world, because the gods once gave up their corporeal existence, and became spirits within the wolvens common conscience. A shaman is thus completely independent from the gods, which allows him to keep his neutrality between the gods positions, and thus ultimately to fulfil his purpose. The Godspeakers on the other hand contact their gods due to their deep personal connections to them. This allows a godspeaker to talk to his and only his god, and use the mighty magic that comes with this ability, but at the same time makes him dependent on the gods benevolence. Role of the Godspeaker (Wolven Clerics / Paladins) While the role of the Shaman is a passive one, the role of the Godspeakers is active. They may ask the gods, and the gods may give them advice, but the Godspeaker knows, that they will only give advice from their point of view. Now, even if to the particular Godspeaker this may be sufficient, to the other wolvens of the pack/Tribe it could prove dangerous to listen just to the words of one god. Thus seeking advice in these dimensions is the sole domain of the shamans. But the Shamans are stuck in the common path, where few development is possible. They cannot call upon the gods for magical help, because which god to call? What one God would accept, even encourage, could be seen as an abomination by the other. So to call upon this mighty help, the wolven turn to the Godspeakers, whose responsibility is only their god. The godspeakers are of similar social recognition as beh'ta, but without the permission to decide practical issues, due to their strong dependency on just one wolven god. This being an unofficial rank, it cannot be taken from them by a challenge.
The subordinate wolven
These wolven form the main body of the wolven society in a pack. Though they are no less warriors than the beh'ta, and they are hunting and fighting just like every wolven would, it is expected from them to take care of the everyday tasks, or see to it that they are taken care of. Most wolven who care for the children are subordinates, and they are also the ones which look after the weapons. They do not tan the leather though, because this is, due to the reek and the sensitive wolven noses, work for the omegas, who are of even lesser standing in the wolven society.The omega wolven.
Form the viewpoint of a particular omega, he or she may be the most insignificant being of all, part of the pack, yet only because they are tolerated by the wolven in better ranks. They are not of any value whatsoever. But this is not true. From the viewpoint of the pack as a whole, the omegas are almost as important to the functionality of the pack, as the alpha is. This is due to the fact, that arguments are natural part of the wolven every day life, but wherever there is a winner, there is always a loser, a frustrated loser with bottled up emotions. If there was no possibility for the wolven to get rid of these emotions, they would endanger the very structure of the pack. The omega is this possibility. A wise wolven alpha will know this, and care for it, that the taunt and the cruel games, which the omegas are subjected to, do not get out of hand and endanger the omegas life. Though, then again, this brings shame on the omegas, because they have to rely on the alpha to protect them. A wolven alpha who does not heed to wisdom and care for his omegas will at first lose them, be it because they die, or because they run away. And then he will have to watch how his pack tears itself apart. The work of an omega does not differ greatly from that of a slave, which comes as no surprise, as the rank is only slightly better. (halfbreeds are born into this rank, but due to them not being allowed to challenge a wolven, they are stuck with it). Work which is dull, time consuming or unloved by the other wolven is set to be done by omegas and slaves. The tanning of leather for example is a job traditionally associated with omega wolven, because of the reek, which is even less bearable for the fine wolven noses.Slaves
"You thought of Mr. Muragi as weak and old, useless as a slave. Thats why you gave him to me. But he isn't. He is a great warrior, and taught me his art"
"Yes, Danjel-Son. Never show any mercy. Mercy is for the weak. That is the secret of my art. Now beat him up"Wolven take slaves. Some humans may know grisly stories about what wolven did to settlers, about the killing sprees and about humans being torn to pieces, after the wolven were done tormenting them. This is, depending on the region where the humans stem from, either propaganda, or complete superstition. Wolven are not known to squander. If someone gets caught in a wolven raid, and he is not wielding a weapon, there is a good chance for him or her to end up as a wolven slave. There are many tasks, boring or time consuming, in the wolvens everyday life, which have to be taken care of, so why waste perfectly good candidates who can see to that? Each wolven, be it the alpha or even one of the omegas, may have the amount of slaves, which he or she is able to take care of and keep in check. Yet nevertheless, even if omegas are allowed to keep slaves, they hardly ever get one. This is due to the wolven habit of dividing the “loot” after a successful raid. The wolven alpha comes first, then the warriors and shamans, then the subordinate wolven. A wise wolven leader will always care for an amount of slaves to be given to his subordinates too, to keep the pack satisfied, but the omegas position is just too low, such that they only get slaves if there is someone which the other wolven simply won’t take, be it because the wolven consider the slave ugly, damaged or unfit for the service as a slave at all. When a wolvens challenges a superior and wins, and thus his rank in the pack rises, he is given the opportunity to take as many slaves from the loser as he sees fit, or barter them for some of his own. Former omegas which rise in rank often take all slaves from the loser, leaving the new omega with as many slaves as the former one owned beforehand, which means, in most cases, none. The work of slaves ranges from simple, dull tasks, such as grinding the wheat every morning, or pumping up groundwater with the “Wheel of Life” (which has become infamous as “Wheel of pain” to the slaves themselves), to specialized tasks such being a scribe, if they are able to write and read, and the wolven see a need for such.
Gaea, Magic, Druids and Mages
"Does all magic come from the gods, wise Gelor?" "No, Gaet, all magic comes from Gaea, and we use it." "But the shamans, and the godspeakers... they say that their magic comes from the gods. And when i sharpen my claw, it is Fenr who i call..." "Yes, that is true, we usually use the power which the gods give us, to craft our magic, and only Gaeodes and Gaeans dont follow this path. But where do you think does the power of the gods come from?"
Gaeodes (Traders with Gaea) (Wolven Druids)
"But the Gaeodes... they pray to Gaea right?" "No... they don't. She is all around us, and so is her magic that holds everything together. The Gaeodes know how to take something from this power. But they also know about the importance of balance. So they take only what is necessary, and give something back in return. They don't need to speak to her, for she wouldn't answer. It is as if they would sneak into another wolvens tent, take some food, but leave some tools as payment."Sometimes there are wolven children, who can talk to the animals. When the Clan is hungry, the animals just come to them and lay down before the tents to be slaughtered. The wolven then know that a Gaeode, a wolven druid is with them. Like Shamans and Godspeakers, he is able to wield magic, and is honored within the tribe, even if his path is not as fixed as theirs. While Shamans choose the Common Ground, and Godspeaker he path of their god, a druid has complete freedom of decision, and so there can be Druids following Arha, or Fenr, or Rhe... just... not Gaea. They honor her, they watch about her to repay her... they just don't worship her. It would be futile, and not desirable that she answers, for in a system of survival of the strongest, there has to be an absolute reference, and this reference has to be merciless. How could you otherwise tell strength from weakness, if the weak are helped. So the druid is relatively free, compared to Shamans or Godspeakers, relative because most, if not all, spend their live in a system of taking to help he tribe, and giving back to keep the balance.
Gaeans (Thiefs on Gaea) (Wolven Wizards & Sorcerors)
"But if she doesn't notice... why can't we just take from her power?" "This is how Gaeans argue" "But... isn't their magic more powerful?" "Yes, but we can't say aything about Gaea. Probably she notices. And she is the god of the gods. So.. tell me Gaed. Do you want to be near one of them IF she notices?"That summarizes it pretty good. Sometimes there are wolven, blessed with Gaeas might, who, when they still were young, tried to see what would happen, when they would not repay Gaea. Just for little things first... And oddly... Nothing happened. And so these wolven took more and more and gave less and less in return. But they are not of good standing with the other wolven, which is why most of them leave the tribes, to learn from other races more about magic. These wolven often loose the believe that the magical fabric is part of Gaea, or the believe into Gaea as an all-encompassing being at all. They had stolen too often and the invisible shopkeeper did nothing, and there is no sense in having a bad conscience all day, because of something nonexistent. In the eyes of these wolven, Gaea becomes but a stupid superstition. But even if it leaves the mind of the wolven mage... when he was raised in the original belief, it will not leave his heart. And so he can't be entirely sure, and probably one day... The few mages who stay have a hard live, for even if they are not actively attacked (well, sometimes accidents happen...), they are generally avoided. Because nobody wants to even know a Gaean, when Gaea notices that something is missing in her tent...
Wolven Lifestyle
Living in a Caer
For several centuries now, the wolven society is undergoing a massive change. The immense pressure of human and elven settlements, invading territories formerly belonging to the wolven and the, though slowly, growing numbers of wolven in the wolven territories have led the wolven to overthink their nomadic lifestyle. While the wolven of the central wolven territories still hold on to the nomadic life of single packs, living in tents and following the migration routes of their prey, the wolven which live at the borders have recognized the strategic value of fortified settlements. The wolven call this form of settlement a “caer”. While still much smaller than the human cities, the biggest caers bear up to three hundred people, which breaks down to four to five packs of the same tribe, their slaves and their children. Spoken in wolven terms, these settlements are equivalent to a permanent partial thing of the tribe, and therefore one needed another form of alpha, which would lead these caers. This alpha is the so called “Caer alpha”. While each pack of the caer still has its own alpha, this caer alpha stands, hierarchically spoken, above them, turning it into another rank which a wolven can (and will) strive for. The responsibilities of the caer alpha are the same as those of a tribe alpha, with just the exception that this rank is constantly taken, instead of being assigned only when the necessity arises, and the caer alpha decides only for the packs of his caer. A typical caer will have a nave (wolven word for house or long house) for each pack which lives in the caer, the so called "pack naves" and a central, often bigger nave, which is called the "caer nave". The pack nave is where the shaman of the respective pack resides, together with the secondary shaman, if there is such. Counsels of the pack alpha with his beh’ta take place here, and here is where wolven come to declare the “Path” which they are going to follow (see religion). The caer nave is the place where newcomers, be it wolven of other packs of the tribe, or guests like merchants, have to apply to the caer alpha, who resides here for the time of his reign. The wolven themselves often live in naves surrounding the pack nave, which naturally leads to the formation of pack districts within the caer. Nevertheless, caer wolven have a much tighter relationship to their tribesmen of other packs, than the nomadic tribes do, and often there is at least one “inn” or some equivalent, where the wolven of different packs can meet. If present, this inn will usually be found in close vicinity of the caer nave or the market place. Relationships between wolven of different packs are common within a caer. Often, but not always, there will also be a central marketplace, where the wolven of the pack may barter for goods, be it with the wolven of the other packs, or with the traveling merchants, who have recognized the wolven settlements as good chances to earn money by bartering things wolven need or want (steel, beer) against things they are known to provide in good quality (leather, meat, ingredients for beer). It has even become a joke to expect at least one haggling dwarven merchant in this place, mostly because the inn is not far away, where he can rely on the quality of the beer, because it was him who sold it to the wolven. Every Caer is surrounded by a wooden palisade, where the wolven of each pack take turns on the watch. The wolven themselves haven’t found the patience yet to delve deeper into the secrets of stonemasonry to construct stonewalls. This may also be a reminder at their nomadic ancestry and their experience that, what may be a good strategic position now, may become a deathtrap another day, such that it would be a waste of working power to erect those walls. And wolven do not waste anything.Nomadic Life
When talking to a human about how he thinks wolven live, the traditional picture that comes to his mind is somewhat like this: A number of tents made of fur, either somewhere on the grass plains of the northern steppes, or on a glade in a dense oaken forest. For centuries it has been like this, and many wolven still follow this ideal. The traditional wolven camp is organized as follows: Located in the center is the tent of the shaman and, if there is one, the secondary shaman. It is surrounded by the tents of the wolven alpha and the beh'ta, which then again are surrounded by the tents of the subordinate wolven and the omegas. The slaves share the tents of the wolven they belong to. Not being bound to a specific location, like their cousins that live in a caer, the nomadic wolven packs often follow the migration routes of their prey. And while the days of equinox are still of spiritual meaning to the wolven which live in caers, they hold a very practical meaning to the nomadic wolven. Often it is these days when the wolven, after a long hunt, and an equally long orgy, take down their camp and begin their trek for the summer- or wintercamp. The lifestyle of these wolven is often less advanced than that of the caer bound wolven, mostly because they lack the trading possibilities, which those wolven have. Steel for example is a sought for commodity, and while spears are relatively common, weapons which are almost entirely made of steel (swords) are almost never to be seen. Another difference between nomadic wolven, and caer wolven is the importance of the hunt. While all wolven value the hunt as something special and important, being a successful hunter has a very practical meaning to the nomadic tribes. If the hunters fail, the pack will starve. This, among other things, leads to it, that wolven of the nomadic tribes are often better hunters, while wolven which live in a caer are usually better warriors.Geographic Origin and Distribution
Wolven hail from the The Wolven Forests, the Ocean Of Grass, the The Koda, the Frozen Thrones, the Wolven peaks. Some tribes live in the Hammer of Ice and have even found their way over the eternal Drift Ice of the Winter Sea and settled in the The Whispering Tundra. However, over the centuries singular wolven have also settled in human realms around the world.
Due to the general hot climate and their fur, they are rarely found regions south of the Black Crowns, the Dragon Teeth othe Inner sea. It happens though, and they usually are considered a curiosum then.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
The first name of a wolven is a about what his mother wishes for him. Because Wolven can rarely be sure about the identity of the father, this name is given to the wolven by the mother. Over the centuries this has become a tradition, and nowadays it is considered her sole right, which cannot be taken from her. Wolven names have three forms: A neutral, a male form and female form. In wolven scripture they are written the same, even if they are pronounced different. Sole male nameroots and sole female nameroots exist, yet they are seldom, because every name means a quality which the wolven mother wishes for her child to have, and most qualities apply to both sexes. Strength (ulfr) for example
Wolven male names are short, usually two syllables long. Three syllable long wolven male names are seldom. The same holds for female names, there are just more three syllable names due to the female flection.
Neutral: Aenr male: Aenir, Aenor, Aenar, female: Aenra, Aenira, Aenora Neutral: Adrn male: Adaran, Adaron, Adren female: Adrena, Adrona Neutral: Avr, male: Avar female: Ava, Avra Neutral: Avn male: Aven female: Avna Neutral: Albn male: Alben, Albon female: Albna, Albena Neutral: Alfhr male: Alfhor,Alfher female: Alfhera, Alfhira Neutral: Audr male: Audar, Audur, Audro female: Audera, Audara, Audra Neutral: Berngr male: Berengar, Berngur female: Berengra, Berenga Neutral: Caln male: Calon, Calen, Calni female: Calna, Calne Neutral: Conr Male: Cronn, Conner, Conar female: Conera, Conra, Crona Neutral: Crix Male: Crixen, Crixan female: Crixa, Crixi Neutral: Davk male: Davak, Davek female: Davika, Dakva, Davkha Neutral: Fenr Male Fener, Fenor female: Fenra, Fenora Neutral: Garn Male: Garon, Garan female: Garna, Garena Neutral: Gark male: Garoakh, Garak female: Garka, Gareka Neutral: Ulfr male: Ulfher, Ulfar female: Ulfhira, Ylfra Neutral: Shanr male Shanar, Shanor female: Shanira, Shanra Neutral: Veknr: male: Veknar, Veknor female: Veknara, VeknoraPlayer TIp:
When coming up with a wolven name, it is a good practice to look at list of ancient german, Slavic or gaelic names, take away some letters, such that one finds a somewhat Nordic sounding neutral form, and then extrapolate male and female form from this wordstem by adding some new letters. Or… if someone has a cool name already by looking at the lists, use that, and extrapolate the written form (neutral form) from it.
This list is by far not exhaustive, and there are wolven tribes which do not give names at all, but describe a wolven solely by what he can do best (Scout, Runner, Slayer), or other features (Fang). The list just describes usual wolven names. Again: This list is by far not exhaustive, and if you have a wolven name with a cool sound to it, then use it. It will work somehow.Most wolven then will have a second name which will describe attributes of the wolven, or things he or she had done once. This name is called "honor name". Wolven who have yet to show a trait which is worthy to be described in an honor name, are called "Son of..." or "Daugther of..." followed by the mothers name. Examples for Honornames: Sharpfang, Razorclaw, Bloodfang, Morningkill, Thunderhowl, Silentstrider etc...
Common Etiquette Rules
Typical wolven sentences
The following words, sentences and exclamations are almost solely used by wolven. The exception here is the word orc, which has found its way into the common language, yet hearing one of the other expressions almost certainly means that a wolven is nearby. Fenrs (Garns) balls , Arhas Tits. Used as swear words sometimes, but usually to emphasize a sentence, they were originally exclamations of astonishment and respect. The number of adjectives emphasizing the impressiveness of the respective body part scales with the astonishment which the wolven wants to express, with two adjectives being the maximum. Examples: "Fenr’s balls, this blade is as sharp as the butt of a mammoth." "Arhas firm tits… this is a large Horse you have there…" He/she has gone Hogwards The wolven use this to express, that, in their opinion, a person has gone too far on the path of forbidden knowledge. The source is of course the god Hog as the deity of forbidden knowlegde. Used for all mages which refuse to stay under the "protection" of the pack. Orc Wolven word for the Orc Race, which has found its way into the common language. Gaean Wolven Word for Mage Gaeode Wolven word for Druid Grey wolf A common nickname for Garn, referring to the alleged fur color of the first wolven Garn’s soul took hold in. Vhach! Obscene Wolven Swearword. In the meaning somewhat similar to celibacy. has found it's way into the common tongue. White wolf A common nickname of Fenr, referring to the allged furcolor of the first wolven Fenr’s soul took hold in. Wake the (white) wolf A wolven proverb that means readying oneself for a fight, by unleashing the inner beast that is part of every wolven. When speaking specifically about the white wolf, it means to prepare for a war, referring to the alleged fur color of the first wolven Fenr’s soul took hold in. Also the title of a melodious yet primal battle hymn, incantated when the wolven go to war, first sung when the wolven had to defend against the first human settlers, who came over the sea.Culture and Cultural Heritage
Wolven Law
The right of Challenge Wolven are a race prone to conflict, which has the tendency to get out of control. So the wolven had to find a way to codify it. Courteousness is a quality in predators after all. One way to do this is the right of Challenge. Every wolven in a pack represents a rank, and can, in times of peace, be challenged for this rank. The challenge can be a simple fight, for example when an omega challenges a subordinate: It could also be a hunting or weapon crafting contests, which will be decided by either the shaman, or , if present, a godspeaker of Garn or Leki. The challenge could also lead to standoffs between whole groups within the pack, for example when the alpha is challenged. This diversity of possible challenges may surprise, but the wolven are not so stupid to believe that a simple fighter could lead a pack. The alpha and his warriors need to instill respect, and thus, besides being formidable fighters of course, need to have leadership qualities, which have to be tested. Thus, the challenging of the alpha, or a high ranking beh'ta is often accompanied by preceeding weeks of forming pacts and alliances. Now... a fight has the tendency to get out of control, and although a fight between two opponents might be decided without unnecessary bloodshed, it is not so simple with fighting groups, and the violent wolven nature would see to it, that many wolven would die an unnecessary death, if it really came to a fight. Thus the challenges for the rank of an alpha or beh'ta often end with the weaker team yielding, and no, or close to none bloodshed at all. If both teams are of almost equal strength and none of the opponents yields, the decision is left to the shaman, who asks the gods for advice. In these rare cases the decision often goes to the challenger and not the challenged one, because it is expected from a leader to have the majority of wolven behind him, and considered a lack of leadership if he doesn’t. This leads to several political results. Though technically allowed, if the pack is not at war, the wolven rarely challenge their alphas, if their pack lost their shamans. The very rare cases in which they did became bedtime stories to chill the young wolven, and teach them not to try it. Unfortunately, because of this, a weak leader will probably try to get rid of the shaman and his student altogether, before he can be challenged. Thus it is in best interest for a shaman to choose the better leader in case he is asked. The one which values the shaman’s wisdom, and knows about the shaman’s importance to the whole pack, that is. The right of Revenge"My name is Erek Moonslayer, you probably killed my father, prepare to die…” “Probably?” “He was one of the suspects…”Wolven packs are small, and even a wolven caer will not make a human village look small in comparison. In groups of this size, everyone knows everyone, and has to rely on everyone. Therefore crimes, or those which are perceived as such, are rare. But they happen. Now…the wolvens concept of sin is neither very prone to self reflection, nor is it very clear. Due to their religion, what is wrong or right depends on the wolven who is asking this question, and the mileage of different wolven regarding the “sins” of another one may vary. And because wolven value strength over complicated rulesets, they settled for a right they call the “Right of Revenge”. When a wolven, or the ones he or she hold dearly, becomes a victim to what he considers a crime, he or she may decide to take personal revenge on the wrongdoer, instead of turning to the alpha to settle the matter. Failing to do this, but instead “running for the alpha” is often frowned upon, considered immature, and brings shame on the wolven, if the case at hand is not particularly dire and against the very nature of wolvenhood. Besides, the wolven alpha will always decide for the best of the pack and not the particular wolven, who, as he turned for the alpha, devalued himself already. Thus, wronged wolven will definitely make use of the option of taking out revenge by themselves. If a wolven is out for vengeance, other wolven will not interfere. This is a form of respect. If the wolven is strong enough to take it out on the one who crossed him, he earns the feeling of satisfaction which it brings when the flames of vengeance are quenched. If not, then he has to learn the hard way, that the ones, who are not able to defend what is theirs, will lose it, and rightly so. This even transcends to other races. If it is not a wolven, who was the wrongdoer, but one of the other races of Ardu… then it is considered natural for a wolven to take care of it himself.
Wolven Punishments:
Wolven are physical people, and thus their punishments are too. The Beat up A wolven who this sentence was imposed upon will be secured, before a number of wolven, depending on the significance of the crime, will be allowed to beat him up until he either loses conscience, or a time predetermined by the alpha has passed. The wolven alpha takes part at these beat ups as a supervisor, and can end the Beat up early, or prolong it as he sees fit. The Whip In the last centuries the wolven which live in Caers adapted the punishments of public lashing. The delinquent will be secured in a rack, and then subjected to a number of whiplashs, predetermined by the wolven alpha. The wolven alpha takes part at these lashings as a supervisor, and can end the Lashing early, or prolong it as he sees fit. Banishments To protect the pack from further threat through a wolven, the pack alpha may decide to banish the particular wolven from his pack. The wolven must leave the pack with nothing but his weapons, and may not return until either the alpha or (later) another alpha of the pack decides otherwise. A wolven which returns nevertheless is outlawed, and will be subjected to “The Hunt” every time he does so. The Hunt The Hunt is basically the wolven version of an ordeal. Wolven which are sentenced to the death are allowed a head start on the rest of the wolven, which will hunt them. If the delinquent manages to escape for three nights, he is banished. Wolven which are caught will be killed by the rest of the pack. The Tearing of the Soul Wolven whose crimes are so heinous, that they defy the wolven understanding, may be subjected to this punishment, which is based upon the wolven believe of reincarnation. Usually the wolven think, that the reincarnation is a good chance for a criminal to start over again, to lead a new life in which the soul of the wolven has a new chance to make things better, instead of worse. But some criminals are considered beyond this betterment, and the wolven consider it a service to the wolvenhood to clean the pool of souls from this impurity, which is beyond redemption. This being a punishement which has a spiritual notion, it is the also only punishment which the wolven alpha may not impose on its own, but has to ask the shaman for the permission of the gods. If a wolven is sentenced to this kind of death, a Hunt is called for, but the wolven who will hunt him will bless their weapons in a specific ritual, which then allows the weapon, at least in the wolven belief, to tear out the soul of the weapons next victim, and store it. The pack will then hunt the delinquent, but the hunt will not be called off before the delinquent is killed by one of those weapons. Though he may escape, the wolven will never cease to hunt him when they face him again. Wolven consider weapons which have "torn out a soul" and stored it unfit for work. These weapons will never be used again, they are considered evil, and will, at least in the wolven belief, turn against their master, if they are to be wielded again.Animal domestication
Wolfs (wargr) Wolven tame wolfs for as long as their history dates back. Loyalty, team spirit and the ability to work in a pack make them natural choices as pets, at least to wolven. Wolven train their wolfs for the hunt, and the hunt in these teams is so successful, that there are even legends and superstitions that wolven speak the language of wolfs. This is of course nonsense, though it is true that domesticated wolfs get along with wolven masters much better, than they would do with other masters. On a second, but important, note, the wolf is also a terrifying weapon in the hand of a skilled master, and many wolven tribes take their wolfs into the war alongside their battle-boars, even equipping them with the same crude leather harnesses (though suited to them) to emphasize their fierceness. The relationship between a wolf and his wolven master is so deep, that a dead wolven will often be buried together with his wolf or wolfs, because they cease to eat shortly after the death of their master, and it is considered a mercy to end their lives, before they starve to death. Wild Boars. (horgr) Wolven have held Wild boars as pets for a long time, yet not as a livestock, but for battle. The view of a wolven holding the leashes of their battle-boars, equipped with sharp metal tips over their tusks and with foam on their muzzles, has made some soldier think twice before charging. Just like their wolves, wolven train their boars a long time for the battle, and the relationship between master and pet can become very deep during this training, yet not as deep as the relationship between a wolven and his wolf. Boars don’t lose their will to live and don’t cease to eat after their masters death, and it would be a waste of combat strength for the pack to kill them. Therefore it is not done. With the time most wolven families developed either a preference for wolfs as pets or for boars, and just with the cat owners and dog owners of the humans, there is few understanding between both. Cattle (burgr), pigs (hurgr) and goats (salgr) Approximately at the time when the wolven decided to build the first caers, they also adopted the art of livestock breeding from the humans, using the livestock of raided villages as a basis. Today they hold cattle, pigs and goats, just like the humans do, but they use wolves or boars as “cattle dogs”. This has led to the false myth that wolven need no cattle dogs at all, because the one wild boar, that watches over his wild looking but less savage cousins, is hard to tell apart from them, at least for non wolven.Symbolism
The Heptagram The heptagram is one of the most important symbols of the wolven, and many tribes know it. Because of the many numerological meanings and graph- and number theoretical traits, the number of meanings, which is attributed to this symbol, is far too much to cover here though. What follows are just the most basic interpretations.
by cyrgan
Afterlife
Wolven believe in reincarnation. It is their fate to be reborn until the End of Days, when seven of them are chosen to become the avatars of the gods. Until this day, the wolven believe, they can show their commitment to the Path of the gods, and so prove worthy for the power that the gods will bestow in them. Then the gods will give all their power to the avatars and cease their existence, and the avatars will kill the other gods, and return as the new gods to the heavens from which the old ones were banned. Then it is done, and while the wolven will reign on Gaea for eternity, so do the gods in shape of wolven above them. At first glance, this is of course a contradiction to the possibility to choose the gathering path of two gods, or even the “Common Ground” as your path. Doing so could never lead to the desired result of becoming a god one day. The explanation why some wolven nevertheless choose these paths is a twofold one, and the explanation differs with the age of their soul. Because by solving this problem, the wolven elegantly solved also one of the big problems of all religions, that believe in reincartion, namely the question: “If there were only few wolven in the beginning, and all wolven are reborn, why is the culture of wolven growing? Where do all the souls come from?” And the answer is: There are new souls born all the time. Now, the question which path to choose is a complicated one, for it will define the wolven for the rest of his life, and thus it must be done with caution. But the new souls are inexperienced, and thus should be allowed to do experiments, in order to find their place. So young souls, which haven’t found there place yet, will choose the gathering paths of two gods sometimes. With the “Common Ground” it is a completely different matter. When a soul grows old, and it is finally able to tell which path should be the path it wants to follow for the rest of eternity, sometimes, only sometimes, there grows a feeling of responsibility in it. Yes… it could choose the path of one god and keep the chance of becoming a god in the End of Days. But in these souls, the possibility of becoming a god is not as inviting as the possibility of helping the other wolven to find their way. These wolven struggle, but finally accept that they were chosen to become shamans. And thus, they choose the “Common Ground” as their path, knowing well, that in all further lives, they will not be able to leave this path again. Because of this sacrifice, and because they are the oldest souls, and understand best the will of the gods, and the needs of the younger souls, the shamans are honored in the society of wolven.Gaea.
"Who is Gaea, oh wise Gelor". "Gaea is everything that exists. She surrounds us, penetrates us, she is core and source, hull and estuary. Everyting that exists creates her as much as she created everything." "But why don't we pray to Gaea, if she is so mighty, wise Gelor?" "Listen, Gaed, the other races have a parable. Some of them say, that their gods are so high above them, that compared to them, they are just ants. And they even argue that this is the reason why their prayers remain unheard so often. Now... even if our gods care more for us of course, gods themselves are nothing but ants in the eyes of Gaea. And thus our sorrows are of no interest to her, they are even less then less. This is the reason why a tree does not answer your plea for fruit, you have to climb on it and take the fruit by yourself, and this is the reason why we don't pray".Gaea, even if recognized as the saviour of the wolven, is not actively worshipped by them. The wolven had learned the hard way, that nature does not care, and the way they explain it is described in the discussion between Gelor and Gaed. The wolven which are raised in the original belief meet other races who worship her with lack of understanding. And they even consider Gaea Temples as something... dangerous. Because .. can you even understand her motivations? No? Of course not! So, even if it is highly improbable, what do you think will happen when you finally gain her attention? Something pleasurable? Probably...
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Wolven Religious Structure and Clergy
General Religious Concepts When talking about the gods, most wolven refer to the pantheon of seven, for this is the original wolven belief. Of course there are differences in the beliefs of the different wolven tribes, but the names or at least the roles, which the gods occupy, are the same. Nevertheless there are wolven, especially in regions where wolven are a minority (meaning: being a minority, which is not dominating the rest of the population), which have adapted and even replaced their own beliefs with the ones of other races. To cover all these possibilities is nothing less then impossible. That’s why we only refer only to the pantheon of seven here. A task, which, in fact, is not much simpler. Even IF all tribes believe at least in the same gods, and even IF the gods in their common belief have at least resembling concepts, the importance of the different gods, and their relation to each other, differ from tribe to tribe. To be at least able to talk about the variety of beliefs, one would have to introduce the concepts of “The Hierarchy”, “the Order”, and “The Path”, which is what we want to do now. Hierarchy and order of the pantheon There is a difference for the wolven in the concept of order and the concept of hierarchy. Simply put, while the hierarchy describes the importance of the gods in the pantheon, the order describes how their points of view relate to each other, meaning how they are in terms with each other. The Hierarchy of the pantheon. It is not as bad as it seems first. Yes, the importance of gods and thus their place in the Hierarchy may differ from tribe to tribe, but at least not the importance of all seven Gods. Being a race created for hunt and war, the place of Garn, who is the most skilled hunter, and Fenr, who is the most savage of all seven, are relative fixed. Relative fixed, because most tribes, at least the bigger ones, consider Garn as being the leader of the pantheon, while smaller Tribes, sometimes believe that this place is occupied by Fenr. The wolven of these smaller tribes replace Garn completely with Fenr, sometimes even attributing the idea to create the wolven to the more savage God. And while the concept of hunt for intelligent beings is attributed to Fenr, these tribes refer to Garn as “just” the hunter for animals. So either Garn or Fenr take the leadership. This is common with all tribes. But the places of the other, “minor” gods may differ from tribe to tribe, and they usually do, depending on the environment, in which the wolven of the specific tribe are living. And even if two tribes believe in the same hierarchy, the reasons why they do may differ. Example: Tribe Winterrage This Tribe is living at the north-eastern rim territories of the Wolven forest, a region which is traditionally described as “Wolven Land” in many human sources. The tribe is rather small (only 8 Packs), and used to very hard winters. There are not enough resources to feed the wolven AND the near settlements of elven and humans. This means that war is a necessity in order to survive. Because of this, Fenr has replaced Garn as the leading god in the belief of the tribe. But still Garn is the second in place, due to the necessity to hunt for food. Leki is rather unimportant in the belief, as the pack simply has no time to value the achievements of wisdom. The same holds for Arha, for even if the desire in the wolven to have sex is present, the overall situation is too hard, to allow for the members of the tribe to give in too often. Rhea, on the other hand, as a protector of new life, is highly valued. Sira and Skodi are of average importance, because of the necessity to stay through hard times, and the necessity to outwit the enemies. Thus the hierarchy in the pantheon, in the tribes view, is ordered as follows: Alpha: Fenr 2. Garn 3. Rhea 4. Sira 5. Skodi 6. Arha 7. Leki Tribe Bloodclaws The Bloodclaws Tribe lives at the southern border of the northern steppes,within a very fruitful landscape. This is the reason, why it is confronted with invading settlers from time to time. Thus, warfare has become a form of life to them, but long times of war alternate with long times of peace, when the humans draw breath, and rebuild their settlements. Being a big tribe, which is controlling a much bigger area than Tribe Winterclaw for example, a good leader is of higher value to the tribe than a good warrior and thus, the tribe believes in Garn as the leader of the pantheon, followed by Fenr. In order to replace casualties in times of peace, the importance of many children, has led to the result, that Arha and Rhea are valued highly. Sira is rather unimportant, for the wolven are in control of the area, and there is seldom any need to pray to her, because of the amount of resources. Alpha: Garn 2. Fenr 3. Arha 4. Rhea 5. Skodi 6. Leki 7. Sira The Order of the Pantheon: While the hierarchy describes the importance of the particular gods, the order describes, how the gods are in terms with each other. To understand that this is a completely different subject, one must accept, that for a race as aggressive as the wolven, it is not surprising, that gods in the pantheon take opposing positions. Conflict is a big part in wolvens everyday life, and thus also a part of the wolven belief. Moreover, Wolven usually embrace conflict as an opportunity to solve problems, and don’t try to evade it, as they are used to witness with other, “weaker” races. Even the wolvens justification of their superiority relates to conflict in their pantheon, because if the gods were of too similar character, the result of their efforts, which is the wolven race, would have inherited the flaws of these gods and would not be able to overcome them. And, as a wolven would point out, that is of course utter nonsense. Moreover, the wolven believe, that the viewpoints of all seven gods are equally distributed, meaning that the forces of all seven would exactly outweigh the flaws of each god. This leads to the result, that, because there are seven gods, each god would have two “allies”, which agree to his points of view in the most cases, two opponents who disagree, leaving two “neutral” gods, who would decide from case to case. Thus, because of the different nature of the gods, conflict is unavoidable. Important is to note here, that the wolven don’t think about it as a contradiction, that there exists arguments within a strong hierarchy. In times of peace it is accepted, even encouraged that wolven challenge each other, and with the gods it is no difference. But the gods will only have to fight one war at the End of Days, meaning that arguments within the pantheon are in no way seen as something that violates the hierarchical concept. But who opposes who? This, just like the hierarchy, depends strongly on the tribe of the particular wolven.Example: Tribe WinterrageDM Tip
To fix the order, in which the tribe believes, one should draw a heptagram (an important religious symbol for the wolven by the way). Then, one should attribute each god to one vertex (tip of a spike) of the heptagram. Each vertex now represents a god, while each line between them represents opposing positions within the pantheon. “Allied” gods occupy neighbouring vertices (spikes) of the Heptagram. When doing so, one should think about the reasons, why it makes sense for the particular tribe to believe that two gods oppose each other. Of course it does not necessarily need to be a good explanation, even if logical, environmental driven explanations are of course better. (Because they make the whole tribe more believable). But “Because I want to play my wolven like this”, is good enough, when it is hidden in some good invented reasons ;-) )
by cyrgan
DM Tip:
When creating a wolven with original wolven belief, one would first have to develop the gods hierarchy, and the order in the belief of the tribe. To do this, read the articles, and use the DM Tip with the heptagram. This fixes which paths the wolven can follow, and so the definition of the order should be done with respect to the kind of wolven that should come from this tribe. (Of course there is always the possibility to choose already existing tribes. General tribes take the “Common Ground”, for taking another path usually influences the packs too much into particular directions. But tribes that believe, that they fulfil a holy cause, may choose their path accordingly. Packs choose their path according to the role they fulfil within the tribe, meaning that warrior packs choose Fenr, Garn or Skodi, artisan packs most often choose Leki or Arha, and provider packs choose Garn, Rhea or Sira. At last the path of the wolven should be determined, which finishes the religious development of the particular wolven character. Note that this is only meant as help to create the different beliefs in different tribes. As pointed out first, not all tribes have kept their original belief, and this article is just for those who have. There are a plethora of tribes,living in areas under stricter control of other races, who have abandoned even their own pantheon, or adapted it (added Gods to the pantheon or abandoned them). On the other hand there exist tribes which, even according to wolven standards, must be called primitive, and who don’t believe in a wolven pantheon, but an eternal war of Garn and Fenr.)
Common Taboos
Commandments and Sins
Commandments: Translations of wolven-religion related subjects always have been difficult, for many concepts of the wolven religion seem rather alien to humans. In wolven religion every god reflects all aspects of life in his or her specific way, just as the Creator does, however here we have seven who do. This is the reason, that the concepts of sinning and of commandments as they are common in other religions, are rather unknown to wolven. It comes as no surprise, that the number of commandments is sevenfold. Misleading in this case is the word commandment, as what it is translated by humans. More precisely would have been “strict recommendations”, for the wolven know that actions one god dislikes, could be perfectly accepted, even encouraged by another one of the pantheon. At least, all gods reflects all aspects of life. Nevertheless this doesn’t mean, that i.e. the war is for all gods of equal interest. While Fenr lives for the war, and Garn and Skodi also take a great interest in this part of life, Leki for example is more interested in the opportunities of personal advancement and advancement of the wolven at all, which war brings. So it is still helpful to seek Fenrs or Garns advice in times of war, rather than Rheas or Arhas. And of course the recommendations can vary from tribe to tribe, even from pack to pack. And while one tribe has a set of recommendations for one specific aspect of life, another one could not even have a necessity to have such. Sins“To be an error, and to be cast out, is part of the gods design…"Wolven are no sinners. From a wolven point of view this is true. The enslaved settlers of a village may have a different opinions, but that’s another story. The reason why the concept of sin is alien to the wolven is twofold. First of all, the gods were not perfect. Each of them had single flaws and merits, and the wolven are a creation of them, each as a single mix of the merits and flaws of the wolven gods. Moreover, in the wolven opinion, each virtue is in fact a flaw, it depends on the point of view. Rhea for example cares for her children, but if she cares too much, they become dependent, and thus an abomination unto Garn. But becoming too independent is bad too, for the Hunt, which is Garns favour, is best done in packs, and not alone. And so on. So… what one god dislikes could be a virtue in the eyes of another, and so wolven seldom feel ashamed for things they did. You can’t please every god so you should not bother to try. Just follow your path and everything is good. Just don’t get lost in it… The second reason for the absence of sins is of course the absence of “commandments” as such, and their replacement by “recommendations”. So...with the wolven, a sin is not a matter of religion, but of the society, and because of that it is common that the alphas decide, when a wolven has crossed the line and become a danger for the pack, or even the whole tribe, and not the shamans.
Common Myths and Legends
The Creation Myth and the Gods
In the beginning, when Gaea was young, she gave birth to the gods out of herself. And she told them that there was but only one rule: Until the End of Days, the Gods mustn't kill each other, or the murderer would face the same fate as the victim. And then the Gods were released, and Gaea… watched. Then the Gods created the races, which were about to live on Gaea. And each God created a race according to his own countenance. And for a time it was good. But after a while, Garn, who of all Gods hadn't created his own race yet, spoke the words of warning. With the countenance, the different folks would inherit the flaws of their creators, and thus they would fall. But Garn, who of all Gods knew about his own imperfection, and was able to embrace it, became mocked by most the other Gods. Their Power already had corrupted them, and they held themselves for flawless. So, only 6 Gods heard his words and understood. And they were Leki, Skodi, Sira, Fenr, Rhea and Arha. And as Garn told them , the six destroyed their creations. The other gods, pretending to be repelled from this act of violence, but really being bothered if Garn was right, banned Garn, and the six from their society. And for an aeon it was good. But then the crimes and the arrogance of Gaeas races became to much to ignore further. Instead of repenting their sins, which of course were the result of their weak and flawed characters, the different races and cultures were bathing in them, being ultimately corrupted by pride. Just as their Gods, they held themselves impeccable. And so... Garn decided to help the other Gods, which he still held as brothers and sisters, although they cast him and the other six out. He decided to finally create a race, that should teach Gaeas other races fear, to heal them from their pride. Like this they could finally be able to recognize their flaws, and try to learn from their failures. This new race was it, which should draw fear of the dark into the hearts of the inhabitants of the world. But he knew, that he alone would fail in such a task, for he didn't want the new race to suffer from such imperfection, as the other races did, and so the new race became a common creation of the seven. And it was decided to make them in the countenance of wolves, to embody the ferocity and strength of Nature, but also akin to men, to bless them with ingenuity and intelligence. And each of the seven gave to them, what was believed he could do best. And thus it was done like this: Garn: The leader of the Seven. Garn was the one who made the decision to create the race, decided that Man and Wolf would be merged and created their heart, lungs, bones and muscles, and gave their souls the commitment. Proud and dominating, he is the most fervent in their desire to fullfil their destiny. Most wolven that pray to him ask for his favour or advice when they're seeking to dominate others and further the cause of Wolven Superiority. Leki: The wisest of the Seven. Garn was by no means stupid, but Leki was the most knowledgeable of the four, as well as a master craftsman. His designs were for the wolven's brain, nose, eyes and ears as well as the intricate net of the nerves and arteries, as much as the well wighted system of internal orgnas. It was he who gave theirs souls the ability to learn and find enlightenment. Thoughtful and creative, he likes to see the things his own creations make, be they well-crafted weapons or mastery of magic. Most wolven that pray to him seek greater understanding or inspiration. Fenr: The Savagest of the Seven. Not particularly bright, and incredibly impulsive, Fenr is about as strong as Garn, and challenged him every hunderd year, but was always defeated and then loyally followed Garn. When the gods of other races realized what the Seven were planning, they rushed to try to stop them. The othter Six were busy working on more intricate matters of the wolven creation, so could not be interrupted, and it was Fenr that fought the other gods off. He only made two contributions to the new races body an one to the soul, few, but important ones: It were the Wolven's fangs and claws, an their instincts. Brash, feral and violent he craves to see the creatures he once protected fight. Warriors often pray to him to grant them strength and resolve in combat. Skodi: The astute Thief.Leki was wise and intelligent, but nevertheless Skodi was of greater wit and cunning , and thus he forged this ability into the new wolvens souls. Skodi was never good in creating things as the other six were, being incredibly creative, but not as patient or just as committed to do so, and thus he disguised himself, and sneaked to the gods which expelled the Seven once, to steal from them the best parts of their designs. With this knowledge he returned to share it with the other six. But Garn denied the knowledge, arguing, that these parts could never be used, should the new race not suffer from the same failures the older, minor ones were suffering. He was finally convinced by Leki, that even if they could not just copy these parts, they could use the ideas, to come up with better ones, and to do so was decided. Like Fenr, Skodi made only two contributions to the wolvens body: The fur, which allowed them to stay unnoticed in the appropriate surrounding, and the feet to allow the wolven to sneak unheard. Skodi likes to see his creation to come up with clever tactics, and thus wolven pray to him seeking knowledge to outwit an enemy. Sira: The strong-willed healer. As the gods who once cast Sira and the other six out, learned what the seven were about to do, they tried to gain more knowledge. But being not as astute as Skodi to come up with a good plan, they ordered the five most vicious of them to abduct Sira, who was considered the weakest, and do what is necessary. These five knew that they weren't allowed to kill her, due to Gaeas one and only law, but argued, that this doesn't mean that they couldn't torture her. And thus they raped her and tortured her in the most gruesome ways. But for no awail... her iron will couldn't be broken. But as Garns sensitive ears caught her screams from far, he took Fenr, Leki, and Skodi, and together they rushed to her rescue. And the five torturers saw the fire in Garns eyes, and became afraid and fled, but to no avail, because Fenr caught them all with his strong arms. But afraid now, the five cowards called upon Gaea, and her intervention. Gaea saw the wounded and desecrated body of Sira, and spoke but one word... "Vengeance". And so Leki constructed five torture racks of living rock to hold Siras violators till the End of Days, and filled them with a life on its own. But he argued that this life would vanish, if it was not fed all day, and thus one of the gods would have to stay, and care for this chore. And Sira saw her opportunity for vengeance and spoke, that she would do it. And so, even in spiritual form, she returns to the place of her torture every day, and feeds the racks with blood from her former violators before healing them, so that they could outlast the next day. Of all of the seven, Sira was the most stubborn but at the same time the most skilled healer. Being not particularly bright or strong, she made up with her unbreakable will and unmatched stubbornness. What ever she took up... she stood on target, and mastered it. With iron, never-give-up will, she reached her objectives, no matter how high they were chosen. This will she endowed into the wolvens soul. But she also was warm at heart, to the ones who earned it, and so she also wove Skodis fur into a dense one, so it would protect against the adversities of Nature, and gave the wolven their great ability to withstand pain, torture or wounds. Sira is often called upon by wolven who have to withstand overwhelming adversitities,pain or troture, but she is also the matron of all the wolven healers, and wolven working on dull or time intensive chores. Rhea: The Mother. As Rhea saw the wolven design of the four gods Garn, Leki, Skodi and Fenr, it caught her eye, that they were creating a cold warrior race, without a home in their hearts. So she contributed the drive to build strong family bounds, as much as she created womb and seed of the new race, so they could be fertile. And she gave the eyes the ability to glow red, whenever the limit of a wolvens patience was reached, allowing two adversaries to part, and meet again when the spirits have lowered .Rhea loves to see her creations build strong, healthy families, and thus wolven, that are in search for a soulmate often turn to her, as much as wolven mothers that want to thank her for the blessing of having a child. Arha: The Sensual Goddess. Being the most sensual one of all gods, she contributed the sexual attributes, be they primary or secondary, as much as the tactile senses to the wolven. She was once declared archenemy of Rhea, but the problem of procreation was a too difficult task to solve for Rhea alone, because the new race was already too complicated, due to the intricate concepts of so many different designers. Thus, Rhea was not able to fix the problem alone. Too seldom would two loving wolven be able to be blessed with children, and she turned to her former enemy Arha, who seemed to be the only one who understood her concerns about the wolven future. Arha of course came up with an idea, but one that pleased Rhea in no way... Nevertheless...there was no choice at all. If the new race was about to stay vital, they would have to be able to have more children, than Rhea could guarantee with her work alone. Thus Arha encrafted her own desire into the wolven, which was unmatched by any other god. With this gift of Arha, Rhea was not able to add her so desired monogamy into the wolvens souls, or otherwise it would have torn them apart in the first second of their existence. So olven have many partners, and they see no ill in it. Arha loves to see the wolven in acts of unmatched sensuality. Wolven that seek to meet in loves embrace ask for her guidance, and sometimes, whole orgies are held in her name.The Descent of the Gods, or how the gods became part of the wolven
But the other gods sought to destroy the work of the seven, to annihilate the new threat to their own creations. Because if the wolven succeeded, it would mean their creations, and thus them, were flawed. And they led their races into the wolven territories, and began to slaughter the wolven. And even if the wolven were stronger, quicker and better then any other race, the sheer number of enemies was overwhelming. This was when Skodi went to Garn, and told him his idea... It was, when the last wolven were driven into a valley, when six of the seven, all but Skodi, sacrificed themselves, and hid their souls in the remaining wolven. And Skodi went to the other gods, and told them, that if the wolven would die, so would the seven. And thus Gaea would keep her promise and kill the murderers, who were all other Gods, because they took part in the genocide of the wolven. And then he gave up his own physical form too, to let his soul find rest in a wolven that fitted his ideals best. And the other Gods became afraid and angry, and soon voices were heard, that the death of the Seven would have been their own fault, for they chose the weak forms of wolven as their hull. And soon the war-drums sound was heard again, and it seemed all over for the wolven, as Gaea... arose. And she warned the other Gods that Skodi was right. Not earlier then the End of Days should one God raise a hand against each other in the attempt to kill. So the other gods had to retreat grumbling and unsatisfied, unable to finish their work. And that’s why the wolven refer to Gaea as their saviour, and worship her and even feel the urge to protect her sometimes. The wolven know, that the spirits of their creators are hidden within them, and this is why the wolven can use magic, for it is nothing else, as the power of the seven floating through all wolvens conscience. And whenever a wolven embodies the ideals of one of the seven strong enough... he may become the impersonation of the god in the end of days. Because in the End of Days, the gods will choose the one wolven that served their ideals best, and endow him or her with all of her power, cease the own existence and leave the new god as their fighter in the Fight of Fights.The Dark Gods
... and how they came to existence As the dark forces of Chaos saw, how seven of the gods turned their backs on all other, they laughed, for they recognized the gate, that opened before them widely. They held council, about what to do, and the decision was made to approach four of the seven with the demand to seed imperfection into the wolvens souls. And the forces of Chaos approached Fenr with Rage, luring him with promises of eternal war. And they approached Leki with Knowledge about the last secrets of the universe, not to be known by anyone but Gaea, and they approached Arha with desire, promising her orgies that would fulfil the darkest dreams, and they approached Skodi with Mistrust and Lies, promising him power beyond his wildest dreams, by the only necessity not to spare the pack from his lies either. They didnt approach Rhea, for she rested too deep in the laws of families to betray Garn. They didn't approach Sira, for it was recognized that her Loyalty couldn't be broken. They didn't approach Garn for they feared his initiative, and that he would see beyond their false promises. But they failed. Fenr burned in rage, and tore their herolds apart. Leki lured them into his well thought traps, to hold them until even the Stars die out. Skodi pretended to go along, but only to seed doubts and mistrust, to see how the herolds tear themselves apart, and Arha asked them, to show her how her darkest dreams would come true, and the herolds died the most twisted deaths. And for a time it was good. And the Forces of Chaos withdrew, and believed their plans to be failed. But the doubt was sown into the souls of the four. And then the gods gave up their corporeal existence to save the wolven, and the forces of chaos laughed again, for they knew about the laws of the Fae world better then anyone else. And they watched. And they saw it was Fenr, who was the first, who fell because of the battle in himself. And they saw how a part of his spirit gained self conscience, and parted from Fenr. And so Bael, the dark god of war, evil twin of Fenr, came into existence. And they saw it was Leki, who was the second who fell, because of his inner struggle, and they saw how a part of him gained self - conscience, and parted from Leki. And so Hog, the dark god of forbidden knowledge ,evil twin of Leki, came into existence. And they saw it was Skodi, who was the third who fell, because of his inner struggle, and they saw how a part of him gained self- conscience, and parted from Skodi. And so Grema, the gark god of Mistrust, evil twin of Skodi, came into existence. And they saw it was Arha who was the last who fell, because of the battle in her, and they saw how a part of her gained self-conscience, and parted from Arha. And so Saad was born, the dark godess of personal satisfaction above all else. And The wolven shamans and godspeakers in these times were warned by the gods, that these four spiritual avatars of Chaos would approach the wolven, and that they would have to rely on their wisdom to tell the gods and their evil twins apart. But the four dark gods were clever, and the forces of chaos taught them how to lure the wolven, and so, from this time on, wolven, packs or even whole tribes fell to the false promises of the dark gods, following their lead, all the time believing that they were still folowing the gods path, but having lost it long ago.Followers of dark gods
Due to the nature of the dark gods, most of the wolven, which follow them are not aware that they are doing so. And when those who do it finally understand, whose path they were following, most turn back. Sadly it takes a long time to convince a wolven that they are following the wrong path. General stubbornness, and the tendency to value the own point of view most, doesn't help to ease the task at all. But when they can be convinced, nothing holds them on the side of the dark gods. Usually. There exist wolven, that follow the path of the dark gods consciously. These are the truly tainted souls of the wolven, and they are often, but not always, shamans, godspeakers or wolven in high ranking positions within the tribe, that try to use their power to lure even more wolven into the tainted embrace of the dark gods.Main Characteristics:
Bael: Bael is the evil god of war. While Fenr at least sees war just as a tool to reach his objectives, Bael loves the war as an end in itself. He doesn't want the war to ever end, and blodshed and the noise of crying widows are delight in his ears. Warriors that seek to prolongate a war, that has fulfilled its purpose, or leaders that supress other wolven by keeping them in a state of eternal warfare, have lost the path of Fenr, and walk in the steps of Bael. Hog Hog is the evil god of forbidden Knowledge. While Leki has accepted the principle, that only the fool would tear something apart, to find out how it works, Hog doesn't abide to it. To Hog, only his own development is important, and be it at cost of the live or future of others. Wolven who seek for knowledge not meant to be in the hands of mortals, or wolven who destroy valuable scrolls to keep the place as the only one with certain knowledge, have lost Lekis Path, and walk in Hogs Path. Especially endangered are of course wizards, which steal the power of Gaea, instead of earning them like the honorable Druids. A Wolven mage (Gaean) , that has crossed the line too far, has gone "Hogwards" Grema Grema is the evil god of betrayal and mistrust. He gains power by seeding mistrust and doubt into the haert of others, and thus tries to gain dominance even about the minds. But he spares neither his closest friends, nor even his relatives. Wolven that betray the family for personal enrichment, or the pack to gain power... have lost the path of Skodi, and decided to follow Grema instead. Saad Saad is the evil goddess of insatiable desire. She loves her own joys so much, that nothing else is considered important anymore. Important task are postponed, friends betrayed, and packbonds broken, if it just helps her, to gain her so desired reliefs. Wolven, that betray their family or pack, to walk the paths of joys and personal delight, have lost Arhas path, and are in bed with Saad instead.
Lifespan
70 Years
Average Height
1.92m -2.38m
Average Weight
90 to 150 kg
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
Male and female wolven twins at a campfire by cyrgan
D&D 5e Stats
Wolven
Ability Score Increase +2 Str, +1 Dex
Size Medium
Speed
Wolven Traits:
- Darkvision: Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
- Keen Senses:Due to their lupine traits, Wolven have above average auditory and olfactory senses. You have advantage on all Perception checks involving these senses.
- Full Run: If you have no items in your on or off hand you can choose to run on all fours, your speed doubles and you are classified as a mount for any creature of small size or less. Getting back on your feet takes half of your movement.
- Claws: You deal 1d4 + Str Modifier Slashing damage on unarmed strikes.
- Intimidating: The ferocious appearance of a wolven gives you proficiency in Intimidation.
- Fur: Due to your fur, you are naturally adapted against cold climate as described in the Dungeon Masters Guide Chapter 5. You automatically succeed the constitution check to check for exhaustion due to extreme cold.
- Wolven Speed:Your base walking speed is 35 feet.
Languages. Wolven, Common
Pathfinder 2e Stats
See also the Feats at the Bottom of the page
Wow, what a read. Really in depth and feels very unique. I applaud you, hope to see more!
Its a thing i did for another RPG years ago, but now i am using it for my DnD Home Campaign. Had always been particularly proud of them. :)
Well, you have every right to be proud of it because it is very well done! Hope your players find the campaign fun!