Clan Tarchus
The Northmen clans, an assembly of people not known for bashfulness or embarrassment, share no insignificant amount of shame for the Clan Tarchus Freebooters. Riotous, loud, greedy, and (mostly) inebriated, the Tarchus warriors are feared, and, in some quarters, admired for their ability to overwhelm and destroy their adversaries in naval combat. Their standard tactic when claiming foreign shores is the simple procedure of storming, berserking, and pillaging. Frankly, this approach has yet to fail them. For this reason, most villages and settlements who spot the crimson sails of a Tarchus fleet off shore will surrender on sight.
A war-like people, all decisions made for the betterment of a Tarchus settlement are governed by the principle of “Might is Right.” Don’t like how your Fleet Commander is treating your elven prisoners? Challenge him to a Duel of Principle, with fleet leadership as the stakes. Don’t appreciate what a fellow Tark said about your ability to tie quartering knots? Challenge him to a Duel of Principle for your honor. Don’t like that funny-looking foreigner you saw in the market square? Challenge him to a Duel of Principle.
The principle motivation for a Tarchus clansmen is respect. Tarks will perceive any slight against them, even in the most abstract, as a direct challenge. However, it is important to not devalue their cunning. A tark in full fury is a threat to all who are close to him — including allies. In this way, they embody the “Berserkers of Old,” a common allusion to the similarly short-tempered and upright Fire Giants of the First Era of Asteria, whom many claim to be the ancestors of the Northmen.
Tark Freebooter
