Clan Ulfur
This article is under construction. Not all information in this article may be accurate to the current state of the world.
Clan Ulfur takes after their patron, Hrodvitnir the Dread, in their ferocity and kinship. Spread across the majority of the northern lands of Binordheim, the Ulfur have proven to be the most ambitious of the clans when it comes to expanding their borders, followed closely by Drage. However, despite all their ambition, the Ulfur have a reputation for never turning on one another. Ulfur are loyal to Ulfur and those few exceptions that have appeared have found themselves at the mercy of the rest of the clan when challenged.
Clan Ulfur takes after their patron, Hrodvitnir the Dread, in their ferocity and kinship. Spread across the majority of the northern lands of Binordheim, the Ulfur have proven to be the most ambitious of the clans when it comes to expanding their borders, followed closely by Drage. However, despite all their ambition, the Ulfur have a reputation for never turning on one another. Ulfur are loyal to Ulfur and those few exceptions that have appeared have found themselves at the mercy of the rest of the clan when challenged.
Structure
The Konungr (King) of Clan Ulfur is chosen by the people, as are the jarls who serve under them. No restriction to caste, class, faith, gender or race stands in the way of any Ulfur to earn the right of leading should they be chosen.
Culture
Loyalty & Vengeance
Loyalty to family and clan are paramount to the Ulfur who are taught the importance of loyalty. It is both their greatest strength and most exploitable weakness. Wars have been waged, blood-oaths of vengeance taken, and cities burned due to the loyalty of the Ulfur. Few uprisings within the clan occur due to this, because if one jarl decides to act out against another, unprovoked, the entire clan will rise to defend the wronged jarl. Major civil wars are incredibly rare for the Ulfur, with most conflicts remaining local with quick - and oft times bloody - resolutions. While some families fight and bicker among one another, when it comes down to it ulfur clanspeople stand up for each other when times are hard.But while major conflict within Ulfur may be uncommon, it is almost guaranteed for them to find reason to war with their neighbors or some foreign region over insult or disagreement. In fact, several wars of vengeance have been fought due to actions taken by others against their clan, which have done assisted in their acquisition of territory within Binordheim. While Drage is willing to sit and stew on a disagreement or wrong that has been done to them by another for years or even a generation of plotting before they strike, Ulfur is more likely to make a quick, rash decision and lash out at the moment of their displeasure.
Tactical Expansionists
While wars are often spurred by disagreement, the Ulfur have shown a skill in war that belies their spontaneous nature. In the time since the fall of Clan Hjort, the Ulfur have expanded their territory both eastward, toward the old territories of Clan Hjort, and westward into the borderlands of Clan Okse - if only temporarily. Their ability to take advantage on an adversary's tiniest weaknesses and exploit it for a clean victory has been the theme of their wars with the Bjorn over the generations.Mercenaries
While not warring in Binordheim or raiding during the summer months, the Ulfur enjoy hiring themselves out as mercenaries to foreign countries for gold and treasures. Groups of Ulfur make their way between coastal settlements looking for work, be it private guards, enforcers, mercenaries, or soldiers, and make their way back to Ulfur lands after anywhere between a season and several years. Currently, they are most popular in places like Zarrath and the Aestaran Empire.Public Agenda
The Ulfur agenda focuses on the sustainability of the clan, their growth and expansion. They work to make good relations with foreign powers in order to gain new prospects and trade opportunities, slowly integrating foreign technology, culture, and knowledge into their lands - much to the disapproval of their Okse neighbors. They have even been known to welcome foreign citizens and dignitaries as guests allowing them to influence their own culture, within reason. Since the fall of Clan Hjort, and moreso with the current king of Ulfur, they have begun taking the place of the Hjort in their foreign dealings and expansive ambition, making some clans warry about history repeating itself should their ambition turn them against their own. If given the chance, Ulfur will continue to expand to make more room for their growing clan whether in Binordheim or in lands beyond.
Demography and Population
Ulfur lands mostly consist of humans with some askarn. They have a healthy population of several other ancestries, such as tieflings, shifters, hauflin, and giantkin. A mix of other ethnicities and ancestries are mixed among the population, usually congregating around port or capital cities. Ulfur isn't as wide-ranging as the Munn or Reven, but they deal enough with foreigners that they have an eclectic mix of ancestries and cultures in their major settlements.
Territories
Most of Clan Ulfur's home territory consists of hilly grassland extending north into the frozen tundra they have progressively abandoned as it has grown harsher over the last few centuries. Large forests are located to the north, bordering a large half-frozen body of water and east at the border between them and Clan Bjorn. Few mountains exist in the territory and none protect them from the frigid winds of the north in winter like their neighbors, however, in the summer months Ulfur territory boasts some of the largest plots of farms that grow in the northern regions of Binordheim.
Military
They do not claim the same military prowess of their neighbors, nor the supernatural blessings over their armies from their spirit like the Drage. They lack the technological advancement of the Geit and the magic of the Ulger, but they have one thing that few others can boast: numbers. Numbers and loyalty on the field of war has excelled for the Ulfur, who rarely break as they fight side-by-side.
The one possible exception to the rule of "no borrowed power" lies in the elite warriors known as the Hexenwolves. Hexenwolves are warriors who have been anchored with a spirit of bestial rage akin to Hrodvitnir that they learn to tame to take their form without falling to animalistic madness like normal lycanthropes often do. These lycanthrope-adjacent warriors learn to call on a hybrid form at will, becoming devastating forces on the battlefield.
The few other unique forces on the field include dire wolf - and the occasional winter wolf - riders who train their wolves from cubs to obey and act as a single unit.
Religion
The ulfur look at their religion as most of the Nords do. The one outlier to the Aesir that they venerate is Tyr, whose role in the binding of Fenrir is seen as a cruel betrayal regardless of reason. For this reason, shrines and temples to Tyr are not often found in ulfur lands, and those that are rarely see the care given to them that others get.
Agriculture & Industry
Ulfur competes with Rev for the most land capable of farming, but most of their farms have to be placed in their southern regions where the winters break earlier and the summers grow warmer. Instead, the ulfur rely more heavily on their livestock production than large fields in most of its territory. When it comes to industry, the ulfur have a decent amount of metal smiths - enough to provide decent arms for most of their army - but wood and leatherworking are their main trade.
Trade & Transport
Trade of cattle and food occur most prominently between settlements within Ulfur lands or between their neighbors or the Munn. Trade of furs go to the Munn or are sold by those Ulfur who travel out for work, who sail far to the south to sell them in Lithria where they are a luxury. The most prominent trade that Ulfur does is with the Aestaran Empire as they are the closest foreign power and their nobility often hires their mercenaries for work, second to the Citte-State of Gaklin and Zarrath, the Free City.
Type
Geopolitical, Clan
Alternative Names
Clan of the Wolf
Demonym
Ulfur
Government System
Democracy, Direct
Economic System
Barter system
Currency
Gold, Silver, Copper, etc. (raw or minted)
Major Exports
- Furs, hides and pelts
- Lumber
- Eclipstite, Sunstone and Moonstone (raw and jewelry)
- Eggs
- Milk and Cheese
- Fish
- Ivory (mammoth, walrus, sabertooth, deer)
- Wool and Wool Cloth
- Thralls
- Grain
Major Imports
- Silks and fine cloth
- Poultry
- Spices
- Perfumes
- Wine
- Glassware
- Fine metals
- Precious stones and gems
Legislative Body
The people propose laws to the jarl or king. The jarl or king then chooses to hold a vote on those laws at a thing (assembly or folkmoot) presided over by the lawspeaker.
Judicial Body
Lawspeakers, much like the rest of the Nordic clans, are responsible for keeping knowledge of the law and interpreting it for the jarl or king.
Executive Body
The jarl / king is the executive authority over their domain.
Official State Religion
Parent Organization
Location
Controlled Territories
Neighboring Nations
Related Ethnicities
Colors: Iron Oxide Red, Ice Blue, Silver
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