Aciterni

"In whatever paths you walk, however dark or light, peaceful or perilous, may you remain ever Unbound."
-Aciterni prayer for the departed

They come in colorful wagons, often with song in the air and a smile on their faces. They are nomads, wandering the kingdoms of Acitern and moving as they will. To the people of the continent, they are known as the Aciterni. They call themselves the Unbound, a people free from all fetters.

Culture

Aciterni culture is very much defined by their informal nature. They tend to go out of their way to avoid anything that could be said to be holding them back, from prison cells to contracts. They do not even marry and have notoriously little respect for any manner of political boundaries.
The Unbound's philosophy places a great deal of importance on living in the present. They often casually say "what was was, what will be will be". Mostly, they prefer to simply enjoy the moment, taking great pleasure in music and dance, as well as sharing company around a roaring fire.
They also have a very long and rich tradition of storytelling. Their elders typically spread their wisdom to the next generations through stories told by starlight. These tales are often fables-- allegorical stories, often about cunning tricksters and the virtues of freedom.
The Aciterni are a generally peaceful people. They never start fights, although they are perfectly capable of defending themselves against any troubles they meet in their travels. Many of them-- most often men-- are swordsmen or archers. These people more often use their skills to perform rather than fight.
The Aciterni have a very long tradition of magical study. This is a discipline consistently passed down from one generation to another. Traditionally, Aciterni mages are women, but men sometimes learn spellcraft. Sometimes, these mages lay curses on those who harm their people. These are only done in response to the most heinous of crimes and almost always include the possibility of redemption.

History

The Aciterni are often believed to have originally come from the southern plains, in what is now Llanuria. They are sometimes said to have been the first people on the entire continent. This is mostly a fringe theory, as most scholars believe that honor goes to the people of Aurand, instead.
Whatever the truth of the matter, no one knows how the Aciterni originally came to Covenant. They, themselves, don't keep track of their own history. The past simply doesn't matter to most of them. Their stories tend to be allegorical as opposed to historical.
Due to their peaceful nature, they tend not to make an impact on the history of the land, itself. The only time they were known to have played a part in events was during the plot of the dread lich Karad Blackheart. This hero had a vendetta against the gods and tried to kill the people of Acitern and reanimate them as his army.
In response, another hero, the Bjornlander wizard Vidar Elf-Child was trying to unite the people of the continent against him to lift the siege of Tarke. Fortunately for him, one of his companions, the swordsman Pieter Ammoran was of the Aciterni. He inspired them to fight against the undead. In the end they fought alongside the Llanurians, Pranishans, and some Reynardian irregulars and lifted the siege so the hero could defeat the lich.

Foreign Relations

The Aciterni clans travel all throughout, the continent, ignoring borders and camping wherever they will. Due to this, they are largely distrusted, especially by authority figures. More than one local lord has even banned their presence, but they never actually care about these laws.
The common folk of these places are generally more friendly to the Unbound. Since they work as traveling performers, they are usually more welcomed by the overall populace. Still, these welcomes tend to be more arms-length as they are still not entirely trusted.
In their travels, the Aciterni are sometimes considered to be romantic figures, especially by rebellious youths. These people sometimes attempt to join their clans, and they do find a welcome of a sort. They are usually put to work performing menial tasks for a time to gauge their commitment.

Type

Political, independent

Alternative Names

The Unbound

Government System

Gerontocracy

Power Structure

Confederation

Economic System

Mixed economy

Location

Acitern

Notable Members

• Pieter Ammoran