Bears
Bears are a group of mammalian shifters that are categorized by their plantigrade feet, massive size, shorter limbs, heavy bones, and omnivorous teeth structure.
The bear group includes black bears, brown bears, and polar bears.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Bears are muscular, with slightly longer forelimbs than hindlimbs, and have a somewhat squat-looking form when quadrapedal. They carry their heads lower than their shoulders while walking. However, a bear's bulk is deceptive and they are capable of bursts of speed. Their forepaws are built for stunning their prey with blunt force, and their bite force is extremely strong. All bears can stand straight on their hindpaws even in their natural form, which they use as a threat or to reach low-hanging tree branches. They are known to be nearsighted, but they have an excellent sense of smell and keen hearing. Their claws are strong, sharp, and are not retractable. Some species of bears, such as black bears, are adept tree climbers.
In shapeshifted form, bears stand an impressive 7-9 feet tall depending on the species. They are built broadly, with muscular arms and legs, broad chests, and fat around the middle. Their claws become shorter while shapeshifted to allow them to more easily use their fingers. Female bears have visible mammaries on the chest.
Civilization and Culture
Beauty Ideals
An attractive bear is one that is large, muscular, and carries a generous but not unhealthy amount of fat reserves. A well-groomed coat and clean, sharp claws are also considered important for attracting mates. Dental hygiene is important, which is accomplished by chewing on pine branches and mint leaves.
Gender Ideals
Bear shifters form nuclear families, with mothers and fathers raising their young together. Both male and female bears are similar in size and strength, with male bears only slightly outweighing their female counterparts. Gender roles are therefore limited mostly to the raising of young cubs, when it is the role of the female to remain in the den with the cubs while the male provides for the family. However, when the young bears are old enough to venture from the den and follow their parents, both parents take equal teaching roles. They will often trade who takes the cubs for the day and who stays in the den.
Dueling, however, is gendered. Male bears engage in formalized duels, often to win the attention of females or settle interpersonal grievances. These duels are rarely fatal or even particularly dangerous, as bears duel in the form of wrestling. It is mutually agreed whether the duel will take place in their shifted or natural forms, at which point two lines are drawn. One hindpaw or foot must always remain on the line, and the goal is to throw the opponent off balance such that they step both feet off the line. Female bears are not expected or sometimes even allowed to engage in duels, and when a female bear engages in a fight it is almost always to protect her children. It is acknowledged among bears that men fight to compete, while women fight to the death.
Courtship Ideals
Displays of physical prowess are prized in courtship, and wrestling duels do not always have to be started out of a sense of real competition. A bear's friend might challenge him to a duel knowing the female he likes is watching, and may subtly allow his friend to win in order to help him impress her. Expressions of passionate emotion are considered overblown and gauche, so these displays of strength may be the first chance a male has to indicate his interest.
Bears often live with or near their parents well into adulthood, and a courting male will often bring a gift to the home that he believes is suitable to impress his intended mate and her parents. This is often a hunting prize, such as large game the male brought down himself, but if the bear is more of an craftsman than a hunter he may build a sturdy table or chair and gift it to his intended as a symbol of how he intends to provide for their new home together.
Female bears are encouraged to decide quickly whether or not they are interested in a suit. Bears are practical and no-nonsense, and prefer direct communication. It is uncouth for a female who is not interested to keep silent about her rejection in order to receive more gifts. If the interest is reciprocated, the female will invite the male to come with her and inspect potential den sites, as it will be her responsibility to secure it, furnish it, and make it ready to inhabit.
Relationship Ideals
Bears are monogamous, but do not always mate for life. Romance is considered secondary to practical partnership, and if two bears no longer suit each other as partners, it is understood and accepted if they choose to go their separate ways. Co-parenting is common among separated couples, with parents trading their offspring in between residences to carry on the tradition of learning from both parents.
The concept of partnership and mutual benefit is taken seriously in bear relationships. Each partner should contribute to the hunting, foraging, maintenance of the den, cleaning, and raising cubs. Bears are naturally inclined toward solitude and periods of inactivity, so this partnership may be cyclical with one bear doing more of the work part of the year while the other takes over the majority during the other part. Young bears are often consider who they would want to hibernate with all winter when choosing a romantic partner.
Relationships with children are warm and affectionate. Parents share a considerable amount of time with their children, and family meals are of utmost importance to bears. Children always eat at the same table as their parents and are rarely outside their presence until they reach adolescence. As bears transition to adulthood, they will sometimes move out of their home den but will rarely go far, choosing to establish a new home in proximity of their family until they find a life partner and establish an independent residence of their own.
Common Etiquette Rules
Bear shifters value their personal space. They become uncomfortable when someone is standing too close to them and prefer to greet strangers at arm's length. This can cause problems with very young bears who haven't quite learned the boundaries of personal space, or with other shifter species that are used to living in tighter quarters. As children get older, their parents will begin firmly enforcing personal boundaries. Lingering too close, especially while another bear is eating, is extremely rude and will result in a severe telling-off if not an equally rude shove away.
It is never allowed to reach out and take food from another bear's plate, or to step between a bear and their meal. However, if a bear removes part of their food from their plate and transfers it to someone else's, it is a sign of respect, generosity, or hospitality. This is often done to signify that travelers are safe under a bear's roof, or to show respect to an honored elder.
Bears claim territories around their dwellings, and mark these territories by clawing signs into the trees. When coming upon such a treeline in the forest, other bears should skirt the edge or, if absolutely necessary, leave a gift at the border while crossing. This can be a snare with small game, a useful bag, a collection of berries, or whatever else the traveler has on them when they need to cross. Only very desperate bears would enter another's marked territory without leaving some form of gift out of respect.
The etiquette around duels is also quite complex. A duel should not be conducted in the same hour as the challenge; both challengers are meant to separate by at least ten paces for the next hour, in order to give time for heads to cool. If both bears still intend to continue the duel, the lines are marked. An agreed upon third party measures the reach of both bears, mediates the agreement over whether the duel will be fought in natural or shifted form, and then verifies that the lines are marked a fair distance from one another. Bears are allowed to start with their left or right paw on the line, and are allowed to switch during the fight, but must have at least one back paw on the line at all times. Weapons are forbidden in duels. The winner is judged to be the bear who forces his opponent to step both feet off the line at once, which can be achieved through any means save blinding (throwing sand, clawing at the eyes). Most duels are fought by wrestling, where both opponents grab one another's forearms and attempt to throw their opponent off the line. It is dishonorable to strike at an opponent who has assumed the wrestling stance to begin a duel, but if the opponents decline to lock arms, it is an indication that both are willing to draw blood and perhaps severely injure one another.
Common Dress Code
Bears dress for practicality primarily, decoration secondarily. Most garments are made with an eye toward purpose, with little wasted on frippery. Seams are simple and straight, hems are rarely decorated, and the most commonly found patterns are check, stripe, and plaid - patterns that are easily produced on large looms. Linen, cotton, and light wool are the most commonly used textiles, as bears have thick fur and must avoid over-insulation. For this reason, most clothing for bears does not cover the core - kilts are common, long unstitched lengths of fabric that are folded into pleats and belted around the waist. The kilt may be thrown over their shoulder to cover the chest and tucked into the waistband at the back. Half-cloaks are also a popular garment. They can be worn with or without hoods, and many styles have removable hoods that can be buttoned or unbuttoned to the cape. Waxed wool or leather capes are worn in rainy weather to ward off the rain.
Decorative belts are a major feature of bear fashion. While kilts are belted beneath the fabric, many bears will wear a second belt over the top of their kilt. This serves a dual purpose of holding pouches and bags as well as often being the primary point of decoration on a bear's outfit. Belts are made of thick leather, which is then tooled with intricate patterns. The leather is often dyed or painted. Depictions of leaping fish, running deer, fruit-laden berry bushes, honeycombs, or interlocking branches are common decorative motifs.
Bears commonly pierce their ears, often multiple times. They prefer simple jewelry, made of polished bone or wood. However, wealthier bears of higher status may wear plain hoops or studs of gold or silver. Bear noses are highly sensitive, so a nostril piercing is a sign of bravery and strong constitution. Other forms of bear jewelry included long necklaces strung with bone, wooden or stone beads, and sometimes polished seashells or imported beads of colored glass. These necklaces typically hang to the base of the sternum in shapeshifted form to prevent them from snapping off if the bear needs to shift quickly to their natural form.
Woven reed hats with wide round brims are commonly worn in the hot summer months to provide shade. These are sometimes decorated with woven circlets of flowers, strips of painted or tooled leather, or braided cord. In the winter months, fur-lined cloaks and thick leather boots are worn by bears who are brave or foolish enough to emerge from their winter hibernation.
Some particularly brave or reckless bears may engage in the practice of patterned scarification. Natural scars acquired during hunts may be enhanced by cutting patterns into the skin with a sharp knife and encouraging scarring. These types of decorations are considered a more extreme form of body modification, and may be frowned upon in the upper classes.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Bears consider themselves to be the children of the deep earth, and living in harmony with nature's cycles is of cultural importance. Bears monitor the population and available grazing for prey herds and cull the weak or sick animals for food. They maintain bramble patches that produce wild blackberries and raspberries. They inspect the forest periodically to ensure its health and reach out to experts on forest maintenance for controlled burn-offs of underbrush when needed. They see themselves as part of the natural order as opposed to above it.
When making a kill on the hunt, a bear should thank the departed spirit of the beast for its gift. Kills should be made cleanly and quickly - this is in contrast to the simple beast counterparts of bear shifters, who will often eat prey alive. When harvesting plants, berries, and fruits, bears will often praise the bramble or fruit tree out loud, thanking the spirit for providing them with bounty. Black bears are known to talk to their bees as they maintain the apiaries.
A bear's home is their private space. Similar to dragons, bear homes often have an outdoor space - a porch or a courtyard - where guests are received, so the privacy of the home can be protected. A bear who receives a guest is expected to provide simple fare - bread and honey or jam, smoked fish or game, and clear water or weak wine. Guests are not meant to receive the best and should not expect it, because dining a guest simply to impress is considered wasteful and self-aggrandizing. However, it is permissible to serve fresh food or break into a rare wine if the visitor is an honored elder or noble overlord, as a sign of respect.
Bears primarily honor the great creator spirit, the spirits of the forest, and the gods of the sun and the river, without whom they would not have nature's bounty. Small forest shrines are found frequently throughout bear lands, decorated with woven and painted reed discs or patches or fragrant herbs. During natural disasters, bears will burn herbs in the fires of their homes to seek blessings and protection until it passes.
All bears have a shrine to the ancestors without their own homes. Ancestor tablets, carved with the names of the deceased, hang on the wall above the small altar recessed into a nook near the home's entrance.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Awakening is a spring festival celebrated as bears emerge from hibernation. Grown children will often travel back to their parents' home with their partner and children to hibernate and therefore emerge together, so Awakening is a celebration of family ties. It is popular to tell the story of the bear shifters' history during this time, and often this is when a young bear shifter first hears the claim that bears were the first shifters to be given the Gift. Spring stores are opened, the last of the preserved winter food is consumed in a large family feast, and cubs are entertained with games, races, and contests of strength. In the evening, the family returns to the hibernation den and begins cleaning it out, repaying the hosts for allowing them to stay through the winter.
The Salmon Run is a widely-celebrated time of year, marked by unusually high levels of cooperation and tolerance for each other's company among bears. Salmon are harvested in abundance, and preserved for trade by smoking. The scent of woodsmoke and salmon lines the air along the Pinkfish River, and everywhere along the shores, encampments of bears can be found. They may challenge each other to contests of spear fishing or line fishing in their shifted form, but the main attraction is plunging into the river in their natural form and catching at least one salmon with their own jaws to eat raw. The Salmon Run is known to be an opportunity for young, single bears to meet one another and impress a mate. The atmosphere is casual and jovial, with little in the way of formal rituals except for the final day, when bears gather at the riverbank and offer thanks to the Pinkfish for its bounty by releasing any skins, bones, and other salmon remnants into the river for other fish to feed on.
Bears are raised by individual family units, and coming of age is typically a private, family matter. Parents will take their children to the residence of the oldest living bear in their bloodline, considered the matriarch or patriarch of the family. This may be the first time this cub has met the elder, if they do not live close to one another. The parents will leave their child at the elder's residence for three days and three nights, during which time the young bear must prove that they have understood the lessons on how to be polite, how to properly honor the spirits and the ancestors, and that they are ready to venture into the world. A young bear is meant to bring the elder a ceremonial gift of home-brewed berry wine, but pretend to be ignorant of the custom and apologize profusely for forgetting it, a test of humility. The young bear will leave the wine with the elder when they depart on the final night.
The winter solstice is the mark of deepest winter's beginning, and is the last time most bears will see one another until spring. Longnight is a ceremonial vigil that is held around large bonfires. Magical herbs are burned in the bonfires, and bears will carve their worries or grievances into sticks to throw into the bonfire, symbolizing that they are releasing those cares to die with the old year. It is traditional at this time for bears to approach those they may have wronged in the past year and offer an apology for their actions. A bear will begin by offering "Longnight greetings," and then will offer a small monetary token to the bear they offended. It is not necessary for them to speak the grievance aloud except in two situations: if the offense was so minor that the offended party has forgotten it, they may confusedly ask, "What redress on Longnight, friend?" If the offense on the other hand was extremely major, the other bear may refuse to accept the gift and the apology unless the offering bear owns up to their actions out loud in front of witnesses. Dueling is forbidden on Longnight, so the ritual of apology will not escalate to re-opening old wounds. When the sun finally breaks the horizon, the solemn vigil is broken with communal feasting, music, dancing, and celebration before the community splits into family groups for hibernation.
Common Taboos
Bears value stoicism, which is itself an effect of bears valuing privacy and personal space. Public displays of strong emotion intrude on the lives of other bears, and are considered uncouth and impolite. A bear who becomes so enraged or upset that they cannot calm themselves is avoided by other bears, who are made uncomfortable by the display. Bears do, however, understand the concept of "fighting words," and in the reverse it is also extremely uncouth to deliberately provoke another bear into a rage.
Because they believe they were the first beast shifter species raised with the Gift, bears also believe they are responsible for being good custodians of the land. This means engaging in sustainable practices and ensuring there is no food waste. Young bears are strongly admonished to finish off their entire plate while eating and are shamed for leaving any food behind. Bears are not true hibernators - although they retreat to their dens in winter and can sleep for several weeks at a time, if their fat reserves grow dangerously low the bear will wake. The practice of preserving excess food is therefore vital to bear survival - nothing is wasted. If something cannot be eaten immediately it will be preserved and stored in a winter larder. The practice of sport hunting, rare but present among some noble families, is shocking and viscerally upsetting to a bear.
Young bears are taught very early in their lives to never, ever approach or wake a hibernating bear. This is considered the ultimate intrusion on a bear's private space, is unconscionably rude, and if the hibernating bear kills the offender before fully waking and realizing who has disturbed them, this is widely considered a tragic accident that someone brought on themselves by being extremely foolish and rude.
History
Bears were one of the first species of beast shifters to be directly approached by King Llyn and his loyal dragons as warriors in the Year of Blood. They were enlisted to push the gryphons out of the northern forests and beat them back into the arctic regions. After the conclusion of the War of the Gift, a clan of brown bears were granted one of the first High Noble titles and territory to govern. House Thunderpaw therefore claims themselves as the oldest noble house in the kingdom, a title that is debated.
Since then, with fewer and fewer threats from the gryphons over the decades, most bears are less inclined toward martial pursuits. House Thunderpaw is famed for its salmon production, while House Honeypaw, their black bear vassals, produces the largest amount of bee byproducts in the kingdom. The polar bears in the far northern reaches maintain solitary, nomadic lifestyles and may even wander outside of the kingdom.
Scientific Name
Ursidae
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Brown, black with a brown face, or white. Brown bears vary between medium brown and tawny. Black bears can additionally be darker brown.
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
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