Nalagate

The Nalagate are a nomadic clan of indigenous peoples inhabiting the island of Foren in Eiselcross. They are one of many so-called wildfolk groups that wander the islands. Their language, Anala ("the beautiful tongue"), is a melodic blend of Common and Halfling. Anala Sign Language is a moderately sustained language isolate used by most wildfolk clans, including the Nalagate.

Assets

For all their peace with each other, the Nalagate are fierce warriors. Their cold environment shapes them, and they must defend against saber-toothed tigers, yeti, and even more dangerous predators such as white dragons. Although most of their hunters are men, women are also trained to hunt and men cross-train in traditional homemaking skills, making the whole community capable of adjusting to unforeseen losses.
Perhaps the greatest pride of the Nalagate people are their dogs. Large, fluffy beasts of black, gray, and white, the Nalaku husky is one of the strongest dogs on record, capable of dragging as much as 44 pounds of equipment through heavy snow. Nalaku huskies serve as pack animals during the summer, sled dogs during the winter, and hunters and guard dogs year round. The Nalagate breed them for beauty as much as for function, focusing especially on bright, piercing eyes and thick, healthy coats.

History

The Nalagate have occupied Foren since shortly after the Founding. According to oral tradition, a small tribe of the First Children faced incredible tribulation in the elemental chaos of the Southern Lands and traveled north in search of refuge. There they found Iriali, the Frigid Mother, whose mountains shielded them from primordial storms and whose snow-swept wastes guarded them from monsters. As they watched the sky and studied the aurora borealis, they eventually recognized it as a magical window into the Land Beyond Death, which was inhabited by the spirits of dead souls both humanoid and animal. Thus were born their cultural traditions of animism and shamanism.

Demography and Population

Most wildfolk clans primarily consist of either humans or halflings, and the Nalagate are no different. Of their 327 people, 216 are human, 15 are halfling, one is a white-furred tabaxi, and one is an aasimar.
Nalagate humans and halflings have warm brown skin, dark hair, and sturdy builds, although this last detail is often difficult to make out beneath the thick furs and heavy parkas they wear to protect against the elements.

Religion

The Nalagate have no gods but instead revere the animals and natural phenomena such as the wind, snow, and waves. They are animistic, believing that all living things have a spirit and these spirits can be influenced or appeased by requiring an animal or inanimate object to act a certain way. Their sareslia is responsible for studying the spirits, interpreting their moods, and guiding the clan through interactions with them. The sareslia also pays attention to the forces of nature, which are believed to have spirits of their own, and advises the clan on how to react to their mood swings.

Foreign Relations

Though the Nalagate don't often interact with other wildfolk clans, they have met most at least once.

• Clan Silverwind, a primarily halfling clan, hunts in nearby territories and thus crops up now and again on hunts or during travel.
• The Nalagate occasionally trade with the Kunathali goliaths of the eastern mountains, who produce tools carved from the ivory of beasts too large for the Nalagate to hunt. Historically, the Kunathali have been known to arrive during times of great danger and slay monsters, such as frost worms, threatening the Nalagate people.
• The Ipsis clan keeps to themselves on the western side of the island, in the region north of Allowak's Sanctuary. Their population is a fairly even blend of human and halfling.
• The wormkin are a nameless clan from the island Gelier. The Nalagate would not know about them at all if not for a wandering wormkin evangelist who tried to convince some of their younger clansmen to return with him to Gelier. The Nalagate threw him out and have remained on guard against wormkin ever since.

Like most wildfolk, the Nalagate tend to be distrustful of outsiders, especially after seeing explorers from across the sea going into locations they dare not enter themselves and using arcane magic to uncover the frozen secrets of their land.

• They have only interacted with the Cerberus Assembly once, when a scouting team asked for directions to and information about Aeor's crash site. The Nalagate told them what they knew and sent them on their way, warning of the dangers and shaking their heads when the team refused to listen. Since then, excavators and mages have come to explore the ruins' secrets with arcane magic, which the Nalagate see as unnatural and instinctively distrust.
• Although they have not officially met anyone from the Kryn Dynasty, the Nalagate have noticed a recent increase in drow who approached the ruins and were never seen coming back. However, they have not found any sign of where the dark elves may be staying.
• The Nalagate occasionally trade with the dwarvish settlement of Syrinlya for food and supplies.

No matter the tribe, when a wildfolk clansman commits murder, he is branded on the forehead with the image of a blade and exiled from his people. The Nalagate recognize this practice and refuse to have any dealings with one of the Branded. When a Branded wanders too close to camp, the Nalagate's dogs bark an alarm and the people swarm out of their tents, gather at the edge of the camp, and throw rocks at the killer until he flees.

Agriculture & Industry

The Nalagate's primary industry relies on animal hides and furs, bones, and the occasional piece of driftwood salvaged from the coast. They make their tools primarily out of ivory or stone, although a small handful of their hunters also carry metal weapons imported from Syrinlya. Plant life is scarce on Foren, so the clan lives off the fat and meat of mammoths and elk. During the summer, they visit the coast for a month, where they hunt seals, walruses, and fish.

Trade & Transport

As nomads, the Nalagate have learned to minimize their possessions to make travel as easy as possible. However, in the icy plains of Eiselcross, it is not always possible to travel light. During winter, the Nalagate travel on sleds made of bones and animal hides, which in turn are pulled by Nalaku huskies. In warmer months—rare though they are—they move on foot while the dogs use harnesses to drag their equipment along the ground. When the herds they follow cross the River Inferno, the clan waits for snowfall, then crosses the lava river on foot.

Education

Typically, children are raised by their mothers in the Nalagate camp, where they learn to cook, clean, sew, preserve game, and defend the camp. When a boy turns eight years old, he is allowed to accompany his father on occasional hunting expeditions, although he is still expected to spend time learning at home. Girls are not expected to participate in hunts but may join if they express an interest. Formal education ends when a child turns fourteen and takes their place as an adult in Nalagate society. At this point, young adults may request a rite of passage to become a full-fledged hunter.

Type

Geopolitical, Nomadic tribe

Economic System

Barter system

Legislative Body

The Nalagate do not abide by written laws, instead following a series of traditions called sida. There are three kinds of sida:

• Sida-gait, the order to be followed
• Sida-gant, the duties to be fulfilled
• Sida-tal, the actions to scorn

Violations of any of the sida are addressed in a community forum mediated by the sareslia, or shaman. The goal of such meetings is reconciliation; in the extreme case where that is impossible, the guilty party breaks off from the Nalagate and may start their own clan or join another. These small groups are gifted a stone map of the coast and a trinket they may present to other clans as proof of what happened.
Occasionally, an individual breaks the sida-tal of lifeblood by slaying another wildfolk. This is one taboo from which none may return. The accused is tried by the elders and sareslia before the entire clan and, if found guilty, branded on the forehead with the image of a knife and exiled from the Nalagate.

Judicial Body

Although much of Nalagate governance is carried out by the community, experience has taught them that mob psychology is a danger in the arctic wastes. Thus, when a sida is broken or justice must otherwise be determined, the Nalagate call on their elders to weigh the facts and pass judgment. Often, though not always, they are joined by the sareslia, the spiritual leader of the clan, who consults the spirits of the animals and ancestors to weigh in on the matter. Once a decision is made by this council, the Nalagate abide by it regardless of any individual's personal opinion.

Location

Eiselcross