The Tribes of Urdaggar
“Go back to your mattresses and fire-hearths, stone-dweller. There is nothing for you here.” – Stag Chieftain dismissing a Haradelan envoyIn the far, hostile, northern lands of @Faelon dwell the mighty Urdaggar tribes. Death quickly finds those who are unsuited to these wild lands where one might say the men are wilder than the lands around them. In the Urdaggar homelands the tribes today thrive despite a never ending battle for mere survival. Long before men began to record their histories in books, scrolls and letters, the Men of True Blood, the Urdaggar, as they now call themselves, fought, hunted, survived and most importantly, lived free in the world at large. Freedom was in every person and it was every person’s destiny. Not much is known of the Urdaggar tribes for few scholars of the south have as yet considered them worthy of study and investigation. Most southerners consider the Yemtaar, as they call them (@Faelish, literally, ‘chaotic-people’), crude, uncouth and backward. The merchants of the south who venture north to trade with the tribes look down their noses at them, yet no one would dare do so openly or underestimate the power and quick temper of the Yemtaar. Those who show disdain to the Yemtaar soon find themselves at the beginning of their journey into the afterlife. The Urdaggar themselves keep an oral tradition preserved by their great Council of Mystics. Every tribe has at least one Mystic, most have a small circle of their own, whose duty it is to preserve their tribe’s histories in enormously long verses of song or poetry. These verses are memorized by the young novice upon entering the Circle as his or her first task of learning. Later, the Mystic will compose his or her own verses to be added to the history describing events occurring during his or her own life. Thus the epic tale of the Urdaggar is found in their great oral tradition. The Urdaggar lead a nomadic existence, moving about the plains and mountains in great mobile villages. Urdaggar raids are a part of daily life along the Falkaaran, Haradelan and Varkraalan northern borders.
Structure
Government
The Urdaggar have a Tribal-Clan structure. Tribes are lead by Chieftains, who are selected in a contest of martial and athletic ability. The Chieftains are advised and supported by a High Shaman. Each tribe is composed of family-based clans. There are eighteen tribes, each with an animal totem that corresponds to one of the male or female aspects of the Gaal. The Tribes of the Urdaggar are: Lion, Eagle, Wolf, Owl, Boar, Bear, Raven, Horse, Dolphin, Serpent, Spider, Bat, Stag, Falcon, Jackal, Vulture, Mammoth, Shark. Each of the tribes has a unique nature that reflects the characteristics of their totem and strongly influences the way the members of the tribe act, fight, and live. The Circle of Mystics is the closest the Urdaggar come to any form of unified government. The Circle is formed from the spiritual advisers of the tribes and their leadership influence ‘usually’ is limited to spiritual matters. The tribes individually are lead either by a single chieftain or a council of elders and the methods of choosing leadership are as varied as the tribes themselves, though many involve combat or some form of contest to prove one’s ability to lead. All the tribes regard themselves as free and recognize every member of age, male and female, has a voice in the tribe’s affairs. Heraldry Each tribe has its own totem, which is the animal from which the tribe takes its name. It is often represented in a woodcarving or banner. There have also been many attempts to gather various of the tribes into larger nations or alliances over the years. The most common groupings are known to the civilized lands as The Tribes of Valor (Lion, Eagle, Bear, Boar, Wolf, Owl), the Tribes of Omen (Raven, Snake, Stag, Falcon, Dolphin, Horse) and the Tribes of Ruin (Bat, Spider, Jackal, Vulture, Mammoth and Shark). The Tribes of Valor are the most likely to band together to cooperate against outside threats and have often taken the white hammer as their sigil. THE TRIBES OF OMEN The Tribes of Omen are the tribes of the Horse, Dolphin, Raven, Snake, Stag and Falcon. These tribes are the most opportunistic. They shift alliances readily and often. They have a fatalistic “what happens, happens” outlook and believe more than others that their destiny is not in their hands. In combat, they are crafty and indirect, seeking to win through subterfuge and deception. For the Tribes of Omen, the ends justify the means. Their tattoos tend to greens and browns and serve as much for camouflage as for decoration. The last time the Tribes of Omen unified, a Raven Lord brought them into line. Because of this, the southern powers associate the Omens with raven symbology. The Urdaggar Tribes of Omen are the Tribes of the Stag, Falcon, Dolphin, Horse, Raven and Snake. These tribes do not think of themselves as “omen,” nor does any one of these tribes particularly associate themselves with the other five tribes not included in this grouping. The names Valor, Omen and Ruin and the grouping of various tribes together is a construct of their southern neighbors attempting to simplify something inherently complex. However, an outside observer is not wrong to note some similarities between these tribes that do not exist between them and the other twelve. The Tribes of Omen do not have as strong a sense of honor as the Tribes of Valor. Instead, they believe in following the lead of their totems through signs and portents. They share the view that there is a natural way of things that is sometimes scrupulous and sometimes deceptive but always opportunistic. When the signs are right, they are right, whether those signs lead to an act others might consider variously honorable or dishonorable. They are chancy allies, perfect when interests align, but quick to shift allegiance when those interests diverge. Like all of the Urdaggar Tribes, their members take on the aspects of their totems. Stags are best when charging and providing resolve to their fellows. Falcons strike quickly and are hard to pin down. Dolphins move easily through watery environs and are stronger in groups. Horses possess a high stamina and mobility matched only by the Grular hordes. Ravens look to fate and destiny to guide their moves and Snakes are the ultimate deceivers and tricksters. The clans all take names that tie them in some way to their totems. Some of the larger clans are Blackmane, Bloodhorn, Swiftwing, Darkfin, Treeviper and Nightfeather. TRIBES OF VALOR The Urdaggar. At once both the fiercely independent wellspring of the entire Faeler people and a roiling sea of warring tribes locked in an eternal struggle for survival and supremacy. The totemic Tribes of the Urdaggar are as diverse as the animal spirits that provide their core identities. Yet there are some tribes that share a basic set of characteristics, at least in the eyes of those from the civilized nations. The Tribes of Valor are the tribes of the Wolf, Bear, Boar, Owl, Eagle and Lion totems. These are the tribes from which clans settled the nations of Falkaar, Haradel and Thormenal. They are the most straightforward, the most prideful, and the most ardent in battle. Valor tribes are more likely to band together in disputes with the other tribes. In combat, they are fast and lethal, though not able to stand in a prolonged slog of a fight. They act more honorably with others, but have a longer memory when wronged. Valor tribe freebands range throughout Urdaggar lands and beyond seeking glory and triumph. THE TRIBES OF RUIN The Tribes of Ruin are the tribes of the Spider, Bat, Jackal, Vulture, Mammoth, and Shark. These tribes have taken as their totems the aspects of the Gaal that rebelled against the others, the Kehinnin. They believe themselves superior to the rest of the Urdaggar and believe it is only a matter of time before they make the other tribes, and subsequently the rest of the world, submit to their will. In combat, they are relentless and cruel, seeking to win through intimidation and brute force. They are hungry for power and never satisfied with any conquest. Their tattoos tend to reds and black and are full of fierce and fearsome imagery. When the Ruin Tribes gather, it is under the sign of a red skull. THE TOTEM LORDS Several times throughout their history, an Urdaggar tribe has produced a chieftain so powerful he or she is able to unite two or more tribes to a common purpose. These legendary leaders are known as Totem Lords. In most cases, they manage to unite the other tribes of their kind: Valor, Omen or Ruin. Only twice has a Totem Lord come close to uniting all of the Tribes, though in both cases the alliances unraveled almost as soon as they came into being. Totem Lords grow so powerful, their totem grants them the ability to shift into totem form without the aid of a Mystic. Rumors abound today that a Mammoth Totem Lord is trying yet again to unify the tribes with the aim of conquering the south.
The Urdaggar have a Tribal-Clan structure. Tribes are lead by Chieftains, who are selected in a contest of martial and athletic ability. The Chieftains are advised and supported by a High Shaman. Each tribe is composed of family-based clans. There are eighteen tribes, each with an animal totem that corresponds to one of the male or female aspects of the Gaal. The Tribes of the Urdaggar are: Lion, Eagle, Wolf, Owl, Boar, Bear, Raven, Horse, Dolphin, Serpent, Spider, Bat, Stag, Falcon, Jackal, Vulture, Mammoth, Shark. Each of the tribes has a unique nature that reflects the characteristics of their totem and strongly influences the way the members of the tribe act, fight, and live. The Circle of Mystics is the closest the Urdaggar come to any form of unified government. The Circle is formed from the spiritual advisers of the tribes and their leadership influence ‘usually’ is limited to spiritual matters. The tribes individually are lead either by a single chieftain or a council of elders and the methods of choosing leadership are as varied as the tribes themselves, though many involve combat or some form of contest to prove one’s ability to lead. All the tribes regard themselves as free and recognize every member of age, male and female, has a voice in the tribe’s affairs. Heraldry Each tribe has its own totem, which is the animal from which the tribe takes its name. It is often represented in a woodcarving or banner. There have also been many attempts to gather various of the tribes into larger nations or alliances over the years. The most common groupings are known to the civilized lands as The Tribes of Valor (Lion, Eagle, Bear, Boar, Wolf, Owl), the Tribes of Omen (Raven, Snake, Stag, Falcon, Dolphin, Horse) and the Tribes of Ruin (Bat, Spider, Jackal, Vulture, Mammoth and Shark). The Tribes of Valor are the most likely to band together to cooperate against outside threats and have often taken the white hammer as their sigil. THE TRIBES OF OMEN The Tribes of Omen are the tribes of the Horse, Dolphin, Raven, Snake, Stag and Falcon. These tribes are the most opportunistic. They shift alliances readily and often. They have a fatalistic “what happens, happens” outlook and believe more than others that their destiny is not in their hands. In combat, they are crafty and indirect, seeking to win through subterfuge and deception. For the Tribes of Omen, the ends justify the means. Their tattoos tend to greens and browns and serve as much for camouflage as for decoration. The last time the Tribes of Omen unified, a Raven Lord brought them into line. Because of this, the southern powers associate the Omens with raven symbology. The Urdaggar Tribes of Omen are the Tribes of the Stag, Falcon, Dolphin, Horse, Raven and Snake. These tribes do not think of themselves as “omen,” nor does any one of these tribes particularly associate themselves with the other five tribes not included in this grouping. The names Valor, Omen and Ruin and the grouping of various tribes together is a construct of their southern neighbors attempting to simplify something inherently complex. However, an outside observer is not wrong to note some similarities between these tribes that do not exist between them and the other twelve. The Tribes of Omen do not have as strong a sense of honor as the Tribes of Valor. Instead, they believe in following the lead of their totems through signs and portents. They share the view that there is a natural way of things that is sometimes scrupulous and sometimes deceptive but always opportunistic. When the signs are right, they are right, whether those signs lead to an act others might consider variously honorable or dishonorable. They are chancy allies, perfect when interests align, but quick to shift allegiance when those interests diverge. Like all of the Urdaggar Tribes, their members take on the aspects of their totems. Stags are best when charging and providing resolve to their fellows. Falcons strike quickly and are hard to pin down. Dolphins move easily through watery environs and are stronger in groups. Horses possess a high stamina and mobility matched only by the Grular hordes. Ravens look to fate and destiny to guide their moves and Snakes are the ultimate deceivers and tricksters. The clans all take names that tie them in some way to their totems. Some of the larger clans are Blackmane, Bloodhorn, Swiftwing, Darkfin, Treeviper and Nightfeather. TRIBES OF VALOR The Urdaggar. At once both the fiercely independent wellspring of the entire Faeler people and a roiling sea of warring tribes locked in an eternal struggle for survival and supremacy. The totemic Tribes of the Urdaggar are as diverse as the animal spirits that provide their core identities. Yet there are some tribes that share a basic set of characteristics, at least in the eyes of those from the civilized nations. The Tribes of Valor are the tribes of the Wolf, Bear, Boar, Owl, Eagle and Lion totems. These are the tribes from which clans settled the nations of Falkaar, Haradel and Thormenal. They are the most straightforward, the most prideful, and the most ardent in battle. Valor tribes are more likely to band together in disputes with the other tribes. In combat, they are fast and lethal, though not able to stand in a prolonged slog of a fight. They act more honorably with others, but have a longer memory when wronged. Valor tribe freebands range throughout Urdaggar lands and beyond seeking glory and triumph. THE TRIBES OF RUIN The Tribes of Ruin are the tribes of the Spider, Bat, Jackal, Vulture, Mammoth, and Shark. These tribes have taken as their totems the aspects of the Gaal that rebelled against the others, the Kehinnin. They believe themselves superior to the rest of the Urdaggar and believe it is only a matter of time before they make the other tribes, and subsequently the rest of the world, submit to their will. In combat, they are relentless and cruel, seeking to win through intimidation and brute force. They are hungry for power and never satisfied with any conquest. Their tattoos tend to reds and black and are full of fierce and fearsome imagery. When the Ruin Tribes gather, it is under the sign of a red skull. THE TOTEM LORDS Several times throughout their history, an Urdaggar tribe has produced a chieftain so powerful he or she is able to unite two or more tribes to a common purpose. These legendary leaders are known as Totem Lords. In most cases, they manage to unite the other tribes of their kind: Valor, Omen or Ruin. Only twice has a Totem Lord come close to uniting all of the Tribes, though in both cases the alliances unraveled almost as soon as they came into being. Totem Lords grow so powerful, their totem grants them the ability to shift into totem form without the aid of a Mystic. Rumors abound today that a Mammoth Totem Lord is trying yet again to unify the tribes with the aim of conquering the south.
Demography and Population
Mating Rituals and Customs
The Urdaggar are serial monogamists. Though some Urdaggar partner for life, divorce is common and provides an acceptable resolution of marital disagreements. Divorce is as easy as marriage in Urdaggar society, which simply requires a public statement of the fact. Obviously, for a marriage to be recognized, both man and woman must publicly state their intention to be married, and for divorce, only one need so state. At the basis of Urdaggar marital beliefs is the same undying belief in freedom and that all persons are by right free to choose their own destiny.
Entertainment
The primary entertainments for the Urdaggar are contests of physical prowess, the types and forms of which vary with each tribe.
What is valued by this society?
Above all else, Urdaggar value freedom. They take the Faeler predilection for not being able to be told what to do by anyone to an extreme.
URDAGGAR TATTOOS
The Valor Tribes use tattoos primarily to mark achievement. Younger clan members will have few, but those who have seen battle and performed great deeds will have many. Each clan traditionally has at least one trained tattoo artist. The ink is etched into the skin using small animal bones or sharpened sticks. Valor tattoos tend to be some shade of blue or white. They are a mix of symbols representing their totem and bars, bands or stripes to show such achievements as enemies slain or beasts hunted.
Territories
The Urdaggar steppe is a cool plain bounded by mountains. Summers do not get hot and winters can be harsh.
Military
The tribes of the Urdaggar have no organized military, though they will sometimes work together to fight off an outsider or form alliances to fight differing factions within the tribes. In times of war, the armies are lead by a great chieftain or hero who has proved himself in previous battle. Though it does not often occur, war bands of Urdaggar have been known to rally around a particularly powerful Mystic. Indeed, one of the most successful counter-incursions against the invading Traazorites was lead by the famed Mystic Merkalathar, a Mystic of the Serpent tribe, who successfully united many of the southernmost tribes under his leadership for the purpose of halting the Traazorite incursion into the Urdaggar lands.
All men, and many women, begin learning to use weapons the day they are first able to hold them. The Urdaggar way of life demands it. Everyone is expected to contribute to the welfare of the tribe in times of war and peace in whatever ways they are best able and everyone must be ready to take up arms to defend their tribe’s rights to survival at a moments notice. Even those called into the Circle of Mystics are sometimes called upon to fight in defense of the tribes, though they often support combat and add valuable spiritual support to the tribes’ efforts in more potent magical ways.
Urdaggar warriors employ a variety of weapons based on their tribe’s totem. Their horsemen are capable and employ both shock and skirmish tactics, although they are no match in direct combat with knights of the Faeler kingdoms. The tribesmen are not drilled, paid soldiers, but their charge can be ferocious. All able-bodied men are warriors when called upon.
Religion
Each tribe communes with its totem through its Mystics.
The Circle of Mystics
Those who shall be called into the Circle of Mystics are recognized at a very early age, usually before the age of 10. A Mystic is recognized by his or her ‘mark’, which manifests itself in a display of curiosity, wisdom and knowledge of the child’s environment beyond his or her years. When the Mystics, who keep a watchful eye over all children for signs that they are marked, discovers these traits in a child, the mark will be tested in a ritual ceremony for its validity. The ceremony is secret, known only to the Mystics themselves, and does not appear to be harmful to the child candidate in any way, though no child ever passes through with memory of the ceremony and thus cannot report it to outsiders.
Upon successful validation, the child candidate is announced as a novice Mystic. The child will remain with his or her parents until the age of 10 (unless he or she has already attained that age, but in no wise after the age of 12), at which time the child will be given over to an elder Mystic to begin his or her training. The first task set a young Mystic is to learn the song of his or her tribe while serving and supporting the elder Mystic in menial household tasks like cooking and cleaning. After the new Mystic has successfully mastered the songs of the tribe’s and the Urdaggar history, he or she is ready to begin proper training in the ways of the totem, nature and the earth, and learns to gain mastery over the spiritual forces that connect everything both living and dead.
The Circle of Mystics is made up of all Urdaggar Mystics from every tribe throughout the Urdaggar lands. Twice each year at the winter and summer solstices the Circle meets at a sacred hidden location known only to its members. While en route to the conclave, the persons of the Mystics are considered inviolate, and no rival tribe would dare attack a rival Mystic. To do so would bring down the wrath of all the Mystics upon the offending clan or persons who would curse the perpetrator to a violent, painful and most undignified death. The Mystics are revered by all and afforded special status, even when captured as a prisoner of war when rival clans clash.
The Circle of the Mystics itself is lead by the Elder Masters, the ranking Mystic of each tribe.
Once a young Mystic begins his training, he is called to a higher purpose that supersedes even that of his own original tribe. Though most Mystics remain with their own original tribes for life, it is not unheard of for a Mystic to change tribes when required by the Elder Masters to do so. For the higher mission of the Circle of the Mystics is the preservation of the remaining tribes of the Urdaggar. It has happened before, that the last living Mystic of some of the smaller tribes has died, leaving the tribe without spiritual counsel and healing. In such a case, the Elder Masters will select one or more younger Mystics who are at least fully initiated, yet young enough to adapt, to go to that tribe and become the tribes new Mystic. The new Mystic is usually welcomed, though old clan rivalries can sometimes interfere with the adjusting to a new tribe and Mystic.
Foreign Relations
The Urdaggar view all outsiders as soft. “Stonedwellers” and “Pillowsleepers” are some of the tamer epithets for the supposedly civilized. The tribes do not look at themselves as “barbarians”, the revel in the freedom their way of life brings. Its hardships are simply there to prove the value of their choices.
Trade & Transport
The Urdaggar have no currency of their own for theirs is a system of barter. They will by force of necessity often use the coin of the realms of Falkaar, Haradel, Varkraal and the Kuzaarik in trading for important staples, cloth, wine, and beer, which the Urdaggar much like, but do not make themselves. Urdaggar traders barter livestock, milk, cheese, fur, and hides for manufactured goods.
Language: Faelish
Type
Geopolitical, Nomadic tribe
Alternative Names
The Men of True Blood, Yemtaar (Faelish, literally, ‘chaotic-people’)
Demonym
Urdaggar
Government System
Tribalism
Economic System
Barter system
Currency
None
Major Exports
livestock, milk, cheese, fur, and hides
Major Imports
cloth, wine, and beer
Parent Organization
Subsidiary Organizations
Related Professions
Related Ethnicities
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