Wanderers
The harsh northern lands lended themselves poorly to those who wished to live alone. Still there were those who, for one reason or another, wished to leave behind all that which they had and knew, forsaking any bonds they held before. These wanderers with no home and no one to rely on but themselves were called Wanderers.
No one was born a wanderer, though there were those who insisted they were chosen, that they received a sign, an omen, even a vision with a clear message: this is the path you must walk. To truly become a wanderer one had to relinquish all ties they hold. Any ownership to land or property was given away, and blood ties to kin both living and dead cut clean through with a ritual. After that the newly born wanderer was free to go, beholden to none.
There were those who wished to wander in search for knowledge, secrets hidden deep beneath the earth and in the Below. Others looked to the bear for guidance, and sought connection with the sacred King in the Woods through tradition and ritual. Whoever they were and whatever their goals, there wasn't a wanderer alive who couldn't see themselves through the harshest of winters and the cruelest of summers.
But age came to everyone, even those whom no beast or illness could defeat. An old wanderer was a rare sight, but not always due to their demise. Instead anyone could join a new clan if invited, usually through marriage, and thus reconnect themselves with the world of humans and end their journey. Especially wandering sages were wanted by many clans, as the knowledge they held was often taught to the clan's next generation, thus making them all stronger.
Wanderers were often a neutral presence within clan lands. As lone survivalists they stayed only days and didn't take too many resources Aside from that, anything they could teach the local clan often made up for any inconvenience. Instead they stood as mysterious figures with strange, sometimes unbelievable stories from all over the continent. Their reputation alone could make it so even the strongest fighters of any reasonable clan were wary of a wanderer whether they wielded spear or bow or words of power.