Boreal

An Analysis by Elias Dods

Introduction

The Boreals are humans native to the Throat of the World, descendants of the first settlers of man and those who have chosen the hard life on the mountains. Survival on the icy peaks, though, is a difficult battle against nature itself and forged the Boreal into hard, straightforward people with an incredible ability to adapt and survive. Their trustworthiness has bred deep ties with the Garkith tribes of the north and the Peak-Hunter Clan is one of the few clans that will accept humans into their families. Known for their pridefulness and honor, the word of a Boreal is as trustworthy as stone among the mistrustful Garkith. Notably, deception seems to be a foreign concept in pureblood Boreal tribes with the word of a Boreal taken as readily as their gold. Their sense of pride and honor traces down to their deep ancestral roots with the First Men, whose customs and traditions are continued by the Boreal in many strange ways.

Description

The pureblood Boreals are similar in stature to their distant Mohrite cousins to the far south, with the only difference simply that they are better fed. All Boreal have distinctive pale skin, and the paler the shade often shows how recently their bloodline has climbed the mountain slopes. Fair skin and hair is viewed as an appealing quality in both men and women and is a sought after trait among prospective mates. Similarly, a good sense of hygiene directly ties to a sense of beauty; specifically, a Boreal's hair is among their most valuable and well cared for possessions.

Bloodlines

Boreal families carefully trace their bloodlines back to their arrival in the Throat of the World, the longer the line has existed in the frigid north, the more prestigious its name. Those pureblood families that can trace their lineage to the original army of Ser Namir Teloc that marched into the Throat to battle the Udrithi Empire are among the most famous bloodlines in the mountains. In the fortress city of Seguro Gra these families are honored among the city's ruling class, the Ryuki, and their noble warrior caste.

Ancient Grudges

Like the Garkith, the Boreal people harbor a deep hatred of dwarves that stretches back to the First Men and their war against the Udirkith. Though not as severe as the Garkith's boiling hatred, the humans of the Throat have long made a sport of hunting and enslaving the dwarven remnants leading to near-complete enslavement of the dwarves of the Throat. In the Boreal capital Seguro Gra dwarves are a brutalized people suffering at the hands of taskmasters bred to believe the dwarves to be their mortal enemy and that should they be allowed freedom they would seek conquest yet again.

General Information

Family Names

Hansen, Johansen, Olsen, Larsan, Andersen, Nilsen, Redersen, Haugen, Berg, Erikson, Moen, Lunde

Feminine Names

Elsa, Andrea, Anne, Mary, Marit, Heidi, Alexandra, Leah

Masculine Names

William, Mathias, Oliver, Jakob, Lucas, Filip, Liam, Aksel

Related Items

• Blade of the Unseen

Languages spoken

• Boreal

Related Locations

• Throat of the World

Weapons & Words

Weapons have a strange position in Boreal culture as not just tools of violence but as part of a rich set of traditions. A Boreal's weapon and the way they brandish it holds as much meaning as the snarls and bared fangs of the Gaushn language. Weapons are as much a part of conversations and everyday life as they are apart of battles, and pulling a sword is not necessarily a challenge to violence. Travelers in the north should relinquish their weapons to hosts as a gesture of goodwill, as even among the Garkiths , this particular Boreal tradition has grown deep roots.

Quick Notes

• Boreal culture is supported by the central principles of honor and tradition.
• The Boreal are divided into two groups. Pureblood Boreal are those who can directly trace their ancestry to the First Men while those whose families moved from the lowlands into the mountains long after, make up the bulk of the Boreal people.

Pureblood Boreal

Human, Boreal

Ability Scores: Choose any two +1
Size: Medium
Speed: 30ft.

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Mountain Kin

You’re acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. You’re also naturally adapted to cold climates, as described in chapter 5 of the 5e Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Fortuitous Prowess

Once per long rest, you may roll an ability check as if you had proficiency.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Borealis and Gaushn.

Boreal

Rank 1 Feat

Your family had made its home in the frozen peaks. You may not have born to the mountains like others but it was as much yours as it was theirs.

Requirements

Level: 4.
Race: Human.
Class: None.
Feat: None.

Boreal Adaptation

You’re acclimated to high altitude, including elevations above 20,000 feet. You’re also naturally adapted to cold climates, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Along with these benefits, once per day you may roll an ability check as if you had proficiency.

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