Kinterskral

One of the telltale signs of a Bear clan member is that they and their possessions are usually covered in intricate, curling scribbles and runes, the origin and meaning of which they do not seem to know. These designs are unique to each individual, but there are typically commonalities between family members and Bear from the same village. Bear homes often have the small markings weaving their way up the posts and walls of the home itself.

These runes, unbeknownst to the Bear, are actually a form of coded language created and used by the kinter. To the kinter, these are important ciphers, telling a travelling kinter which Bear home has what kind of space available for guests, what kind of food or fascinating objects might be found there, the latest developments within the family, and if a certain home is a good refuge during a Wolf inspection.

Kinterskral for the Bear

To the Bear, kinterskral is a measure of a happy and secure family. A Bear family might have a simplistic and sometimes incorrect understanding of what kinterskral means, but a home with lots of kinterskral is in general a happier and more prosperous home.

Large, established Bear families wishing to expand their homes will opt to rotate or move an existing wall of their house so as not to destroy the kinterskral. New families and homes eagerly await the arrival of kinterskral over the first weeks and months of the marriage or construction. Indeed, Bear village elders will take the absence of kinterskral after a certain period to mean there is trouble in the home, and attempt to mediate whatever issues plague the family.

It should of course be obvious that any house that holds a Wolf family will forever remain conspicuously free of kinterskral, a fact which amuses the Bear to no end, and which usually confirms whatever suspicions they have of the Wolf leaders.

Traveling Kinterskral

Kinterskral also makes its way onto the personal possession of a Bear family, especially if those items are worn into public often. This largely loses its relevance outside of Bear lands, but travelling kinter will flock to a travelling Bear so long as the two are headed in the same general direction.

Personal kinterskral will often tell the reader what a given Bear’s preferences are, whether they be to food, drink, music, or type of mate. Two unattached Bear travelling together or nearby can find themselves gently nudged into surprisingly romantic situations, so long as their unseen kinter compatriots determine they are a good match.

Travelling companions of a Bear adventurer will usually remain free of kinterskral, as the kinter are extremely slow to trust any non-Bear they meet. It is only through obvious demonstrations of camaraderie and affection from the Bear traveler, as well as the passage of time enough for a kinter to learn a companion’s quirks, that kinterskral will appear on a non-Bear. A Bear that sees kinterskral on a non-Bear will instantly trust that individual far more than they expect.