Life in Bear Lands

The rocky valleys and cold hills of the Bear homeland are inhospitable to all but the strongest of life.

While maybe one in ten seeds sown grows fully to harvest, what crops that can take root in their bitter soil gain the same boon of gigantism that is granted to the beasts of the wild. Contests for the largest squash or other vegetable are common across the small towns and villages that dot the landscape. In keeping with their tribal ways, and as a necessary measure to ensure survival against the lethal winters, most towns establish a policy of sharing the winning gourd(s) with all members of the town.

When the land is too poor to rely on farming, which is often the case, many Bear families supplement their diets with herding and hunting. The hunters are not averse to hunting wolves as well if they have need of meat or sport, and they display the pelts they take with pride—a point not lost on visitors and patrollers from Fridulfsburg.

When even that fails, it's not uncommon for the younger Bear to take up the mantle of the "old ways" and conduct light - and generally lighthearted - raids against neighboring villages.