The Thundundra Tribe: A Guide

The Thundundra Tribe: A Guide
Ah, hello there! Nice of you to make the long trek north to our humble tribe; hope the trip wasn’t too stressful? Allow me to introduce myself: I am called Harold the – ah – Round, and I am the Chronicler of the Thundundra Tribe… Oh, what is a chronicler, you ask? Well, I am essentially the historian of my homeland, the ultimate keeper of our culture and lifestyle. No pressure, though I do admit that it can be a bit – h-hey! Günter, relax, they’re just here for a little lesson, no need to zap them to the Blue Bolt’s realm! Go on, get moving and report to Ivan or whatever!
… Heh, sorry ‘bout that. Günter is a bit, uh, prickly towards outsiders. Doesn’t get along with anyone, really; no wonder he isn’t married! But regardless, if you would like, I could show you around the settlement and tell you a bit about us. Would that be agreeable? Great, I shall get started then!
Basic Information: Well, first things first: a little basic summary about our tribe and where we’re located. We are called the Thundundra Tribe – named in part for our god, more on that later – and we can be found in the far northern section of the map. ‘Course, you know that already since you took a ship all the way here: but did you know that you are at the precipice of a barren, icy wasteland? That’s right, the only thing north of us is a whole lot of nothing, so don’t bother going there. Unless you want to become a popsicle, then by all means, go on ahead. I won’t stop you.
History: Speaking of that wasteland, that is where our tribe originated from. Our current leader’s ancestor, Lagertha the Wise, led her people out of that harsh wilderness into the southern forests that stretched far out of their reach. Before settling here, our tribe was bereft, hopelessly trying to etch out a life for themselves in the wasteland. But Lagertha knew that there was no future for them there, and she took those courageous enough into the unknown. She had no idea what lay within the trees – those who had come before her had warned the people against venturing far from the camp borders – but she knew it was better than what they had. Thus it came to be that they arrived in the forest valley we now call home.
Religion: We worship the great god known as the Blue Bolt. He is a magnificent creature that rides an electricity-filled cloud into battle, flinging thunderbolts into any foe that dares to cross him. His command over thunder and lightning cannot be matched, and he uses his power in both acts of mercy and ferocity. Only a few of our tribe members have claimed to seen him – and most of them cannot be believed – but those who truly have can attest to his greatness. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people; that being said, the elders of our village have many tales of so-called visions brought on by visits paid to them by the Blue Bolt. Perhaps they would be willing to share.
Culture: The Thundundra Tribe is like any other Viking tribe, I suppose. We are a generally welcoming community, given the right circumstances, like after a good hunting outing or during the week-long celebration of Blue Bolt (again, more on that later). However, I will admit that we have superstitious streaks as thick as a Snorlax’s skull: anything new shows up, we’ve got to beat it to a pulp before we accept it as “safe.” Needless to say, most of us think with our swords rather than our shields, pardon the weapon pun, and there are several times when our leader has to calm everyone down after some crazy misunderstanding. There was this one time when a traveling Sawsbuck tradesman showed up, oh boy was he confused, and before he could so much as sneeze, Günter charged out there with axe swinging and… u-uh, never mind, it’s not that great of a story anyway…
Naming System: Our way of naming tribe members comes from a deep-seated tradition to honor those qualities that make a Pokémon special. One’s first name is decided by their parents and can be whatever they see fit. It is by this first name alone, however, that they are addressed by until they have proven to the rest of the tribe that they have grown out of childhood. This is usually accomplished by evolution or, if such a feat is impossible for that species, by acts of bravery or sacrifice. Then, the leader bestows upon them their last name which is meaningful and unique to each ‘mon. Examples include “the Brave,” “the Timid,” even “the Short” … Mine? Oh, yes, well, I’ve always assumed Ivan was merely uninspired that day and gave me the moniker “the Round” because of some mental block; maybe he’ll amend it someday. There’s a first time for everything, I suppose…
Common Species: Perhaps a better way to broach this topic is in species you wouldn’t see in Thundundra. Grass and Bug Types are especially uncommon here, as are Fire and Dragon. The cold doesn’t agree with them, after all, since snow is our usual weather (even in the summer!). That being said, the usual suspects in Thundundra are Normal, Ice, Electric, and Poison Types: a trend that only continues thanks to our, uh, inclusive nature against others. Plus there are a few types that aren’t generally welcomed within our borders (unless they’re mixed type, as is the case with me) – but I’ll discuss that a bit later.
Economy: Pfft, there’s not much to say here. We don’t carry money; in fact, coins and gems simply aren’t that attractive to us. What we really like are weapons: anything metallic will strike our fancy, and we’ll do anything to get some new sharp object into our armory. If a tradesman comes around with other items for sale, we might barter with them and exchange any number of livestock, leather, or timber, provided they could offer us something we truly coveted.
Food: I feel this is obvious by now but we are not vegetarians. Every day, we send hunting parties out into the rest of the forest to catch and kill whatever they can find. Miltank, Tauros, even the rare Bouffalant: all manner of bovine creatures foolish enough to enter our borders will find themselves roasting on our spits. We also aren’t picky when it comes to seafood – whenever our hunters deem it necessary to brave the coastline – and we’ll enjoy an occasional Corphish, Octillery, or Spheal whenever possible.
Architecture: Each home in the settlement is built out of lumber, vines, and hardened mud. Some of the more important figures in the town, like the leader’s home, have metal fixtures hammered to the outside to denote it as special. Any time a new family is created, i.e. someone gets married, a new home is built. We pattern our village after a spiral, building each home out from the center of the village where the common/dining hall, leader’s home, and food storage are.
Fashion: Our fashion is our weaponry. Seriously.
Ceremonies: There are a number of ceremonies we participate in – birthdays are the first that come to mind – but there is one in particular that is sacred to all Thundundra. The Blue Bolt week-long celebration is held once every year to give thanks to everything he has provided for us, from the land to the sky. Each day is filled with a new activity, leading to the climactic Booming Drums Ceremony. On the last day of the festival, we all gather in the center of the settlement as several members of the tribe play large, flat drums in a ring around the rest of the villagers. With each hit of the instrument, a tribe member starts to dance until the entire tribe is involved in a mass choreographed routine where we spin and whirl, clapping and chanting our deity’s name. Once everyone is in the dance, the drummers end the festival with a series of three sharp bangs on the drums – and we all stop in mid-chant, listening as the booms echo throughout the valley. If our tribute has pleased the Blue Bolt, he then graces us with a thunderstorm the next night. I am proud to say that we’ve had huge thunderstorms every year I’ve been a part of the ceremony; just saying.
Important Figures:
-Ivan the Strong, Leader: A Shiny Beartic. Ability: Snow Cloak. Moves: Icicle Crash, Thrash, Superpower, Shadow Claw, Water Pulse, Rock Slide.
He has been leading our tribe for quite some time, at least as long as I’ve been alive (which is over forty years), but he keeps himself in such great shape that he looks barely thirty! Brawny and bulky, he is by no means a meathead: in fact, he appears to have inherited some of his ancestor’s wisdom and is fully capable of making great decisions that benefit the entire tribe. Plus he makes wood carvings to decorate the settlement; he’s working on one right now that’s in the likeness of the Blue Bolt as we understand him.
-Günter the Agile, Second-in-Command: A Raichu. Ability: Lightingrod. Moves: Thunderbolt, Brick Break, Frustration, Swagger, Knock Off.
Complete stick in the mud, if you ask me. He hates anyone from the outside and will go out of his way to ostracize them, basically making everyone as miserable and cranky as he is. However, even I will admit that he’s powerful, quite the hunter and loyal to his tribe unquestioningly. Just don’t let him hear you complement him; he’s a total egomaniac.
-Olaf the Poisoned, Blacksmith: A Nidoking. Ability: Poison Point. Moves: Earth Power, Venoshock, Ice Beam, Flamethrower.
Married to Helga the Meek, I believe, and had two children, a Furret and Nidoran. Cute kids, those two, and the Furret girl… Erika, was it? Yes, her, she loved to go with her father to his shop and assist him in any way she could. I remember going in there once to pick up my helmet I’d sent in for repairs, and there she was, running around him handing him all sorts of tools with excitement glowing in her eyes. Any lesser father would have kicked her out long ago and told her to run back to her mother – but Olaf is no ordinary father, as kind and gentle as a Skitty, and he cherished his daughter’s passion like it was his own. Nice ‘mon, he is, and no finer smith in the north.
-Harold the Round, Chronicler: A Bibarel. Ability: Unaware. Moves: Scald, Hyper Fang, Yawn, Echoed Voice.
This is me, in case you can’t tell. Aren’t I awesome?
-Kristofferson the Eternal, Scout: A Gengar. Ability: Levitate. Moves: Venoshock, Shadow Claw, Hypnosis, Dream Eater
Oh yeah, Kristofferson is our resident scout/spy. He goes out every day to sneak around the Tortrombdo and Landstradrus borders and returns back to camp with his findings… but he’s not used to doing it as a Gengar. Before, he was a Seviper, and he was a lot quicker at his job. But then he was killed by a Braviary and surprisingly came back to life and killed it back. Ever since then, he’s been cocky, believing himself unstoppable and essentially immortal... Of course, he’s wrong, but no one wants to tell him that! That being said, he is extremely loyal to Thundundra and can certainly hold his own in battle.
-Kelda the Joyful, Runner: A Manectric. Ability: Static. Moves: Electro Ball, Howl, Fire Fang, Round
What a sweetheart! As the head of the “runners” (a group of ‘mons who charge at the front of the lines during an attack), Kelda’s a talkative ‘mon, super friendly and able to find the joy in anything. She’s also quite blunt, often saying whatever pops into her head without thinking about it. Her speeches are the stuff of legend, simply because she believes with all her heart that she can and will win. (Also, surprisingly enough, Kelda is Günter’s niece, daughter to his sister who died along with her husband when a disease ravaged the tribe a number of years ago). There are a number of ‘mons in her troop, but the one she turns to more than others is Alf the Blue, a Linoone.
-Maeva the Fierce, Hunter: A Lopunny. Ability: Cute Charm. Moves: Bounce, Double Hit, Power-Up Punch, Agility.
Ah, Maeva: a dangerously good looking girl… even if she’s oblivious to any attention paid to her. She works hard to find and kill non-talking ‘mons to feed us, and when not doing that, she’ll participate in battles as the second string, able to knock back those who make it through the first line. Her best friend is Kelda, and as such, she acts as the straight-face to Kelda’s enthusiasm. Much more of a realist in nature, Maeva is serious and stoic, and “fun times” are far and few for her. But I’ve seen Kelda take her out on “adventures” every now and then, and though Maeva protests, I notice a rare smile cross her lips the moment they leave the camp…
-Ozur the Belch, Fishermon: A Dewgong. Ability: Thick Fat. Moves: Dive, Signal Beam, Belch, Frost Breath.
Ozur spends his days underwater, plundering any fish he can find and coordinating with the other fishermon on land with his Signal Beam move. Despite being underwater all the time, he’s a very gross fellow; cleanliness is not important to him, and most ‘mon can’t stand to be around his stink (myself included). Thankfully, he’s okay with being a lone wolf, and he’d much rather work by himself than get slowed down by others. Of course, now that Thundundra can be in the water legally, Ozur looks a little silly sneaking around the reefs when he’s allowed to be there, heh.
-Vandill the Feather, Aerial Soldier in Training: A Pidgeotto. Ability: Big Pecks. Moves: Twister, U-Turn, Quick Attack, Air Slash.
Humph, not sure what Ivan was thinking letting this punk kid train as an aerial soldier… You see, Thundundra has never been allowed to fly the skies in the past, so our flapping members needed to find outlets to spread their wings. Vandill and his flock of troublemakers caused all sorts of horrors for me and the others… should’ve been banished, really… but now that we have access to the skies above the forest, well, Ivan wants to create an aerial platoon. For some reason, Vandill was his first choice; the Pidgeotto was offered a choice between joining the platoon or a lifetime sentence of guard duty with Günter, and I guess I can’t fault the kid for choosing the lesser of two evils. I just really hope Barkman knocks some sense into him…
-Barkman the Strict, Aerial Commander: A Farfetch’d. Ability: Inner Focus. Moves: Brave Bird, Swords Dance, Knock Off, Poison Jab.
Oh, who’s Barkman, you ask? He’s a cranky old Farfetch’d who’s been around longer than I can remember. One of the few to remember Ivan’s mother as head of the Thundundra, Barkman has been assigned to take control of the new aerial soldiers who will be flying over the tribe… much to his displeasure. Said something about “not wanting to wipe the snot off of some bratty kid’s beak.” Frankly, I don’t blame him, but those troops will get a rude awakening once they realize what this old timer can teach ‘em.
Rival Tribes: I’ve made Thundundra sound like a winter paradise, haven’t I? Well, I’m afraid to burst your bubble, but it isn’t all rainbows here. We aren’t the only Vikings out here; oh no, there are two other tribes out here. To the east are the Tortrombdo Tribe that live on the glacier and coastlines; they used to be rivals with us, fighting over territory within the forest, but thanks to a pair of lovebirds, we've since established a peace treaty with them... The other tribe, however, is our hated enemy, having invaded our lands and killed our people when we were away, a low trick if I've ever heard one. They are to the west, the Landstradrus, spread out amongst the mountains and caves that bleed into our forests. Their leader on paper is a child Shiny Sandshrew named Magnus the Earthen, who is in turn counseled by Vincent the Stoic, an Aggron... but in actuality, it is a puppet government that is controlled by Adam the Faithful, their High Priest. They are dangerous foes - but they will one day rue the day they challenged us!
There you have it. I hope you have been satisfied by my explanations, traveler. May I suggest that you spend the night in our common/dining hall? It may not be very fancy but it’s quite cozy and warm on a cold night such as this one. And there’s always plenty of food and entertainment to be found within its walls. If you would come with me, I can show you the way… or perhaps you’d like to explore a bit more on your own? As you wish – just take care to avoid going too far into the forest by yourselves.
May Blue Bolt guard your skies until we meet again!
Signed,
Harold the Round
Chronicler of Thundundra
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Guide written by: Post-Lit
Original post: The Thundundra Tribe: A Guide
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