Grendarrym

The Grendarrym tribes are hunters and gatherers of the far north. They are not a aggressive people, and instead stick to the asterial waters to hunt, fish, and recall the history of ages long past.

### **Government**

The nation is ruled by a council made up of any female who can claim to be related by blood or family ties to the last chief. This chief is decided by the ruling of the previous chief, or who is the eldest daughter of the chief's family. This council in turn rules over the nation, each having a section of land to administrate. The amount of power one has on the council is decided by how much land they administrate, and this is decided by the current chief. There is also a wise woman, who is usually the oldest woman alive, who acts as a sage and historian to the council.

### **Origin**

The Jorden people of Grendarrym were hunter gatherers who migrated to the north and developed an early culture of reaving and pillaging. The nation was originally made up of several small tribes who were fighting for dominance. It was very unstable, as whenever a chief died there would be fights over who would rule in turn. This escalated into several small scale civil wars between the tribes. However, as time went on the Jorden people realised that they would all die to the harsh northern climate if they kept fighting amongst each other. Thus the remaining tribes decided to join together into one tribe to survive. They named this tribe Grendarrym, from the words Grendar which means "Grand Whole *or "Grand One", and Jarrym, which means "People". Thus the Grendarrym tribe, meaning One United Jorden, was born.*

### **Culture**

The Jorden people have been heavily influenced by their eleven neighbors. Despite having little in the ways of writing, they have a strong oral tradition that retells the history of their people hundreds of years back. They are one of the most knowledgeable human nations regarding the past and history. However, they only know what has happened in the north and they know little of the outside world. Women are taught from a young age this history through ballads and sagas. Some of these women are also taught to have a nearly flawless memory, and study the current events of their lives so they can retell them to the next generation. Men do not learn these histories, as the superior intellect required to do such acts is found to be lacking in then. Instead the men are taught to fish, hunt, and gather.

There is a ritual that every boy must go through to become a man, called the Grendar Hunt. Each boy of 15 is sent as a group into wilderness alone in the height of winter. To the Grendarrym, great warriors are forged in battle against the elements themselves, as the wilds they live in have proven more to be deadly than any one man could be. They are to survive working together as a group, and to bring back a worthy trophy by the beginning of the spring. Those who return with a suitable trophy are marked with tattoos to represent their adulthood, and are given a new name in relation to the trophy they caught and the acts they had to perform to achieve it. The greatest of these feats are retold among the men during hunting trips, and usually contain more fiction than fact. The Great Mollusks are considered the greatest trophy that can be achieved. To build a sea faring vessel and sail it through the ice to kill a mollusk is a dangerous and deadly feat, requiring teamwork and skill. Those that manage to bring one back as a trophy are viewed as blessed by the gods, and are given to the bravest fishermen and hunters to work with. Those that fail to bring back a suitable trophy are looked down upon and are given menial tasks for the rest of their life. As hunting techniques and skills advanced with the Grendarrym population, over fishing led to the death of the Eastern Great Mollusk Reef.

When returning from a hunt Grendarrym, are blessed with tattoos that mark them as an adult. These tattoos usually relate to their hunt or achievements in some way and tap into ancient nature magic that enhances their natural abilities. Only female elders are trusted with the sacred writes of the tattoo ad their power is fiercely treasured.

That said, to venture out on the sea on your own in the depths of winter is still to take on a perilous task worthy of adulthood. To bring back a boat filled with the great fish that run during those times? A truly worthy trophy, and a mark of someone who will be wealthy in times to come, with a great longhouse of their own. Or they might bring back the pelt of a giant tusker or an ice bear. Those who choose this path often gain powers from the ritual to make them even finer fishermen, and more able to stand the rigors of the winter. The womenfolk of Grendarrym have a different path. They are the ones who look after the home farm, the hearth and the kin, and their tattoos (often given after their first blood) make them far better at those tasks. They also take the scales of the great fish and magically weave them into the famed armor suits of Grendarrym. To outsiders, they claim it is the mithril of long lost legend, of course.

Anyone hardy enough to visit Grendarrym and Jordheim in the depths of winter had better be keen on fish, for it often seems like the whole population of each country is out catching the great arctic nibbler, which runs in vast numbers down the coasts of each country at that time. Since time immemorial, the fishing fleets of the two countries have caught fish by the millions every year and yet they still seem undiminished, due to the amazing bounty of the Gods! Once caught, the fish are dried on great racks for several months in the winter air, before being traded to the Belarans at Norvia Stronghold for sale down across Westrasia. The dried fish is used in many ways, but is always a tremendous delicacy, even as far south as Lemba. A smaller amount is traded to Ruskata, and through them into the Khanate.It is said to be personal favorite of the Great Khan himself!

Because of their historical knowledge, they have realised that messing with the outside world will only bring trouble. Instead they tread their tribal homelands, and leave foreigners alone.