Tunflow, The Wandering Arctic Clans

The unforgiving cold of the arctic lands is hardly welcoming to most people, so the Tunflow are small in number and generally greatly spread. Because of the great expanse of the arctics, it is unlikely for the different clans to meet even with their wide range of travel. Yet somehow, they all are found to wear wooden masks. There are clans that can be found along coastlines, lake, or rivers where they thrive off of fish, seals, and other aquatic life. Other clans follow the migrating caribou and wolves.

## Laws and Legal Rights

Laws in Tunflow vary from clan to clan but general ideas are similar between clans of the same lifestyles. Leaders of the clans tend to be the oldest but still capable members.

Take only what you need. Being nomadic tribes, they frown upon owning too many objects and wasting resources. They have an understanding that consuming too much of nature can result in a shortage of it in the future. Needless harvest or killing is greatly frowned upon.

Do not become a burden. Those that take from the clan without giving anything in return are considered a burden. Beatings by a parent are all that occurs for the case of a lazy or careless child. However there are more permanent cases such as age, injury, or illness that would keep one from being a decent help to the clan - these people are either killed or wander away to die on their own free will.

Care for new life. As newborns and young will naturally be more needy, they are the exception to the punishments that would be inflicted on others that qualify as a burden. After the age of ten, a child is no longer protected by this law and will be punished for not completing tasks. Children who are born with a significant handicap such as blindness, poor breathing, multiple missing limbs, and so on have a very difficult time surviving in Tunflow. Even if they do make it to adulthood, it is often unlikely they will find a willing partner, out of fear that their children will share these unfortunate difficulties.

Kidnapping and enslavement is strictly forbidden and those caught partaking in such acts are often left behind or killed to prevent attracting the ill wills of spirits and gods to the rest of the clan. The victims are freed and will be offered help in getting to their old clan or in joining the clan that finds them.

## Religion

Religion of the Tunflow

 While the names of the gods do not match with every clan and they have different spirits depending on where they tend to roam, they all believe in three deities that translate to the same meanings and purpose.

### The One Who Takes

*The One Who Takes* is described as an ever-changing woman, delighted with both creation of life and its destruction. She is chaotic, wild, and does as she pleases, telling lies to break bonds and encourage violence. Wars are her favorite act to witness, and so she does try to nudge the clans to expand in size to increase the chance of them clashing. They seem to believe bright colors or great amounts of objects will attract her to tempt them. This may be why the Tunflow go to great lengths to remain humble and small.

### The One Who Gives

*The One Who Gives* is seen as a gentle, old, and wise man who makes an effort to enforce order to the world his opposite creates. He is thoughtful, caring, and does what he can to help humanity avoid total annihilation. While fond of mankind, he discourages vanity and warns against it, thus the wooden masks so they all can easily remember the qualities that truly matter in a person. This forces every member of a clan to be physically fit and focused rather than subjecting anyone to merely remain at home looking perfect.

### The One Who Watches

*The One Who Watches* is depicted as a child, unable to influence the other two in any way. Sometimes a girl, others a boy, who whispers alarming thoughts to mankind but offers nothing that helps or harms them - only reminders of what they’ve already been taught.

## Customs and Traditions

### Weddings

Wedding proposals require the man to capture a live animal to impress his desired woman with. Some are easy to please and will be happy to see a rabbit or mouse offered as a symbol of the man’s ability to be clever and gentle… Others - ones that likely only place these challenges in an effort to remain single - will demand birds, fish, or even demand predators such as wolves or bears. Once a pair agrees to be wed, they will release the animal together back into the wilds and begin discussing plans for their future. The groom-to-be personally makes a gift for every member of the clan and introduces the woman he’s chosen for his bride. He works to gain the approval of her parents by providing them with fur pelts and simple wooden trinkets. The rest of the clan will often be given smaller gifts such as leather belts or bags and waterskins. Meanwhile, the bride, after the groom has been given approval by her family, spends her days with his family to plan for the ceremony and allow them to get to know her better. Weddings are simple occasions where the eldest warrior of the clan announces the two are a pair and decides on a marking they must apply to their masks at the end of the day to make the couple easier to identify. The day is spent telling stories and wishing the new husband and wife a happy life while feasting on the food that had been prepared for the special day.

### Masks

Mask-making is a practice every Tunflow clan shares that often takes place once a year and often takes a month at the very least for a clan to complete. A tree is selected by the eldest warrior, often one of the smallest trees the pine forests have to offer as they prefer to avoid risking too much waste. Once the tree is chopped down, various members of the clan spend several days making chunks of wood anyone can work with. Meanwhile, the others dig up meat and fish that had been left to ferment for the past year to feed the clan for the festivities feasting and encourage them to leave the wildlife be for the coming spring. When the wood is read, everyone that is at least of the age for hunting then makes their own masks, carving the wood into a desirable shape and cutting out unique designs. Old masks are burned in place of typical firewood, making it the only time of year everyone in the clan can see each other’s faces. It is a time of celebration, where stories are told, songs are sung, and dances are taught and performed to remind them of the importance of unity.

## Society

Rather than a strict hierarchy of power, members of these clans often find themselves trading responsibilities on a day to day basis. The only real constant for any period of time is who is considered the eldest warrior of the clan, and even this can face a change of power more than once or twice within a year.

Eldest Warrior is a title earned by those who are still capable of leading hunts and are older than the rest of the clan. They may willingly step down if they do not feel fit to lead and handle the darker decisions of the clan, but often times they keep their place until they become an Unfit. In the off chance that there is more than one person who qualifies for this position, they will take turns between leading hunts and foraging efforts or simply take days of rest while the other leads. They may end up arguing over decisions and will turn to the other adults of the clan to offer a chance to debate.

Hunters follow the lead of the Eldest Warrior, going with them on hunts or defending the clan against various threats. As their numbers are rarely ever great, clans will allow women to participate in these efforts so long as they are not pregnant - which is considered a burden that could attract the anger of spirits and beasts if not treated with care.

Foragers are left with the task of gathering plant life, stones, and lumber. They also make the various needs of the clan while the hunters are away like clothing, tools, tents, weapons, bowls, baskets, and meals. These chores are for children of ten years old and resting hunters to handle, as ones who return from hunts do need to regain themselves regardless of how successful their efforts were.

The Unfit of Tunflow are those who become physically incapable of contributing to a clan in any way. This applies to the elderly, ill, or severely damaged (missing limbs/paralyzed). Unfit are encouraged to wander the frozen wilds to die away from the clan to stop being a drain on their resources. Elderly couples often leave together when one or both reach a certain age. Those who perform these suicide walks will leave behind all they once owned and their masks outside of their tents so others of the clan know what became of them.

## People

Tunflow’s people are on the shorter and plumper side, their complexions usually varying on what they’re able to consume. Tunflow clans that rely on fish are capable of having rather dark skin tones, while those who are further inland and favor red meat are more likely to have less pigmentation. Their hair color tends to favor browns or blacks, though there are rare cases of them having blonde hair. Hair is either long and poorly tied back or kept short in order to allow better vision as their hooded outfits and masks will already block some of their sight. Given the temperatures they face, Tunflow usually wear heavy, thick clothing made of furs and leather and feel safer wearing dull colors such as browns and greys. The trait that sticks out the most amongst the Tunflow people, are their peculiar eye colors: soft pastel colors that nearly blend into the snow peek out from behind their masks. Typically lighter greens or blues, but there are some found to have a gentle lavender or faded pink. Because of these unique eyes, other cultures believe the Tunflow to have been touched by the arcane in some way, but it is uncommon to hear of any mages in these clans. If one were to see these people without their masks and multiple layers, it is highly likely that they will find scars earned from their intense lifestyle but they seem to be a source of pride rather than shame.

## Cuisine

Due to their inability to grow their own crops, the Tunflow often must settle for eating a variety of different meats including sea mammals(seals, whales), both freshwater and saltwater fish(arctic cod, trout, sculpin), birds and their eggs, and land mammals(caribou, polar bears, or muskox.) If they find themselves lucky with foraging they will also eat seaweed, cloudberries, crowberries, as well as certain roots and grasses. The ones who live near the forest frequently will have the pleasure of eating pine nuts for a treat!

Cooked or prepared meals include:

* *Suaasata,* a thick soup of seal, whale, caribou, or seabird meat with barley that soaks overnight, seasoned with salt.
* *Igunaq*, access meat caught over the summer is buried under snow to ferment over autumn and freeze during winter. It is then ready for consumption in the spring.
* *Akutaq,* berries mixed with fat in a wooden bowl called a Tumnaq.

Mealtime in general for the Tunflow is usually only twice a day but snacking as needed throughout the day is a common sight.