Thenns

The Thenns are freefolk inhabitants of Thenn, a mountain valley in the peaks of the Frostfangs, beyond the Wall. Far more civilised then their wildling brethren, the Thenns work bronze in their primitive forges and have a system of commandments laid down by their Magnar that all Thenns must obey. The current leader of the tribe is Magnar Valolf, who has ruled for over half a century.

## Magnar

The position of Magnar, ruler of the Thenns, is passed down from an unbroken line from the first Magnar, Ornmyr the Betrayed. The current Magnar is technically free to choose whoever he pleases as his successor, though traditionally a few limitations on the candidates; they must be a descendant of the previous Magnar, and must be a man. Naturally such an open system leaves plenty of ambiguity on who is the "heir" to the throne, and has led to several bloody disputes over the tribe's existence.

The Magnar lives in a small wooden keep near the center of the valley, known uncreatively as the Magnarhouse. When performing his day to day duties or hearing from his subjects, the Magnar sits on the Gods' Seat, a large throne carved into massive, still living weirwood tree located in the Whispering Grove, so that all the previous Magnar's may observe how the current Magnar rules. While the Magnar lacks the crown common to southern kings, he does bronze armbands with rune markings filled in with obsidian, said to belong to the first Magnar.

## Culture

The Thenns, while savage fighters, are more disciplined then their freefolk brethren. As the Magnar as seen as a living avatar of the Old Gods, his word is law; disobeying the will of the Magnar, or any of his conmandments, is punishable by death. Such "laws" only pertain to the Thenn themselves, as do the protections provided by them; while it is illegal for a Thenn to murder a Thenn outside of ritual combat, there are no rules stating that a Thenn cannot shiv a Stoneback in their sleep.

As the will of the Old Gods made manifest, the Magnar's word is absulote. While the Magnar is not treated *quite* as a god, it is fairly close. Requests to the Magnar are phrased as prayers, and the Magnar enjoys special privliges even in death; when a Magnar dies, he is buried in the Whispering Grove, a collection of weirwood trees near the center of the valley. An impression of the Magnar's face is carved into one of the trees, so that even in death the Magnar may watch over his people.

They are often better equipped than most free folk, with bronze helms, axes of bronze and a few of chipped stone, short stabbing spears with leaf-shaped heads, bronze swords and axes, leather shirts sewn with bronze discs and scales, and plain unadorned shields of black boiled leather with bronze rims and bosses. They use bronze-banded warhorns to warn each other about raids, and communicate over large distances.

While many tribes beyond the Wall are semi-nomadic, the Thenns prefer to stay in their Valley. Wherever they decide to live, they like to build small, wooden huts. Everything in Thenn's house is contained in the only room in the house; as a result, Thenns tend to prefer being outside then staying in their own cramped quarters, often only staying in their homes to prepare food and go to bed.

## Relationship with the Night's Watch

Under Valolf's tenure, the Thenn's relationship with the Night's Watch has drifted towards fairly neutral. While there have been a few scuffles over the years as well as Hadrin's march on the Wall, the Thenns have gotten along with the watchmen better than most. There is a sparse amount of trade between the two factions, and the wildlings have taken in injured watchmen on occasion. As a result, the valley is a location that isn't typically a location that receives many patrols, though it is a popular location for recruits to be sent on their first couple rangings, as venturing into the valley tends to be a safer venture then most.