Caledonii

in: Races

## Introduction

The Caledonii are the native people of the Nord’s new lands, having been forced to give up their lands amidst an ancient and ongoing conflict with the Nords. They are known to paint their skin with woad and participate in plenty of pagan rituals, practices and live a relatively simple life sustained by the lands they call home.

## The Basics

* **Other Names:** The Painted People, Savage, Nord (Derogatory)
* **Appearance:** The Caledonii are a simpler people, and their hair can range from light to dark, blonde to black. They’re tall, boasting muscular forms with various elements of pale skin tones.
* **Lifespan:** 75 Years
* **Height:** 170 cm (5'7") - 190 cm (6'3")
* **Regions Found:** Both the Caledonii and the Nord are predominantly found in the north-eastern part of the world, with the Nords boasting settlements all across the frozen north and deep into Caledonii lands to the south-east.
* **Culture:** The Caledonii, or the Painted People, as they are commonly referred to, live off of the land and believe in making use of everything the world around them provides. Such sacrifices of animal and plant life are not without gratitude, as they often will perform some manner of ritual to express thanks to the earthly guardians that look over their peoples. Everyone has a role within their village and the men and women do not share equal status with one another.
* **Common Character Roles:** Hunters, Gatherers, Shamans, Warriors
* **Common Allies:** The Caledonii do not have allies. They greet all outsiders with suspicion, and some with violence.
* **Common Enemies:** The Caledonii are a private people, remaining amongst themselves and feuding within their own lands with one another, but they often band together and fight viciously when forced to contend with the northern neighbors, the Nords, or with outside forces seeking to impress their ways upon the Painted People.
* **Religion:** There is no established named entity or representation of the Caledonii faith.
* **Views on Magic:** The Caledonii believe that magic is a welcome addition to the natural order of things as they perceive it to be. In their earliest days, they utilized the depiction of runes believed to ward off or empower spirits. Though as the years have passed, such origin stories are chalked up to myth by the present day picti.

## Appearance

These tribal people are easily recognized by their tall stature and muscular build and commonly have a splash of paint over their skin. Sometimes it is decorative, others ceremonial and depicts a message or intent. While they did not realize it at first, the way in which they approached battle intimidated their foes. Be it the sounds they made before being seen, or the fact that they often painted their bodies with a unique paint, they initiated the onset of psychological warfare. The Caledonii’s choice in attire is often derived of what the land and the animals around them provide. Leather straps, loincloths, furs, bone and plenty else are utilized to piece together outfits depending on the time of year. During the warmer periods, they veer towards lighter clothing while during the colder period, they adopt layers to protect against the coldness that blows in from the northernmost regions.

## History & Culture

It is a busy life for the painted people. Everyone has a role within their village. The women are usually busy with raising the children, tending to the village and crafting the necessary tools, garments and cooking and mending. They are expected to maintain the place that they all call home. The men are responsible for defending the tribe, providing meat and other game, herding livestock and bringing back materials that the women need to do their part.

The women and men do not share equal status with one another. There is a strict hierarchy and those who go against the mold are usually ousted from the tribe. The Elder King rules with an iron fist, and the Elders rule through wisdom gained over the years. The men support and defend the wishes of their Elders while the women adhere to the men and tend to the home and offspring. Some men are honored to serve as Woad Warriors,

In times of desperation, such as during conflict, some women have ascended to legendary status, rising up above their station and even beyond that of their elders through grit, determination and doing the unthinkable. These moments usually revolve around some form of war or battle and the woman having a monumental impact on the outcome.

### Marriage & Courtship

The Caledonii (Painted People) do not buy into romance, love or compassion when it comes to the necessity of surviving as a populace. It is a common practice for any ceremonies of marriage to be strictly of convenience or with an ulterior motive behind them. Children are raised by the tribe as a collective, not just their parents, and it is not uncommon for one man to sire multiple children with different women. There is the uncommon incident in which people among the picti groups have ended up with an individual they favor, but it is rare and no ceremonies are held whether it is a desired partnership or a practical, required one.

### Disdains

They abhor any form of industry as it takes from the natural world. Furthermore, the desecration of the environment is likely to draw the ire of the Caledonii. Conversion efforts against their way of life have often been the leading cause of conflict between the Caledonii and foreigners. The Caledonii have a deep rooted loathing of Nordic peoples who have encroached upon their lands and forced them to give up ground to their northern neighbors after decades of continuous and still ongoing conflict with the nords. As a result, all outsiders are met with great suspicion and in extreme cases, hostility.

## Government

Made up of several independent tribes. All who have their own “Elder” or individual bestowed the responsibility of leading and protecting their tribe. Traditionally a hereditary position as it is believed that the Elder carries the spirits of past Elders, who still watch over their tribe. All individual factions however serve underneath what is known as the Elder King. This chosen figure of royalty is elected from a group vote of Elders, and is thought to have the power and mind to lead all toward a common goal.

His authority comes with great responsibility as he is the one who can summon all woad tribes under one banner, greatly affecting the entirety of his people by the decisions he makes, for good or ill.

Though the Elder King and the various Tribal Elders are known within each tribe, they are not the only caste within these groups. The Elder retain their influence through the assistance and support of the ‘Free Men’, warriors and craftsmen of the woad tribes. Without their unwavering loyalties, the Elders would have no tribe to oversee. Slaves are not an uncommon part of tribal life and are never of their own people. There’s been an exception here and there when tribes have waged war on one another but as a general rule, slaves are outsiders who were caught venturing too close to woad territory.

Slaves of pictish origins, when captured, are typically used as a hostage to barter or safeguard a tribe in the form of an insurance policy. It is very rare that a captive woad is abused unless a conflict between rival tribes has broken into an outright blood feud.

## Religion

There is no established named entity or representation of the Caledonii faith. To them, the Earth is sacred and the very world is the realm of these spirits and the Caledonii are present to maintain the very world itself until they are returned to it upon death.

Those with the ability to shapeshift are often regarded with much more respect than even their own Elders. The painted people believe that the ones who have the ability to shift forms are physical representations of the Earth's Guardian's will, and are often celebrated as Divine Beings in their own right.

## Racial Relations

The Nords have a weird dynamic when it comes to relations. They fight amongst themselves, clans versus clans, for goods, territories, pride and glory. Most Nords live by their given word, and they do honor promises given so long as it does not restrict their lifestyles. Most regions who have been subjected to the Nord’s raiding efforts around the world do not trust nordic people. They’re met with suspicion, and in most cases, aggression, and the feeling is mutual.

Over the last several decades, the Nords have clashed repeatedly with the Caledonii in an ongoing feud over land claims. Not all exchanges between the Caledonii and Nords involve the clash of steel with some intermingling, exchanging things and living in close proximity to each other. These shared communities are often frowned upon and targeted with ruthless aggression by both Nord and Caledonii war parties. To call a Nord a Caledonii, or a Caledonii a Nord, is an insult of great disrespect and has been the source of many skirmishes between these two groups of people.

## Perception of Magic

Magic is welcomed among the Painted People. They believe it is gifted unto man by Earthly Guardians to keep the natural order of things as they perceive it to be. In the early days of their culture, it was a common practice to draw runes that were believed to ward off, or even embolden “spirits”. These alleged spirits, though unbeknownst to this pictish group, are the original True Fey that had once ravaged the world before being sealed away. Others, the ones they sought to embolden, were actually shapeshifters who the tribes regard as direct messengers of the Earthly Guardians. No disrespect is tolerated towards shapeshifters as they are held in higher regard than even their own Elder King.

As the years passed, the origins of the runestones and the stories telling of them would be muddled with each passing re-telling from one generation to the next. As it stands now, the remaining picti people have determined that such stories are far-fetched and are mere legends retold to keep children safe or from prying into things beyond them.