11 Tribes of Aonachd

Long ago, in ancient history, a single kingdom united dominated most of the continent. After inter political rivalry however and a civil war, the kingdom fell into ruin, it’s people splintering into 11 tribes. Each tribe emulating a singular aspect of the kingdom’s goals and functions, what once was a united front is now a shattered and broken people, rage and pain from scars left unhealed passed down from generation to generation. **Theme**

## History

The Kingdom of Aonachd is an older name than most are aware of. Originally, the Kingdom of Aonachd spanned from coast to coast, a series of settlements making up it's vast empire. Due to an unknown conflict, the Kingdom fell into a bloody civil war. Thousands perished, even more displaced from their homes. The 11 Tribes, collectived called the Sundered, formed in the ashes of the Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Aonachd, as well as it's unity, was largely forgotten about. Each tribe believes themselves to be the destined rulers of Aonachd, and rather than unify the kingdom, they seek to manipulate the facet of living they do best to subjugate, conquer, integrate, or otherwise strong-arm their way into the ruling class. Little is known of life before the Sundering, and while many speculate the Kingdom was akin to a paradise, no one is alive from then to confirm or deny such, leaving rumour and legends to fill the gaps.

Now, the 11 tribes wage war not just between each other, but other inhabitants of the land. As new civilizations rose, the tribes spread thin between the two continents, making their homes wherever they could find purchase. Some have chosen to continue bloody conflict, others resolving to remain isolated. Yet one thing is certain about the Kingdom. Despite their hatred for each other, there is a far stronger, unifying hatred. Foreigners. Any who are not descended of blood or pledged through loyalty to the tribes are considered less than human, and not even deserving of slavery, only death and expulsion.

## **The Dubh Tribe**

The Dubh Tribe is full of individuals who are suited to being shadows in the night. The tribe’s focus on the use of stealth, assassination, and infiltration make them a deadly group of shady individuals. Their supremacy in the fields of alchemy and stealth are unmatched, and the strongest among them are whispered to be blessed by the Mother of Shadows herself, a deified religious assassin. A select few among the tribe are known as Mother’s Eyes, exceptional spies and assassins that target high-profile enemies of the tribe.

### Religion

* The Dubh Tribe reveres The Mother of Shadows, who is said to be the first of them to form the tribe. Her dominion over the night and ability to stalk and kill her foes, leaving naught but shadows and whispers in her wake, is what allowed her to excel in creating the tribe. Where others fought their wars in blood, she fought in secrets and darkness.

### Magic

* The Dubh Tribe uses a lot of ‘darker’ magic. Shadows, illusions, enchantments, and even the powers of death itself answer to their call, wielded with deadly efficiency.

### Technology

* The Dubh Tribe’s technological levels are roughly medieval era.

### Military

* Due to the nature of The Dubh Tribe, there is no official army. Instead, everyone is taught to fend for themselves, kill their enemies, and vanish into the night as a last resort. They come as they leave, silent and unseen.

### Special Notes

* **War Paint**: The Dubh Tribe uses black war paint as per the Alchemy Sphere feature, adorning their skin with depictions of spiders, serpents, ravens, and other shadowy figures.

### Law and Crime

* Standard laws and punishments, nothing unique or special here.

### Points of Interest

* **Chieftain of the Dubh Tribe**: Grymbal Dubh
* **The Whisperer**: Voice of the Mother of Shadows (High Priest equivalent)
* **Council of Secrets**: Selected individuals to represent the varied interests of the Dubh Tribe, serving as advisors, a court system, and the representatives to and of everyday people.

## **The Gorm Tribe**

The Gorm Tribe is full of individuals who seek the path of enlightenment to ascend beyond mortality. Believing the blood of angels to be blue, they seek to find the path to the Celestial Heavens, and one day leave this world behind, transcending to join the gods and angelic choirs above. With a focus on self-perfection to the benefit of all, The Gorm Tribe is full of mostly pacifists who prefer wisdom, knowledge, and meditation over conflict and war. One of the few who do not seek to conquer others, The Gorm Tribe is left alone by the others to pursue what many consider flights of fancy.

### Religion

* The Gorm Tribe reveres divinity in all forms, but has a specific focus on emulating the goals of Irori. Differing from most Irori priests, however, they believe enlightenment should go beyond oneself, and to all around them. They believe that through self-perfection, evil can be completely and truly eradicated from the body, mind, and soul.

### Magic

* The Gorm Tribe has many oracles, clerics, monks, and other individuals who are able to draw upon divine faith. All of their magic is focused upon preservation of the flesh, purity of the mind, and transcendence of the soul.

### Technology

* The Gorm Tribe’s technological levels are roughly medieval era.

### Military

* Due to the nature of The Gorm Tribe, they have no military, and would choose death over violence if pressed.

### Special Notes

* **War Paint**: The Gorm Tribe uses blue war paint as per the Alchemy Sphere feature, adorning their skin with depictions of angels, turtles, owls, and other symbols of wisdom and enlightenment.

### Law and Crime

* Standard laws and punishments, nothing unique or special here.

### Points of Interest

* **Chieftain of the Gorm Tribe**: Ezekiel the Patient
* **Clairvoyant**: Oracle of Irori (High Priest equivalent)
* **Eightfold Council**: Selected individuals to represent the varied interests of the Gorm Tribe, serving as advisors, a court system, and the representatives to and of everyday people.

## **The Uaine Tribe**

The Uaine Tribe is full of individuals who believe that through the power of community and harmony with nature one will become as they were meant to be, stewards of the world, it’s guardians and it’s protectors. A mixture of both druidic and bardic practices, the Uaine Tribe is often likened to the fey for their pursuits of freedom and individuality. However, they do still retain a sense of moral goodness, believing that in order to save the world, they must free it from the shackles of evil that hide in the hearts of mortals.

### Religion

* Many of the Uaine Tribe revere Elder fey as deities, as well as various spirits of nature. It’s not uncommon to even find variations of typical elven gods, or any gods of freedom and self-expression, such as Shelyn.

### Magic

* The Uaine Tribe often employs druids, bards, and others who either treat nature as sacred, or have power over positive emotions. Blending nature and emotion, they create what they call ‘Greencraft’, which is just a cultural title for one who is both at home in nature and in the hearts of those they love and adore.

### Technology

* The Uaine Tribe’s technological levels are roughly medieval era, but there is a distinct lack of using metals or other ‘dead’ materials.

### Military

* The Uaine Tribe has an army of three types. Knights, Menders, and Shapers. Knights are martial-focused stewards of nature, who employ a mixture of shapeshifting, the natural land, and bows or other wooden weapons to fight. Menders call upon the spirits of nature and life to heal and revive, and Shapers twist the very elements and land upon the fields of battle in their favor.

### Special Notes

* **War Paint**: The Uaine Tribe uses green war paint as per the Alchemy Sphere feature, adorning their skin with depictions of various fey creatures, trees, plants, flowers, and other nature symbols, as well as symbols of love, hope, community, and storytelling.

### Law and Crime

* Standard laws and punishments, nothing unique or special here.

### Points of Interest

* **Chieftain of the Uaine Tribe**: Sylena Grovesong
* **Nature's Whisper**: A blind oracle that interprets the will of nature and the spirits of the wild. (High Priest equivalent)
* **The Emerald Conclave**: Selected individuals to represent the varied interests of the Uaine Tribe, serving as advisors, a court system, and the representatives to and of everyday people.

## **The Purpaidh Tribe**

The Purpaidh Tribe is full of individuals that have a reverence for the power of storms and lightning. Harnessing the power of tornados, thunderstorms, rain, and other natural phenomena, the Purpaidh tribe emulates the fury of the lightning and the wrath of the hurricane. Just like a storm, their unpredictable nature makes it hard for many to trust them, as one minute they will be as gentle as the dew on the grass, and the next as destructive and violent as a tempest unleashed.

### Religion

* The Purpaidh exonerates the Plane of Air, believing that their ancestors were once touched by the primal element, and all hold the power of the storm within. Emulating the idea of wild, unpredictable, chaotic powers, the Purpaidh find glory in conquest, and are often blamed as the instigators for the civil war, believed to be the metaphorical lightning that set the forest ablaze.

### Magic

* The Purpaidh Tribe wield any form of magic that can harness the storm. Oracles, clerics, sorcerers, all are seen as gifted and essential to the tribe and their culture.

### Technology

* The Purpaidh Tribe’s technological levels are roughly medieval era, though they’ve learned to harness the power of lightning to develop a few unique inventions.

### Military

* The Purpaidh Tribe is similar to viking armies. Each Purpaidh holds the chaotic desire for war and conflict, and all of them are prone to losing themselves in what is called ‘Clarity of the Storm’, a rage so powerful that it drives men insane with the need to kill or be killed.

### Special Notes

* **War Paint**: The Purpaidh Tribe uses indigo war paint (reflavored to be purple) as per the Alchemy Sphere feature, adorning their skin with depictions of lightning, storms, rain, tornadoes, air elementals, and other depictions related to the Plane of Air or storms.

### Law and Crime

* Standard laws and punishments, nothing unique or special here.

### Points of Interest

* **Chieftain of the Purpaidh Tribe**: Hiljya Thundercrack
* **Storm's Fury**: A shapeshifter who takes on the form of a bear, wreathed in lightning. (High Priest equivalent)
* **The Tempest Coalition**: Selected individuals to represent the varied interests of the Purpaidh Tribe, serving as advisors, a court system, and the representatives to and of everyday people.

## **The Ollaidh Tribe**

The Ollaidh tribe is similar to the Uaine and Dubh tribe, but still different. Where the former employ shadows and nature, the Ollaidh tribe has a focus and fixation on alchemical concoction, specifically poison. One of the few tribes to have an advanced concept of medicine, their ability to create elixirs from the wilds, magic, and even from powers beyond, make them extremely valuable as allies, and deadly as foes.

### Religion

* The Ollaidh tribe does not revere anything in particular. Individuals are free to have a theistic belief, but the Ollaidh as a whole eschew religion in favor of science and medicine.

### Magic

* The Ollaidh Tribe boasts little in the ways of magic, the only ones among them oftentimes witches, sorcerers, or practitioners of the arcane. Few hold the power of the divine, and while they’re not shunned, they’re also not venerated.

### Technology

* The Ollaidh Tribe’s technological levels are roughly medieval era, with the exception of alchemy and medicine, their most innovative areas of advancement.

### Military

* The Ollaidh boasts a typical military of soldiers, archers, magi, and so forth. The only unique thing among them is their employment of chemical toxins in the form of mists, often thrown by specialized alchemists to weaken foes before they strike.

### Special Notes

* **War Paint**: The Ollaidh Tribe uses olive  war paint as per the Alchemy Sphere feature, adorning their skin with depictions of various poisonous creatures, such as scorpions, snakes, spiders, even jellyfish and other symbols of poisons both natural and supernatural.

### Law and Crime

* Standard laws and punishments, nothing unique or special here.

### Points of Interest

* **Chieftain of the Ollaidh Tribe**: Poison-Queen Selentryx
* **The Chemical Circle**: Selected individuals to represent the varied interests of the Ollaidh Tribe, serving as advisors, a court system, and the representatives to and of everyday people.

## **The Orains Tribe**

The Orains Tribe is home to a group of individuals who embody the concepts of chivalry and knighthood. Believing that by maintaining a society that emulates the kingdom lost, they will not only show that the kingdom’s ideas refused to die, but also hope to encourage groups to one day forsake the sundered tribes and reunite as a whole once more.

### Religion

* The Orains Tribe has no specific religion, though many are drawn to gods like Iomadae for having religious doctrine very akin to knighthood. The Orains, instead, embody the philosophical beliefs of chivalry and knighthood, using this as a pseudo-religion by which they lead their lives.

### Magic

* The Orains Tribe boasts little in the ways of magic, as many of them are knights and warriors. Still, some among them may be those such as Paladins, Warpriest, and a select few clerics and oracles, blessed by the gods to venerate ancestors of eld.

### Technology

* The Orains Tribe’s technological levels are roughly medieval era, though they have made strides to improve fashioning armor and weapons typical of knighthood, such as plate, shields, and swords.

### Military

* The Orains Tribe has an army of knights. Some battle on foot, others on mounted creatures. Their tactics are almost identical to standard knight battles in the medieval era, with the exception of magic-wielders woven throughout the ranks to empower and heal those who should fall in battle. One thing unique, however, is they never offensively strike, seeking only to defend themselves. They’re also known to often send their knights to defend the Gorm tribe, due to the Gorm’s passive nature.

### Special Notes

* **War Paint**: The Orains Tribe uses orange war paint as per the Alchemy Sphere feature, adorning their skin with symbols of truth, justice, balance, and other virtuous ideals upheld in both knighthood and by some gods, depending on the individuals’ connection to religion and faith.

### Law and Crime

* Standard laws and punishments, nothing unique or special here.

### Points of Interest

* **Chieftain of the Orains Tribe**: Lydiah the Chivalrous
* **The People's Shield**: An aasimar paladin who claims to speak with the authority of Iomadae. (High Priest equivalent)
* **Knights of the Golden Ring**: Selected individuals to represent the varied interests of the Orains Tribe, serving as advisors, a court system, and the representatives to and of everyday people.

## **The Dearg Tribe**

The Dearg Tribe is home to a group of individuals who emulate fire in all aspects. While some may revere the elemental Plane of Fire as sacred, others believe in divine radiance of those like Sarenrae, and others still emulate fire in the form of crafting and forging. Unlike most of the other tribes, which are predominately human in population, the Dearg tribe is unique in that the majority of its population is dwarves.

### Religion

* The Dearg Tribe is host to a multitude of faiths, from Sarenrae to worship of elemental lords. Given the majority of its people are dwarves, however, the main faith of the Dearg tribe is the worship of Torag, Father of Dwarvenkind.

### Magic

* The Dearg Tribe houses many who are able to wield the powers of flame. Whether through arcane, divine, or other sources entirely, the Dearg tribe prides themselves on their ability to forge and craft both mundane and magical things alike. Crafters, artisans, they honor their god and their father through the works they create and share with others.

### Technology

* The Dearg Tribe is further along in technology than most, due to the fact that the entire tribe puts a focus on crafting and bettering themselves through their works. While still retaining semblances of medieval technology, they’ve learned to use stone, magic, and forging to create powerful variations of metals and other natural resources.

### Military

* The Dearg Tribe is capable of going to war when needed, though their focus on crafting and such finds them not particularly caring for the conflicts of the other tribes. Most of the dwarven soldiers wield hammers and shields, armored in plate and spikes to make up for their size. They also boast a unique form of cavalry called ‘boar-riders’, employing giant boars as mounts to carry them into a fight.

### Special Notes

* **War Paint**: The Dearg Tribe uses red war paint as per the Alchemy Sphere feature, adorning their skin with symbols of Torag, forging, or craftsmanship.

### Law and Crime

* Standard laws and punishments, nothing unique or special here.

### Points of Interest

* **Chieftain of the Dearg Tribe**: Forgemaster Okryn
* **Torag's Hammer**: Head of the Crafter’s Guild and also High Priest of Torag. (High Priest equivalent)
* **Acolytes of the Flame**: Selected individuals to represent the varied interests of the Dearg Tribe, serving as advisors, a court system, and the representatives to and of everyday people.

## **The Airgid Tribe**

The Airgid Tribe is home to the largest population of elves across all tribes. Not only that, but their extreme majority of elves makes up over 2/3rd of the entire population. The Airgid Tribe is a xenophobic people, who believe that the fall of the kingdom is a result of the short-lived lives of humans causing conflict, war, and death. As a result, the Airgid Tribe chose to form with a single goal in mind: Outlive the others, and never repeat the mistakes of the past. Despite this xenophobic and blatant elven supremacy belief, individuals of other races have found a human in Airgid, treating their own people as failures, and seeking to prove to the Airgid Elves that despite their short-lived nature, they too, are worthy of the grace and wisdom of the elven ancestors.

### Religion

* The Airgid Tribe exonerates a pantheon of elven gods, with a focus on the cosmos. They revere starlight as sacred, and treat the celestial bodies as if they were spirits of their gods, blessing them on the mortal planet.

### Magic

* The Airgid Tribe is home to many with magical aptitude. It’s actually considered to be rare, if not entirely unheard of, for someone to be born into the Airgid society and not wield magic. The divine and arcane are wielded in equal measure, psychic manifestations also possible.

### Technology

* The Dearg Tribe is further along in technology than most, due to the fact that the entire tribe puts a focus on crafting and bettering themselves through their works. While still retaining semblances of medieval technology, they’ve learned to use stone, magic, and forging to create powerful variations of metals and other natural resources.

### Military

* The Airgid Tribe holds a powerful military army, composed of almost entirely elven soldiers, though other races are still able to join. Rangers, wizards, and paladins are the majority of their soldiers, but any walk of life with the ability to see their vision through is given purpose.

### Special Notes

* **War Paint**: The Airgid Tribe uses silver war paint as per the Alchemy Sphere feature, adorning their skin with symbols of stars, moons, the heavens, and elven symbology and runes.

### Law and Crime

* Standard laws and punishments, nothing unique or special here.

### Points of Interest

* **Chieftain of the Airgid Tribe**: Queen Lyrathiel of the Celestial Court
* **Grace of the Stars**: High Priest of the Airgid tribe, combining tenants from Desna, Calistria, and local elven gods into a single, unified set of beliefs and philosophies. (High Priest equivalent)
* **The Celestial Court**: Selected individuals to represent the varied interests of the Airgid Tribe, serving as advisors, a court system, and the representatives to and of everyday people.

## **The Reothadh Tribe**

The Reothadh Tribe houses perhaps the most reclusive of people. Believing themselves to be children of the Winter Queen, they emulate the ideas of winter in their culture, belief, and practices. Preservation, hibernation, and patience are key components to their survival. They live off the land, harvesting what is needed and stockpiling for the harshness of the winter seasons. They bother no one, and none bother them in return. Their simplistic nature and overall unbothered demeanor result in them having neither allies or foes to disrupt how they live.

### Religion

* The Reothadh revere the Winter Queen as the mother who provides, and the spirit of hardship. They believe through endurance, patience, and perseverance, they will become just as winter is: Inevitable, patient, and immovable. Many also find worship and reverence in the elemental Plane of Water, due to the connection of winter and frost. To them, survival is more than just a way to live, it’s a way to temper their bodies and minds to the fury of the cold, and find serenity in solitude.

### Magic

* The Reothadh Tribe houses a diversity of magic, but chief among them is the type known as ‘Winter Witches’. These daughters and sons are considered to have direct connections to the Winter Queen, and it’s rumored that their chieftain may even be the Winter Queen, disguised in mortal form.

### Technology

* The Reothadh have nothing exceptional in terms of technology. Standard medieval tools and inventions exist, but unlike most of the tribes, they don’t seek to progress further beyond this, believing that what they have is enough, and have little or no want for anything more.

### Military

* The Reothadh Tribe has a standing army, but they prefer to not use it. Relying on their magic and their neutrality as main sources of defense, their isolated existence away from civilizations and societies tend to leave them in a rather peaceful state.

### Special Notes

* **War Paint**: The Reothadh Tribe uses turquoise war paint as per the Alchemy Sphere feature, adorning their skin with symbols of winter, snow, frost, and other cold-related symbols.

### Law and Crime

* Standard laws and punishments, nothing unique or special here.

### Points of Interest

* **Chieftain of the Reothadh Tribe**: Witch-King Dysran
* **The White Witch**: High Priest of the Winter Queen (High Priest equivalent)
* **Winter's Guardians**: Selected individuals to represent the varied interests of the Reothadh Tribe, serving as advisors, a court system, and the representatives to and of everyday people.

## **The Geal Tribe**

The Geal Tribe is one of the more frightening tribes of the sundered kingdom. Unique in their mastery over life and death, the Geal Tribe is home to many necromancers, undead, and forlorn spirits bound in corporeal form. Where many of the tribes seek to reunite the kingdom, the Geal Tribe has a single goal: Kill all who still live from the kingdom, and reunite in death where the Geal hold dominion over all others. Hostile towards everyone, the only tribes known to occasionally work with the Geal tribe are the Ollaidh and Dubh tribes. Yet even an alliance with these death fanatics is dangerous, as a friend can easily become the next body parts for their twisted creations.

### Religion

* The Geal Tribe worships Urgathoa unquestionably, to the detriment of all else. A society of necromancers, death fanatics, cultists, and undead, they seek to carry out the will of Lady Despair, and force others to accept her gifts, willing or not.

### Magic

* The Geal wield necromancy in all fashions, from divine to arcane. They practice the arts of binding spirits to vessels, raising the dead, and crafting abominations of flesh and sinew. None are as twisted and malevolent as the Geal, and their magic desecrates the land around them, leaving those few still living to fight for survival, until they too, are claimed and risen in death.

### Technology

* The Geal have roughly medieval era technology.

### Military

* While the Geal have soldiers who are able to fight, most of their army is composed of skeletons, zombies, and other greater undead that are able to be bound and controlled by their necromancers.

### Special Notes

* **War Paint**: The Geal Tribe uses white war paint as per the Alchemy Sphere feature, adorning their skin with symbols of death, such as skulls, and even paint themselves to look like corpses.

### Law and Crime

* Standard laws and punishments, nothing unique or special here.

### Points of Interest

* **Chieftain of the Geal Tribe**: Evelynne, Lady of Death
* **The Pale Reaper**: High Priest of Urgathoa (High Priest equivalent)
* **The Profane Council**: Selected individuals to represent the varied interests of the Geal Tribe, serving as advisors, a court system, and the representatives to and of everyday people.

## **The Buidhe Tribe**

The Buidhe Tribe is unique in that unlike all the other tribes, the Buidhe tribe is individualistic to a fault. There is no one, singular facet of life that they excel at or focus upon. Some say their singular focus is the lack of such, where individual pursuits are supported. The only collective thing they all share is the belief to have freedom of pursuit and choice of what one enjoys in life, even if to the detriment of others. This chaotic existence makes them the most volatile and turbulent tribe, as they’re just as likely to be helpful as harmful, with absolutely no pattern to predict which is which.

### Religion

* Just like their faith and society, individual practices of magic are pursued. There is no majority or specific one that outshines the other, completely randomized in affinity and selection.

### Magic

* Just like their faith and society, individual practices of magic are pursued. There is no majority or specific one that outshines the other, completely randomized in affinity and selection.

### Technology

* The Buidhe have roughly medieval era technology.

### Military

* The Buidhe have a collective army where people may be called to perform, but beyond a general idea of defense, they have no specific structure or order. As a result, they never try to offensively conquer people, and instead just focus on pursuing whatever they have an interest in.

### Special Notes

* **War Paint**: The Buidhe Tribe uses yellow war paint as per the Alchemy Sphere feature, adorning their skin with different shapes and geometric patterns, meant to represent the infinite possibilities of paths and individual interests that they follow.

### Law and Crime

* Standard laws and punishments, nothing unique or special here.

### Points of Interest

* **Chieftain of the Buidhe Tribe**: Lord Thomas
* **Voices of the Many**: Selected individuals to represent the varied interests of the Geal Tribe, serving as advisors, a court system, and the representatives to and of everyday people.