Southern Barbarian Tribes

## Bear

### Physical Description:

Bear Barbarians pride themselves on their thick skin, and the ability to handle physical altercations. Since they are surrounded by the bloodshed of battle, they have grown to also become powerful healers. Since these warriors have found themselves in many a altercation they are considered the most potent berserkers among the other tribes.

They fight with trust in their rage, and thick skin willing these things alone to keep them going long enough to finish their foes in battle. The title Berserker is granted upon those that have proven their worth throughout the clan.

#### Tribal Life:

"Honor among the Bear: Be strong in all things, bear your burdens without complaint, and never show weakness to an outsider. Grant succor to another barbarian when it is asked for, we are healers as well as killers.To be a tribesman of the bear is to have your strength constantly tested."

From a young age the members of the tribe are taught to wrestle one another at all opportunities and push one another into feats of strength. They lift and throw stones and grapple and fight. This includes both boys and girls and it never really ends, they will practice these contest throughout their lives with the peers they grow up with. However, the woman of the tribe usually fall into the role of the healer as opposed to that of a warrior, though all members of the tribe are taught at least basic first aid sills. Men are allowed to be healers and a few are, they aren't ostracized, but they are often expected to be able to fight as well as they heal

Perhaps the most unexpected or ignored aspect of the Bear Tribe though is that of their long tradition of storytelling, particularly in the form of poetry. Many assume that all of the tribe’s storytellers left to form the Racoon Tribe, but such is not the case. There are still many warriors among the tribe that consider themselves warrior-poets, as they continue to practice the old ways of the Bear Tribe going back to its founder. However, they also tend to be quiet amongst a tribe known for its loud, bellowing drunkards and berserkers. One could even say that, perhaps they’re a bit shy in the usage of their social talents and as such don’t often speak of them, silently composing in secret.

The Bear Tribe camps in longhouses made of thatched logs and animal hides. It is the only structure large enough to house them and still be carried about. Each tribe member carries a few pieces of a longhouse and they all assemble them together when they stop moving.

(Note to add in- Dislikes magic the most)

#### Tribal Greeting:

A fist brought to the chest, then to the forehead.

#### Tribal Farewell:

Same action as the greeting, but with the added words "Go, and be heard." The proper response to this is "You as Well."

#### Rites of Passage:

The tribe of the Bear keeps things simple with only two tests. They take the form of either fighting a clearly superior foe or a great act of healing. In the case of battle, one only needs to survive the encounter, winning isn’t necessary. In the case of Healing, the subject must be a humanoid or animal and on the brink of death.

The Rite of the Berserker: For a warrior to be worthy of the title of berserker they must be sorely tested. This rite requires that the warrior state his purpose before the rest of his tribe. He or she must then journey off across the murky swamp and usually to a forest to seek out a bear. They must then speak to the bear and challenge it to a wrestling match; if they wins the bear must follow them back to their tribe to confirm that they have done so. If the warrior loses they must remain in exile from the tribe for the next turning of the moon’s face while remaining in the woods and hunting for the bear that bested them in the grappling contest. The warrior is then allowed to return to their tribe and try again at another time, though there is a loss of honor for failure. The warrior will most likely be ridiculed by peers and forced to carry heavy stones by the elders of the tribe. This will strengthen the warrior’s body so that they can make another attempt in six months. If they succeed they will be taught the secrets that are required in order to be a berserker.

#### Burial Customs and Funeral Rights

As befitting their physical size, members of the Bear Tribe are buried in hill sized mounds ringed with large stone. Their weapons and a few items accompany them into the mound, which is often made large enough to place other family members within when they pass on as well. If for some reason there isn’t time or stone available to build a mound and ring, then they are placed down into the ground with a cairn placed atop as a burial marker. The cairn though consists of several hundred smaller stones and whenever a member of the tribe passes one it is considered an honor to the dead to add another stone to it.

#### Stereotypes of other tribes:

* Wet Rat: They are skulking cowards who live with no honor, they rarely let their enemies know who is killing them
* Raccoon: Our little brothers and sisters, they spin the tales of our glories and our honor, as well as help us when they can. They have our love and protection in all things.
* Raven: Creepy mystics, they spend more time staring into smoke and looking for ghosts than dealing with the living. If they were passionate about anything we would grant them more respect, but for now they have earned little of ours.
* Stag: Soft cowards and purposely confusing mystics, most are unworthy of a good death, though we are often happy to offer them one.
* Wolf: Noble warriors, respectable comrades in arms, though somewhat stuffy, not the best to hold celebration with.
* Wolverine: Insane warriors, worthy enemies and allies. We will fight them when we can and drink with them when we can’t.
* Eagle: Hopefully they don’t spend too much time watching and prove to be good warriors, we’ll see.
* Lion: We are glad they have returned even with their obsession with magic. They at least know to keep it away from us and are good in a fight. Now if only the men were as strong as the women.
* Mammoth: They were strong but what good is a dead tribe.

#### Current Tribe Leader:

Bodvar Bjarki (Both-war Bee-yar-kee) - The current lord of the Bear Tribe, like all his predecessors, is a massive beast of a man. He is known for going into battle one of two different ways, either armed with a huge wa maul he call “Fylgja mjolnir” (Soul-Crusher), or in the form of a massive white furred grizzly bear. Bodvar wears his hair and beard long and both have streaks of grey starting to run through them, but he is as strong as he has ever been and none can best him in wrestling or feats of strength. The Great Bear though is considered as wise as he is strong and is known as a great healer, his massive hands as capable at healing hurts as they are at inflicting them. He has ruled the tribe for twelve years now and there are no challengers in sight for his position, he is expected to hold his high seat for many, many more years.

#### Tribal Founder:

Byulfr Utlagisson (Bee-ulf-er Oot-logg-ee son) was not a large man, but he was a stout one, with a neck that would have made an ox jealous. Like his father he wore a great dark beard and had huge black, caterpillar eyebrows to match. He also liked a good fight, which is to say he liked to fight if the circumstances were right, not just right, but poetic. Byulfr fought to be remembered. He wandered the lands like a warrior poet, looking for the good fight and recording his physical trials in a small journal. Byulfr grew bored with such a lifestyle after a few years and sought solitude in an effort to test his strength against nature itself. He became a hermit and lived off the land; his home was a cave and his bed a stone floor. He would sit for hours in a cold stream, twisting his beard in his hands and contemplating what sort of trail he should set for himself next.

It happened one day that he was once again in the stream when a large bear came along. Byulfr thought nothing of it though; he had fought hundreds of men, many larger than himself and far more dangerous. He thought he had nothing to fear from the bear. The bear itself ignored Byulfr and began to wade into the stream looking for fish. Muzzle deep in the stream it began to move closer and closer to utlagi’s son’s position. Suddenly it lunged under the water for a fish and came up, slashing back and forth. It had no fish, but continued to slap the water this way and that, thoroughly soaking Byulfr’s head and shoulders. He stood up in the stream and locked eyes with the big brown bear. They paused for a moment, Byulfr then raised his thick arms and brought them down into the water as quickly as he could and splashed the bear with all his might. Once again he looked into the great beast’s eyes, this time though he used the animal speech his father had taught him many years before. He told the bear “there, now we’re even” that was all, he turned to leave.

The bear splashed him again. He turned and rushed at the bear and they fell into the river wrestling, clawing, and biting in the frigid rushing water. They fought there in the stream for hours; the sun had gone down without either of them actually noticing it. In the light of the moon Byulfr and the bear paused once again to speak. He looked at the bear with his one good eye and the bear looked back and said to him “we fight long time, you fight good, strong, we fight until dead i think. But bear, get hungry, get food.” Byulfr laughed and motioned to the bear to follow him and said to it “follow me for food.” The bruised and beaten man pulled himself up out of the stream and began to move his sore legs towards his cave. He heard the bear moving behind him.

They sat in the cave and shared a meal of berries and dried meat. Byulfr passed out though before he could finish his meal. His wounds and the freezing water he had received them in finally caught up to him and he fell into a fevered sleep. The strongman awoke two days later to the feeling of rough tongue on his face. When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw were the enormous canine teeth of the bear he had fought a short time ago. “You sick, me help” it said in the language of beasts. Byulfr sat up and thanked the bear for staying there and watching over him. The two then conversed in the simple way of animals for several hours. Byulfr learned what he’d later call the secrets of the bear’s strength and the power of their healing ways. He and the bear became friends and when he left his cave soon after he pledged that he’d return, but not before he went back to the world of man and told all of the baer’s great strength.

When people heard of his tales they came to join him and learn what he had learned. Many of them were foes he had fought years before and defeated. He taught them the way of the bear and thus founded the Bear Tribe. He’d often leave to journey to that stream and sit with his friend conversing for hours in the speech of the beasts.

## Wolverine

### Physical Description:

#### Tribal Founder:

*((Special Thanks to Bill Spytma, Todd Welch and Michael Brown for dedicating time, creativity, and the base structure of this race.))*