EditFierce Mammoth-slayers of Norizia- Tone: A nation of nomadic barbarian tribes living in the harshest and most deadly of environments.
- Timeframe: -2000 years to present
- Artifice: Primitive to Low
- Region: Norizia
- Capital: Zod-daa (~800 permanent residents)
- Notable Settlements: Kraagan tribes are spread all throughout Norizia, following seasonal herds. Zod-daa is the only truely permanent settlement.
- Government: Tribal Meritocracy, led by a Chardaaka-zod (Moot of Chieftans) and the Mogdaaka-zod (a Shaman circle)
- Ruler: Chardaaka-ga Talok, advised by Mogdaaka-ga Kahd
- Races: Humans (~50,000)
- Languages: Kraag
- Religions: Ancestor worship
- Coinage: Within the tribes, Kraagan use a barter system. In recent years, coins have started entering common use at values set by traders in Drass.
EditSynopsisThe Kraagan are a collection of nomadic hunter clans that live in the vast tundra wastelands of Norizia, scraping out a bare existance following migrating herds of caribou and mammoths. The Kraag also hunt snow leapards and snow bears, and the very bravest hunt the dangerous ice wyrms.
Each clan is made up of a number of inter-related tribes. Tribes range in size from 20 to 500 members with most averaging around 150 men women and children. Each tribe has its own chieftan called a Chardaak, and usually have one or more shaman, called a Mogdaak. The chieftan position is generally held by the strongest and most capable warrior. He can be challenged at any time to a trial by combat for leadership. This usually only happens if his decisions are found to be against the good of the tribe.
One of the tribes in the clan is dominant, based upon a variety of factors ranging from numbers, wealth, tradition, and the personal might of its leadership. Dominance can change, but generally tends to be consistent for at least a decade or so at a time and some tribes enjoy perennial dominance. The chieftan of the dominant tribe is called a Chardaaka and the most senior or powerful shaman of that tribe is called Mogdaaka; together they are the official leadership of their entire clan and represent the clan at Zods (clan moots) held at Zod-daa every five years, which are comprised of the Chardaaka and Mogdaaka of all the clans.
Just as one tribe is dominant in a given clan, so too is one clan dominant amongst the Kraag, determined in similar fashion. The Chardaaka of that clan is technically the leader of all the Kraag, and the Mogdaaka is technically senior to all other shaman; a "-ga" suffix is attached to their titles which means "highest" in Kraag. However the Kraag are not a very organized or structured people, so this means little in day to day existence. The most notable ramification of this is that the Chardaaka-ga can call all the clans to war, though they must secure the blessing of the Mogdaaka-zod and the Chardaaka-zod by majority vote or face the very real risk of being challenged and supplanted or killed.
Many of the clans are still at a primitive level of technology. In recent years, trading with Drass has introduced iron and steel weaponry to the clans nearest the city. Tribal hunters trade pelts, as well as jewels harvested from the bellies of ice wyrms that can be found living in caves or roaming in the wastes.
The Kraag are not xenophobic or hostile to outsiders per se, but they are very territorial and believe that their ancestral lands are "theirs" and take exception to outsiders hunting their game or consuming their scarce resources. They do respect strength though, and outsiders that respect their ways and traditions can become accepted into a tribe and thus effectively become Kraag.
The Kraagan tribes are almost constantly fighting amongst themselves, for territory, resources, or points of honor. As a rule, no war between tribes can last past the Zods. Many tribesmen use the Zods as a chance to patch up relations between clans, boast about the skirmishes they fought, and find new points of honor to fight over.
EditMagicClan shaman are trained from the day they complete their rites of manhood. New shaman are chosen based on an evaluation by an established shaman who looks for any burgeoning talent in mystical arts, as well as capacity to memorize and recite accurately the history of the clan.
It is not unusual for a child to be chosen for training by a shaman of another tribe within the same clan (or forwarded to such a shaman by their tribe's shaman) based upon the child's proclivity for the type of magic practiced by that shaman. Thus a child showing a gift for healing magic in a tribe whose shaman did not know such magic would likely be sent to study under a shaman in another tribe who did know healing magic.
Shamans generally specialize in one type of magic when they finish their apprenticeship, and gather additional knowledge as they grow older. Common specialties include Seers, Dreamcalling, and Stormcalling, but all the types of Occultism are practiced and accepted by the Kraag shaman.
Though their magic is not actually divine, the shamans understanding of magic has philosophical and spiritual underpinnings and is commingled with their worship of their ancestors; they also present it as such to tribes and serve as de facto priests for the Kraag. Some shaman suspect that their is no divine involvement with their magic, but expressing such thoughts openly is dangerous and incites censure.
Humans
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