The Ukian Way

For the Ukians, the yurt is more than merely a shelter from the elements. It fits that role, yes - a circular lattice of flexible wooden beams draped with felt and animal skins, providing a dwelling that can easily be assembled and disassembled so that its parts can be carried wherever its owner goes. But the yurt is also the core unit of the Ukian people, and their way of life. Each is home to an extended family, typically headed by the patriarch of a clan and including all his sons, their wives, his unwed daughters, and his grandchildren. All of them dwell in the tent, returning there to take meals and to sleep on the floor beneath furs. It is thus a place of meeting where the family comes together after the day's work is done to sing songs, drink mead, and make plans for the next day. It holds all of their belongings, and all of their livestock are kept not far from the tent. The family may change as elders grow old and die, as warriors are slain, and as daughters leave one yurt to marry into another, but the same belongings, the same wealth, and the same yurts all stay in the family and are passed down for as long as they remain viable, communally owned by all members of the family, who decide on what to do with them by mutual agreement (though this is often guided by advice from the patriarch).

Sometimes if a family grows too big to fit within a single yurt, they may split off and build yurts of their own, but they usually still travel with their kindred, unless great offense forces them to separate. So too, after two families are married, it is not uncommon for their yurts and herds to travel together. A group of individual families joined this way makes a clan; a group of clans united by a common ancestor or way of life makes a tribe. The Ukians take their geneology very seriously, and they keep meticulous records of who belongs to what tribe - any Ukian can trace back their ancestry to their clan and tribe, and the leaders of the tribes - the Khans, usually generals appointed by the elders of the clans for their leadership and skill in battle - know the clans under their command.

It is only recently that Ukiah saw its first Great Khan, a leader capable of uniting all the tribes under his banner. But even then, the structure of tribe, clan, and yurt has not been forgotten. As a matter of fact, because these systems of relation and loyalty arose to help promote communal effort and mutual survival in the harsh lands of Ukiah, they also provided the perfect framework for organizing an army. Much like a general commands several lieutenants, who each commands several warriors, a Khan commands the heads of several clans, to whom the elders of each family turn for advice. Indeed, it is not unlike a feudal system, though it is not tied to land. The family goes wherever they go, making long journeys between the grazing lands in the north when they will sustain their herds in the summer and the forests of the south when they must take shelter from the cold winters.

Tall and slender, fair in both hair and skin, and dressing in furs and hides, the Ukians could be mistaken for elves, and it is thought that they may have some elvish blood, far back. They are not a people of great wealth and splendor. They are practical folk - their home is a brutal one, and they must make do with what they have. Without the means or the lifestyle to grow crops or extract ore, they must live off the land; they forage for food and raise animals for meat, milk, and hides, including cattle, sheep, reindeer, horses, and (in the mountains) llamas. While they will trade with the occasional caravan for luxury goods, often dealing in furs and ice from the mountains, they cannot expect this to be a regular occurance, especially in times of war - which have grown more and more common with the pressure of raids and the encroaching occupation of the Vardessians and Kvessians, though some clans maintain trade deals with their settled neighbors. Instead, the Ukians have a robust wealth of knowledge of what plants can be eaten, where to go to find medicinal herbs, how to navigate the trails, and how to survive for long periods in the cold. As the Ukian winters are harsh, cold, and snowy, they have even developed a means of running across deep snow, placing minimal pressure on the ground at each step to avoid sinking.

And of course, they are quite apt on the battlefield. Every Ukian trains in archery and riding, and the arts of wrestling, falconry, and knifeplay are highly valued as well. Not only are they skilled hunters, they are also fierce fighters, and the able-bodied men and women of any yurt will not hesitate to take up arms in its defense. Every Ukian family is a hunting party and a military unit if it needs to be, and when they count orcs among their neighbors, this is a necessity. So much more the better, when their close familiar ties ensure their cooperation.

Predictably, the Ukians most commonly are worshipers of Kerne, god of war and the hunt, and Volos, the god of cattle and herdsmen. Many follow the Old Faith as well, and there is much debate as to which of the powers they invoke are deified ancestor and nature spirits and which are manifestations of the gods - perhaps it is a mix of both. They do not have free-standing temples, and their altars usually take the form of carved wooden poles or stones bearing holes for libations. Ukian worship is often a brief and simple affair, with warriors making personal offerings for good fortune but little in the way of rituals. Unless the shamans are involved, that is...

Background: Ukian Tribesman

Suggested Names: Saami names

Weapon Proficiencies: All simple weapons

Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: Artisan's Tools, one musical instrument of your choice.

Languages: Ukian

Equipment: A hunting trap, a set of travelers' clothes, a shortbow, a quiver with 20 arrows, and a pouch containing 10 GP.

Feature: Survivalist. Deep snow does not count as difficult terrain for you. Additionally, you are familiar with any natural features, trails, and resources in territories you have been previously, and can find food and fresh water for yourself and up to five other people each day, provided that the land offers berries, small game, water, and so forth. You also can expect your yurt, clan, and tribe to shelter you, assuming you have not done anything to offend them.