"Oh lord of the eternal storm, he who brings lightning and rain, wind and snow, may you lash out at us with great fury! May we be tested, and if we pass your test, then send it ten-fold upon our enemies, and bring their lives to ruin!"

-Noregran Shaman of Amarok, Haldeer Svenson

Noregran Culture

Northern Raiders

There were few human peoples untouched by the Arissian conquest of Adra Majoris. The Noregran people were one of those rare few, living in the White Wastes, a nearly inhospitable tundra and taiga-land to the north of Zaltia and the Wandering Mountains. The Noregran were well suited for their environment, going on great seal and whale hunts, and selling the oil down south in exchange for rare goods. They lived in tribal communities, which bounded together, each led by a Jarl. The Jarls of Noregyr, rather than accepting the rule of any one man or woman, worked together for the betterment of their people in collaboration. And what they collaborated on, besides the oil trade, was warfare, in particular, raiding. When merchants they met with wouldn't accept their deals, it would often turn into a violent encounter, because going without the vital trade goods that merchants brought was not optional in the harsh world of the White Wastes. This eventually developed into organized raiding parties, where the Noregran would board longships and move to coastal communities further south, raiding and pillaging what they could, and bringing the spoils back home, or to another town to trade with. In the current age, Noregran do in fact have dealings with the Arissians after all, moving to the capital to serve as mercenaries and elite body guards for a five years or so, and returning home with hefty wage pay. All in all, the Noregran are simple people, not hording power or land, but instead doing what they must to survive, and rarely leaving a permanent mark in the annals of history.

          Noregran are, much as the Goblinoids are, highly feared and reviled by many communities. However, unlike with the Goblinoids, Noregran are generally only treated this way by the communities that they have terrorized in years past. When visiting far-flung places, Noregran are treated as exotic warriors, given due respect and honor. However, Noregran are also treated as barbarians, particularly in the rest of Adra Majoris. They are thought to be uncouth, eating without any sense of manners, ignoring social taboos, and given to bouts of binge drinking. Of course, nobody would dare say this to a Noregran, unless they had leverage over them, because Noregran are feared as some of the finest warriors in the world. They tend to be far larger and burlier than others of their race, and are used as mercenaries, champions, and bodyguards around the world. And of course, it is true that Noregran often forsake the social taboos of other places, but this is only expected, since they are raised with completely different expectations. When non-Noregran come to the White Wastes, they offend the social taboos and look like barbarians there too. Noregran are also thought to be more prone to bouts of anger and violence than other cultures, and while this is likely exaggerated by most, even the Noregran themselves will admit to you that they are a passionate people, and it is not difficult to see why. In the harsh world of Noregyr, if one does not have ones honor, one does not have much at all. Noregran also, compared to most people, seem to be built for travel. They live in semi-permanent tribes, and do not live a nomadic lifestyle per say, but when called to the sea or the road, they can travel for hundreds of miles, and travel light as that, often carrying bindles or small sacks for journeys that would take most months or years to prepare for. Noregran are called to the sea, and in many ways, they prefer it to the land. This makes them a hardy, mobile, and versatile people, suited to jobs that would be impossible for most people. Still, can all of this wipe the blood from their yearly raids south?

          The Noregran people are most highly concentrated in the White Wastes, what they call Noregyr. However, Noregran will often serve in armies and fleets across the world, and the wealthiest Noregran will sometimes decide to move to warmer and easier climates with their wealth, particularly the Sun Soaked Sea and Arissia. The races of the Noregran are most predominately human, half-orc, and orc. The ancestral god among the Noregran is Amarok, though offerings are frequently made to Lothal and Sorthal, for death and war are forever the hand-maidens of the north. Noregran tend to be hardy, resourceful, and passionate. They also tend to viscous, uncouth, and piratic. The Noregran got their language from the Saravoans, and therefore Saravoan is their main dialect, though many speak Orcish as well, to communicate and trade with orcish tribes, who often join the Noregran tribes.

If you choose the Noregran Culture, you gain the following:

~A +1 to your Constitution score~

~Either a -1 to your Intelligence score or a -1 to your Charisma score~

~As a known language, Saravoan Common~

~A Sub-Discipline in every knowledge skill on checks relating to Noregran Culture~

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