"They will never consider you one of them. To them, you will always be a savage. But if you are so obsessed with the traitors' ways, then you should just get on with it, live amongst them. But if you choose to do so, you are no son of mine, and you will never be welcomed here again."

-Chief of the Elphegan Tribe, Heored the Berserker

Old Halish Culture

Living Out of Time

When people from the west came east, those with more nautical tendencies took to the waves of the Glittering Sea and made their way east to the isles of Adra Minoris. Some of these people settled on the isle of Halstat. The island of Halstat was the largest of these isles, and geographically diverse, with woodlands, pastures, lakes, marshland, and even mountains. The tribes on the island fought for supremacy, to decide who would rule over the land's bountiful natural resources. Eventually, these riches drew the Arissians, and 100 years after the western islands were settled, the eastern ones were. In both Halstat and Rackam, the imperials instituted a harsh rule. The people were naturally defiant to the cultural mode of the imperials, and fought against it at every turn, so the Arissian rulers established garrisons and forts across the island, crushing any resistance with iron. While the people of Rackam had great success with their resistance efforts, the Halish had less luck, because the resources, particularly the grains and iron coming out of the island were too important to simply give up on. Some of the Halish began to work with the imperials, taking offices from them, working as mayors and bureaucrats. These collaborators were hated by many of the Halish, who thought that the only means to truly resist the imperials was to live as they always had lived, to reject their fancy gadgets and fine wears, and live in the fields, forests, mountains, and caves. These Old Halish, or as the imperials called them, the Wildlings, lived in tribes scattered throughout Halstat, and when able, would raid and attack Arissian settlements. They came to hate the collaborators and Arissians alike, viewing them as one and the same. Eventually, Halstat was freed from imperial rule, when the Arissians left of their own accord. However, instead of being rewarded for their resistance, the Old Halish continued to live in exile, as the collaborators inherited the reigns of power across Halstat left by the imperial rulers. While the city goers and farmers believed their freedom had been gained, the Old Halish never believed the imperial influence truly left Halstat. Instead, they continued their life as they always had, living in tribes, hunting, gathering, and subsistence farming, and instead of raiding Arissian settlements, they began to raid Halish towns. They also found another tribal people now living among them, the former slaves of the Arissians. Some Old Halish came to regard these orcish slaves as allies and friends, while others viewed them as strange and monstrous creatures, to be hunted down.

          The Old Halish exist in a strange world. They often feel as if they aren't free in their own country. And, this is in essence true. The landed gentry of Halstat see the Old Halish as barbaric squatters, living illegally on their land. Often, in order to avoid harsh rebukes, the Old Halish tribes have to pay significant tributes to these nobles. This state of living in constant opposition has led the Old Halish to be a generally rebellious and despondent people. They are notoriously difficult to negotiate with, and slow to trust outsiders. Their survivor complex often leads Old Halish people to assume the worst of strangers, and makes them suspicious of any offers of aid. Still, this does not mean they are a brutal people. On the contrary, among their own kind, they are generally friendly and generous. Most Old Halish can find support and a warm bed in any of the various tribes that dot Halstat, even if they have never met their hosts before. Old Halish make fine hunters and fishers, and they are also notably good at gathering wild edibles, berries, roots, and nuts. The Old Halish are not entirely at harmony with the land, like some druidic peoples, but they certainly work more within their means than the collaborators, who have destroyed much of the forests that once dotted the landscape of Halstat. The Old Halish are also a mystical people, embracing many religions, and worshiping the gods fervently. They try to live their lives by the gods and for the gods, and while this is an admirable quality, they also sometimes view any actions or behaviors that could upset the gods to be aberrant, and even a threat to their society. As a result, those who break from the traditions of the gods are often harshly punished, or even ostracized from their tribe. This mysticism also makes the Old Halish suspicious of any mechanical device or advanced idea. Therefore, it is fair to say that many of the Old Halish are largely ignorant of the developments that have come out of enlightened thought. They are further ignorant of most of the economic and civil systems that exist among the feudal and antiquitic cultures. For example, the Old Halish are unused to concepts like taxation, currency, standing armies, guilds, etc. They are used to living as their ancestors have for countless generations, and in general, are unwilling or unable to adapt to the changes in the wider world.

          The Old Halish people are most highly concentrated on the island of Halstat, but in particular outside of organized settlements. They are very scarcely found outside of the island. The races of the Halish are most predominately human, with numbers of half-orcs and orcs amongst them. The Old Halish follow their ancient pantheon of Hagelia, while holding the pantheons of Gökotta, Faetari, and Aristagoras in esteem. Old Halish tend to be reverent, resourceful, and renitent. They also tend to be ignorant, recalcitrant, and fanatical. Many of the Old Halish speak Low Arissian, but some tribes have attempted to throw off all shackles of Arissian influence by speaking Primordial.

If you choose the Old Halish Culture, you gain the following:

~A +1 to your Wisdom score~

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

~As a known language, either Low Arissian Common or Primordial~

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

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