Trygvaar clan


Rjurik Highlands » Northlands » Realm of the White Witch » Trygvaar

Kingdom: Realm of the White Witch

Winter Province: Unknown

Summer Province: Unknown

Chief: Darvjaal Treecutter (MRj; F13; Vo, tainted, 6; LE)
A truly barbaric tribe with no interest in the outside world, the Trygvaar inhabit the deep forests in the southern reaches of the White Witch's domain in winter, then migrate to the northern tundra in spring and summer. Though tough, resourceful, and independent, they cooperate with White Witch because it suits them and the chief, the grim Darvjaal Treecutter. All Trygvaar warriors serve one-year terms in the White Witch's personal guard; at the end of their service, they come home loaded with gold, furs, weapons, food, and other necessities, further cementing the bond between the Witch and the tribe.
The Trygvaar admire little other than skill in hunting and battle, and spend much of their time in contest of arms, or on massive hunting expeditions that involve the entire tribe. When called upon by the Witch or by Darvjaal to fight invaders from the Blood Skull Barony or the Giantdowns, the tribe reacts with howling bloodlust. Unfortunately for Hogunmark and Lluabraight elves, the Trygvaar display the similar enthusiasm on their raids into these neighboring lands. Such raids are uncommon, orchestrated only when the tribe is in dire need (this need may apply to supplies or simple excitement). The White Witch is known to discourage such conduct since it reflects badly on her and sometimes frustrates her plans to rule and control in secrecy. She usually ends up disavowing any knowledge of or responsibility for them, despite the fact that the Trygvaar proudly proclaim themselves as her elite.
Like many nomadic tribes the Trygvaar have a number of superstitions and traditions strange to more civilized Rjurik. The Trygvaar consider spell-casters other than druids to be unearthly and avoid them (if possible) or serve them otherwise - no Trygvaar will willingly attack a spell-caster except from absolute necessity. Trygvaar will also not hunt or slay a pregnant animal - which includes other Rjurik, goblins etc. The Trygvaar test their children by exiling them from the tribe when they are deemed adult, the child must then survive alone for a time (generally a week or so) before they are permitted to return to the tribe. Trygvaar never break their sworn oath, however oaths generally lapse either at the end of the day, month, or year - only a rare few last for the lifetime of the oath-taker and none survive if the recipient breaks their side of the oath. The Trygvaar are noted for bride-stealing, and on rare occasions when a child is born sickly, of kidnapping a child in place of their own. In a few rare cases of vengeance, a Trygvaar warrior may kidnap an older child of an enemy if that enemy slew their own child. One tradition used against the Trygvaar from time to time is the right of challenge - a strong PC could challenge a leader of the Trygvaar for the right for their party to cross Trygvaar lands, ownership of a prize, etc. Losing such a challenge would however be unfortunate at best.
The Trygvaar have a belief system not dissimilar to that of the Vos, the strong survive, the weak perish, the strong rule, the weak serve. The Trygvaar will follow a strong leader - like the White Witch and before her the sorcerers, they have no respect for those who lead by consensus or seek to be loved, as a result they are amongst the few Rjurik to have little respect for Skalds or Druids - to them both are weak. As a result the Trygvaar are often considered treacherous by other Rjurik who tell tales of how the Trygvaar turned from the crown of Hogunmark to serve the Sorcerers and again later to serve the White Witch. The Trygvaar ignore such lies, they have always served the strong, when their leader proved weak, or another proved themselves more powerful, they continued to serve the strong - it was just that the person considered strong changed. To them to have done otherwise than serve the stronger leader would have been the betrayal.

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