Tribe of the Three Owls
The Tribe of the Three Owls is a large barbarian tribe found in the deciduous woodlands and wooded plains east of Bloody River, Ardeleth, Tolvin, and Valeria, moving in large groups to raid, hunt and gather, usually settling in camps during the summer months when food is plentiful, keeping no fixed abode in the winter as they follow herds of deer and seek Giant Arboreal Sloths. The hunt in meadows and forests alike, and prize running speed, allowing them to cover ground more quickly than many opponents (be they prey or human enemy). They are a lithe people, muscled but not bulky, with the dark hair and tanned skin common in the East.
The Tribe’s origins are lost in the mists of time, but they tell of the three great owls which were their patrons: the Owl of Gold, courageous and beautiful; the Owl of Silver, steadfast and powerful; and the Owl of Bronze, watchful and cunning. Whether these beings were gods, Exalts, Beastmen, or some other strange creature has been lost to time, with even the tribe’s god Emerald Roothammer uncertain of the myth’s origin, sometimes musing to his divine peers that he invented them to convey moral lessons to his charges and other times launching deep into conjecture and conspiracy theory on the spirits who might have filled the roles. Regardless, from the Three Owls the tribe draws not only its name but its cardinal virtues: The Owl of Gold commanded them to ‘live with valor’, the Owl of Bronze to ‘never break your word’, and the Owl of Silver to ‘run as the wind’.
Valor is the primary virtue held by the Tribe of the Three Owls. Each tribesperson trains with club and sling, and captured weapons & armour are often prized. Those who prove their skill and bravery in combat, slaying foes who attack the tribe or standing ground against monstrosities, are acknowledged as the warriors of the tribe, a class above the rest of the tribespeople (an ascent most try hard to achieve). Warriors are the only tribespeople accepted for positions of leadership. The Tribe is divided into three branches, each many thousands strong, and these in turn are divided into small bands rather than moving en masse. Each band is ruled by a chief, the most valorous and accomplished of its warriors. From the ranks of chiefs in a branch, three Great Chiefs are acknowledged to rule jointly over the entire Tribe. Politics can sometimes be a brutal affair, for the Tribe does not hold any tradition of making oaths of loyalty, and the surest way of proving your valor and power is to slay one who has already proven themselves: slaying a warrior merits acknowledgement as a warrior, one who slays a chief is surely a worthy chief themselves.
The greatest crimes within the Tribe are cowardice and oathbreaking. Liars and cowards are thought doomed to lives of misery, so the punishment is not death but exile from the tribe. The Tribe has
The Tribe has great respect for shamans and holy men. Amongst its warriors, some are shamans, practiced in herb lore and dealing with spirits, as well as the thaumaturgic arts of Warding and Alchemy. The tribe offers worship to many local spirits as well as hunting gods such as Grala, Mistress of the Endless Hunt.
