Post by Fleischmann on Mar 18, 2023 14:11:35 GMT
General Information
Population: 784.893
Friends:
Allies:
Enemies:
Spice Imports: Caraway, Persian hogweed, kani pepper, korarima, koseret, mastic, nigella, long pepper, silphium, black cardamon, green cardamon, and za'atar
Imports: Metal tools, ivory, paper, armour, weapons, ships, horses, ambergris, and baleen
Spice Exports: Asafoetida, wasabi, cumin, galangal, ginger, ginseng, liquorice, mustard, saffron, garlic, star anise, cloves, chili, cassia, sesame seed (and oil), black pepper, fennel, coriander seeds, and sumac
Exports: Textiles, rice, nuts, wheat, cotton, tobacco(?), hemp, silk, furniture, jewellery, carved bones, furs, perfume, hardwoods, dried fruits
Society
The Beyhepbeǀnek'hok (English: Knapping People, Latin: Beii, German: Steinmetzvolk) are one of the main extant ǁhep'hokletip peoples, with the Belites being their closest relatives. They were formed roughly three-hundred years ago when an influx of tribes into the region led to a series of power struggles ultimately seeing one of the tribes on the Baszsepmuybumgok (River of Many Loud Bovines) manage to incorporate most of their original neighbours and begin subduing the new arrivals.
Their economy is primarily fishing based, with the larger families commanding fleets of boats which are sometimes used for trade. The majority of the population lives along the Baszsepmuybumgok during the spring, summer, and fall and use its waters to irrigate and sustain fields of cash crops in the form of flax and hemp, which they turn into cloths, carpets, and ropes. Many of them tend to migrate to the north during the winter months, in order to hunt game in the less populated regions. It is their custom for tribes to merge their herds of equines and sheep when in the same area, with the lesser tribe gaining the protection and hospitality of the greater one. When one of the tribes decides to leave, the lesser one is given an equal number of animals of choice to what they came with, with the larger either reaping the gains from the increased herd size or suffering whatever losses in number might have befallen the group.
It is common for tribes to go to war with each other during the winter, in order to seize new members, hunting grounds, and property. It is the custom for the tribes to not attack each other when settled, as it can cause too much damage to farms and other important infrastructure. Instead, tribes at war engage in hit-and-run attacks and ambushes during the winter, hoping to either force a capitulation in order to take as much as they want or else hoping to force the other into negotiations. This is the main method by which farms change hands.
It should be noted that that the people do not use actual names with outsiders, opting instead to use special titles or sobriquets. This practice is generally enforced for all those outside of a given tribe or even family.
Sexual Norms
Due to their semi-nomadic nature and the strong pressure for men to hunt, herd, and raid, women have developed into a wealthy propertied class amongst Beyhepbeǀnek'hok and wield near total control and authority within their society outside of war. While the men also tend to flocks and farm, most property is owned by women and worked by them full time, resulting in an odd arrangement where rich female property owners will be approached by young men and old veterans for patronage in the form of financial or material support. This is usually in exchange for military support, but also labour and marriage.
Because of this, the men of the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok are expected to be chaste and faithful to one woman or tribal matriarch, while women seek to compete against each other for men as a source of labour and as status symbols. A particularly powerful matriarch might have a hundred or more husbands, who are provided to her as a form of tribute from smaller bands under her protection or from defeated rivals. Sons are commonly bartered between tribes as a form of currency, helping to cement alliances but also to buy heads of cattle or slaves.
This arrangement has led to an odd practice of husband stealing, where daughters or sisters might abscond with valuable trade goods and entice away men to go start their own tribes should they find suitable land or feel they might succeed in ousting the current occupants. This is most common around the death of a matriarch, as such transitions can lead to minor civil wars between competing claimants. While the property might be worked by and distributed to many, the one who decides such matters is held in high regard and as such it is not uncommon for multiple women to step forward to try and take such a place. To avoid splitting holdings, it is often times seen as appropriate for the claimants to meet with spears before the tribe's leaders and fight until one yields or there is only one left alive.
Warfare
They are known to favour foreign import weapons and armour, specifically short swords and gorgets for those without access to horses but who have shields. Their tendency is to ambush with missiles and bullets in order to force their victims into closed ranks before then having their warriors advance as a wall to engage in melee if in more open terrain and facing an opponent of similar numbers. The objective of which is to engage in more intense combat in order to force the opponent to yield due to the initially high casualties. When dealing with larger opponents, their preference is to charge without warning to try and overwhelm and scare their enemies, as well in the hopes of killing or seizing the opposition's leaders.
Those who are able to afford horses tend to rely more on their mobility, using long lances to quickly move in and out of range of their opponents and to harass them over longer periods of time. It is not uncommon for lancers to be employed after the melee has begun in order to try and cause one flank to break their discipline or after the melee has parted in order to keep their enemies from resting while their own men recover. They are also known to carry bows, but primarily are armed with slings for ranged attacks. Due to the quality and size of the horses, it is rare to see them wearing armour.
It is not uncommon for some bands or even whole tribes to leave for periods of time in order to serve as mercenaries or to engage in long distance trade with other peoples. It is through this mechanism, that most of the foreign goods and captives end up being brought back.
Current Political Structure
At present, the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok enjoy a sort of absolute monarchy under their Beyhokzim (Lord of All People). This position was established after Great Matriarch Tungjomaksokjobasz managed to defeat all of her enemies in a bloody civil war, which was instigated by the other matriarchs attacking her and her lands outside of the traditional period of war and without any warning while the men were occupied fighting a threat to the south and then sieging the cities of the small-statured hill peoples.
Under the current system, all lands are considered property of the Beyhokzim and are parceled out centrally by a large bureaucracy to the sundry tribes. As the tribes still engage in warfare during the winter months, land reallocations are done once all gains and losses from said period have been confirmed and reported to the government. As each tribe must rely upon these allocations to gain lands, they are unable to hide gains and as each tribe is required to pay rents to the Beyhokzim, they are unable to hide losses.
The lands are broken up into provinces which are assigned a Great Matriarch to oversee them. Where as previously this title was hereditary and a signifier of pre-eminence amongst the other tribes of a given region, this position is now filled by appointment and at the pleasure of the Beyhokzim. They are responsible for ensuring that all the tribes of a given region are accounted for and abide by the laws and mandates of the royal government. They are also responsible for giving assent to prospective Beyhokzim, alongside the Keeper of Fetishes and head-hunters, and are also able to withdraw their assent from the reigning monarch should they collectively decide that the present one is unfit. Should this occur, the monarch will continue to reign until a challenger steps forward and wins a duel to the death, the monarch steps down, or the Great Matriarchs reaffirm their assent.
The head-hunters likewise form an assembly of their own members and can withdraw their assent to the same effect as the Great Matriarchs. That said, unlike said matriarchs, the head-hunters do not serve by appointment and instead retain their traditional ways. Their duties have been expanded though, as they are expected to provide volunteers to the Beyhokzim who are then partnered with shamans in order to combat the supernatural and hunt down any unsanctioned uses of magic so they may deal with any ill-effects.
Finally, during interregnum periods the Great Matriarchs and Head-Hunters' Assembly gain all the powers of the Beyhokzim until such a time as a new one can be selected. At the same time, all the tribes are required to send one person to represent them at a gathering called the Common Council, which is responsible for electing candidates after they have passed all tests. Once a new Beyhokzim has been elected, the Common Council is dissolved.
Old Political Structure
Traditionally the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok were organised into several tribes, who all in turn formed a council. Every tribe was part of an over-arching military alliance, so that if one was attacked by outsiders in their lands, they were all theoretically obligated to respond. It was strictly forbidden for tribes to involve outsiders in internal wars and likewise could result in the over-arching alliance being called upon. It was however necessary for a two-thirds vote for the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok to go to war as a whole outside of defensive situations.
Matters of government were done on a rather ad-hoc basis, usually resulting in long-standing agreements. The council was the main venue for such agreements being reached and acted as an arbiter for disputes concerning land and property claims. It was through this authority, that the maritime and settled tribes were protected from the usual seasonal warfare of their semi-nomadic peers and the land allotments were enforced. In the event of a tribe trying to subvert or ignore the system, it was not uncommon for the council to simply declare all agreements with them void and them foreigners, resulting in them suffering from attacks from any and all comers.
Despite this rather unstructured nature, they did operate on a type of customary law peculiar to their kind. If a deal was made with one of them, they felt it applied to their whole tribe. If a deal was made with a tribe, they felt it applied to their whole nation. While not exploitative, this did mean that should you have traded with one group favourably, many others would come seeking similar conditions and might have become quite upset should they have felt you betrayed the relationships established.
Religion
The religion of this people is primarily animistic in nature, believing that things gain souls which grow with age and care. This belief partly explains why humans, when born, can not speak but over time develop the ability to. A rather strongly held belief is that places and objects get imbued with part of the soul of those that use it, which has resulted in families being extremely protective of things like swords and armour, seeing them often times as objects of worship equally as much as tools if passed down from previous generations. One odd expression of this belief system, is that most Beyhepbeǀnek'hok abide by a vegetarian diet, not wishing to eat the meat of animals for fear of trapping the souls in them. Due to short lives of fish, it is often assumed that they do not have souls and thus are generally eaten.
Hunting parties often erect wooden structures to allow them to properly hang the leftover meat of animals following the extraction of bones and fur, leaving it for the birds and insects which are seen as the way souls are transported to and from the afterlife. The Beyhepbeǀnek'hok also believe in gods, though too many to really be named, which are personal in nature. Each god is associated with a place, thing, person, or family, and thus they are considered extremely personal matters not to be shared with others. Fetishes of the gods are often carved from bones or hard woods, in equal part for worship but also so that they might be left in places as it is believed that the gods can travel more easily between such objects.
Economics
The economy is still primarily on the barter system. The most common medium of exchange is currently in the form of carved pieces of bone or wood given by tribes to each other as promises. Tools, weapons, blankets, and hides are also popular, as they are easier to transport than chattel and do not spoil like food.
Leadership & Independence Rites
Amongst the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok, one is not seen as capable of leaving a tribe until one has killed either in war or in a hunt. Those who have not are required by custom and law to remain with their tribe and obey their parents, as they are seen as too weak and untested to be allowed to roam. This has the effect of driving many young men to take part in the winter hunts and to incite wars with other tribes, so that they can prove themselves. It is the custom to take the whole head of an enemy or animal as proof of your kill, and to deface those heads which are not taken as trophies. Once a man has brought back such a trophy or has sufficient witnesses to his deeds, he is considered independent and allowed to make decisions for himself free from his parents though as a full member of the tribe.
That said, those who have killed do not have the right to lead others abroad. The right is reserved to the head-hunters. They must undergo a ritual banishment, where they are sent abroad on their own and must kill six foreigners and return with their heads as trophies. Those who take part in this rite are forbidden from speaking with others of the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok or interacting with them, except to save their lives. When the successful head-hunters return, they receive special names from their tribes and symbols to represent them, that way they can be held accountable when abroad. Should a man return in failure, he must wait three years before trying again.
Diplomatic Protocol
When seeking to make contact with another tribe, it is common to light a fire and sit by it, chanting the name of the people you wish to contact in invitation. Should you not know the name of those you wish to speak with, it is common to instead chant your own name and a declaration of intent. So long as the fire burns, it is commonly understood that no harm may come and that weapons are to be put to the side.
Should one wish to accept or take part in the talks, it is customary and required that one sits down by the fire and exchanges an item with the other parties present, such as clothing, weapons, tools, or necklaces. This trade is seen as confirming the peaceful nature of the meeting and acts as a full agreement to it as well as proof that it took place. From there, the parties can proceed with their talks.
Should it be necessary to acquire a response quickly or should one not care for the consequences, it is common to approach the village of the party you wish to contact and then embed an axe into the gate or hurl a spear into the ground outside the gate. Once someone appears, it is then expected for you to make your declaration and leave.
Largest Settlement
Phenotype
The Beyhepbeǀnek'hok in their normal lands tend to have skin tones ranging from golden and bronze to light, with those who venture into the more southern climes gaining a more burnt brass tone and those venturing further north tending pale.
Their hair tends to be of varying shades of brown, though on rare occasion one might be found with red hair or black, but this is not the norm and seems to appear mostly at random outside of a few families. Flaxen hair is considered a foreign aspect by them and is regarded as something from the Kven. The texture of their hair tends to be very fine with a waviness to it.
As for the eyes, they are almost all brown of some degree, with maybe one in a hundred having blue eyes, one in twenty green, and one in a hundred hazel. These eyes tend to be close-set and rounded. Their noses are of a narrow form, often aquiline or hooked for the men, while some of the women have snubbed noses.
Finally, their heights are rather short. On average, a man will stand at five feet and six inches or there abouts, while a woman is likely to stand around five feet. This and their other features make them rather distinct in appearance from their contemporary neighbours.
Population: 784.893
Friends:
Allies:
Enemies:
Spice Imports: Caraway, Persian hogweed, kani pepper, korarima, koseret, mastic, nigella, long pepper, silphium, black cardamon, green cardamon, and za'atar
Imports: Metal tools, ivory, paper, armour, weapons, ships, horses, ambergris, and baleen
Spice Exports: Asafoetida, wasabi, cumin, galangal, ginger, ginseng, liquorice, mustard, saffron, garlic, star anise, cloves, chili, cassia, sesame seed (and oil), black pepper, fennel, coriander seeds, and sumac
Exports: Textiles, rice, nuts, wheat, cotton, tobacco(?), hemp, silk, furniture, jewellery, carved bones, furs, perfume, hardwoods, dried fruits
Society
The Beyhepbeǀnek'hok (English: Knapping People, Latin: Beii, German: Steinmetzvolk) are one of the main extant ǁhep'hokletip peoples, with the Belites being their closest relatives. They were formed roughly three-hundred years ago when an influx of tribes into the region led to a series of power struggles ultimately seeing one of the tribes on the Baszsepmuybumgok (River of Many Loud Bovines) manage to incorporate most of their original neighbours and begin subduing the new arrivals.
Their economy is primarily fishing based, with the larger families commanding fleets of boats which are sometimes used for trade. The majority of the population lives along the Baszsepmuybumgok during the spring, summer, and fall and use its waters to irrigate and sustain fields of cash crops in the form of flax and hemp, which they turn into cloths, carpets, and ropes. Many of them tend to migrate to the north during the winter months, in order to hunt game in the less populated regions. It is their custom for tribes to merge their herds of equines and sheep when in the same area, with the lesser tribe gaining the protection and hospitality of the greater one. When one of the tribes decides to leave, the lesser one is given an equal number of animals of choice to what they came with, with the larger either reaping the gains from the increased herd size or suffering whatever losses in number might have befallen the group.
It is common for tribes to go to war with each other during the winter, in order to seize new members, hunting grounds, and property. It is the custom for the tribes to not attack each other when settled, as it can cause too much damage to farms and other important infrastructure. Instead, tribes at war engage in hit-and-run attacks and ambushes during the winter, hoping to either force a capitulation in order to take as much as they want or else hoping to force the other into negotiations. This is the main method by which farms change hands.
It should be noted that that the people do not use actual names with outsiders, opting instead to use special titles or sobriquets. This practice is generally enforced for all those outside of a given tribe or even family.
Sexual Norms
Due to their semi-nomadic nature and the strong pressure for men to hunt, herd, and raid, women have developed into a wealthy propertied class amongst Beyhepbeǀnek'hok and wield near total control and authority within their society outside of war. While the men also tend to flocks and farm, most property is owned by women and worked by them full time, resulting in an odd arrangement where rich female property owners will be approached by young men and old veterans for patronage in the form of financial or material support. This is usually in exchange for military support, but also labour and marriage.
Because of this, the men of the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok are expected to be chaste and faithful to one woman or tribal matriarch, while women seek to compete against each other for men as a source of labour and as status symbols. A particularly powerful matriarch might have a hundred or more husbands, who are provided to her as a form of tribute from smaller bands under her protection or from defeated rivals. Sons are commonly bartered between tribes as a form of currency, helping to cement alliances but also to buy heads of cattle or slaves.
This arrangement has led to an odd practice of husband stealing, where daughters or sisters might abscond with valuable trade goods and entice away men to go start their own tribes should they find suitable land or feel they might succeed in ousting the current occupants. This is most common around the death of a matriarch, as such transitions can lead to minor civil wars between competing claimants. While the property might be worked by and distributed to many, the one who decides such matters is held in high regard and as such it is not uncommon for multiple women to step forward to try and take such a place. To avoid splitting holdings, it is often times seen as appropriate for the claimants to meet with spears before the tribe's leaders and fight until one yields or there is only one left alive.
Warfare
They are known to favour foreign import weapons and armour, specifically short swords and gorgets for those without access to horses but who have shields. Their tendency is to ambush with missiles and bullets in order to force their victims into closed ranks before then having their warriors advance as a wall to engage in melee if in more open terrain and facing an opponent of similar numbers. The objective of which is to engage in more intense combat in order to force the opponent to yield due to the initially high casualties. When dealing with larger opponents, their preference is to charge without warning to try and overwhelm and scare their enemies, as well in the hopes of killing or seizing the opposition's leaders.
Those who are able to afford horses tend to rely more on their mobility, using long lances to quickly move in and out of range of their opponents and to harass them over longer periods of time. It is not uncommon for lancers to be employed after the melee has begun in order to try and cause one flank to break their discipline or after the melee has parted in order to keep their enemies from resting while their own men recover. They are also known to carry bows, but primarily are armed with slings for ranged attacks. Due to the quality and size of the horses, it is rare to see them wearing armour.
It is not uncommon for some bands or even whole tribes to leave for periods of time in order to serve as mercenaries or to engage in long distance trade with other peoples. It is through this mechanism, that most of the foreign goods and captives end up being brought back.
Current Political Structure
At present, the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok enjoy a sort of absolute monarchy under their Beyhokzim (Lord of All People). This position was established after Great Matriarch Tungjomaksokjobasz managed to defeat all of her enemies in a bloody civil war, which was instigated by the other matriarchs attacking her and her lands outside of the traditional period of war and without any warning while the men were occupied fighting a threat to the south and then sieging the cities of the small-statured hill peoples.
Under the current system, all lands are considered property of the Beyhokzim and are parceled out centrally by a large bureaucracy to the sundry tribes. As the tribes still engage in warfare during the winter months, land reallocations are done once all gains and losses from said period have been confirmed and reported to the government. As each tribe must rely upon these allocations to gain lands, they are unable to hide gains and as each tribe is required to pay rents to the Beyhokzim, they are unable to hide losses.
The lands are broken up into provinces which are assigned a Great Matriarch to oversee them. Where as previously this title was hereditary and a signifier of pre-eminence amongst the other tribes of a given region, this position is now filled by appointment and at the pleasure of the Beyhokzim. They are responsible for ensuring that all the tribes of a given region are accounted for and abide by the laws and mandates of the royal government. They are also responsible for giving assent to prospective Beyhokzim, alongside the Keeper of Fetishes and head-hunters, and are also able to withdraw their assent from the reigning monarch should they collectively decide that the present one is unfit. Should this occur, the monarch will continue to reign until a challenger steps forward and wins a duel to the death, the monarch steps down, or the Great Matriarchs reaffirm their assent.
The head-hunters likewise form an assembly of their own members and can withdraw their assent to the same effect as the Great Matriarchs. That said, unlike said matriarchs, the head-hunters do not serve by appointment and instead retain their traditional ways. Their duties have been expanded though, as they are expected to provide volunteers to the Beyhokzim who are then partnered with shamans in order to combat the supernatural and hunt down any unsanctioned uses of magic so they may deal with any ill-effects.
Finally, during interregnum periods the Great Matriarchs and Head-Hunters' Assembly gain all the powers of the Beyhokzim until such a time as a new one can be selected. At the same time, all the tribes are required to send one person to represent them at a gathering called the Common Council, which is responsible for electing candidates after they have passed all tests. Once a new Beyhokzim has been elected, the Common Council is dissolved.
Old Political Structure
Traditionally the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok were organised into several tribes, who all in turn formed a council. Every tribe was part of an over-arching military alliance, so that if one was attacked by outsiders in their lands, they were all theoretically obligated to respond. It was strictly forbidden for tribes to involve outsiders in internal wars and likewise could result in the over-arching alliance being called upon. It was however necessary for a two-thirds vote for the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok to go to war as a whole outside of defensive situations.
Matters of government were done on a rather ad-hoc basis, usually resulting in long-standing agreements. The council was the main venue for such agreements being reached and acted as an arbiter for disputes concerning land and property claims. It was through this authority, that the maritime and settled tribes were protected from the usual seasonal warfare of their semi-nomadic peers and the land allotments were enforced. In the event of a tribe trying to subvert or ignore the system, it was not uncommon for the council to simply declare all agreements with them void and them foreigners, resulting in them suffering from attacks from any and all comers.
Despite this rather unstructured nature, they did operate on a type of customary law peculiar to their kind. If a deal was made with one of them, they felt it applied to their whole tribe. If a deal was made with a tribe, they felt it applied to their whole nation. While not exploitative, this did mean that should you have traded with one group favourably, many others would come seeking similar conditions and might have become quite upset should they have felt you betrayed the relationships established.
Religion
The religion of this people is primarily animistic in nature, believing that things gain souls which grow with age and care. This belief partly explains why humans, when born, can not speak but over time develop the ability to. A rather strongly held belief is that places and objects get imbued with part of the soul of those that use it, which has resulted in families being extremely protective of things like swords and armour, seeing them often times as objects of worship equally as much as tools if passed down from previous generations. One odd expression of this belief system, is that most Beyhepbeǀnek'hok abide by a vegetarian diet, not wishing to eat the meat of animals for fear of trapping the souls in them. Due to short lives of fish, it is often assumed that they do not have souls and thus are generally eaten.
Hunting parties often erect wooden structures to allow them to properly hang the leftover meat of animals following the extraction of bones and fur, leaving it for the birds and insects which are seen as the way souls are transported to and from the afterlife. The Beyhepbeǀnek'hok also believe in gods, though too many to really be named, which are personal in nature. Each god is associated with a place, thing, person, or family, and thus they are considered extremely personal matters not to be shared with others. Fetishes of the gods are often carved from bones or hard woods, in equal part for worship but also so that they might be left in places as it is believed that the gods can travel more easily between such objects.
Economics
The economy is still primarily on the barter system. The most common medium of exchange is currently in the form of carved pieces of bone or wood given by tribes to each other as promises. Tools, weapons, blankets, and hides are also popular, as they are easier to transport than chattel and do not spoil like food.
Leadership & Independence Rites
Amongst the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok, one is not seen as capable of leaving a tribe until one has killed either in war or in a hunt. Those who have not are required by custom and law to remain with their tribe and obey their parents, as they are seen as too weak and untested to be allowed to roam. This has the effect of driving many young men to take part in the winter hunts and to incite wars with other tribes, so that they can prove themselves. It is the custom to take the whole head of an enemy or animal as proof of your kill, and to deface those heads which are not taken as trophies. Once a man has brought back such a trophy or has sufficient witnesses to his deeds, he is considered independent and allowed to make decisions for himself free from his parents though as a full member of the tribe.
That said, those who have killed do not have the right to lead others abroad. The right is reserved to the head-hunters. They must undergo a ritual banishment, where they are sent abroad on their own and must kill six foreigners and return with their heads as trophies. Those who take part in this rite are forbidden from speaking with others of the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok or interacting with them, except to save their lives. When the successful head-hunters return, they receive special names from their tribes and symbols to represent them, that way they can be held accountable when abroad. Should a man return in failure, he must wait three years before trying again.
Diplomatic Protocol
When seeking to make contact with another tribe, it is common to light a fire and sit by it, chanting the name of the people you wish to contact in invitation. Should you not know the name of those you wish to speak with, it is common to instead chant your own name and a declaration of intent. So long as the fire burns, it is commonly understood that no harm may come and that weapons are to be put to the side.
Should one wish to accept or take part in the talks, it is customary and required that one sits down by the fire and exchanges an item with the other parties present, such as clothing, weapons, tools, or necklaces. This trade is seen as confirming the peaceful nature of the meeting and acts as a full agreement to it as well as proof that it took place. From there, the parties can proceed with their talks.
Should it be necessary to acquire a response quickly or should one not care for the consequences, it is common to approach the village of the party you wish to contact and then embed an axe into the gate or hurl a spear into the ground outside the gate. Once someone appears, it is then expected for you to make your declaration and leave.
Largest Settlement
Phenotype
The Beyhepbeǀnek'hok in their normal lands tend to have skin tones ranging from golden and bronze to light, with those who venture into the more southern climes gaining a more burnt brass tone and those venturing further north tending pale.
Their hair tends to be of varying shades of brown, though on rare occasion one might be found with red hair or black, but this is not the norm and seems to appear mostly at random outside of a few families. Flaxen hair is considered a foreign aspect by them and is regarded as something from the Kven. The texture of their hair tends to be very fine with a waviness to it.
As for the eyes, they are almost all brown of some degree, with maybe one in a hundred having blue eyes, one in twenty green, and one in a hundred hazel. These eyes tend to be close-set and rounded. Their noses are of a narrow form, often aquiline or hooked for the men, while some of the women have snubbed noses.
Finally, their heights are rather short. On average, a man will stand at five feet and six inches or there abouts, while a woman is likely to stand around five feet. This and their other features make them rather distinct in appearance from their contemporary neighbours.
