Akta'Nakatur
Krieg Culture
Krieg Culture
The Krieg are a nomadic and tribal culture that closely resembles those of the Orc's. Naturally distrusting of other humanoid species, they are weary of outsiders and most do their best to keep as far from the major cities as possible. Preferring instead to trade their hunted goods on the outskirts of towns and villages. However, that is not to say that they are a secluded race. History has taught them to be weary of outsiders and to keep moving so as to avoid the possibility of extermination. That being said, they do share a flourishing relationship with the Orc's, Teiflings, that Vaurg due to their shared history of mistrust and abuse.
Each Krieg tribe carries its own individual identity and traditions. However, the power structure remains generally the same. At the top rests the Chief and The Grand Father/Mother.
The Chief: maintains the physical prosperity of the tribe. Choosing which direction to head, to whom trade is to be had with, ensuring that the warriors of the Krieg remain strong, and over all protecting his/her people.
The Grand Father/Mother:, also refereed to as "The Chief Story Teller" by Issac Roma in his book entitled "The Wandering People", is in charge of what might be considered the Spiritual Health of the Krieg. The Grand Father/Mother is often charged with maintaining the identity of the Krieg Tribes and will lead the rest of the tribe in its ritual's of honor, providing sermon like services in which they regale the Tribe with not only their history but History of the Krieg.
Below these two are the Story Teller's and The Vanguard.
Story Tellers: assist the Grand Father/Mother in the tribe's ceremonies while also providing the role of teacher to the younglings. Instructing children of the tribe on the various races that inhabit their world and what is known of their cultures. The belief being that if the children know of the world beyond the safty of the tribe they will be better prepared to handle situations in which they will interact with the outsiders. However, this also extends to basic mathematics's, Law, and the use of herbal remedies.
The Vanguard: High ranking Krieg warrior's that have proven themselves to be truly noteworthy in their tribes. Though all Krieg are taught how to fight and defend themselves and the tribe, the Vanguard ear their position through acts of true valor and glory. Whether this through hunting some great beast or defending the Tribe in a bloody battle, the vanguard are the most respected of the Krieg warrior ranks. Most Chiefs come from The Vanguard. Aside from their warrior duties, the Vanguard are also tasked with providing martial training to the younglings. Ensuring that the strong teach the weak so that the community as a whole may thrive.
From here, all of the ranks are rather equal as each is seen as equally beneficial to the tribe as a whole. From Crafters, to Hunters, to Emissaries. The Krieg view all as equal and bare no concept of gender differences. Men and woman can both fill any position so long as they are suited for the jobs required.
The Lover's Ritual: While distrusting of outsiders, it is not uncommon for Krieg to take mates outside of their tribe or even clan. A joining between members of two different tribes is relatively easy, provided that there is no bad blood between the two, races other than Krieg must go through something known as "The Lover's Ritual" before they are allowed to mate. The ritual varies from tribe to tribe but the end goal remains the same. The outsider must prove their love for their potential Krieg mate and prove that they mean no ill will towards the clan. The most common variant of this ritual involves the potential mate living with the tribe for exactly one year. For that first year, they will not be allowed to leave and must undergo the same rites as the younglings.
The Tribeless: While most Krieg do travel in bands and tribes there are many who do not. Tribeless Krieg can be found normally on their own, or together in a small band. These Krieg are not bound by the laws of their people and may do as they wish. However, most will find that rejoining a tribe will be difficult. While the Krieg are exceptionally friendly towards their kin, the tribeless are often viewed as being too close to the other races and will be met with both observance and a much more reserved attitude.
The Obek: The Obek, to put it simply, are savage tribes of Krieg who often pillage the towns of the other races. They share little in their code of honor with their brothers. Taking mate's from their homes and consuming the corpses of their enemies. The Obek serve as a reminder to the other tribes of why they keep themselves as disciplined as they do while adding fuel to those that wish to see the Krieg exterminated as a whole.
Appearance
A near giant of a creature clad in black and red plated armor. Akta'Nakatur has a visage similar to that of a classic demon idea with large horns, sharp teeth, and peircing eyes. His armor is marked with the sacred symbols of his people, marking his clan of origin and the pilgrimage that he is on. Often he can be seen with his savage greatsword on his back
Skills and Abilities
The Krieg do possess some natural abilities inherent to their species, as listed below.
Anti-magic physiology: Simply put, the Krieg are unaffected by most forms of direct magic. Illusions cast will simply vanish, gravity manipulation cast on the Krieg specifically will have no effect. Though they can be harmed by attacks such as Fire and Lightning, when cast by a mage their effects will be stifled at best. It is for this reason that the Krieg have earned the nickname of "Mage Killers". However, this also applies to healing magic's. A greatly wounded Krieg must rely on more mundane forms of healing such as non magical alchemy, herbology, and other such things if need be. Though this is highly uncommon due to their regenerative ability, it does still happen.
Wound Regeneration: Killing a Krieg is no small feat. When one is fully fed he is able to regenerate physical wounds almost instantly. However, the healing process does take from his stamina and if used too much can leave him fatigued. This ability, however, does not extend to regrowing limbs, as such, if the head of a Krieg is removed, or they receive are badly damaged enough in a single strike, they will fall dead where they stand.
Advanced Immune System: Though the Krieg are far from the perfect species that their crator had imagined their immune system nearly flawless. Diseases and poisons have no effect on the Krieg. However, the term "Nearly Flawless" is used due to the fact that while they cannot be effected by diseases they can still act as carriers for them until it can be properly purged. The time it takes for a disease to be completely eliminated from their body depends on its severity. For instance, something like the cold or the flue is eradicated in a matter of moments rather than days, where as something like TB and other more complicated viruses/bacteria can take anywhere from weeks to years.
Inheritance: Krieg posess the special ability to reproduce with almost anything. Though the child will always be considered Krieg the signs of their parantage would be clear. Krieg born from Orc's or Urah-kai will be larger with much more muscle than others. Where as a Krieg born from a Drow would have pitch black skin and be far more flexible. Children also inherit an almost inherent talent for any skills that their parents might have possessed. Though, they are of course able and allowed to pick up their own skills and are almost always encouraged to do so.
Environmental Adaptation: Simply put, they can adapt to the climate of their environment to an extent. Their body temperature fluctuating in order to keep the Krieg as comfortable as possible.
Personality
Akta tends to keep to himself and is quiet by nature. While he understands the common tongue of the other peoples he finds it difficult to speak. As such, he has grown accustomed to using body language and the like to get his point across and communicate. A savage and violent fighter but a ponderous individual. He enjoys reading and listening to people speak of philosophy and tell stories and trying the food of the different cultures.