Overview

The Surdonians are a nomadic people who live on the Surdonian Plains in southeast Ashriya, just west of Rodbar. The plains can be a difficult place to live, once considered dangerous and uninhabitable by Rodbar, there are a myriad of monsters that roam the plains. As such, most Surdonians are quite capable of defending themselves. The Surdonian people have a strong respect for nature, usually moving every few days to not damage each area with their presence. They set up brightly-colored, sprawling tent cities where they stay, which is dictated by the seasonal grazing and migration of the animals they hunt.

Surdonians are not farmers, but they usually have herd animals, such as goats or sheep, and horses that travel with them. These animals are rarely used for food though, as hunters supply plenty of meat, often rabbits, or ventsi, a six-legged deerlike creature that roam the plains in small groups. The Surdonian people are made up of many small tribes as staying small allowed them to remain less noticed, both by outside civilizations during their centuries of isolation, and by the monsters they share their lands with. Tribes usually consist of a few families related through marriage; the smaller tribes may be only about 50 people, whereas the larger tribes boast populations closer to 200. Tribes usually get along, and Surdonians save their strength to hunt to feed their tribe or to defend against monsters in the area, rather than conflict with others.

There is no set structure for how a tribe allocates duties and makes decisions. Each tribe is independent and may have their own traditions and customs, but there are three leadership roles that are filled in almost every Surdonian tribe. The Prif is a chief position passed down through family lines, and tends to be male. The Prif looks at the big picture of what a tribe needs and can delegate work as they see fit. If two tribes interact it is usually first that their Prifs meet to discuss to what capacity their groups will share or work together. Each tribe also has a Sopos. The Sopos is usually an elder who acts as a shaman and healer. A Sopos is generally trained in the arts of Magic, Ritual, and Alchemy. They are seen as advisors to the Prif. Lastly, most tribes have a Kruvi who leads their hunters, and often acts as a combat trainer when not actively on a hunt. Small tribes may have their Prif take on this role.

Culture

Surdonians take pride in being able to be resourceful and do their part for the tribe. Having been isolated for so long, they are a typically self-sufficient people. However, in interacting with the outside world they have found many of the wares that merchants deal in to be quite useful. Many Surdonians began to create a little more excess than they once had so that they'd have things available for potential trade. Some Surdonian tribes even make a habit of trading with the southern villages of Rodbar, especially seeking out metal works, spears, and other weaponry, as well as woven cloths that they dye and decorate themselves. Due to their nomadic nature Surdonians rely mostly on oral tradition for their histories, not traveling with libraries of written text. Surdonians support their stories with imagery, often intricately embroidered or painted onto the cloth walls of their tents.

The gods most commonly worshiped on the Surdonian planes are Simone, Baldoria, Liandra, and Death. The Surdonians believe in co-existing with the world, taking what they need, and not bringing unnecessary harm to the natural balance. They rely on each other to do their part so the entire community can survive, and many believe that the one should sacrifice so the many can thrive.

Since they do not have standing buildings on the Surdonian planes, some worshippers have their own shrines that they set up wherever they stay, and some of these shrines are so expansive that they rival many proper temples around the world. The closest thing to a temple in Surdonian culture is an ancient site within the Undvika Forest. While it is often the site of rites to Death, the sacred grounds known as Sub Terrendua, which translates from ancient Surdonian to more or less mean The Under Forest, is not a Death temple, and Surdonians say prayers to many gods there. Its existence goes back further than Surdonian history notes, and no one knows who built it, or when Surdonians began laying their dead to rest within its depths.

In a massive clearing in the Undvika Forest stands what looks like a stone table built by a giant. A stone as big as a tavern table lies flat atop four boulder 'legs'. Beneath the stones, veiled in shadow, is a large opening into the ground. The tunnel steps are steep, soil packed hard and smooth with the passage of countless feet. The tunnel opens to a large cavern where the floor and walls are solid rock. It’s not known if this chamber is natural, or if it was carved in the bedrock. The ceiling arches high out and carved into the stone are images said to represent an ancient prayer to Death for a peaceful afterlife. In the center of the room is a small circular stone wall, like around a well, but much wider in diameter. It surrounds a deep hole, the depths unknown, where the Surdonians lay the ashes of their dead to rest. The tradition is perhaps the oldest they have; no one living knows the origins of Sub Terrendua, but many believe it was made by the gods Themselves, many attributing it to Death, but others to Simone, Darius, or sometimes The One.

Each year the first week of Surrn is a time of celebration for Surdonians, referred to as Year’s End. They celebrate the year and its blessings, and all of their accomplishments. Many Surdonian tribes come together for this celebration, a rare large gathering. As far as the eye can see there will be circles of travel-worn but brightly colored tents, each spanning out in orderly rows radiating from a central larger tent, like spokes in a wheel. Long into the nights fires are lit and people come together to tell stories, some have full performances enacting the scenes. During the Year’s End gathering resources are often shared between tribes before the tough winter sets in; tribes who have done particularly well for themselves donate to tribes who have not done as well. Knowing that each tribe will have enough to be comfortable through the winter, all can partake in celebrating another Year’s End.

History

The tribes of the Surdonian Plains have existed for longer than any history accounts for. Their way of life has been passed down through countless generations. Of course the tradition of keeping history through stories told and songs sung, rather than written word, means that much of their history has been lost over generations as well.

Long existing almost entirely unnoticed on the Surdonian planes, these isolated tribes used their own language up until the last century or so. Surdonians began making more outside contact with the world from time to time after the Mists of Durassis disappeared and they lost much of their protective barrier from the people of the Midlands. While most Surdonians preferred to keep their simple and self-sufficient lifestyle, having avoided outside civilizations for centuries, over time some Surdonians ventured out, and sometimes even started lives in the nations and cities of the world. After the fall of the eastern dark lords, some of the first to encounter Surdonians were merchants on their way to Rodbar by land, while some would find the Surdonians uninterested in interacting with outsiders, others made contact and began to barter with the tribes. As interactions with other peoples became normal Surdonians started learning and using the common language, after a few generations it became rare to meet a Surdonian who knew the old language.

The Surdonians are among the lucky few that were not catastrophically affected by the Surges of the world. Like all, they needed to learn and relearn when the energies of the world shifted, but the plains have largely not been affected by flooding, volcanic explosions, nor forestation. There are stories passed down of the great tornadoes that whipped across the plains during the Air Surge, and of the Week Long Night after the volcanic eruption just north of Rodbar when ashes lingered in the sky for weeks afterward.

In the most recent Surge, they were most affected though. Forest manifested on the north, east, and southern edges of the plains. This expansion from the existing wood meant that Sub Terrendua was lost deeper into the forest which is fiercely guarded by the Glibben that reside within. Several Surdonians lost their lives trying to get through the wood to their sacred burial grounds. For the past year most have taken to carrying the ashes of their loved ones with them as they travel, waiting, hoping, to one day be able to lay them to rest with their ancestors in the deep underground.