Mythdrigg

CONCERNING MYTHDRIGG

Mythdrigg society is ever on the move, a restless racial quality born from generations of nomadic existence.

Mythdrigg are a slight race, most standing about 4 to 4.5 feet tall. Their proportions have a strange lankiness; their frame is generally non-meaty and oddly proportioned, with larger heads and overlong arms and legs. Mythdrigg skin is snowy white and their arms and legs are covered with coarse, blue or white hair. Despite these facts, Mythdrigg generally have soft features, and large, ready smiles.

Mythdrigg Eyes
Mythdrigg eyes are particularly exotic to members of other races. Mythdrigg have double irises — generally a blue iris inside a slightly bigger gray iris — though sometimes the colors are reversed, or replaced by aquamarine, purple or silver. Mythdrigg also have a small set of secondary eyes above the bridge of their nose. These eyes allow the Mythdrigg to see in almost absolute darkness or underground as if they were in normal light. In the daylight (above the surface), these smaller eyes are usually covered by goggles or cloth as they are very sensitive to bright lights.

Life in the Tunnels
Mythdrigg society exists in the dark and ever-shifting tunnels and icy caverns that exist below the Frost Rush, stretching from the Northern Necron to Thell and northern Regimantis. Most of these areas are created by the movement of large worms that tunnel through the ice. (The worms emit heat which allows them to more easily burrow/burn through the ice; they leave behind casings which are incredibly high in salt content, further melting the tunnels after they pass through.)

The tunnel system that Mythdrigg use is vast, and some tunnels are old, uncharted, or in disrepair. Constant and random tunneling and melting makes permanent cities unviable, and has encouraged Mythdrigg culture to be ever-aware of the transitory nature of the melting and shifting of the caverns they are currently inhabiting, and always on the lookout for newly created passageways. Mythdrigg are every vigilant in terms of checking the stability of their surroundings, and work to reinforce caverns and tunnels with construction and magic, but ice is never permanent. Regardless of precautions, tribes generate heat, and tunnels and caverns degrade.

Acclimated to the Cold & Dark
Mythdrigg are unphased by all by the most extreme cold. For those that leave the caverns to travel in the warmer lands of the south, they find hotter temperatures uncomfortable, but not debilitating. They are light of foot, and generally a quiet race (not overly gregarious). They are naturally gifted at being stealthy.

Additionally, Mythdrigg communities are dark places. Because they see well in the dark, and do not need warmth, there is little need for fires (plus, fire underground in ice caves is not a great idea). While some fires are necessary for non-life sustaining activities (like brewing or distillation), those activities are generally done above or nearly above ground.

Natural & Unnatural Enemies
Other than the mindless icewurms that tunnel through their civilizations, Mythdrigg have few natural enemies in the deep ice. They do, however, face endless incursions from the undead minions of the Snow Witch Vrshod and her Eternal Armies of skeletons and zombies. This leads to perhaps the most curious quality of the Mythdrigg — they are more or less undead-proof.

Though Mythdrigg can take damage and die from the weapons, claws and fangs of undead, there are no reported cases of a Mythdrigg becoming an undead of either the mindless or intelligent variety. This fact is of great interest to the Maugtheni Cahedra, and has served as the premise for numerous Maugtheni expeditions north to study Mythdrigg anatomy.

Family and Clan
Family is important to the Mythdrigg, and they form close knit clans, usually of 30 to 50 individuals, made up of 5-10 families. Mythdrigg children keep pet crickets, or the large (dog-sized) wooly white spiders that reside in the caverns. Each tribe has a community Elder, and clans communicate with other clans nearby to keep each other apprised of shifting ice and newly opened caverns, trading opportunities, and shared threats (like wandering creatures or undead sentries from Eternal Armies of Vrshod.

Professions and Worship
Mythdrigg society is primarily herder/gatherers (they keep small herds of shaggy goats for meat and milk), but they do have warriors for hunting and safety. Outside food and protection, Mythdrigg society embraces other types of professions, so long as they benefit the clan. They are not opposed to magic (like inhabitants of nearby Regimantis), and often use Common Magic spells. Because of their isolated society, very few Mythdrigg have connections to the Cahedra or the Academy of Mystics. This, in turn, has limited the number of accomplished mages in their midst, as well as the caliber of High Magic spells available. Tashis are much more common, representing all the Dominions, and Sheysun. Worship of Ashblack is rare, and is found outside the tribe.

Healing and healing craft is also well developed, since they are able to access and utilize the power of healing moly and other northern flora known to aid in recovery and potion craft.

Dream Communication
As they age, Mythdrigg have the ability to communicate through dreams, and tribes harness this unique communication style to keep connected to far-flung clans and stay apprised of news. This ability allows Mythdrigg to find each other — a necessity since there are no permanent Mythdrigg cities. (This also makes trading between the races and expeditions to study the Mythdrigg incredibly difficult)

Outside Their Homeland
A Mythdrigg is very much an anomaly in the southern nations. Mythdrigg are not really shy, but their incredibly isolated heritage causes them to not be very worldly-wise. They tend instead to be perceived as trusting, perhaps even naive.

Mythdrigg Names
Mythdrigg identify themselves using three names. The first is their Clan name, which is generally only used when traveling to other tribes or in very formal situations. The next is their personal name, then their family name. Mythdrigg names are generally short and truncated, rarely more than two syllables.

Examples:
Clan Names: Al’soont, Ingstat, Myftrail, Northeep, Shaldrim
Male Names: Brandun, Findis, Jace’sik, Kelvin, Orso, Sirsen, Trostan
Female Names: Hera, Jennim, Katya, Mayim, Maer’li, Shayla
Family Names: Ar’Nulf, Aeself, Bergmell, Ig’lank