History

Ontari cave paintings depict the legends of the first people, not Ontari themselves, but Giants. They say that these Giants formed the mountains with earth they scooped up out of the fjord, packing it down with heavy hands. When they walked, the earth shook, leaving footprints that formed valleys, and cracks in the land that later became lakes and rivers. Giants did not shout, but whispered like the wind, a sound that still causes birds to take flight, and game to scarper. It is the Ontari who tell the tale of a thousand years of slavery, broken on the battlefield of Oshar, where the last giant fell and plagued the land with wild magic.

Legends

From the serpent's mouth, the humans came and fire followed. Our ancestors fought them with arrows and iron, driving them back across the fjord to the northern lands where titans once ruled.

Appearance

The people of Emanys are very rarely shorter than five foot, and don’t often grow much taller than six. Both men and women tend to keep their hair long and tied back or braided away from their face. Hair colour is usually blonde or brown with many shades in between. Red is very uncommon in a full blooded Ontari, though it has been introduced more recently with Mixed Blood. They are an athletic race of people, leaner than humans, and known for their fitness and stamina. Most Ontari are born with blue eyes and either keep this colour into adulthood or take on a green or grey shade during adolescence. The most high ranking men and woman of a tribes are usually distinguishable by the headpiece they wear, most often made from Tasavi horns.

In a coming of age ceremony, young Ontari go through a strenuous session of tattooing that can take up to two days to complete depending on the individual’s pain tolerance. Designs are specific to certain tribes and every individual is permitted to plan their tattoos in the years leading up to their eighteenth birthday. The final design is approved by the family elder. For men, tattoos covering parts of the legs, back and chest are common, while women prefer to mark their arms, hips, and thighs. Traditional tattoo designs include a lot of line art and are symbolic of the tribe’s history and the individual’s triumphs. There is no hard rule on colour, but it is traditional for men to have black ink used for their tattoos and women to have white.

Skin painting is common among the Ontari people, used during times of celebration, births, weddings, battles, festivals, and ceremonies. The members of each clan are famed for painting with different colours, but all clans use a base colour of black, especially during times of mourning. Parts of the body commonly painted are face, shoulders, neck, chest, and hands. These paints are made up of ground grasses, semi-precious stones, earth, and animal blood mix with oil or rendered fat, and can be difficult to wash off.

In terms of athleticism, there are few who can move faster than a full blooded Ontari, able to run further for longer than any other race, perhaps rivaled only by the N’jiin. This gives them an advantage in navigating the grasslands of Emanys, able to move from one place to another quicker than those tracking them are able to keep up. In a one on one sprint, a Human may be able to match the speed of an Ontari for the first two to three hundred metres, but the Ontari will soon start to break ahead, able to sprint a thousand metres before they start to feel the same burn in their muscles that humans experience after only a couple hundred metres.

Ontari take great pride in their appearances, spending a lot of time on their hair and eyes. Both men and women are fond of wearing eye make-up, which usually consists of a dark eyeliner, or smoky powder the women wear on the lids of their eyes. Hair is kept clean and well groomed, fashioned into intricate braids and elaborate styles, and sometimes adorned with small shells and colourful feathers. Women braid their hair when it is wet in order to let it dry overnight, able to achieve a crimped look by letting out the thin braids the following morning, a practice that adds volume to their hair. Men tie their hair back from their face or allow their wives to fix it in elaborate knots. Some men fashion their hair into tidy dreadlocks, and others keep it short on the sides and long in the back and top. Young Ontari boys are allowed to keep their hair short, and half bloods are not permitted to grow their hair any longer than the top of their shoulders.

Their clothes are simplistic and hard wearing, made from reliable fabrics and soft leathers. Women wear simple dresses of plain colours, enabling them to blend into their surroundings. Dresses don’t usually go any further than the knee, allowing individuals to move about faster without their clothing becoming a trip hazard. Young women, especially those without husbands, usually wear outfits that show off their midsections and shoulders, choosing only to cover their midriff once they are wed. Older women prefer longer skirts, slit up one or both sides to the thigh. Feathers and furs are used to decorate items of clothing, but leather is the most common material. Men go shirtless during the warmer seasons and cover up with leathers and furs throughout the cold seasons. Boots are usually lined with fur, though women prefer strappy, leather sandals with soft soles that allow them to move quietly through the grasslands.

Racial Ability

With the power to shape and move wild magic that still exists in the grasslands of Emanys, Ontari have discovered an inborn ability known as Mirroring. Mirroring allows them to mask their moving city of tents without being seen. Mirroring is something only those with Ontari blood can achieve, as this special ability is passed down through their bloodlines and exists as a part of their gene-makeup.

All Ontari, young and old, are able to learn this ability, and are usually taught how to mirror their surroundings at a young age by one of the tribe elders. In order to use mirroring, an individual or group can work together to detect and move wild magic with their Esen. Detecting wild magic takes concentration and can put a lot of strain on an individual if they try to move or sculpt too much wild magic by themselves. An individual first reaches out with their hands and will be able to detect if there is any wild magic in the area. They then use their Esen to draw the magic towards them and start shaping it, usually into a wall or shield that acts like a bubble, concealing all that it contains, while anyone looking upon the bubble will only see the mirrored surroundings of the grasslands, seamless, and undetectable by the naked eye.

Through meditation, this ability can be strengthened, gaining effectiveness as the Ontari’s skill develops. A single Ontari just beginning to learn this ability can shape enough wild magic to conceal their tent and perhaps their belongings, while a trained Ontari can disguise the camp of their whole tribe, which can include anything from two to four large tents, animals, people, and belongings. Young Ontari practice by trying to conceal small items like books and graduate onto bigger objects such as trees and ponds. Moving in and out of the bubble disrupts the magic, and too much of this can cause a hole to form in the disguise, which requires routine repair, especially if the tribe is camped alongside the five clans of the moving city.

Philosophy

The Ontari believe in balance and have a love of nature, choosing to preserve and restore rather than destroy and change. For this reason, Ontari never stay in one place any longer than a season, allowing the land and the surrounding wildlife to recover from the time of their stay and hunting efforts. When it comes to law and order, Ontari believe that an eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind, and so, if one of the Ontari break any of their sacred rules, that person is then banished from the grasslands of Emanys for a full year. They call this punishment Revula, a journey for the soul, where the individual being punished is expected to leave the grasslands on foot, with no tools or supplies to see them on their way. They are encouraged to live alone beyond the borders of the grasslands, reflect on their crime, travel if they desire, and return to their tribe at the end of their sentence. Repeat offenders are barred for life and only then, if they refuse to leave or continue to return, will Ontari resort to violence against their own.

In Emanys, the Ontari people live by a set of rules that govern all who enter their lands. Visitors are usually made aware of these rules by one of the guides they may have paid to take them through the grasslands. Any outsider caught breaking one of these rules is not afforded the same punishment enforced on members of the clans, but is instead put to death. Historically, outsiders caught breaking any one of the sacred accords was subject to cannibalism, but this practice is not as widespread as it once was, only practiced now, by a handful of tribes, often members of the Spirit or Fire Clan, which have always been less accepting of outsiders.

The Five Sacred Accords
Thou shalt not trade in gold
Thou shalt not betray the city
Thou shalt not harm a Treka
Thou shalt not disobey an Akohl
Thou shalt not take in excess

The accords were formed hundreds of years ago during the Age of Defiance, one submitted by each of the clans. The Fire Clan, who have always been considered the more fearsome of the Ontari, were difficult to negotiate with, and put forth an accord they have struggled at times to live by. Accepting gold for trade is considered taboo, the majority of the Ontari people believing that greed poisons the soul. It was the Water Clan, famed for their protective nature and skill in healing, who submitted their oath of kinship, stating that no member of the Ontari should ever betray the city and its people, either by leading outsiders into camp or giving away clan secrets. The Spirit Clan, perhaps with a deeper connection to animals than any other clan, highlighted the importance of protecting and keeping safe their most sacred animal, the horse, known to the Ontari as Treka. Anyone caught mistreating a Treka will not be tolerated, and are instantly sent packing from the tribe. The Air Clan believe in leadership and wisdom, ensuring that their accord protected the leaders of each of the clans, the Akohl. Earth Clan, who have always been at one with nature, believe that preserving the Ontari way of life is of utmost importance, and encourage all to take no more than they need, both from each other and their surroundings.

Perception

The Ontari are a nomadic race, perceived by outsiders to be fearsome warriors and expert survivalists. They are feared by both Wyvern and Humans, regardless of their much lower population size. This is due to the Ontari’s ability to hide in plain sight, making their entire city and all traces of their location disappear with the power of Mirroring. Of course, so few know about this ability outside of the Ontari race, that it is said to be only myth and legend. Ontari are not known for frequenting cities outside of Emanys, and for this reason so little is really known about the race, and as such, a lot of misconceptions tend to surface from time to time. Most believe them to be savages incapable of adapting to cultures outside of their own, when in reality Ontari would choose to run rather than fight, and partake in confrontation only when they must, usually because they are given no other option.

Culture

Ontari are a peaceful race of people with strong belief systems and respect for the natural world. While they are a curious people, they are what most other races would consider a closed community. Close-knit and family-orientated, it is rare that Ontari will accept outsiders into their groups, or take on the beliefs and ideals of the world beyond the glasslands. Ontari often take or trade captives to integrate into their tribes, and are very protective of children, finding them easier to teach. Women and children are welcome in this nomadic society, however, men of alternative races struggle to join the Ontari, taken only as slaves if they aren’t first killed on sight. They believe in balance, the cycle of life and death, and that everything has a season.

In the instance of capture, a woman would be expected to work within the tribe, cleaning, cooking, minding the children, or tending to the animals. She would not belong to one individual, but instead the whole tribe, until a year has passed. By the end of her first year with the tribe, the female captive would then be given the opportunity to earn her marks, the tattooing full members are decorated with, or be escorted back to one of the Human villages beyond the borders of Emanys. If she chose to leave, she would never be welcome in the grasslands again, but if she chose to stay, she would be free to marry, no higher than the rank of second wife, and become a full member of the tribe she worked for throughout her captivity.

The Ontari measure time, not in hours, but by the position of the sun or moon. New sun is morning, high sun is midday, low sun is dusk, and high moon is midnight. They are more than capable of reading a sundial and adhere to the perception of time when visiting the villages or cities of other races. Instead of using gold or silver, Ontari work on a trade and bartering system among the clans, trading goods and services without the use of money, it is only outside of their culture that they trade in gold.

Military

Riders of Tundra

To become a Rider of Tundra, a young man or woman, usually in their late teens or early twenties, must have the blessing of their Onkarl and know the basics of Mirroring, riding, and tracking. The Riders of Tundra are the first and last line of defence between the outside world and the moving city of Emanys. They are in charge of keeping the land and people safe. The key jobs of a rider are observing, investigating, defending against, and attacking any known threats to the land or Ontari people. They often work in groups of five or ten, usually but not always led by a Turf or Tor Warrior.

Rider Ranks

Thread: Named after a single blade of grass, the Ontari people understand the importance a single member of a group can have on the larger scale of things. These warriors are considered to be members in training and are usually partnered two or three at a time with a Tussock Warrior, who are in charge of both guiding and challenging the new recruits.

Tussock: These warriors have proved themselves to be valuable members of Tundra, and make up the majority of the Riders of Tundra. Like the Thread Warriors, Tussock Warriors are posted close to home in order to ensure the safety of the clans and moving city of Emanys. This also enables them to recruit and train new members. Tussock Warriors of Tundra are considered to be individuals of honour, thus their tribe honours them by allowing them to eat first during mealtimes and sit closest to the fire.

Turf: Turf Warriors are fearsome individuals, charged with leading groups of riders. They are tried and tested men and women with the ability to survive missions out on the grasslands in small groups. They are skilled navigators and survivalists, with a knack for tracking and following old trails, already considered lost by the general public. They are trusted with tasks like escorting or guarding any one of the five Akohls, though they usually choose to work with the Akohl from their own clan. They only take orders from him or their betters, the Tor and Tundra Riders.

Tor: Riders of Tor are few and far between, considered to be some of the best fighters the Ontari have to offer. They work alone or in pairs, often patrolling the goat tracks of the surrounding hills and mountains that keep Emanys safe. To be a Rider of Tor is to know the sacrifice of leaving one's family behind for seasons at a time, to ensure to safety of many. Riders of Tor are mirroring experts, said to be able to wear wild magic like a cloak, pulling and sculpting it as they rider to see that they go unseen wherever they are. To become a rider of Tor is considered a great feat, and these men and women are treated with the utmost respect, as it is they who usually go on to become Akohl or wives of the Akohl.

Tundra: Tundra Warriors are considered to be the best of the best, out-riding, thinking, and fighting even the strongest of Ontari. They are a law unto themselves, choosing what is best for their people. Though they abide by The Five Accords, Tundra Warriors are the only members of the Ontari race who can kill without fear of being reprimanded, and are usually tasked with doing so when an exiled member of the Ontari refuses to leave Emanys. Tundra Warriors are particular about tradition and upholding the law of the land. They are well known within their clans and community, and their families are very well taken care of by the Onatri people because of this. To marry a son or daughter of a Tundra Warrior is considered to bring great luck and honour to one's family.

Clans

Ontari are a robust, adaptable race of people who roam the grasslands of Emanys in organised communities called clans. There are five clans in Emanys, Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Spirit, each led by an elder, known as the Akohl. This leader rises to power via trial by combat and can be challenged once every three years by a full blooded Ontari warrior over the age of eighteen.

The Clans are made up of family groups called tribes, each with a tribe leader referred to as the Onkarl, a title that is usually passed down from father to son. Though it is typically a man who leads the tribe, it is the matriarch, or Orna, generally the Onkarl’s first wife, who is in charge of setting up camp, ensuring the continued health of the group, and settling any ongoing disputes. The Ontari are polygamists, with an Onkarl sometimes taking up to four wives, each with her own place and job within the tribe. Ontari are promised to one another at a young age, signifying a bond of respect and trust between different tribes, often entrusting their children into each others care, not married until they are both eighteen years or older. For any given Ontari male, two wives is thought to be acceptable.

Earth

Each clan is known for their different strengths. The Earth Clan are master hunters, famed for their stealth and ability with the bow, especially on horseback. They are good at tracking game and ingredients, and know the land well. Members of the Earth Clan are considered to be honest, hard working, and wise, making ideal leaders and teachers. Historically they have worked best with members of the Water and Air Clan.

Water

The Water Clan, known for their ability to treat almost any wound or infection with locally grown plants and herbs, make excellent doctors and mothers. Women from the Water Clan are sought after by Ontari men, considered to be very desirable and loyal. The Water Clan are excellent craftsmen, building all kinds of things from clay pots to leather harnesses. They get along best with members of the Earth and Spirit Clan.

Air

Perhaps the most temperamental of all the clans, are the people of the Air Clan, flighty, spirited, and good-natured, they have always been praised for their ability to tell stories and keep the most accurate tales from history. They like to explore, venturing closer to the borders of Emanys than most of the other clans do, mapping paths, mountains, and shorelines. The Air Clan mix well with members of the Earth and Spirit Clan.

Spirit

The Spirit Clan are known for their ability to train almost any animal. They keep small herds of goats and cattle, enough to feed their clan, and hand raise a lot of young animals they find in the wild. Their speciality is working with hawks and eagles, teaching them to hunt and fetch things. Smaller birds like owls are taught to carry messages, sometimes as far as Aramane, and if anyone is looking for a well trained dog, they need go no further than the members of the Spirit Clan. The Fire, Water, and Air Clan relate with them best.

Fire

War and battle seems but a distant memory to the Ontari, who have grown somewhat comfortable living in the grasslands unchallenged. But the Fire Clan are not so quick to forget, and spend their hours training in all types of fighting styles, with a vast array of different weapons. Their preferred weapon is the flail, which is easy to swing from the back of a horse, closely followed by the bec-de-corbin, also called the Crow’s Beak, a hammer-like weapon with a blunt head that tapers into a sharp point. The Fire Clan make and trade all of the weapons they use. The Fire Clan aren’t as social as the others, but have a long history with the people of the Spirit Clan.

Names

Ontari often choose names that reflect the element of their clan name, for the Earth Clan, these include names of common grasses, trees, and flowers. The Air Clan name their own after the weather, sky, stars, and seasons, while the Fire clan prefer rocks and precious gems or metal names. Members of the Water Clan are named after rivers, the sea, and fish, and the Spirit Clan take their names from known animals.

Example: Ash (first name) Bearpaw (tribe name) of the Spirit Clan (clan).

Kara Razorleaves of the Earth Clan
Ethan Treebark of the Earth Clan
Erie Highhill of the Earth Clan
Hannon Thundersong of the Air Clan
Gorra Stormwhisper of the Air Clan
Terreth Redsun of the Air Clan
Kimba Sapphire of the Fire Clan
Amberlyn Silverstone of the Fire Clan
Klaver Ironhide of the Fire Clan
Annora Swiftcreek of the Water Clan
Yava Coral of the Water Clan
Summer Raindance of the Water Clan
Leonie Talon of the Spirit Clan
Hunter Wolfgang of the Spirit Clan
Rikki Haretracker of the Spirit Clan
Ketch Lionmane of the Spirit Clan

Language

The Ontari speak a language called Tarri which is complex, quick spoken and difficult for outsiders to learn on account of the many meanings individual words can have. For this reason, Tarri is spoken with partnered hand gestures, sign language used to convey the meaning of spoken words. Ontari can have whole conversations without speaking any Tarri, using only hand gestures, which works well when a group is hunting and need to remain quiet. Some of the clan elders and travelling traders speak the common tongue, but it is rare among the younger generation who haven’t travelled outside of Emanys. Stories and songs are important to the Ontari people are they do not have a written language.

Education

Ontari do not have any formal education system, instead, all of the children in each tribe are looked after by a number of women, usually second or third wives, and gather with the tribe elders to listen to stories about their history, the dangers of the grasslands, and laws of their people. The race believe that life is a school and everyday tasks are lessons. For this reason, children are expected to help out around camp, gather firewood, watch the herds, hunt, weave baskets, tan leather, and prepare food. A lot is expected of Ontari children, who are often better prepared to face the dangers of the world by the age of ten, than most adults from other races are at eighteen.

Once a child is ten years old, they are allowed to specialise in a subject of their choice, be it hunting, cooking, crafting, or any other number of skills. They accomplish this by going out with the hunting party, cooking with the woman, working as apprentices for craftspeople, adopted during work hours by the specialists within each tribe. Of course there are core skills that all Ontari are expected to know, like which plants found in the wild are safe to eat, or what herbs can be used to cure fever, and how to make a campfire, the very basics of survival.

Music

Music is an important part of the Ontari culture. All Ontari have a love of singing, which is something they do often at get togethers, while preparing food, or just sitting around the campfire of an evening. As they don’t allow influences of outside culture to trump tradition. It is rare for an Ontari individual to play an instrument outside of the pan pipes or drums. String instruments are only used by those who have travelled to the villages and cities in the west, as these items are not built in Emanys, and thus hard to come by. Drums and pipes are made in the moving city of Emanys, and are often played during celebrations and gatherings.

Craft

As true artisans, many Ontari tend to take up jobs that allow them to create something with their hands, anything from weapons to stone carvings. In Highhill, generations of carvings and paintings can be seen etched into the cliff-face and rocks located at the top of the highlands. Ontari paint their tents, weapons, wagons, animals, and even themselves. They are experts when it comes to working with wood, and can carve just about anything with enough practice. They like making coloured glass beads and rings to use as buttons, jewellery, and decorations for all sorts of things, including ties for their hair and trinkets for their footwear.

Traditions

Birthdays are not celebrated by the Ontari people, used only to mark the length on this earth. Instead, every ten years an individual is award with an armband, bronze for the first ten years on this earth, silver for their second, and gold marks thirty years. After this, precious stones are added to the armbands, forty years is marked by adding emeralds to the bronze armband, sapphires are added to the silver armband, marking fifty years, and rubies are added to gold at sixty years. Of course, thirty to sixty years of life is the average in Emanys, but Ontari can and do live longer than this, some have been known to live into their eighties, with the odd individual lasting as long as ninety years. For this reason, A diamond is then added to each of the rings, bronze, silver, and gold, marking their seventieth, eightieth, and ninetieth year on Noar. Ontari are not buried or burnt with their rings, which are removed after death and passed down through the family, usually going to the first son or daughter in the line of succession.

Birth

The average length of human gestation is 280 days. For Ontari, however, the length of gestation is a lot shorter, with most only having to carry for up to 100 days, which is a hundred and eighty days shorter than humans. Their shorter life average has seen them adapt and evolve over the course of a thousand years. Their offspring are born small, making the birthing process easier, most births taking no more than five hours from the time of the first contraction, with many births taking a lot less time than that. Twins are very rare in Ontari society, and usually only occur when the ethnicity of the parents is mixed (Human x Ontari, for example). Men are not usually a part of the birthing process, leaving this task to their wives to help with.

Ontari children grow quickly, which is due to the rich milk their mothers produce. Babies are carried around by their mothers in a sling, strapped to the front when they are very young, and to the back as they get old enough to hold their heads up by themselves. Perhaps what is most strange about Ontari children is the fact that they do not cry like human offspring, which is believed to be an ingrained survival tactic, coming in handy living in such a dangerous place. This, however, can make it difficult for a first time Ontari mother to tell when her child needs something, which is why young Ontari girls are expected to help raise their siblings, learning what to do from a young age.

Marriage

For Ontari, marriage isn’t just a binding of couples, but the blending of families. Because of this, weddings are a long process. Unions have long lasting implications in Ontari culture, affecting everything from property holdings to inheritance. For this reason, negotiations are carried out before the terms of any marriage are formally agreed upon.

Setting the date for an Ontari wedding has its own little process. Traditionally, weddings are only held in Bloom, which in Ontari religion is a sacred season for their goddess, Karamea, the mother. Weddings typically last a few hours, and family and friends are expected to travel to the site of the wedding. Other considerations included appropriate accommodations, acquiring enough food and drink for all guests for the duration of the ceremony, and brewing a special drink drunk by the bride, or brides and groom as part of the ceremony, usually cow blood and a mix of ground herbs is said to bring the union good fortune and fertility. All these considerations sometimes put a very long time table on a wedding, however, most ceremonies take place within a year of all of the negotiations being settled.

The bride is offered up by her family with a considerable dowry, usually a few cattle, a Treka or a fine ger (tent). Gold is never offered up as a wedding present as it symbolises greed and is considered a thoughtless gift, even unlucky by some clans. Bride and groom don't wear elaborate costumes or gowns. Rather, the ornamental focus is on their hair and skin. A woman's hair especially, is very important in grassland culture, and indicative of her sexual allure. The longer and more elaborately tied, the better.

Regardless of any dowry offered up, it is traditional for the new bride to offer her husband a new weapon, typically an axe, worn off his hip for the duration of the ceremony. Such a weapon is symbolic of his mastery in the union, and is believed to ensure a fruitful marriage. The bride is presented to the groom with one hand bound to the hand of her mother or mother figure. The groom takes his axe and severs the tie with care, which is usually red. This signifies the ending of one bond in order to make way for a newer, stronger bond. The groom becomes his bride's protector, and is expected to care for her always. The person marrying the couple sees that they join hands and wraps a new, blue sash around their wrists, signifying that the new bond has been made.

This does not mark the end of the ceremony, however, as a sacrifice is always made first. A goat, sheep or young cow is washed in sacred water from Mount Karamea before its throat is slit. If the animal struggles, it is said that the couple's first child will be a girl, but if the animal takes a knee, they will be blessed with a boy. It is during this stage of the wedding that the couple drink from the same cup, one shared between bride, groom, and any existing wives. The blood and ground herbs are mixed with water, and mark the joining of two tribes, in a ritual called Kashala, blood and water.

The couple or group then dip their fingers in the collected blood and smear each other with the blood. A strike on the cheek means endearment, the chin is respect, and the forehead is eternal love. Each individual, husband and wife, or wives, is permitted to make one mark on each of the people they are bound to, in an act that is considered to convey the blessings of their god.

Following the wedding ceremony, there is a feast, where both tribes come together and sit under the same tent around the fire-pit. The bride presents her husband with a decorated bull-horn filled with honey-mead. He is to take a sip before offering it back to his wife, who is to do the same. The tribes sit and talk, sing and play music until dark, when the couple are then encouraged to leave the group and disappear to a tent set up especially for them and the consummation of their marriage. They are led by torchlight to the tent and left to their own devices. The guests are in charge of packing up after the party has ended before going to bed. Existing wives are not permitted to share the tent with their new wife until the following night when things return to normal. All weddings are final and a woman can only remarry if and when her husband dies.

Faith

For Ontari, the only god of any real importance is Karamea, The Mother. In their society, Karamea represents all life, growth, change, and sustainability. They have many rituals said to honour the god, from storytelling to days of fasting. During the season of Frost, Ontari go without killing any animals, living off stores of dried meat, berries, nuts and seeds that they have collected leading up to the cold season. There are many songs dedicated to Karamea, offerings, and tribal dances, where all members of the tribe paint themselves and dance to music by firelight. Fire dancing is one of their specialties, and is said to be a marvel to behold.

Death

The Ontari aren’t strangers to death, living in one of the harshest environments on Noar, they are subject to many more dangers than the village or city dwelling races. The wild magic on the plains has created all kinds of creatures, some with the ability to creep up on camps undetected. This is one of the reasons Ontari lead such short lives, with a lot of their men killed on hunting trips by deadly game, seeing that women outnumber men three to one in most tribes.

In the event of a death within the tribe, the individual is carried up a hill or mountain and arranged with care in a place of the tribe’s choosing, the height of which is usually dependant on the age and status of the individual. The body is cleaned and painted before this process takes place. In this ceremony, all those in attendance must stay in the area until an elder has spoken traditional and ancient verses said to help carry the deceased into their next life.

The body of an Akohl or Onkarl, however, are taken to Oshar Caves, a shelf is made in the stone wall and the body is wrapped and left in an open style tomb. A dedicated team of Ontari stay to guard the caves at all times, usually members of Tundra. Ontari believe that allowing birds of prey to consume the flesh of the dead helps reincarnate the person, by releasing their essence or wild magic, back into the world. As Oshar is a very spiritual place, plagued with wild magic that cannot escape the crater, Ontari myth says that as long as their leaders are returned to the caves upon death, their essence will protect the surrounding land, adding to its power.