The Lands of the Bori

The Lands of the Bori are relatively open to all who wish to settle there. The tribes are not hostile or territorial when it comes to sharing their hills and plains, and are in fact quite welcoming to new neighbors. It is a point of utter confusion for Borians when they encounter Felmoran and Vulshik warriors defending borders, as the very concept of land ownership is lost upon them. While the majority of the peoples settling in the Lands of the Bori are Borian, there are many settlers there who are from the far-flung corners of the Isle. Their arable soils, temperate climates, and many freshwater sources make it a promising place to make a home.     Borians will quickly become unwelcoming when the paths walked by the Great Herd become blocked by settlers. The tribes will warn the unaware of their trespass upon the sacred ground, but will turn to violence if their words go unheeded. Farms, villages, and sometimes even towns will be razed before the Bori herds reach the site. For this reason, it is rare that peoples hostile to the Bori or Borian tribes last long in these lands.    Borian tribes consist of many small families which regularly mix and exchange members with other tribes and even outsiders. Familial ties are lasting and long-remembered, with meetings of distant relatives being cause for great celebration. These bonds often extend to the Bori as well, with lineages of certain herds being associated with or even friendly with certain Borian families. Less honored are those who the Borians call Fanu, those families tainted by the blood of the fabled Aracan in the forests to the east. Fanu are often outcast families, not welcome within the safety of the larger tribes.    Apart from a scattering of outlander farmsteads and settlements, the floating town of Faelig is the only permanent town in the Lands of the Bori. Occupying the Great Well, a giant spring, it is a place plentiful in clean water, fish, and farmland. The Bori favor the rivers, leaving the giant lake for their human followers. The Borians who make their home there produce food for Starspell, when many of the roving tribes come to harbor against the cold. The rest of the Borian tribes live out of caravans which follow the Bori herds throughout the year.

The Lands of the Bori are widely accepted as the vast swath of east of the Stormspines and west of the Aracan Forest. To the north, high cliffs and the Northern Mosiva Mountains mark Vulsha, while Cauth da'Tir stands for the beginning of Felmor. This is not viewed by any as a national border, but rather a frontier occupied by the nomadic Borians and the Bori herds that they follow. During Sunspell, when the herds begin wandering aimlessly from their normal territory, the frontier lands swell like a flooded river that spans the majority of the Isle.    Hills and plains dominate the Lands of the Bori, with mountain ranges towering in the distance all around them. Forests and woodlands cling to the rivers, cropping up around the warm freshwater springs spread out across the landscape. These grow more frequent in the east, spilling into the looming dark of the Aracan Forest.   Faelig sits atop the Great Well in the relative middle of the territory, a welcoming refuge to weary wanderers and the lost alike.

Borians are not warriors, but are efficient hunters. Most are proficient with spears and javelins, and work closely to take down large game and deadly predators. When they do fight, they take their hunting mindset with them, stalking their enemies and wearing them down with terrain and skirmisher tactics. If attacking a settlement, Borians tar and burn buildings in the dead of night, lying in wait to clear out any survivors.    While most would fight on foot, most tribes can also field chariots for lightning fast strikes. These vehicles are normally reserved for the ritual hunting of Bori themselves, but will be used in warfare if the tribes think it would give them an advantage.

Stone Age

The ancestor cults of the Borians venerate the ancestors of major animals found in their domain as well. In death, the lines between man and animal are blurred, and spirits often mingle and mix over the eons. As such, many Borian families will claim spiritual associations to sacred animals, revering the bonds to Bori highest of all. These spiritual connections reinforce the Borian beliefs in custodianship of the herds and lands that they roam on. It becomes not an issue of territory and possession, but of defending and caring for one's own family.    Older spirits of the Borian myths and legends tend to embody these connections as strange mixes of beasts, or beasts and man. Great familial ancestors might be depicted as hybridized creatures. The Borians believe that the great gods of the Felmorans are such things; long dead ancestors whose spirits mingled with so many things that they became unrecognizable. The Golden Dragon and Boradan are specifically respected for their six limbs; an obvious connection to the spirits of the sacred Bori.    Their reverence for the Bori themselves is based not in any one founding myth or story, but a large collection of them. There are legends of the Bori guiding the ancient Borians to water and food in ages past, when the lands were black with soot and devastation. There are legends of the beasts weaving clothes from their own hair to warm the Borians when the skies were dark and full of endless snow. More compelling still are the myths of magic-wielding Bori, who shape the land with their attunement to it. Most impressive to the Borians however, is the intelligence and compassion of the beasts themselves. Deep bonds can form between a Borian and Bori, which are remembered across generations by both sides.    A ritual hunt for the Bori begins every Waterspell, sending one of the great beasts to the afterlife alongside the hunters who fell in the effort. This dual sacrifice is meant to deepen the connections that exist between the tribes and herds. The bodies are left on the summit of a hill to be consumed, in turn deepening their connections with other creatures of the lands themselves.

While not aggressive, the Bori are not well liked by much of the other Therosolian tribes. The Vulshik and Felmorans regularly clash with Borian caravans as they cross territorial boundaries. Highlanders regularly hunt the Bori herds, putting them into battles that often result in the total destruction of either the Highlander settlement, or the Borian tribe which they crossed. To most, the Bori are a seasonal pest, much like the swarms of stinging insects that rise from the waters every Sunspell.   They are more well received among the peaceful Cyrah, who regularly interact with the Bori tribes, and respect their beliefs and culture. The Galadahlir roam the Lands of the Bori seeking converts to bring back to Cyrahain, and often find them. For their kindness and understanding, the Cyrah are well respected by the Borians, who often defer to the judgement of passing Dahlir when altercations arise.   Before the Wolf King's Invasion, the Bori were the only ones who believed that the Aracans of the eastern forest actually existed. Their relationship with the strange, alien beings was tense. Often their stories of them involved kidnappings and killings, or seductions and manipulations. These semi-mythical foreigners were revered as much as feared, and the Borians stayed away from them whenever they could. Even after the Aracans revealed themselves when they sided with King Gwyrden in the war against Thol, the Borians never truly grew to trust them.

Tribal shaman tell the myths and stories of the ancestors, of Great Spirits, and of the fundamental connections that bind the Borians to the natural world around them. They teach apprentices these stories to carry on the tradition, as well as rituals, medicines, and magics that can help the tribe. All of this is done through memory, as the Borians do not write.    Otherwise, heads of families are responsible for the education of their children and grandchildren. They teach hunting, gathering, social norms, and anything else a young Borian would need to survive in the tribes. Those families that have specialized skills take pride in them, cultivating them in the next generation so that they can continue to be of use to the tribe. Such knowledge is not horded however, and children from other families often sit in on lessons to gain valued skills, especially if they are disinterested in the skills their own families have.