Ma'atuuq (occasionally called northrons)
“To the farre north is a rayce of Half-giants, who resembell mortal men in nearly everey respeckt, yet in hyte they far exeed that of normal men, and they live lives of utter barbarisim. Too primitiv to create metallick weaponnes, they must use implements of ivorey and bone, and construckt croode sheltres of ice and snow.”
-Hrellvarth Engbred, drawing on tales he heard in Wulferai
A people mythologised and degraded in legend, the Ma'atuuq are a race of powerful whalers and fishermen who inhabit a land locked in near-eternal ice. They are distant in nearly every way from the comfortable peveniric lowlanders: they worship alien gods of ice and sea, they use no metal because it is so hard to come by in there land, and while most would freeze to death if placed in their environment, the Ma'atuuq have managed to turn their desolate surroundings to their advantage.
They are, as Engbred said in the quote above, massive in size; most are approximately 6.3 alkarthandra in height, but it is not uncommon to finds some who are seven alkarthandra or more, and they are very sturdily built to withstand the biting cold. Their facial features recall the Xi-jien of the far west, as does the tint of their skin. However, unlike any other peoples in the world (so far as we know) their hair is as white as an old man's from birth. Most of them have eyes of deepest black (some once said that their eyes have neither whites nor pupils, but this has since been discounted), but it is not uncommon to find a Ma'atuuq with iridescent purplish-green or dark pink eyes, although some believe that these come only with prolonged exposure to magic.
The Ma'atuuq are still largely an enigma to the people of the south, and thus countless legends have grown up around them. The Ezrennaki of the northern coast think that they are supernatural spirits of ice who melt when they die, and the Wulferians once thought that they must have frost giant blood. The Kravs believed that they were cannibalistic demons who consorted with hags. Only the Korriv, Tarquu, and Kyanti met with them frequently, and even then the Ma'atuuq rarely disclosed much about their homeland. Only now, as faraway corners of the world open and explorers set out to uncharted territory, is some of the lore of these wild northerners revealed.
Naming Traditions
Unisex names
There are no gender-specific names in Ma'atuuq culture; all names can be and are given to children of both genders. Also, all Ma'atuuq choose another name for themselves when they reach the age of seventeen, which is normally a name meant to represent or personify themselves. However, some think of these names as being more akin to titles than true names.
Given names: Qiluvaat, Aniq, Pima, Qiraniuk, Tasak, Aamik, Kolajjurak, Unurak, Nuuta, Qerita'aq
Common Adopted names: Oovik (Penguin), Nalurik Asak (Owl in the night), Nuu'maq (frozen king; also used to refer to water bears), Utak Kajaviq (morning sun), Yulomak Atavuriq (bird in the heavens), Qaalituq (loving one)
Family names
Qaanik, Talukk, Jalaatuvuq, Tuuqinersaq, Qalavuk, Tuknok, Iqqluak.
As with Xi-jien and Khuvuan naming customs, the surname of a Ma'atuuq is generally placed before their given (and adopted) name.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The main language of the Ma'atuuq is the Tuu language, which is thought to be an ancestor of Korriv and proto-toqnuu, from which Tarquu and Tomar arose. Ma'atuuq is well known for having unbelievably long words, which, translated into Peveniric, form entire sentences. They are also known to have several words for separate types of object or thing which in Peveniric is referred to with a single, overarching word. Certain adjectives such as "many", "big", "and "almost" are simply added to the ends of words in the manner of suffixes.
There are numerous dialects of Ma'atuuq, although they are all very similar and mostly indistinguishable to outsiders. There is the Thuulan dialect, the Qajaliut dialect, and the Kersiaq dialect, to name a few.
Common Dress code
Most Ma'atuuq delight in dressing in seal-fur jackets, robes, and parkas dyed with gay colours and fantastical geometric patterns. Some of the more common colours include red, blue, violet, and indigo, dyed with rows of interlocking triangles in black. Most of these dyes are derived from the sparse berries and wildflowers which grow on the northern tundra. They also love to wear ornaments of ivory, carved with characters from the Tuu'viat writing system or engraved with animal emblems.
However, when out on a hunt or during a war, the Ma'atuuq dress in parkas of pure, snowy white, so that they are invisible in the snows, and wear white ivory masks to conceal their faces. These masks are carved into the faces of snarling beasts, and coupled with their large size and furry garments many foreign attackers have fled in terror, believing they are being attacked by giant monsters. They often lie in snowbanks so as not to be detected before a battle, and carry white shields so that it is impossible for prey to see them.
Art & Architecture
The Ma'atuuq have long ago mastered the principles of domes and arches, and nearly all of their homes are composed of large, single-room hemispheres in which the family cooks, shapes weapons and art, cleans prey, makes clothing and sleeps. On the coasts and the glaciers, these are made of blocks of cut ice. While on the coast, most of these dwellings are not permanent, on the glaciers massive structures are constructed of ice; towers of stacked spheres, long, curving walls, and palaces which look like clusters of bubbles. Further inland, these buildings are made of stone. Some ma'atuuq prefer to live in huge tents of mammoth hide.
The Ma'atuuq frequently make sculptures of soft stone or ivory, with a very distinctive, smooth method of carving that involves few sharp edges. This art often depicts wildlife, with water bears, ravens, and mammoths being favourite motifs. They also depict magical creatures such as giants, or human warriors and hunters. One large stone sculpture given to the Duke of Haalgaroek was a boat filled with ma'atuuq, each one carved in outstanding detail.
Ideals
Gender Ideals
The Ma'atuuq are a largely matriarchal society, where women own and rule land. Each Ma'atuuq community is led partially by a chieftainess, who manages the politics, conquest, and trade of the tribe; she often shares responsibility for the grand shaman of the community, who is a spiritual and magical leader.
Diverged ethnicities
Related Locations
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