Tribe Name: Darkest Shadow
Tribal Population: 120
Tribal Characteristics: The Darkest Shadow are a pale people, with a tendency towards red eyes in terms of genetics.Their teeth are also slightly pointed, a holdover from their wolf forms.They feel a deep kinship with the darkness, view the night and the creatures that lurk in it as allies and friends. The darkness protects them from the rage and wrath of an uncaring god, it shields them from their enemies, grants them sight that it denies to others in their view. The darkness is scared to them, they don't worship it, but rather hold it up as the centerpiece of their philosophy. Creatures others shun, spiders, snakes, bats and such as are common pets in Shadow society. The night is a good time, a time for merriment and joy, a time to meet with friends and relatives. Day is used for work and toil and many sleep after their labor is completed, so they can be fresh during the night.
They typically wear various black tattoos, taking the form of various animals and concepts. Snakes, wolves and other such animals tend to be the most popular. Jagged lines and other symbols are also quite common. They typically make clothing out of black fur, cloth and other such materials. They tend to focus on darker colors, believing bright colors simply attract attention and make one a target. War paint is also quite common, it is used to give warriors better camouflage, allowing them to move unseen. Seeing a Shadow warrior coated completely in black paint is far from uncommon.
Death and the Bright Spirit are viewed as enemies to be struck down. Spells to bring the dead back are embraced and thought of as a wonderful thing. This is the most important part of their society, the defiance of death. They tend to meet those who accept death with hostility and hatred, believing them to be weak fools who meekly accept their fate. Death is to be fought and defeated. The Bright Spirit must be overthrown and brought low.
Tribal Society: One could be forgiven for viewing Shadow society as one constantly on a war footing, for this is not far from the truth. All members of the tribe have some level of combat ability. These is linked to their creation myth (detailed below) they believe that when the final battle comes all will fight, so even their children have some basic idea of how to defend themselves. There is little to no gender divide in the Darkest Shadow, and so long as it doesn't hamper the tribe, they tend to be very tolerant of differing lifestyles. They have no time for petty prejudices, as they view life as something of a war. As a consequence of their conflict-orientated society, there is very little trade within the tribe and the economy is very communal, all do their duty for the tribe and in exchange, the tribe protects and defends them. This is viewed as common sense in the physical and metaphysical sense, if the tribe was focused only on profit, they would be in no shape to fight the Bright Spirit and it's influence, which constantly attempts to divide man, so they will not have the numbers to challenge it.
There have no religion per say, they do not worship the Darkness, but they respect it and hold it up as an example. They view it as a patron and protector, not a god to be worshiped. The tribe is ruled by a collection of individuals the tribe as a whole thinks capable, these people are selected after one of the older council members dies and they tend to rule for life. It is this Council that decides what would most benefit the tribe and the fight against the Bright Spirit. The tribe as a whole, however, often sets overall policy during a series of meetings that take place every ten years. The tribe as a whole tends to have the final say, the council is merely there to provide a strong central command for the fight against the Bright Spirit.
Everyone is expected to do there part and those who refuse are often exiled. The tribe tends to live in communal structures crafted from stone by it's Shamans. These structures tend to be large with very small holes crafted into the side, allowing them fire out in the event of an attack. Most of them tend to be flat in terms of roofing, with one wide first level with a smaller second level atop it.
Starting Spells: Spirit Lure, Land Sculptor, Raise Skeleton
Tribal Perk: Animal Pact, the Darkest Shadow possess the ability to transform into large wolves. These wolves tend be of a black color and possess red eyes, though this depends on the exact hair and eye color of the being transforming.
Tribal History/Creation Myth: The Darkest Shadow have a grim view of reality. The way they tell it, at the start there was only Darkness, a massive being that that existed since the dawn of time. It was quite literally everything, everything that is or ever will be was a part of it. The Darkness however, was laid low by the emergence of another, the Bright Spirit a part of the Darkness that was severed from the whole by a great catastrophe of some sort. The Bright Spirit attacked the Darkness, shattering it's peace. It used the essence of the Darkness to craft worlds to toy with, beings to torture and make sport of. The race of men are the result of this, intelligent beings crafted by the Bright Spirit to torture, to be playthings, with no will or power of their own. The Darkness however, saw this and rallied what little strength it had left. It crafted creatures and spirits of own to do battle against the Bright Spirit. The wolf, the spider, the snake, the creatures that thrive in the dark places of the world are all thought to have been crafted by the Darkness. The Darkness saw the plight of men.....and gave them three gifts. It gave them war, so that they might for their place in the world, it gave them thought, so that they might plot the downfall of their enemies, among them the Bright Spirit and lastly, it gave them free will, so that they might overthrow the hold the Bright Spirit had upon their minds.
The Darkest Shadow however, it chose to represent it's will. It did not demand worship and reviled it when it was given. Out of all races of men, only the Darkest Shadow had not attempted to worship it or the Bright Spirit. Seeing that they were the least suspectible to the influence of it's counterpart, It gave them many gifts, the power to shift into the form of it's most powerful children, the Wolf, it gave them a spirit to guide them. In return, all it asked is that they fight the influence of the Bright Spirit wherever it is found, with any tool they have at hand. The Darkest Shadow accepted this bargain.
The Bright Spirit, raging, crafted a handmaiden of it's own however, Death, to steal the life from the creations that had rebelled against it. A cruel move by an infantile and vile creature. The Darkness has also charged the Darkest Shadow with the defeat of Death.....and created the Graveyard Spirits to guard the knowledge to defeat Death from those who destroy it.
The Dark Winter is viewed as a time when the Darkness was nearly slain by it's counterpart, who had in a rage, attempted to destroy the world it had created. The world survived, proving it had grown beyond the petty being that created it. Before this Winter, the Darkest Shadow tell of a time when the race of men had almost defeated the Bright Spirit, bringing the word of darkness and the hope of twilight to the far corners of the world. They had almost stamped out the Bright Spirit. It's influence had been waning.Then it had summoned it's great disaster and scattered the race of men like so many ragdolls. The Darkest Shadow survived however, and they search long and hard for a new bastion, for a place they could plan and practice once more. They found it.
The Darkest Shadow have lived upon their land for many years now, fighting to keep the influence of the Bright Spirit from reaching it, and communing with their patron spirit. Their councils have shifted and changed throughout the years, and monuments are constructed all throughout their lands to remember those stolen by the hand of Death. They view their lands as a fortress, a buttress against the influence of the Bright Spirit. They are a bastion of darkness and shadow in this age of cruel, tyrannous light. The Darkness has been weakened by this long struggle, but still it grapples with the Bright Spirit. Knowing that the final battle will come, the Darkest Shadow train, hunt and grow stronger on their island home, waiting for the day they will at last be strong enough to drive out the Bright Spirit.
This story of creation is the truth, insofar as the Darkest Shadow are concerned. They are the chosen of Darkness and they take that duty very seriously. They will slay death, they will bring the servants of the Bright Spirit low. No matter the cost. They will end this war, once and for all. They will crush the cruel curse of Death and send Death itself screaming into the void. Death must die for the world to know the peace of the Darkness Before.
First, however, they must kill his followers. This will weaken him they theorize, and allow the Darkness to gain an upper hand. They have trained and waited for three hundred years for this.