Overview

Table ☽ of ☽ Contents

About

Grand Falls-Windsor is the region that the pack Alarensis lives in. Currently a large pack of about 50 permanent individuals, Alarensis is ruled by a dying king Marius Nero Deusdedit? and currently going through a succession battle. Ovidius Maxim Beatrix? is the warlord of Alarensis and the eldest adopted son of Marius, he left this region to start a trading hub in the south ('Souls) for Alarensis. This move was primarily politically motivated, however, as the main reason he left was to escape the succession nightmare in the pack and avoid receiving a knife to the back from one of his younger siblings.

Alarensis means "of the Alaren", with Alaren being the place name that the local wolves had called the small lake to the west of town. This lake is where the pack first settled in 1995.

Essentials

Geography

Located approximately in the middle of the island of Newfoundland, the Grand Falls-Windsor region encompasses the town of Grand Falls-Windsor (after which the region is named) as well as the immediate surrounding area. There are not a lot of buildings still standing, instead, the Alaren have spread out around it and live in sod houses. Though the Alaren are generally spread out in small family units, there are often important events that take place that require every Alaren to gather in one of three places. First, at the foot of the Grand Falls, where the Alaren often hold celebratory events/ceremonies. Second, at mouth of Lake Alaren, where the Alaren tend to meet every year at the peak of summer to hold competitions of strength and valor, as well as to socialize. Finally, where the Exploits River meets the Bay of Exploits, where the Alaren meet for war. The bay is where they keep their raiding boats, watched over and tended by their best sailors and their families. When the ice on the sea starts to melt and it becomes safe to sail once more, the Alaren start to raid neighboring packs.

Climate

The climate is subarctic, with temperatures averaging below 10 °C/50 °F for most of the year. There is very little rain in the cold months, and some rain in the warmer months. Icebergs can be seen in the ocean in the colder months (for those Alaren who travel), and every winter thin sheets of ice will form on top of the Bay of Exploits. Occasionally icebergs will float into the Bay of Exploits.

Flora & Fauna

Newfoundland contains only 14 native animal species, but many native plant species, including plenty that are endemic to the island. See a list of native and introduced animals on Newfoundland. See also a list of the plants of Newfoundland.

Culture

Alaren Lifestyle

Though this is not a rule of any kind, many Alarens mimic the high-nobility and royalty and give their puppies two names: their first given name and their family name. When the puppy grows to adulthood (there, at 1 year of age) they are given a third name, chosen with the young adult's approval, to showcase who they are as adults. Some of them may choose to go by the third name from that point on, others may keep the first one and treat the third one as a middle name. In either case, at one year of age after their naming ceremony, the young adult will have three names.

Most of the Alaren spend much of their time working on normal trades (raising livestock, building homes and forging weapons) until summer, when the ice melts and the seas calm enough for them to raid the nearby packs. They practice slavery and enslave those they brutalize in war to be sold elsewhere or kept (though it is rare that they keep slaves, their land isn't so flourishing that they can maintain a huge population).

Species

The Alaren are predominantly wolfdog hybrids, though some families might still be all wolf or all dog simply because that's how things worked out for them. The founding houses consisted of two families of Maremma Sheepdogs and a family of Grey Wolves. They merged with a pack of Greenland Dogs/Malamutes/Huskies early on. These species and mixes of them are the most common, though new blood has joined the pack over time.

Humanization

The Alaren are incredibly humanized. They wear clothing most of the time and use tools (and weapons) expertly. Alaren of higher class (or those hoping to become higher class) are likely to put lots of time and expense into their clothing and home. Alaren will use their lupus forms for hunting and fighting (if need be), but otherwise it is seen as rude to be in company in one's four-legged form. When outside of their territory, Alaren are expected to kill or turn non-Luperci (though that rule is not always followed).

Language

The predominant language in Alarensis is English. Most of the high-nobility families speak Latin, as well. Though Italian was, at one time, spoken often in the region, it is now dying out with the last couple generations.

Technology

Agriculture/Alcohol

They raise sheep, primarily, and hunt beavers, caribou, and hare regularly for meat. Other animals such as foxes and black bears are hunted for their pelts. They also keep bees and use their honey primarily for mead and medicinal purposes.

Boating and Sailing

A warmongering pack, the Alaren are extremely adept at sailing. Limited in boat size by the need to navigate tight spaces and icebergs/ice packs, practically every Alaren family has a small boat of their own. These boats are built using a wooden frame over which hide is stretched.

Animal Husbandry

The Alaren live in a place that cannot sustain many animals. The only horses they have ever seen are wild ones in Labrador or ones owned by the packs they raided (though that was still few and far between). They have no particular need for horses, though, and do not mind.

That being said, they do have a close relationship with the Newfoundland Sheep, a landrace of sorts that is extremely hardy and can sustain itself off the poor forage that their land provides.

Style and Fashion

The Alaren practice scarification, taking on new carvings with every great milestone or achievement in life. There are many common pieces that are passed down through generations and shared among the Alaren, such as the carving of a bear's paw for strength. But others can be extremely personal pieces, and a scarification artist is extremely valued in Alaren society. The scarification usually starts at the shoulder blades and travels down the arms and back. It is generally accepted that the more scarification an individual has, the more achievements and higher rank they are, though they may also just be very wealthy, which is why it is important to pay attention to the number of beads an individual possesses.

The Alaren also carry with them carved bone beads. They carve these beads themselves, though they must be gifted the blank bead by their war captain for their achievements in battle. Once gifted with a bead they will work with their friends and family as well as the scarification artist to bring to life in the bead the achievement for which they were given the bead (e.g. killing the opposing pack's leader in battle).

Practices and Traditions

Gender and Sexuality

The Alaren were founded by a mixture of the local grey wolves and dogs and the devout Roman Catholic Maremma Sheepdogs from whom they absorbed some of their beliefs. The Alaren don't understand that there can be anything besides male and female. Any sign of gender nonconformity is alarming and queerness in general is shunned. Queer Alarens are very, very deep in the closet. Besides queer folk, though, sexuality in general is a very hush-hush topic. Bedroom talk belongs in the bedroom (with your partner whom you are married to) and not in polite society, where people are expected to refrain from ever speaking of sex.

Families and Family Structure

The Alaren believe that with age comes wisdom and power. The older one is the more power they hold in Alaren society and in their family. Puppies are expected to speak only when spoken to (and especially not embarrass their parents in public or in front of extended family). Family houses hold power in the royal court, with heads of houses going to the eldest capable member of the family OR the one with the most war achievements, depending on the family philosophy. These heads of house speak with the king in the large council (nobility sit on the small council) in matters that include the entire pack (such as war). They also hold the power to request private meetings with the king, something that no one else in the house may request.

There is one Royal House, Deusdedit (or literally "God has given"), which has many, many branches considering that it is normal for kings to take many wives from various noble houses (incest is therefore common and accepted). It is also normal to have a bloody and long lasting succession war once the old king dies because of this.

Hedonistic Behavior

Though something may not be accepted publicly, what one does in their own home is truly up to them. And, generally speaking, incest is very acceptable. After all, it is a common practice among royalty, and anything they do is graced by the light of god.

Vices

Alcoholism is fairly common. The stifling and extremely violent culture can and does push the Alaren to drink. There aren't any other readily available drugs, but enough die due to alcohol every year that that's probably a good thing.

Luck and Superstition

The Alaren are incredibly superstitious, having absorbed some of these beliefs from the Roman Catholic faction they founded the pack with. Before every hunt and battle they pray, and they regularly perform banishments on their homes and public buildings if there is any sign of ghosts inhabiting it. They are the most likely to believe that when 13 sit at a table the first to leave will be the first to die.

Fishing and Hunting

The Alaren get much of their food through fishing, quite a bit of it hunting, and keep a solid reserve of food ready through their sheep. They have ready access to large and bountiful rivers that will feed their entire family easily. They also have enough land that there is no need to worry about overfishing or overhunting. A good number of Alaren are fishers and most of them keep sheep excepting the most poor and the slaves.

Outsider Relations & Travel

Outsider Relations

The Alaren are widely regarded by their neighbors as awful, dangerous, religious maniacs. Every summer they fear their raids, knowing that any one of them could be captured and sold by them and any of them could be murdered in cold blood. Their trading partners find their relationship beneficial, though risky, since the Alaren are generally fair traders. They are brutal, however, to those who would cheat them. Officially the law states that a trader who cheats would lose their tongue, and this law doesn't discriminate only to the Alaren. Any Alaren who finds themselves being cheated has the right to cut out the trader's tongue and be supported by the might of the pack. In general, the Alaren are the big bad bully of the region, powerful and brutal. Now they are looking to expand south to richer lands.

Travel

Travelling predominantly in ones and twos on small boats, one would be surprised by the damage the Alaren can do on these boats. Easy to pick up and carry (even with their loot), the Alaren can easily traverse on land carrying the boats on their backs for brief periods of time. Small enough to traverse along small rivers and between ice floes, the boats serve the Alaren well where larger boats would be inconvenient or even dangerous if trapped. They tend to travel by boat for much of the day before heading to shore to rest.

It would take about a month to travel from Grand Falls-Windsor to 'Souls playable territory, assuming your character is taking breaks, has gear with them (but no livestock), and knows the way.

Pack Structure

Leadership

There are four rings of class within the Alaren. Highest are the nobility, led by the King. The Nobility must have direct relation to the king. Should a new house take the crown, it is assumed that the previous house would be murdered in cold blood to prevent challenges to the throne, though this has never actually happened. Currently there are two royal houses, both directly related to the current king, Marius Nero Deusdedit. The reigning house is Deusdedit, made up predominantly of wolves. The second house is Beatrix. Currently this house has only one member, Ovidius Maxim Beatrix, after a brutal attempt by a branch of a large noble house (Amata) to exterminate the old reigning house, with the intention of taking their place. The members who knew of and participated in this attempt were executed and put to death by flogging (a slow and brutal death).

Then there are the noble houses. These are lead by the heads of house, elected either by age or by their war merit, depending on the philosophy of the house. These are generally the wealthiest houses, their members having the most war merits as they are leaders in battle (and can often take on responsibility for the deeds done by their soldiers, if they are the type to do so). The heads of house sit on a council, and serve as advisors to the king.

The commoners are the regular members of the pack, and they serve as the regular workers that keep the pack running. Should a particular member of a common house show that they are particularly skilled in combat they (but not their house) may be promoted to nobility and given more respect. Most commoners serve as regular soldiers and skilled laborers. They are not necessarily treated poorly by the upper class, but they also are not treated well (it depends on the individual, usually). The Law protects them, however, in a way that it does not protect the slaves.

Finally, the slaves are the lowest class. They are often poorly treated by all, especially those captured and enslaved in a difficult battle rather than those who were bought. It is very rare that a slave is freed, and they are often expected to serve for life. Unlike the rest of the classes, who are protected relatively equally by the Law, the slaves are given very little protection. Even if assaulted or murdered, the perpetrator is likely only required to pay a fee to their owner to cover the labor they lost. Should a slave be accused of a crime, even if innocent, they are given very little in terms of a fair trial.

Law

The law is very harsh, but also incredibly unfair and biased. Generally speaking, the higher class one is, the more likely they are to get away with a crime, even murder depending on the circumstances. The slaves are more likely to be put to death for small crimes such as thievery. Murder is usually punishable by execution. Rape is generally punishable by a flogging and banishment. Physical assault is punishable by flogging, though the king may choose to follow an 'eye for an eye' punishment if he so chooses (if they knock out a tooth, a tooth will be knocked out of them). Thievery is punishable by flogging (though repeat offenses may escalate the punishment). Attempting to cheat someone out of their goods is punishable by cutting out the cheat's tongue (this is a crime that is especially frowned upon among the Alaren, who view themselves as fair traders).

All of these punishments are under the assumption that the victim/perpetrator is a free person. Should the victim be a slave, the perpetrator is likely to get away with but a fine to the slave's owner. Should the slave be the perpetrator, they are likely to be executed no matter the crime or circumstance.

This is also under the assumption that the Alaren are not at war. When they are at war, anything goes, and they have no respect or love for their enemies. They also expect that their enemies think like them, and hold no particular grudge against them when they murder a pack member (on an individual basis this may change). Their entire goal is to win, to obliterate their enemies, and to steal all their valuables. Should a pack member break the law and commit a crime against an enemy, the king will likely turn a blind eye.

There is currently a lot of tension within the pack as the old Catholic members of the pack instituted these Laws and have run the pack for a very long time. As they are dying and their influence grows weaker, the rest of the pack (who are animists) grows contentious and upset at the laws and pack structure that are upheld by a small group of canines who follow a very different belief system than the rest of them. The current king, a Catholic, has only a few Catholic heirs, and the rest of the pack waits with baited breath to see which will be crowned.

Belief System

Creation Legends

Excepting the few Alaren that still practice Catholicism, most of the pack believe that the world began when the sun confessed his love for the moon. Overwhelmed with her joy, the moon began to cry, and her tears formed the Earth's ocean. For a long time there was only the ocean, until the Earth and Moon's children, the stars, began to create new forms of life on Earth. As the Earth shifted, and land breached the surface of the ocean, animals followed the land, urged on by the young and curious stars. Proud of their creations, the stars sometimes celebrate them by shaping them in the sky.

Dieties

The Alaren predominantly believe in animism, that every thing around them has a spirit and life—even words. Though there is a group within the pack that still practices Catholicism, they are dying out. They do not believe that they are 'above' or 'more important than' other beings, and always communicate with other persons when given the opportunity (depending on how strongly an individual believes).

The Alaren strongly believe in the close relationship they have with non-canine animals, and are careful to notice the interactions they have with other persons. When harvesting plants to be eaten they try to connect with the plant. They believe that all earthly events have spiritual causes. When there is a great snowstorm it is because some spirit was feeling particularly vindictive. Spirits are easily upset, and can cause a great deal of trouble for them. As such, they must be careful to appease the spirits when given the opportunity.

Practices

The Alaren believe that balance in life will make the spirits happy, and happy spirits keep them safe and comfortable. As such, they try to restore and maintain balance by performing ceremonies, rituals, and sacrifices to appease the spirits. If happy, spirits make wonderful allies.

Religious Order

The Alaren have many female shamans that form a tight knit group of religious leaders. They are in charge of blessings and healings, funerals and celebrations. They are also among the most respected in the pack, because they are highly skilled and it takes many years to become a full shaman.

Ceremonies

Most celebrated are the family life ceremonies, celebrating key moments in an individual's life. On the day a puppy's umbilical cord falls off the head of the family will provide the puppy with an important necklace with its first bead on it. This is a bead that the head of house painted and carved themselves and it's purpose it to protect the puppy from harm. This is an incredibly important stage of life, and is something that is greatly celebrated by the family. Even if the parents do not want the family to all come to see the puppy, the head of house will still gather the family in order to perform a ceremony to ask the spirits (which spirit may change from family to family) to bless the bead and the puppy. There are many ceremonies like this throughout a puppy's life until they reach adulthood, at one year of age, when they are blessed by the entire pack in a yearly ceremony to celebrate all the adults coming of age. These young adults are now old enough to go to war, and need all the protection they can get.