The Ursuar Race

The Ursuar are an isolated race that began in the Homestead mountains of Great Anár and spread to other mountain ranges in the continent, moving in a slower, more protracted pattern than other races. The settlements they established are few and far between. During this movement, they differentiated into three major species, yet, they have a common set of traditions that give them a single culture.

The Ursuar live in small communities composed of the members of a single extended family, creating small manses both above and below ground. The Ursuar are very insular and thus, dwell in remote areas well away from other communities.

Ursuar Culture (top)

The Ursuar culture is based around a deep-seated understanding of the self, especially in how it relates to history. They believe in the collection of wisdom and lore on many subjects as a means to understand the context in which the self exists and interacts with others and view history in terms of those that act upon history. For them, all of history is just a massive collection of individual decisions by individual people. For the Ursuar understanding any historical or magical knowledge means understanding the person involved.

The Ursuar are thus, dedicated to the exploration of their personal psyches, their intellectual and emotional selves, and their mystic natures. The Ursuar culture is based on the allowance and encouragement of this exploration by the individuals within the culture. As a society, they are careful not to create any system that inhibits self-discovery and, much like the Duar, are adept at allowing all members of their society to find their "true" path and destinies.

The Ursuar believe that all entities have a specific destiny that their soul is meant to experience; they thus, believe that the only means to fulfill one's life, to find happiness, and to sponsor their collective positivity, is to remain in accord with this destiny. They thus, strive to live "right." They believe that, if all being live "right"then justice and fulfillment will be created for all.

Society (top)

The Ursuar is fairly straightforward and are deliberately kept small to avoid high population social dynamics that begin to impinge on the rights of individuals. The Ursuar, given their cultural underpinnings, have an inherent distrust for large social organizations, as they believe that for any such group to actually function, it must limit the individual's pursuit of themselves too much to be endorsed.

Most Ursuar communities are composed of single extended families, ranging from 1 to 20 individuals of various ages. Families are loosely organized around the patriarch and matriarch, who jointed decided on necessary decisions. As far as social power goes, the patriarch and the matriarch have near total control over their families; any who disagree with them are, without malice, encouraged to find their own path.

Great emphasis is placed on the development of Ursuar children into adults and the shepherding of them through the various stages of adulthood. For this reason, spiritual dimensions are often factored into every major decision (and often most minor ones). The Ursuar are encouraged to be thoughtful, almost to a fault, and to heavily weight the possible consequences of their actions.

Some Ursuar dedicate their lives toward spiritual contemplate and pursuits. These Ursuar are often consulted by others of their race, from far afield, for their wisdom. Other races as well, often seek the Ursuar out for guidance in thorny issues. They these mystics do not have any special social power, but their advice is listened to closely in practice.

Technology (top)

The Ursuar believe in self-reliance and thus, do not put a great deal of stock in physical technologies. They use tools as needed but the ones they produce are generally of natural design, wood and stone. They work metal where its easily located and often trade with the Duar for finished goods, including armor, weapons, and metal tools.

Much like the Kernuar, the Ursuar have a reasonably advanced mystic technology, and incorporate magick into many areas of their lives. Unlike the Kernuar, they view themselves as more important than their immediate environment, so their magic is seen as a measure of control.

Biology (top)

The Ursuar race are tall humanoids with stocky to bulky builds and evolved from forest and alpine dwelling predators. They have evolved into three species since their appearance roughly 2.5 million years ago. They are closely related to the Duar race and the two consider themselves cousins to one another. Where the Duar developed a complex civilizations, the Ursuar remained in the wilds, developing their deep spiritual connections with themselves.

The Ursuar range from 5'5" to 11" in height and have large, muscular, stocky builds, weighing from 350 to 1500 lbs. Their height and weight is dependant on their species. There is little difference in height and build based on gender. The Ursuar's hair coloration varies from dark brown, to black, to stark white. They rarely display variations of coloration beyond this limited palette however.

Life Cycle (top)

The Ursuar follow standard mammalian reproductive methods and life cycles. They bear only one child at a time, with an average gestation period of 10 months. While they, like most sentient species, are capable of mating and bearing children at any time from adolescence throughout adulthood, the Ursuar are extremely careful about their breeding; doing so involves deeply personal choices and a powerful responsibility that they feel acutely. Therefore, the population rate of the Ursuar is generally more protracted than that of most other races.

Ursuar children grow slowly, moving from infant to toddler in over three years. They grow from childhood through pubescence in 15 years and enter a 10 year adolescence, emerging as an adult between the years of 28 to 30. Their adulthood lasts nearly 60 years, at which time they enter old age for another 40 years, becoming venerable at 130 years of age. Ursuar have been know to live as long as 150 years of age at the extreme.

Attributes (top)

While all Ursuar are different from one another, and the race boasts three distinct species, they do have common physical and biological attributes.

Carnivorous: Ursuar are carnivores; while they can literally eat vegetable matter, they do so only as a small supplement to their diet, existing mainly on meat.
Cold Adaptation: Ursuar, even those that do not dwell in the actively cold locales, have adapted to withstand harshly cold temperatures. This adaptation also allows them a freedom of movement in icy and snowy terrain.
Enhanced Stamina: The physical strength and constitution of the Ursuar is legendary among many races. They are strong of body and strong of will and they are able to use both in sync, fueling the physicality by force of their will and their spirit.
Insight: Ursuar, who are practiced at introspection, are able to read individuals with uncanny accuracy, generally able to gather insight into their personality with only casual observation of their behaviors.

Species (top)

The Ursuar have differentiated into three species, each of a different overall size and weight than the others. This differentiation is based originally on environment, and while the various species of Ursuar are no longer limited to their environments, they tend to stick to the locales in which they are most comfortable.

Brûnuar: Living in the high alpine regions, usually near to running water and rivers, the Brunuar are the second largest of the Ursuar and the most fearsome if aroused to anger. They are protective of their homes and communities, but will be hospitable to outsiders if the introduction is honorable. The Brunuar have the most contact with the Duar, as their territories intersect most.
Árcuar: The most populous of the Ursuar species, the Arcuar developed in the deep woods of Anár, both in the vallies and the foothills of the alpine regions. They have the most interaction with other races, mainly the Kernuar and the Duar, both which they hold in equal esteem. The Arcuar are quiet, thoughtful, and have a powerful prescence.
Thâlácuar: The rarest and largest of the Ursuar, the Thalacuar make their homes in the coldest regions, near the ice cap and the tundras of Anár. They are the hardiest of the Ursuar and the most isolated. Their self-reliance is legendary, even among the other species of the Ursuar. The Thalacuar are silent sentinels in the deepest, harshest of wildernesses, but the wisdom and lore they possess is unmatched among the Ursuar race.

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