Reghed Tribe Member

Though you might have only recently arrived in civilized lands, you are no stranger to the values of cooperation and group effort when striving for supremacy. You learned these principles, and much more, as a member of a Reghed tribe.

The Reghedmen, also known as the Reghed barbarians or the men of the tundra, were the barbarian tribes of Icewind Dale. They eked out a harsh and bitter life between the Reghed Glacier and the Sea of Moving Ice. Each entirety of the Reghedmen people lived within one of several tribes, each of which was ruled by a king. Known tribes were the Tribe of the Elk, the Tribe of the Wolf, the Tribe of the Bear, the Tribe of the Tiger, the Tribe of the Seal and the Tribe of the Caribou. However, by the late 15 century DR only the tribes of the Elk, Tiger, Wolf, and Bear remained.

The Reghedmen were migratory hunters, who herds of reindeer across the frozen tundra. They lived in deerskin tents and crafted goods of wood and whalebone.

The Reghedmen worshiped tribal beast spirits and Tempos, the god of war. Tempos was served by shamans who revered their tribal beast totems highly. These beast totems were great spirits, similar to those of the Uthgardt barbarians. Unlike the Uthgardt, Reghedmen shamans could not call upon a beast power, however, extremely motivated or experienced shamans had been known to become possessed by the spirits of their totem animals.

Due to their combative history with one another, the Reghedmen collectively hated orcs.

For many years the Reghedmen were hostile toward the Ten-Towns and raided them relatively frequently. Around the Year of the Crown, 1351 DR, the Reghedmen invaded the Ten Towns of Icewind Dale, and were rebuffed by an uneasy alliance formed by the folks of the dale and the dwarves of Kelvin's Cairn. After the barbarian army was all-but-destroyed, King of the Tribe of the Elk, Heafstaag, allied the tribes with Akar Kessell, a dark wizard from Luskan. Kessel used the last Reghedmen in his plan to exact revenge upon the Ten-Towns. Fortunately for all, the barbarian Wulfgar slew Heafstaag in a challenge and became king of the tribes. He brought the fifty remaining Reghedmen to the Ten Towns, where they turned away Kessell's invading horde and settled down for a time, away from the harsh wilderness of the north.

The survivors dwelled in the Ten-Towns, mostly in Bremen and Caer-Konig, while others went south to Settlestone, to rebuild their strength and learned how to exist within "civilized society". Over the next couple of decades though, more and more tribesmen decided to return to their traditional ways, splitting along similar tribal lines. Two new tribes sprang up, the tribes of the Seal and Caribou but they were both eventually absorbed into the Tribe of the Elk which had again emerged as the strongest of the Reghedmen tribes.

Skill Proficiencies: Nature, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: One type of artisan’s tools

Languages: One of your choice

Equipment: A hunting trap, a totemic token or set of tattoos marking your loyalty to your tribe and your tribal totem, a set of traveler’s clothes, and a pouch containing 10 gp

Suggested Characteristics

Even if you have left your tribe behind (at least for now), you hold to the traditions of your people. You will never cut down a still-living tree, and you may not countenance such an act being done in your presence. 

Your bond is undoubtedly associated with your tribe or some aspect of tribal philosophy or culture. Your ideal is a personal choice that probably hews closely to the ethos of your people. 

d8	Personality Trait
1	I’m driven by a wanderlust that led me away from home.
2	I watch over my friends as if they were a litter of newborn pups.
3	I once ran twenty-five miles without stopping to warn to my clan of an approaching orc horde. I’d do it again if I had to.
4	I have a lesson for every situation, drawn from observing nature.
5	I place no stock in wealthy or well-mannered folk. Money and manners won’t save you from a hungry owlbear.
6	I’m always picking things up, absently fiddling with them, and sometimes accidentally breaking them.
7	I feel far more comfortable around animals than people.
8	I was, in fact, raised by wolves.

d6	Ideal
1	Change. Life is like the seasons, in constant change, and we must change with it. (Chaotic)
2	Greater Good. It is each person’s responsibility to make the most happiness for the whole tribe. (Good)
3	Honor. If I dishonor myself, I dishonor my whole clan. (Lawful)
4	Might. The strongest are meant to rule. (Evil)
5	Nature. The natural world is more important than all the constructs of civilization. (Neutral)
6	Glory. I must earn glory in battle, for myself and my clan. (Any)

d6	Bond
1	My family, clan, or tribe is the most important thing in my life, even when they are far from me.
2	An injury to the unspoiled wilderness of my home is an injury to me.
3	I will bring terrible wrath down on the evildoers who destroyed my homeland.
4	I am the last of my tribe, and it is up to me to ensure their names enter legend.
5	I suffer awful visions of a coming disaster and will do anything to prevent it.
6	It is my duty to provide children to sustain my tribe.

d6	Flaw
1	I am too enamored of ale, wine, and other intoxicants.
2	There’s no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest.
3	I remember every insult I’ve received and nurse a silent resentment toward anyone who’s ever wronged me.
4	I am slow to trust members of other races, tribes, and societies.
5	Violence is my answer to almost any challenge.
6	Don’t expect me to save those who can’t save themselves. It is nature’s way that the strong thrive and the weak perish.