#akroan

[alradeck]

Acroakin’ Crusader, the December mat for SCG!

Image (C) StarCityGames

[pawns-development]

Mountain People: Akroan

Akroans are people native to the Mountains. Standing between 5 and 6 feet tall, their muscular, dense build make them the most physically formidable of all the races. This has aided them throughout their war mongering history. Akroan skin tones range from a light tan to brown and a greenish tinge is almost always present. Because of the harsh environment, the Akroan have developed shorter limbs and smaller ears to combat the cold and retain much needed body heat. Hair and eye colors greatly vary due to the number of fruitful intermarriages between Akroan and Mountain Humans.

When naming children, Akroan traditionally choose names that reflect strength or hearken back to honorable relatives. It is very important to give a son or daughter a name to live up to, otherwise the child may not strive for anything! In most cases, the father and other male members of the family will come together and form a list of possible names for the baby. This is usually done just has the baby’s mother begins to show in order to protect the unborn child. After the father’s list is made, it is presented to the mother so she may decide on the name of the child. After all, she’s the one carrying the child’s spirit and will know whether or not a name will fit well. Akroan fathers try and pick names that are gender neutral seeing as the name has to be given before the child is born. This is mostly to protect the baby from lost souls wandering in Mawaena that may and try to jump into the baby as it’s being born so they can have a second shot at life.

Common Akroan Names for Children: Kosuke, Tsubasa, Shinobu, Michi, Rin, Kyo, Isamu, Kenta, Mamoru, Xio, Montaña, Rayan, Zulimar, Yaxha, Castel, Matias

Due to the fact that the Mountain Region expanded into the lower 2 regions, most Akroan can only read, write, and speak in Common Tongue. Common Tongue is derived from a mix of the ancient Akroan and Human languages. Many of the words are still the same and very few things have changed in the language since the Gran Unmei. Some grammatical rules have been outdated and abandoned, but for the most part, Common Tongue has remained intact. Unlike the other races, the Akroan do not identify any differences from in one group of Akroan to another. There are differences depending on which part of the Mountain Region is being acknowledged; but these regional differences are not given a specific name to delineate the groups. To the Akroan, bringing up these differences and putting a label to them only reminds them of their feudal and violent past. Almost a thousand years later and the no idea of separation is still a sore spot. However, the Western part of the Region is still considered wild and brutish compared to its Eastern cousin. Many Akroan in the West still maintain and practice their sword play and martial skills to protect their lands from wild animals and outlaws hiding in the dangerous terrain. On the Opposite side of the region, the East has all but abandoned the Akroan tradition of war mongering. After the Gran Unmei, the East became the hub of government and many of the soldiers and warriors turned away from the blade to become diplomats and politicians. This caused tension between the two parts of the Region, the East sees the West as war beasts and the West views the East as snobs that still cling to their ancestry but refuse to practice any of the traditions that brought them to their place of power.