Varkhata-Byla
Varkhata-Byla clanfathers (Niij-Byla) and clanmothers (Ha-Byla). Their distinct status is indicated by solar cross and triple moon cheek tattoos respectively, as well as full beards for Niij-Byla and veils for the Ha-Byla.
The Varkhata-Byla are an people of the temperate northern landmass of Bylaea who live predominantly in its grassy and birch-forested northern half and along its coasts as shepherds, farmers, fishers and whalers.
Varkhata-Byla society is composed of both humans and elowey, and does not see innate distinction between the two. Human VB are called 'woga', Elowey VB are called 'warra', named after the wolf brother culture heros that are claimed to be the ancestors of their people.
Clans are patrilineal and center on two clanfathers (Niij-Byla,'father of the people'), nursed by the same mothers and considered blood-brothers. Each is married to one woga and one warra clanmother (Ha-Byla 'mother of the people') respectively. Any younger siblings are considered children of the clan and forbidden to have their own children, unless their elder perishes.
Marriage is an arranged contract between clans, and intermarriage within a clan (regardless of family relations) is unaccepted. The clanmother retains her original clan alignment, but their children will belong to the father's clan. Sisters of a clanmother sometimes accompany her to her new clan, but this practice has varied over history and by circumstance.
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A stone monument depicting the wolf brothers Warra and Woga, the latter entombed in the snow during the world-winter. Such monuments are carved as markers for significant locations in the landscape.
Varkhata-Byla religion holds that the world goes through cycles of rebirth, with each cycle ending with the world being buried in snow and ice and most life dying. Every cycle, the gods and some animals survive in snow burrows or in the underworld, all hiding from the snow demons who roam the winter between worlds. When the world-spring comes, animals and gods emerge to recreate and repopulate the world.
The VB claim descent from two prominent figures in the world-spring story cycles, two brother wolves named Woga and Warra. In the first legend, the younger brother Warra had to venture out into the freezing wastes to find medicinal herbs so that Woga (who had fallen sick) could survive until the spring. Even as a wolf, Warra's body was not strong enough to face the sheer brutality of a world-winter. So, Woga gave his younger brother his fur coat (to stay warm in the preternatural cold), his long nose (to sniff out the herbs), and his sharp teeth (to defeat a snow-demon, Ustlara). In most legends, he did not give his brother his tail, but had already lost it, having been tricked out of it by his little cousin Brushwolf at the onset of winter.
The descendents of each brother (they wed a pair of sister goddesses in the world-spring) would retain these traits, explaining why half of the people have thick fur, long snouts, and sharp teeth, and why the other half are nearly naked, flat faced, dull toothed and tailless.
Other humans and elowey are also considered Woga and Warra's descendents as well, though their ancestors bred with other animals and gods late in the world-spring and forgotten their ancestry.
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Relations between the VB and their neighbors (the Rodi-Byla, Uswa-Byla, Saloche, Moorlanders, Urswali, Sea Dains, and others) have varied throughout history. The Varkhata-Byla, Rodi-Byla, and Uswa-Byla share language and trade extensively, but rarely intermarry. The VB have historically tended towards seeing these two other peoples as recently split VB whose woga and warra have separated, while all others are seen as 'barbarians'.Varkhata-Byla crop their ears during infancy as a distinguishing group identifier, made to resemble the ears of a wolf and display their esteemed ancestry.
There are a diasporic VB populations in Urswal and the northern Dainlands and along the coasts, and one very significant group of immigrants who settled far south in Ubibi (mostly for work as whalers and fishermen). It is difficult for Ubiyan VB to maintain integrated woga-warra clan systems, so other aspects of their identity have been emphasized in place and have created a distinct culture from their northern ancestors. The cropping of the ears gains special importance in maintaining cultural identity, and is performed here as a coming of age or conversion rite (rather than being given to all infants). Ubiyan Varkhata-Byla also practice aspects of their religion that are considered more esoteric and reserved for priests (rather than laypeople) in Bylaea.
Ubiyan VB define themselves by their religion rather than ancestry, and allow for 'conversion' for other humans and elowey, a concept would be considered alien to the north (as it's understood there, one does not 'become' Varkhata-Byla). While still a religious minority, 'bylaism' is significant to the cultural fabric of the Ubiyan region and has heavily influenced/been influenced by the practices of other seafaring human or elowey peoples of the region.