Goth

"A head stuck on a pike no longer conspires."

First appearance: Ice Ships of NUM (1949).

Goths are the primary human inhabitants of Goethe, a wild land of rocky hills immediately west of Thrace. Goethe has no cities, but numerous small settlements, primarily along the coast.

Physiology
Goths are among the tallest of the human races, and generally have blonde or red hair, light or ruddy skin, and blue or green eyes. Dark hair and eyes are uncommon, but have no special significance. Goth men and women both allow their hair to grow long, usually braiding it, but some Gothic men, particularly those with dramatic tattoos on the face or scalp, shave their heads. Gothic men often grow bears, frequently braided, but no special significance is attached to whether a man grows a beard or is clean shaven.

Culture
The people of Goethe are divided into a number of clans, named mainly for animal totems. The five original Gothic totems were the Bear, the Eagle, the Fox, the Raven, and the Wolf. Today there are twenty-one surviving Gothic clans. Traditionally, each clan has a self-regulating council consisting of leaders of the communities' major villages, with the clan identified by the principle totem.

According to oral tradition, when the Goths were living across the sea, the great Oerresh appeared out the sea and taught the Goths to build ships, navigate by the stars, and use the wind to sail.

The Gothic clans farm in the spring and autumn, and go on long sea voyages in the winter, either fishing the deep seas, or raiding far-off coastal settlements. Gothic sailors are among the most skilled in the world. To Goths, the sea is not a barrier: it is a frontier to be conquered and explored. The longship is a dramatic and recognizable symbol of Gothic culture.

Among their own kin, Gothic demonstrations of affection tend to include rowdy behavior such as hugging a person and lifting them off of the ground, slapping the other person on the back, or grabbing the other person's arms and shaking them roughly. When greeting strangers, the typical greeting is a "fist bump", performed when two participants each form a closed fist with one of their hands and then lightly tap the front of their fists together. When a fist bump is initiated, it is considered rude to intentionally use too much strength when bumping one's fist against another's (to punch the other's fist) in an attempt to cause pain, similar to squeezing one's hand too hard during a standard handshake.



Tingval
Once a year, after the last harvest of the season, the Tingval is held: a week-long meeting of the heads and community leaders of the twenty-one clans, at a plateau called Tingvallir. At this time, disputes between clans, and disputes within clans which have resisted peaceful arbitration, are settled. The methods by which these disputes are settled are varied, and sometimes creative. When the just solution is reasonably obvious, the Tingval votes and declares a verdict, with which both parties must abide or face violent reprisals. When the dispute is not clear-cut, a contest is often held to determine the outcome. Drinking contests, poetry contests, and wrestling are the most common contests.

Lethal combat is discouraged at the Tingval: contests to the death are only sanctioned if all of the members of both disputing clans agree to it. In such cases, a champion for each clan is designated, mutually acceptable weapons are chosen, and the outcome of the dispute is based on who survives the contest.

Goths have a strong tradition of respecting and honoring the decisions made at a Tingval, even when the outcome is not in their favor. At the same time, it is considered rude for the winner to gloat or scorn the loser. Settling a dispute at a Tingval is not about "winning": it is about finding a fair resolution that permits all parties to retain their dignity without excessive bloodshed.

Language
Gothic is the primary language of the Goth clans in western Archaea. Gothic is unusual among modern human languages because it is a descendant of Thane, the primary language of a civilization which once spread over most of western NUM prior to the rise of the Khultheans. Of course, like most modern languages, it has absorbed much of its vocabulary from Khulthean, but the pronunciation and sentence structure are still much closer to that of Thane than any other living language.

Reputation
Goths have a reputation for being rowdy seafaring warriors, but they are also renowned storytellers, traders, and explorers.

Cultural traits

 * An individual is a "Goth"; plural "Goths" 
 * The descriptive term is "Gothic" 


 * Goths are Medium size, but are a head taller, on average, than most other humans
 * Favored skills: Drive (water vehicles), Navigate
 * Favored feats: Armor Training, Weapon Training, Tough
 * Goths treat nets as martial weapons
 * Goths use a bastard sword one-handed as a martial weapon
 * Native language: Gothic
 * Name style: Norse or German