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Uthgardt Tribe Member

Source: Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (5e 2014).

Uthgardt Tribes and Their Territories Blue Bear Black Lion and Red Tiger Sky Pony Tree Ghost Great Worm Black Raven Elk Thunderbeast Gray Wolf Griffon Red Pony and Golden Eagle Uthgardt Heritage Suggested Characteristics 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 an Uthgardt tribe. Your people have always tried to hold to the old ways. Tradition and taboo have kept the Uthgardt strong while the kingdoms of others have collapsed into chaos and ruin. But for the last few generations, some bands among the tribes were tempted to settle, make peace, trade, and even to build towns. Perhaps this is why Uthgar chose to raise up the totems among the people as living embodiments of his power. Perhaps they needed a reminder of who they were and from whence they came. The Chosen of Uthgar led bands back to the old ways, and most of your people abandoned the soft ways of civilization. You might have grown up in one of the tribes that had decided to settle down, and now that they have abandoned that path, you find yourself adrift. Or you might come from a segment of the Uthgardt that adheres to tradition, but you seek to bring glory to your tribe by achieving great things as a formidable adventurer. See the "Uthgardt Tribes and Their Territories" section below for details on each tribe's territory and its activities that will help you choose your affiliation. Source: Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

Benefits

Feature Details
Skill Proficiencies Athletics
Survival
Tool Proficiencies One type of musical instrument or artisan's tools
Languages One of your choice
Equipment A hunting trap Value:5gp Weight:25lbs
a totemic token or set of tattoos marking your loyalty to Uthgar
your tribal totem
a set of traveler's clothes Value:2gp Weight:4lbs
and a pouch Value:5sp Weight:1lb containing 10gp Features Barbarian Tribes of Faerûn Though this section details the Uthgardt specifically
either it or the Outlander background can be used for a character whose origin lies with one of the other barbarian tribes in Faerûn. You might be a fair-haired barbarian of the Reghed
dwelling in the shadow of the Reghed Glacier in the far North near Icewind Dale. You might also be of the nomadic Rashemi
noted for their savage berserkers
their masked witches. Perhaps you hail from one of the wood elf tribes in the Chondalwood
or the magic-hating human tribes of the sweltering jungles of Chult. Uthgardt Tribes
Their Territories For most Uthgardt tribes
the only stability in their history is the site of their ancestral mound. Most of the Uthgardt holy sites have existed since antiquity
but the fortunes of the tribes that revere them have hardly been static. Following are brief descriptions of the Uthgardt tribes today. Blue Bear The easternmost of the Uthgardt are the Blue Bear – thought destroyed more than a century ago – who have recently emerged from inside the High Forest
reclaimed their ancestral mound at Stone Stand
just south of the Moon Pass
north of the forest. The Blue Bears have reoccupied much of their old territory in the time since they returned to prominence
though they don't venture near Hellgate Keep
considering it a taboo place. Black Lion
Red Tiger North of Blue Bear territory
in the Glimmering Wood
is Beorunna's Well
a settlement of some size that near the ancient ancestral mound of the Red Tiger tribe. The settlement was founded some time ago by members of the Black Lion tribe
who put down roots here rather than continuing to live as nomads. Though the Red Tigers are less than comfortable with the present situation
they consider Beorunna's Well their holy site
so they make the best of things. Bands of Red Tiger tribespeople often winter in Beorunna's Well
and many of its hunters
trappers use the settlement as a place to sell the leather
furs they acquire in nearby forests. Sky Pony In a part of the Glimmerwood called the Moonwood stands the One Stone
the ancestral mound of the Sky Pony tribe. These are a people divided; half of the tribe has settled
built a sizable steading around the One Stone
similar to what Black Lion has done at Beorunna's Well. The other half of the tribe considers this act an insult to their totem
so they launch raids on the settlement
burning as much of it as they can
then escaping
often on pegasus-back. Tree Ghost In the depths of the High Forest stands the Grandfather Tree
the ancestral mound of the Tree Ghost tribe. The Tree Ghosts split off from the Blue Bears long ago
all but disappeared into the forest
although occasional reports reach civilization that they are still alive
can sometimes be seen clustered around the Grandfather Tree. Some sages postulate that the newly reborn Blue Bear tribe might well be Tree Ghost Uthgardt who are following a call from a revived Blue Bear totem. Great Worm The Frost Hills
a small southern spike of the Spine of the World Mountains just north of the Evermoors
is the site of Great Worm Cavern
the ancestral mound of the Great Worm tribe. These Uthgardt are notoriously reclusive; it has been twenty years since the tribe has sent raiding parties out anywhere but against the ores of the Spine Mountains. Black Raven As forbidding as the Spine of the World Mountains they roam
the Black Ravens are fanatical in their adherence to the old Uthgardt ways. Ranging out from Raven Rock
their ancestral mound deep inside the mountains
they have been known to send raiding parties as far south as Silverymoon
but their most frequent targets are the caravans that come in
out of Mithral Hall. Elk Flint Rock in the midst of the Evermoors is the ancestral mound of the Elk tribe. The Elk were once prolific raiders
extending their reach even into Nesme
Mithral Hall
but the tribe was shattered a handful of decades past by the forces of those cities. Though their numbers have replenished
the Elk remain mostly hunters
foragers. They are masters at avoiding or repulsing the threats of the Evermoors
and often hire themselves out as guides for outsiders. Thunderbeast The Thunderbeast tribe has not been heard from in several years. When the Thunderbeasts made their annual pilgrimage to Morgur's Mound in Neverwinter Wood
they found their holy site desecrated. Soon thereafter
their chieftain took them back into the depths of the High Forest
and they have not emerged since. Gray Wolf The Gray Wolf tribe
made up of lycanthropes
was destroyed by a Selunite crusade because of the tribe's curse. Some of the surviving Gray Wolves took shelter among other Uthgardt tribes. Griffon The Griffon tribe came to an untimely end when it rose against the forces of Luruar allied with giants
orcs. Red Pony
Golden Eagle The Red Pony
Golden Eagle tribes vanished centuries ago. They were last seen in the vicinity of the One Stone
the ancestral mound those tribes shared with Sky Pony. Uthgardt Heritage You have an excellent knowledge of not only your tribe's territory
but also the terrain
natural resources of the rest of the North. You are familiar enough with any wilderness area that you find twice as much food
water as you normally would when you forage there. Additionally
you can call upon the hospitality of your people
and those folk allied with your tribe
often including members of druid circles
tribes of nomadic elves
the Harpers
and the priesthoods devoted to the gods of the First Circle. Suggested Characteristics Use the tables for the Outlander background as the basis for your traits
motivations
modifying the entries when appropriate to suit your identity. 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. The Uthgardt ancestral mounds – great hills where the totem spirits were defeated by Uthgar
where the heroes of the tribes are interred – are sacred to you. Your bond is undoubtedly associated with your tribe or some aspect of Uthgardt philosophy or culture (perhaps even Uthgar himself). Your ideal is a personal choice that probably hews closely to the ethos of your people
certainly doesn't contradict or compromise what being an Uthgardt stands for.