(Note: This contains as much of the legitimate lore of the Lossoth as possible, though there is not much, so a bit of it is made up. I tried to keep it as 'realistic' lore wise, as possible)
Appearance, Traditions, and Heritage
The Lossoth of Forochel have gradually adapted to the harsh wintry wasteland which they live in. Lossoth are taller than most, many women standing from 5"9 to 6"0, and the men from 5"11 to 6"2. They are naturally of thicker build to help cope with the cold that surrounds them. Their hair is typically dark, and usually kept long, specifically to assist in covering the ears. Lighter hair is seen sometimes, but not as commonly. Most of the men of the village have full beards to accompany their long hair. As could be guessed, their clothing is made from what they have access to, and that is the thick furs of the bears that live nearby, and the leather tanned from the hoar-mantle cows that roam the ice fields, a lot of which is decorated bones, feathers, and assorted dyes from the few plants that grow in the southern part of the region.
Most of their weapons are formed of wood, bone, and stone - a few of them are made of iron, though that is all imports, and looted from invading forces. Virtually everyone has some sort of weapon, the most common being a spear, be it pointed with an actual blade or just a sharpened stick. Most people that don't fight, still find use in them as walking sticks. It isn't uncommon for them to carry either a hide shield, or a wooden shield.
Most of the Lossoth share similar customs, those that have been passed along from generation to generation for nearly as long as their history stretches.
When children in the tribe reach the age of ten, they are taken put through a trial as an introduction into adult hood. This trial starts on the first day of Autumn every year, and every child who turned ten from one, to three-hundred and sixty four days before that day, is to start their trial. By the end of it, the children will be considered adults, and they will have found their path for the future - be it that of a Warrior, or but a fisherman.
It is always started by teaching the ten year olds to use a spear, and that usually splits them in half - half of them show proficiency within two weeks, and move on to train with the seasoned warriors of the tribe, leading up to their main trial, a dangerous hunt with the town's chief. They are then called warriors of the tribe, until the day they fall. The other half are those who move on to more common skills, trying each of them until they find their niche. They are simply the commoners. While there is no shame in living a common life, there is not nearly the honor and glory of the warrior's path.
Along with their traditions, the Lossoth have grown into a handful of commonly shared traits, that can be considered strange elsewhere.
- For obvious reasons, many of the Lossoth are either unable to swim, or very poor swimmers. With most of the water around them frozen or cold enough to cause death, it's difficult to swim in it. Though, they have gotten decent at ice skating. Canoeing isn't a very popular mode of transportation for this reason.
- Most of the Lossoth do not drink, be it for religious reasons, or because they don't have access to it. Most of them couldn't handle it any way.
- Orome is a very commonly referenced valar in Forochel, However He is known as 'The Huntsman', not under the same name. though they have many deities, and are very spiritual, and superstitious, their primary totems of worship are the Sun, the Moon, the Sea, and The hunter.
- Due to their advanced resistance to cold climate, pale skin, and thick hair, low sweat amount of sweating (because it would freeze onto their skin) the Lossoth have a fair bit of trouble coping with warm, and even mild climates.
- Sparring bouts are relatively common among the Lossoth... however they tend to be more aggressive, and more commonly resulting in fatalities than spars in other places.
- The Lossoth are lacking in most common education. Those that know Westron, speak it very poorly, and brokenly (Mostly having troubles with pronouns)
- Unlike most societies, the Lossoth are much more neutral in the terms of gender roles.. Seeing as how most of their diet is meat based, their communities are small, and their resources are usually recycled, they tend to not be picky about who is doing what.
- Despite making a few steps in the right direction, the Lossoth are still confused by large ships, mistaking them for giant beasts. Since they use mammoths for transportation, it is easy to see how they get confused.
