subterra / alterra

They're mountain dwellers! Living high up on the slopes of the few mountainous regions of Boreas, they primarily settle in caves and have a history of constructing tunnel systems where they aren't otherwise established. The small clans that inhabit the widely spaced mountain ranges frequently visit one another, at least once per season, to trade between themselves and check up on their relatives. Their primary subsistence lays in hunting the local fauna, and trading with those who live in the territories around them. These wolves are first and foremost crafters and traders, who are often very skilled at their chosen crafts. The outside world often sees them as a reclusive sort, only coming down from their mountains to trade once every few months. That's usually only because they haven't bothered to come up the mountain and sample their hospitality from their aerie homesteads.

Culture:
They're a tight knit bunch, with clans settling into large cave systems set high in mountain ranges. Community is extremely important to them, and even the more introverted among them will never spend too much time alone. They support one another, but there are no free rides. Everyone can provide something to the clan, and it's just a matter of figuring out what that is. Disabled or crippled individuals are well tended, and readily taught new crafts or aspects of their chosen trade while they recover, so that they can resume their contributions to the survival of the clan once they are able. The sick or injured are usually tended by every member of the clan, watched over by a rotating guard of friends or particularly tender-hearted individuals. Everyone takes turns bringing food, bringing them out on brief trips beyond the den so they can stretch their legs and have a change of scenery, the whole nine yards. Orphans are brought into a new family quickly and readily, and sometimes even fought over by prospective parents.

Parents are very quick to shunt their pups into training, though until roughly a year of age the children come home to their parents' den every night to sleep and eat. Once the kids are a year old, they often move into their mentor/teacher's lodgings to finish the last leg of their apprenticeship. As they grow more adept and comfortable in their chosen trade/craft, they will move into their own den and practice on their own. From there, they are a fully fledged individual member of the clan and are able to join trading forays on their own merit (instead of under the wing of their teacher). Apprentices and mentors tend to be closely bonded, and often maintain their ties even after the apprentice has graduated from tutelage.

Held in high regard is the ability to take care of oneself and those around them, and those who lend a hand wherever they can and are widely charitable are typically held in great esteem in the hierarchy. It is less about the wealth of the individual, but rather the readiness with which they share with the clan and the thought that goes into their contributions. If someone only ever adds the worst cuts of their kills to the communal stores, or the rejected cookware from their kiln, they are less well regarded than someone who splits their kills evenly between the stores, or adds whatever extras from their kiln that happen to be leftover. Those who are selfless and kind are often invited to tribunals, peace councils, and trading forays to unfamiliar lands.

These clans are very keen on spreading their roots, and taking up residences in new locales where they can be found. Once they notice that they seem to be bursting at the seams with new members, they often seek out volunteers to found a new clan elsewhere. The settlers party will set off at the start of that next spring, and seek out a new habitable range of cliffs or mountains, and set down roots in the best cave they can find. From there, they send off a scout to return to their old home and give directions to the new cave to establish a trade route with the newly minted offshoot clan! This is one of the reasons that navigators are so important to these wolves, as they range far and wide quite often over the generations.

Animal companions are extremely common for adults, as they can be extremely helpful in certain trades. Young apprentices don't often have the luxury of animal companions, as they are focused on perfecting their trade. Once they have finished their apprenticeship it isn't uncommon for their mentor to offer them some suggestions, perhaps mentioning one of their neighbours whose falcon is rearing a new clutch, or whose leopard just finished nursing a litter. Hunters often pair up with falcons or owls, sturdy raptors and birds of prey that can tolerate the extreme weather conditions that often strike suddenly and without warning. Crafters might find companionship with hardier primates, like Japanese Macaques, langurs, or snub nosed monkeys! Felines or dogs are also common, but don't let me cramp your style!

When it does come to blows, you had better pray that you're not on the receiving end of a clan's ire. They crawl out of the ground from all over, banding together with stone weapons or forged iron. Living in the mountains and miles beneath the earth breeds a strong kind of wolf, and most of them are well acquainted with how to wield the weapons they craft so carefully. Brokering peace and building friendships is their default, and icing you out is their Plan B. If someone gets the punishment stick it's game over for you.

In essence, do no harm, but take no shit.

Laws:
Everyone pulls their own weight, however they see fit. (i.e. Everyone must know a craft or trade)
Never ignore someone in need, regardless of background or affiliation.
Protect your clan, and they will protect you.
Wanton and senseless violence will not be tolerated.
Abusing workers or lower tier members is unacceptable, and met with severe reprimand.

A few other important things to note:
-Cave paintings follow wherever these wolves settle, and some of them are remarkably talented.
-Hunting mountain-dwelling animals comes as easily as breathing to most of the population of each clan, as well as breaking down their kills into usable parts afterwards.
-They dig their own tunnels, slowly and laboriously, over months and generations (depending on where they're living) and that task often falls as a punishment for naughty little mountain wolves who break one of their few laws.
-Trading groups venture from their cliffside homes and down to the various packs scattered around the base of the mountains, and it is pretty much guaranteed that you'll get roped into doing just that once there's enough of these buggers kicking around on-site.
-Canonically, there are two main sects of the mountain wolves. One group resides in the east of Boreas, primarily in Fernrir's Maw and often working in the Northern Mines in the Summer months. The second can be found in Dreamer's Col, though a few of the larger families live at Waterfall Peak. This second group is scouting Atlantis Island for their next site once the population swells too high again.

Skills & Traits:
It should be known that at least one of their skills should be either Navigation or Intellect. Those who aren't spending their days working on new goods of whatever variety are often scouting for new resources that they haven't tapped yet, or new areas to settle. It's entirely up to you on which skill(s) they have, depending on the character you're creating, but I would prefer that at least one of their skills corresponds with the culture they're coming from!

They're all a stocky, sturdily built bunch, though their actual sizes vary wildly. Builds will mostly sit in the Medium-Heavy range, as a good layer of muscle and fat over a sturdy frame is critical to surviving the kind of terrain they live in. Light builds will be uncommon, bordering on rare, so barring any really good justifications or well applied circumstances in their history, I'll probably not be accepting any light builds for a while.

Colour schemes vary as dramatically as among any other wolves, though natural hues and subtle unnatural markings are the most typical. Many of the wolves inhabiting these labyrinthine cave systems seem to be quite aptly named... resembling the stones or foliage they were named for.. how odd...

Mutations are not a rare sight, and often end up benefitting the whole community when they crop up! Bioluminescent fur? You're now a lantern in inclement weather, and likely an excellent guide as groups migrate between summer and winter sites! Big ole claws? Depending on the type, you're probably pretty good at skinning kills or digging stuff up! Go crazy, let your creativity take you wherever it wants to be!

Names:
The most common names are based around rocks and minerals, the most common resources that they make use of in their rugged territories. (here and here and here are a few resources for mineral and gem names, with pics!)
Another common theme is the flora and fauna of mountains, steppes, foothills, and related biomes that would be found near each clan's home base. They can vary based on the surrounding territories to each clan, feel free to get creative! Name a whole litter after the different kinds of lichen that grow on stones, or the different kinds of mustelids that range in the forests around the base of the mountain, go crazy go stupid!
There are a few large families that tend to maintain a name theme, but otherwise parents often name their kids based on the impression they get of the young potato's personality as it begins to toddle around the cave.

THE ADOPT!:
So, you've actually read through that wall of text, and now you're wondering; Virgil, who's up for grabs? Well, anyone!
Do you want to make the leader of a clan, and lay claim to some of the potential members that haven't been accepted yet? Go ham!
Do you want to establish a family within one of the clans, and give the opportunity for others to adopt into your little subgroup? Hell yeah, do it!

There's very few limits, and if you're unsure you can just DM me on Discord and ask, I'll gladly work it out with you!

I will likely be building up the culture and overall history over the coming months, so anyone who gets in on this adopt early will probably be roped into brainstorming and worldbuilding with me. Sorry in advance!

Designs:
I've added a few of my own little creations here, partly to give y'all an idea of what you can create, but also as an option for anyone who doesn't have one they like yet! More of them will trickle in as we go on, but feel free to bring your own to the table! I can't wait to see what y'all show up with!