Hey there! I know everyone does not follow the Discord so they may miss things from time to time. So I wanted to share something I think the forum would really be glad to not miss!(Serpentius has added them to the SoulChamber as well)

Below you can read what Caspian just took the time to post in Discord, it is really informative information on all the starting tribes, what to expect playing them, how they act, and what their single word definition would be!

Brudvir: Isolated, Solitary, Close-knit.

The Brudvir are almost always the furthest northern tribe, and lack any interaction with the outside world aside from the Hrothi and sometimes the Neran. Play the Brudvir if you're looking to master your skills in solitude or with a close-knit group of friends. Do not play the Brudvir if you're looking to create a massive settlement with hundreds or thousands of other people.

Of course, they can learn to be good at sea or ocean travel, and have the lumber and means to do so. So they're also a great skirmisher clan, both on land and at sea. If you don't mind going south into the cool temperate biomes, they also make great bounty hunters.

Dras: Acceptance and Beauty.

The Dras are perhaps the most miss-represented of the tribes. On the outside they are often seen as ghoulish, ugly, and emaciated. Even the "healthier" of them pale in comparison to the Neran or To'resk in beauty. But, the Dras are all about finding the beauty in non-visual things. They find beauty in song, simplicity, effort, bravery, and perseverance.

The Dras are the epitome of the idea that when the world gives you lemons, make lemonade. In spite of their persecution, and being outcast, they insist on finding the silver lining in all things. They understand the nature of the world better than anyone. They do not feel cheated by their circumstances, but view each challenge or difficult as something to be overcome.

While external beauty is not something they aim for, and as such they often use substitute materials than what might be used by the other tribes, they are still more than capable of creating beautiful tools and fine arts.

Because of their past experiences with the To'resk and Janoa, they are among the best at reading people. They are often called upon by the other tribes to serve as adjudicators, counselors, and trusted advisors. They are wise, calm, collected, and typically not prone to hot tempers.

Play the Dras if you value "alternate forms of beauty", "roleplay," and overcoming adversity." Play the Dras if you want to favor intellectual and a touch of social pursuits over the martial. Do not play the Dras if you're looking for skirmishers or heavy martial tribes.

Hrothi: Purpose and Discipline

The Hrothi are an organized clan with an inherent caste and social hierarchy. They value age, wisdom, and the beauty of the eternal. Play the Hrothi if you want to play with a group of organized people who have a very focused, driven purpose. The Hrothi take their role as Shield of Virtue seriously, if they don't entirely know why, so also play Hrothi if you enjoy RP'ing a decent amount. Above all though, the Hrothi are a defensive, stalwart tribe. So if you want to play a defensive, stable, solid tribe, that tends to keep to their own but feels they have a purpose, go for it.

Unlike the Brudvir, they make terrible skirmishers. They are great front-liners, but you'll always hear a Hrothi coming. If you want pitched battles, digging, tunnels, libraries, and hoarding - everything, knowledge, wealth, influence, religious relics, etc. The Hrothi are a great tribe.

The single-word definitions for Hrothi though: Purpose and Discipline

Janoa: Bravery and Strength.

The Janoa value the hunt and physical prowess over all things. They seek only to evolve into the best martial versions of themselves. Seeking to attain enlightenment through combat, none of the tribes are as dangerous in one-on-one combat as the Janoa. But the Janoa also value tradition, ceremony, and status within their tribe. Often going to dangerous lengths to increase their position in the tribe. On the flipside, while they value tradition, ceremony, and strength, they have very little positive to say about the other aspects of a person's life, and while the Dras are perhaps the most accepting of others, the Janoa are the least. Put simply, personal goals, strength, and ambition is of the highest importance.

Play the Janoa if you want to play a strong and fast tribe. Play the Janoa if you want to be a hired milita, bounty hunter, or other skilled champion. Play the Janoa if you want to pay a tribe keen on conquering and expansion through military conflict. Do not play the Janoa if you want to play a strong social or intellectual tribe. Also do not play the Janoa if you want to interact with a large number of other players or cultures. Like the Brudvir in the north, they are the furthest south and typically will only see players of the To'resk, Dras, or Janoan tribes.

Kypiq: Inventive.

They say necessity is the mother of invention. Nothing is more true than with the Kypiq. Their diminutive size makes them easy targets for most other tribes and animals while on the ground. So the Kypiq will typically stick to the trees as much as possible when in their own biomes. At the same time, they use inventions as a way to offset their disadvantages. If man evolved because of our use of tools, then arguably the Kypiq are the most evolved of all of mann-kind.

At the same time, when they are on the ground they rely on stealth, subterfuge, and trickery to make themselves seem more dangerous or less obvious. Both approaches work.

In terms of play, the Kypiq face many obstacles as a tribe, which typically brings the tribe together as one. The kypiq are likely to attract a warmer, friendly group of players due to the inherent challenges they face. I expect a good deal of roleplay as well to offset the inherent stress and anxiety that comes from being such easy targets. So play the kypiq if you want to have fun, tinker, and hang out in the trees. Do not play the Kypiq if you're looking to conquer, expand, or dominate martially.

Neran: Diversity.

The Neran are the most adaptive, which allows them to exist in virtually all temperature regions. They span from the Lower Montane Forest in the sub-arctic, cool temperate, all the way to the Grasslands and Shrublands in the sub-tropical. They are the jack of all trades and the masters of none. Play the Neran if you want mounted combat, animal taming and breeding, and focus on a broad set of crafting and other skills. They are the Riders of Rohan and the Dunedain.

Because of their jack-of-all trade nature, they are attractive to less hardcore players, and will thus likely have less RP'ers. If you enjoy a custom meta, play the Neran. But do not play the Neran if you're looking for the same deep, meaningful story integration, and strong tribal culture that exists within the other tribes. Their adaptive nature means that the Neran have no real identity of their own to speak of.

The Waerd: Community and obligation.

The Waerd value their community in a way none of the other tribes do. The Waerd see their strength as an open collective, relying on everyone to make their society better. They work toward their utopia, while at the same time trying to do the Will of the Queen.

From a gameplay standpoint, the Waerd are skillful in many things, both intellectual as well as martial, and are great information gatherers. In their own biomes they fill virtually every role, while out in the other biomes they act as craftspeople on loan, information brokers, spies, and even assassins. Their major weakness is that they are hampered on the battlefield. The mechanics typically associated with pitched battles and group combat doesn't work on a battlefield for the Waerd. As a result, they are both less effective on a battlefield, and also in greater danger than the other tribes.

Play Waerd if you want to build a community utopia, and work together with other players towards and idealist community. Play Waerd if you want to be an assassin, merchant, information broker, spy, etc.

Do not play Waerd if you are a solo player, prefer to just quest all day, and are looking for pitched battles.

To'resk: Society, Courtliness, and Comfort.

The To'resk are the "Nerans of the south," however their different religion and role in the Godswars have put them down a different path. They interact with and act as traders, brokers, and merchants with all of the southern tribes, as well as several of the northern tribes. They are among the most skillful in social skills and value wealth and mercantilism. Because trading and deals are so much a part of their culture, they value honesty and integrity perhaps more than other tribe. As a result, they both deal harshly with criminals, and have also become the masters of telling the truth without telling the whole truth.

But that is not all there is to the To'resk. Like the Neran, they have many skills, but unlike the Neran, the To'resk have a more divided society. At one end are the aristocrats and courtiers, while on the other end there's the rice farmers, fishers, and sailors. But this division of culture also provides some of the best opportunity to rise up through the ranks.

Play the To'resk if you want to be heavily involved in the Dance of Dynasties, want to rise up through the ranks to build a noble house, or want to play a sailor, merchant, or trader.

Do not play the To'resk if you want be a strong martial or military society, as the To'resk value the pen over the sword.

Closing Remarks

Ok folks. Time for me to jump offline. Do keep in mind, these were not prepared ahead of time. They are also my personal feelings about the tribes, and not any official write-up. Each of the designers may have slightly different things to say about the tribes, as we all view them through our own lenses and biases.

From my perspective, I truly enjoy all the tribes. There's not a single one I wouldn't play in order to take advantage of one play style or personality or another.

If I wanted a combat-based character, I'd likely play Brudvir, Neran, or Janoa. Perhaps a mix. If I wanted to play a diplomatic character, I'd play a Waerd or Dras, depending on what I wanted to gain from that diplomacy. If I wanted to play a character pursuing wealth and mercantilism, a silk trader, etc. I'd play the To'resk. And if I just wanted to either tinker, play a character to socialize with my friends or to be a "burglar", I'd play Kypiq.If I wanted to play a tribe that was organized, had purpose, and enjoyed gaining knowledge - or one that was tightly integrated into the early part of the 10-year story, I'd play Hrothi.

(Let's be clear - I didn't say the Hrothi cause, kickstart, or are in any way responsible for the 10-year story starting. I said the Hrothi are tightly integrated into the early part. No doubt due to their roles as the Shield of Virtue.)

End of Information

I thought all this information was highly informative and it was certainly something to share with people if they having trouble picking out a tribe to play. Hope it was informative for y'all!