Editing Ursoi (section)

==3e Fluff==
{{NotFunny Sourcebook}}
Ursoi look like intelligent, bipedal polar bears. They wear some clothing and use tools, and they have thick, clawed fingers instead of paws. Ursoi fur is striped in places, usually in patterns along the sides of their heads, distinguishing them from one another. An ursoi male can reach a height of ten feet and weigh well over 800 pounds; females are only slightly smaller. Though they can understand the various humanoid languages of Krynn, their vocal chords are unable to form them, and so they rely on a combination of their own language of bear noises, body language, and sign language to communicate both with each other and with other races. Ursoi names are bold, gutteral, and almost impossible to pronounce unless you’re an ursoi. Ursoi who become adventurers usually gain nicknames based on their deeds or else allow non-ursoi to make their best attempt at their ursoi name: Axethrower, Farseeker, Hillclimber, Manhunter, Tuskslayer, and Wyrmkiller are common male ursoi names, while females go by less aggressive names such as Clanmother, Deersinger, Iceprayer, Nightwisher, and Truthspeaker. Quite often, they take on Icefolk names as their human name, and rely on their non-ursoi traveling companions to announce them. These adopted names include Gunnar, Helgard, Lars, Reigvasser, Tornassuk, and Volker.

Ursoi have strong, unshakeable beliefs in the importance of nature, clan loyalty, and justice. Individual ursoi place a great emphasis on personal honor and repaying debts owed to others, and some ursoi have been known to serve as bodyguards and protectors to non-ursoi to whom they owe their lives. Ursoi command respect, and they give it to those worthy of it. They have no special intolerance to other races, but form quick impressions of individuals based on their actions. An ursoi’s word is his bond, and this more than any other character trait is key to understanding their personalities.

Although their size and natural weapons seem fearsome, ursoi are not violent by nature. Most are in fact gentle and considerate outside of a fight. Ursoi are ferocious in battle, but do not enter into it lightly. They are not berserkers, and know when and where to choose their fights. Because they are equally dangerous armed or unarmed, an ursoi will not hesitate to use whatever means is necessary to engage an enemy, whether that be with a pick or with its claws and bite. An ursoi will, unless told not to, keep the bodies of those foes it has slain as food for later. This is a behavior that is often curtailed once the ursoi realizes his companions are horrified by it.

The ursoi organize themselves into nomadic clans, which follow sources of food throughout the cycle of the year. Ursoi young are raised by the community of females, while the males hunt and defend the clan.

Ursoi settlements are temporary, as the clans are nomadic and rarely stay in one place for longer than a month or two. Favored sites for ursoi camps include ice caverns, ravines, openings in the side of Icewall Glacier, and other locations that combine shelter with adequate cover against potential threats. The ursoi do not hibernate, the way bears do, but they have been known to settle in for weeks at a time in the coldest months of the year, sending hunting parties out to attain food.

Clans are led by chieftains who are in turn supported by sub-chieftains. Clan chieftains come together regularly to share information, discuss the fate of the ursoi, and plan for war. Chieftains pass their title and position to their nephews or cousins, never to their sons; this has avoided the problem of rigid patriarchy and nepotism. These heirs are usually named as sub-chieftains ahead of time, giving them time to learn the art of leadership. Marriages between families are arranged by chieftains in order to secure enough relatives that a successor may always be found. Because the ursoi are fiercely honorable and loyal to the clan, internecine strife is almost unheard of, and a chieftain remains in his position until he dies or abdicates.

Ursoi revere Chislev, whom they call the Great White Mother, and to a lesser extent Kiri-Jolith and Sargonnas, who are known as the Brothers of the Hunt. During the early Age of Mortals, some tribal shamans developed mysticism, but almost all have turned back to Chislev in the wake of the War of Souls and the return of the gods.

Ursoi do not hold the dead sacred. They believe that once the soul has departed, the body is no longer the person who inhabited it. Due to the scarcity of resources, therefore, ursoi do not bury their dead—they eat them. The same is true for those the ursoi kill in battle. This has given rise to a marked hostility from other races, especially the thanoi, who are furious at the ursoi’s practices. The ursoi, on the other hand, consider it the highest sign of respect for one’s kin and foe to leave their bodies behind as resources.

Although ursoi are very clan-dependent and do not like to leave their families, some go out into the world to seek adventure. For the majority of these bearfolk, they owe somebody or something a debt of honor. Someone may have saved their lives, or the lives of their kindred, and this can result in the ursoi swearing an oathbond for a year or more. Oathbound ursoi can also come about as a result of swearing vengeance against an enemy or promising to recover a lost family member or heirloom. Those ursoi who leave the clan because of an oath are not looked upon by their clan as deserters, rogues, or unfaithful individuals. Indeed, an ursoi is told as a cub to hold fast to a promise and to seek out something greater than himself.