Navarr
“Actions have consequences.”
Self-appointed guardians of the realm, the Navarri roam the Empire keeping a careful watch over the wild places of the Empire, treading dangerous paths in their constant guard against the malevolent entities that lurk in the hearts of the Imperial forests.
They migrate along ancient routes called Trods bringing information and vital supplies to isolated settlements across the land.
For those who dwell in inhospitable places, the Navarri may be the only Imperial contact they have. The Navarri are the blood that runs through the Empire’s veins.
The Navarri display their feral heritage in battle. Warriors explode from ambush, slaughtering invaders with barbed spears dipped in poison. Navarri mages fuel magic with the primal power of blood. But in peace they are a generous people, noted for their festivities and celebrations to which all are welcome.
Throughout the Empire travellers may stumble across Navarri settlements known as Steadings, which offer welcome shelter and respite – although the Navarri do not suffer fools gladly, and it’s wise to listen to their advice.
The great forests of the Empire are deadly; parents still frighten their children with macabre stories of the things that linger in their dark hearts. This is where the Navarri walk, their travels take them across every Nation of the Empire, and sometimes outside its borders.
The Navarri consider themselves crucial to the survival of the Empire. They don’t protect the forest from you – they protect you from the forest.
- The Navarri bind the Empire. The Navarri migrations carry information, goods and people to many isolated Imperial settlements.
- What news from the North? Because they spend their lives travelling, the Navarri are message-carriers and information gatherers. They have a firm grasp on what is happening in the lands of the Empire and beyond.
- Find your place. The Navarri firmly believe that each person should do the best job that they can to further the Empire’s aims. If someone is in the wrong profession, or even the wrong Nation, the Navarri will guide them to find their true place and fulfil their potential.
- Go cautiously in dark places. Navarri Steadings offer sanctuary from the darkness. But danger is always present and the Navarri will do everything necessary to stop anyone drawing its attention.
- Survival is change. The Navarri lifestyle is one of constant change as they travel the Empire and beyond, and they adapt accordingly.
- They are not tree-huggers, hippies, animists or nature worshippers. The Navarri are wary of angering the dark things in the forest’s heart, but that is a matter of self-preservation and the preservation of Empire, not a matter of saving the trees. Wood is wood, and is very useful – but be careful where you cut it from. The Navarri know there are spirits out there in the trees, but they absolutely don't worship them. They take a dim view of those of other nations who adopt a romantic 'back to nature' view of the world.
- They are not vagrants or outcasts. Despite the transitory nature of their existence, the Navarri are a key part of the Empire and play a full part in it. Their arrival in another nation's settlement is often cause for a celebration.
- They are not Celts. Their culture bears a resemblance in some respects, but there are no triple goddesses, no Wild Hunt, no wholesale-lifted Celtic myth. The Navarri have their own stories.
- They are not uncivilised. They may not possess all the trappings of civilisation now, but they once did, and they helped form the Empire and will willingly give their lives for it. They are happy to use any practical innovation of the Empire, so long as they can travel with it. Their somewhat brutal practicality may shock members of other nations, but it's born out of necessity, not ignorance.
