Look and Feel - The Wildlings

The Wildlings are fiercely independent people who are deeply connected to the land. Scattered across the vast, untamed territories of Ayrillia, they live in tightly knit clans that honour nature and specifically balance. They reject the rigid hierarchies of the Courts, instead embracing freedom and community. They are mainly defined by their connection to Verdessa, the Great Green Mother, who they believe breathed life into the world.

The Wildlings have a matriarchal structure. Each clan, and therefore each crucial political decision, is headed by a ‘Daughter of Green’. This is a priestess who has dedicated themselves to The Green Mother. The Daughters also protect the way of life for Wildlings, which is centred on maintaining balance. They focus on all aspects of balance: Life and death, growth and decay, creation and destruction. They believe those who disturb the balance of the earth are reborn as wild wraiths.

Wildlings live in canvas tents and constructed yurts. Often, clans will move around within their territory, but some more significant territories have permanent settlements. In these settlements some tents become shops, community halls, and sprawling residential areas. The most prominent example of a settlement is Vulpine Grove, which serves as the heart of Wildling culture.

All Wildlings live communally. Sharing resources, raising children collectively, and valuing cooperation over personal ambitions. Excessive wealth is seen as ‘hoarding’ and is frowned upon by society. They do not have nobility or monarchy, and The Daughters are seen as guides and voices of the clan rather than as a separate class.

Wildlings dress in earth-toned brown and green leathers, cotton, and wool. Their outfits are adorned with beads, feathers, furs, and handwoven embroidery. Both men and women wear their hair in intricate braids, often woven with tokens of protection or luck. Face and body paint, most commonly in shades of green and brown, mark their connection to the power of the earth.

The Wildlings have long resisted the influence of the Courts, refusing to bow to Crystillia’s laws or pay fealty to the King. Wildlings trade with the Courts, but this is the extent of their relationship. The borders between them are closed. Many Wildlings see the Courts as corrupt, oppressive, and blind to the natural order. The Courts view the Wildlings as unruly, superstitious, and needing governance.

Their relationship with the Blightlands is more complex. They deeply respect the Blightlanders’ resilience and resistance to The Courts but also fear their fire-worship and history of conquest. The borders, unknown to the Courts, are open between the two, though people rarely cross the border.