Chords of Thrir

Basics Appearances Common Culture History

Absciss-Bakru - Deciduous Marce-Bakru - Semi-deciduous Virens-Bakru - Evergreen

Bakru Basics

"The bakru is never afraid, because they are never alone."

Known For:

Bakru are friendly folk- to ones' face. They are known as hard workers, willing to help at a price. Known, also for their agriculture knowledge. Usually seen in pairs or with a family at a short distance.

Appearance

General:

Bakru tend to have red eyes, though their eyes may change to a more human-typical colour when they are on a job. The tallest of the Bakru are considered on the short-side of humans, generally 5'5 at the tallest, but more commonly 5'3 and below. Elder Bakru can show deeper signs of their ancestry, having plant fibre, wood grain, or a gnarl taking over their appearance.

They tend to dress in a manner that allows them to blend in with woodland or undergrowth. (Though there has always been exceptitions for those that choose a more urban life.)

[**Do not change entire skin colour, keep to a grain effects that match your own, please.**]

Minimum Makeup Requirement:

Red eyes (contacts or makeup around the eye area) and some kind of wood aspect.

Heritages:

• Absciss - The most common clans to find are those of the Absciss. They are everywhere and more often up for trade than the Virens.
• They dress with hints of colour for the warmer seasons and turn to browns and greys when winter hits.
• Tussah silk is used commonly in outfits as when spun into fabrics it takes on the appearance of wood and is good for all seasons.
• The Absciss often wear pieces with their types of leaves embroidered on it.
• Marce - Least commonly found, Marce have either grew up closer to a city or been forced to move to one. They are the most likely to be in large cities.
• Given their tendancy to be city dwellers, Marce dress more in the style of other city-dwellers and less the undergrowth of the woods.
• Marce clans often embroider a variety of flowers or fruits on their clothes, even as they dress to match city-folk.
• Virens - The more secretive clans of the Bakru. They are strict with their contracts and their business deals.
• Culturally, Viren clans prefer to wear darker colours.
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• Virens clans embroider hash marks and intricate triangles on their clothes.

Common Culture

Languages:

Common, Wit (Bakru Common), Lasiwit (Absciss), Libiwit (Virens), Alatuwit (Marce)

Solitary or Groups / Nomadic or Sedentary: Sedentary Groups.

The Bakru are very much about being in groups and staying in touch with family. They carry small wooden belt favors in the form of shields with their family crest on it to never be afraid as they are never alone. If a Bakru is in trouble they have easy access to call on others of their kind to aid them.
Group Names:

Typical Dwellings:

Bakru tend to gather their majority communities near streams, rivers, and canyons, making sure there is safety in having a single bridge in and out. There are also communities that took up residence in the ruins of castles or town of other Candences- usually signified by large, old trees in the center.

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Naming:

Bakru are very secretive about their names, it is not that the names are to be hidden at all costs but never to be spoken allowed. Their given names are commonly written missing vowels to make it hard for outsiders to speak them. Instead, they go by variations of their family names, which are types of trees. (ex. Ash -> Ashlin. Oak -> Oakley. Maple -> Mapler.)

Heraldry/Personal Marks:

It is uncommon for Bakru to use traditional Heraldry as seen amongst Humans, Alfar, and Dvergr. Instead, House marks are used in their stead.
Coats of arms consist of coloured fields whilst house marks consist of simple lines, suitable for carving. They are renditions of very simple runic-like letters and other graphic symbols which signify a specific person or family.
They may be passed down through generations with some changes from person to person. Often House Marks are used instead of a signature, to keep with Bakru practice of personal names being hidden.

Nobility Symbols:

Crowns of broccoli

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Most Common Clans in the Area:

Absciss:
Maple, Oak, Birch, Ninebark, Sweetspire, Teak
Marce:
Myrtle, Kumaru, Sallow
Virens:
Pine, Spruce, Balsam, Cedar, Holly, Yew

Common Professions:

Intensely group-oriented and connected, they commonly seek professions where they can use that.

Cultural Taboos:

Exterior Cultural Influences:

Killing a Bakru is said to bring extreme bad luck in the form of a curse.

Religion:

  Bakru prefer gods that emphasize Agriculture, Hard work, and Forests [including: Compavig, Rhytett, Meloär and Timbal]. These are all depicted as [] by their Bakru worshipers.
Holidays:
• DATE | NAME.
descrip
• DATE | NAME.
descrip

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Underground:

Bakru have some of the most deadly assassin clans in all of Thrir. When intiated into the clan they change their surnames to that of the most poisonous trees on the planet. [This is heavily restricted and must be approved by Story]

Origin Folklore/ Major Historical Events

  The first Bakru are said to have been given life by Meloär and Timbal, who heard the wind moving through the trees and the trees whispering back their secrets. Wanting to know more, they took their seeds and shaped them into the Bakru. It is why every family name is the name of a tree or shrub.

Important Figures: Names, what they did

  Not very long ago, Dryads looked to keep Bakru as their personal servants to do their bidding and protect the trees they lived in and were connected to from being torn down by other species. Bakru were better at finding loopholes and making verbal contracts than even Fae (though the Fae's penchant for it is more widely spread.) So, while the Drayds managed to capture some Bakru, the Bakru managed to make sure the Dryads knew the work was not free.
 This lead to several forests being off-limits to anyone and everyone (even fellow Dryads) until demands were seen to. The unrest lasted two Bakru generations when treaties were made. To this day Dryads are very, very cautious when working with Bakru or anyone in connection with them.

  Based on a combination of the name-sake Bakru (Bakroe/Baccoo) from the folklore of Surinam and the ideas of halfling/hobbits in modern media.