Race Overview: Ursaren

This page is meant to be a guide for the people who wish to know more about the Ursaren in the tale this wiki is dedicated to. Should someone also wish to roleplay one, in whatever enviornment, these guidelines should be followed.

An important thing to note is that the Ursaren i've created here are very similar to the Kodan from GW2, but are also very different. While Panda variants of this race do exist, they are nothing like the sickeningly adorable pandas in WoW. A creature that is defined as an Ursaren has two arms, two legs, stands upright, and looks like a bear. The Ursaren can look like every species of bear, from Grizzly to Panda.



Ursaren of Ursaria:
The Ursaren are one of the most intelligent races in the world, however, many of them are too busy squabbling over their internal tribal politics to be concerned with the outside world. Their race descended from the north lands over ten thousand years ago, and when they left, they built an enormous stone wall from one edge of their peninsula to the other, to keep the horrors of the north from following them. It is the duty of the Great Tribe in power to look after and maintain this wall with supplies, reinforcements, and other useful things. In total, there are five Great Tribes of Ursaren: The Polarians, The Kodians, The Tremarians, The Pandorians, and The Grizzlies. Each tribe is drastically different from the other, and this has led to stagnation of the race, and a failure to advance in any direction. Currently, the Grizzly tribe leads their race from their capital of Ursaro, the only city of theirs to have stone walls protecting it. Unfortunately, the current chief is on his death bed, and although his body has yet to cool, the other tribes are already looking for a way to take the mantle of leadership from the grizzlies.

Naming Traditions: Think of simple viking names, preferrably short, easy to pronounce ones when trying to name an Ursaren. Naming traditions are the only thing the tribes have in common.

Age: Though it varies from tribe to tribe, most Ursaren can live for one hundred and fifty years before retiring from whatever job they are assigned.

Other Races: The Ursaren are very xenophobic, as they believe they are the only race left in the world. They have not bothered trying to cross the great salt waters, because those who do try never return. It is not uncommon for Ursaren traitors to be shipped out to sea on a raft with no food or supplies. This is the punishment for any traitor. If they can survive and return to the tribes, they will be pardoned by the current Great Chief, however, no traitor has ever been able to do this. Most traitors opt for being hanged instead of being sent out to sea to die alone.

Race Religion: The Ursaren believe they once had a great civilization in the far north, and that one day, it was destroyed by a force so terribly evil, their ancestors ran at the mere sight of it. They believe the northern wastes were once a easy place to live in, despite the cold, and that they were turned into an inhospitable wasteland by the unnamed evil. They worship the Great Mother, Ursa, as their race's spiritual leader, and each tribe believes she resembles their particular tribe. This has led to some hostilities when the tribes gather together.

Magical Proficiency: The Ursaren do have magics users, specifically shaman, who commune with both nature, and the spirits. They don't have many magic users however, and the need to have one shaman for each element has led to overpopulation in the past. Each shaman is able to commune with and control his or her specified element, and can commune with the spirit that controls it. The most revered of these shaman are water shaman, because water means life for the tribe. A tribe without a water shaman is considered weak.

Other things to note: Ursaren are seven to eight feet tall, and are incredibally powerful in melee combat. They do not use ranged weapons, for they believe them to be cowardly. The ideal Ursaren warrior charges his opponent head on, and defeats them with physical strength alone. Very rarely do the warriors use their cunning to win, however, those who do are often regarded as the strongest of their race, and usually become chieftans.