From the world of Marble Gate Dungeon, my web comic.

marblegate.webcomic.ws/

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Lore:

The Skullcracker tribe is the most powerful barbarian kingdoms in the Unbroken Wilds. Originally a small but violent tribe of hunters and raiders, the Skullcrackers in the last century have become a powerful kingdom with many towns and villages contained within its borders.

The Skullcrackers are ruled by a clan who bear the namesake of the kingdom. The Skullcracker clan, who serve as a sort of nobility to the kingdom, are devout worshipers of their ancient gods of war. They believe their gods attention can only be courted through feats of strength and displays of power. Every member of the clan is a warrior, or a retired warrior.

Skullcrackers are not allowed to take on mates, have children or become part of the "inner circle" of adults in their clan until they prove themselves a warrior in the eyes of the elders. This either means serving as a warrior until their 21st year, or by being promoted early through some feat of greatness that impressed the elder council or the king. Skullcracker youths are desperate to prove themselves to the elders and the gods, and will do anything to gain their attention. They dress in extravagantly brutal attire, push their bodies to physical extremes, and perform suicidal acts of violence in both training and in battle. Once their period of youth is over and they are accepted into the inner circle as adults, some will take on other jobs in the kingdom and serve the clan, but at least half will continue on in their paths as professional warriors. As adults, they will also be given the right to mate and bear children, and will no longer be socially expected to cover their physique. They are welcome to embrace the beauty standards of the Skullcracker culture; that of a body that has achieved physical perfection.

Because Skullcracker culture respects strength above all else, there is nearly no tolerance for weakness within it. Babies born into the clan with disabilities or severe deformities are swiftly killed and fed to their war beasts to give these animals a taste for human blood. A youth who is crippled before they have a chance to reach the inner circle is usually doomed to never enter it, and will often choose death rather than continue their existence as a failed warrior. Elders who no longer can serve the clan with their bodies or their minds are traditionally sacrificed by the priests to the gods of war; a sacrifice these elders make willingly so as not to bring the shame of uselessness on themselves or their families.

Though most of this culture of brutality is heaped upon the shoulders of the men, Skullcracker women are not exempt. As youths, female Skullcrackers assist the warrior youths in helping make and maintain their equipment, serving as aids, hunters, and camp guards when on the warpath, and the particularly strong women will join the warriors themselves.

Pictured above are two adult female warriors who have passed their youthful rights of passage and continued on as professional warriors of the inner circle.