The folks of The Middle have many traditions and follow them like it’s their personal guide to life - despite their culture not being the first, for their gods were born later - they are almost fanatical protectors of their own.
Matriarch
The packs of The Middle follow a matriarchal system - the oldest or strongest female is always in charge, with her husband or wife as her second in command. There are no recorded occasions where a male has ever led a pack.
Superstitions
A pup with a white coat is a pup doomed from birth, for it is thought that Bayaga’s soul has taken over. Most white pups are left to fend for their own, often resulting in their death.
Godly omens are always a bad sign - it is rare for gods to meddle with the lives of mortals and it has never been for a good reason.
To kill a snake is seen as a prayer sent for an early death. Even the venomous ones must be left alone.
It is a great honour and responsibility to own an Yutrobog’s Hare - not many are allowed to, as it is believed that the hares are a direct connection to Yutrobog. Owning one is reserved mostly for the Matriarch of the family.
If a wolf sees a white poppy growing in the wild, it is a sign that Belobog is watching over them and that they are favoured by the sun god. However, if the poppy is picked or damaged in any way, it is believed to bring bad luck and misfortune to the individual and their family.
Residents have a specific belief that white animals are messengers of death - sometimes believed to be death themselves. They are likely to avoid or even chase away creatures that lack pigmentation - but never willing to kill it. Wonder what caused this belief?
It’s tradition to leave the bodies of their dead in the cursed forest as an offering to ease the beasts. It’s common that a ball of snake skin is put in their mouth, as a symbol that the god of Death has finally silenced them and eased their soul.
Legends
Bayaga is the first leader of the pack which now belongs to the family of Bilel, located in the cold desert of The Middle. The white-faced tyrant was banished from the lands after her packmates discovered that their leader is a sorceress who dabbles in dark khana. She is now rumoured to hide in the woods of the pure middle, plotting her return. Now, she is believed to lure young men into the cursed forests of The Middle by using the voice of their lovers. Once she lures them, she either eats them alive or turns them into osobnyaks. Most of the residents of The Middle refuse to believe that she is still alive - mothers use her to scare their children before bedtime, bachelors use her to scare the married folk.
Uruk’khal is a famous warlord of the early ages from between 52 a.C. to 99 a.C., known to also be a godhead, owner of the Crown of War. Few remember the terror of Uruk’khal - said to be built like a bear, with claws like a harpy and a drive like a wolf’s, the warlord was an enemy of all of Nova Cael. No one knew where he came from - only that he wished to rule the lands under promises of pain and torture for all that opposed him. His reign of terror came to an end shortly after he decimated half of Nova Cael’s population - a young fellow whose name remains unknown to this day beheaded the warlord with a well-aimed arrow shot. After the battle, the god of war Perun came down from the skies to take back his Crown of War, along with the head that recently wore it. The remains of Uruk’khal’s head are now in Perun’s shrine.
Janusii is a legendary thief and raider of The South, deemed to be blessed by the gods themselves due to his extreme luck and evasiveness. The reason for his fame are rumours that at the height of his career, he put to sleep all the beasts of the southern land with his sweet talking and stole their possessions right under their resting heads. But even then, no one really knows what Janusii has done - some say that he had dared to steal from the gods once. None have even caught a glimpse of the mysterious thief - some say he is six feet tall, with legs like a spider and as quiet as a cat’s footsteps, others say that he is a small creature of the night that comes and goes. Mystery surrounds this thief but despite being so elusive, Janusii has cults following his ideology in The South - all aspiring thieves who want to be the next legendary raider.