The most common archetypes found in Tomarr are:
Caracals are hunters and keepers of the wild, trained to understand, follow, and maintain the natural cycles of the Steppe to ensure that their people can survive. They are the ones who cull the weak from the herds, who hunt down the rabid and cursed creatures who threaten the safety of the wildlands, and who perform rituals to ensure that the land remains bountiful. Whatever their profession, whether it be druid, gameskeeper, herb-gatherer, forester, or tracker, Caracals all hear the call of Druathos, and seek to hold to the Green God’s teachings on balance and sustainability. Though many of them are deadly with bow, spear, or spell, they tend not to think of themselves as any kind of fighters, focusing instead on their role helping to maintain the Great Balance, and resorting to bloodshed only when someone or something threatens the stability of the natural world their Kith and Clan depends upon.
The Eagles are often the first thing outsiders think of when they hear 'Tomarr,' lightly-armored warriors on horseback, armed with bow and sword and striking like lightning across the plains. Eagles will travel the width and breadth of the Steppe many times in their lifetimes to defend the land and the peoples within. They travel with Onagers to protect their merchant caravans, and every year they assist their Clan's Gazelles with moving their communities to more fertile grounds, to preserve the land and ensure a bountiful harvest. The Eagles are the beating heart of the Tomarran way of life, keeping the nomadic past of the Steppe alive with every stride of their horses.
The Gazelles are the working-class folk of the Kiths and Clans, the people who craft and do all of the thousand-and-one things that make life possible and comfortable on the Steppe. Whether dwelling in cities or roaming as part of an Onager caravan, they tend to be the most down-to-earth of all the Tomarrans, with a focus on what is and what’s practical rather than flights of fancy about what could be. Many dabble in magic to some extent, learning minor spells and rituals to aid them or their neighbors and how to weave magic into the things they craft. Gazelles have a strong but somewhat adversarial relationship with Onagers; a smart Onager knows to give the Gazelles they deal with a fair price, and a wise Gazelle knows not to short the Onagers passing through their community.
Leopards are often called the hearts of the Kith and Clan. They are the keepers of memory, the healers of the sick, and the teachers of children. They are tasked with keeping alive and true the memories and stories of the ancestors, holding the traditions of the past in themselves and passing them on to the next generation. Shrikes will come and sit at the knee of a Leopard to hear about the values laid down by the first Tomarrans, after the Godswar. Eagles and Vultures alike will seek them out to heal a grievous wound, trusting that the Leopard's skill will ensure they'll ride for years to come. Gazelles and Caracals leave their children under the tutelage of their Kith's Leopards while they go out to bring home food and herbs. An Onager traveling with a Leopard knows that the white-furred sage is their most important cargo, and many merchant caravans have been abandoned to ensure that an honored passenger arrives at their destination safely. As age sets in and winters become too harsh to bear, elderly Leopards are welcomed to the mountainous capital of Tomarr to be cared for and have their lives recorded; some have their stories written down, while others tell them to the Elder Wyrm herself to be remembered for millennia to come.
The boldly patterned wagons and cloaks of Tomarr's Onagers strike a strong contrast against the grasses of the Steppe. Often compared to little fleets of ships upon a green and golden sea, their roving communities keep the flow of goods and ideas moving on schedule through and between the Clans’ territories. When an Onager caravan passes through a village or city, the settled folk come out to trade and exchange news, turning the event into small festival. Onagers often travel in tandem with Eagles, and tend to have strong relationships with the Eagle Kiths of the lands they pass through frequently. All Onagers are followers of Tekatli, and many are mystics of Bakharos, using spell and ritual to bring prosperity to themselves and the communities they visit.
The Shrikes of Tomarr have a bloody reputation, one that’s quite well deserved. They are Mystics of Alethos, keepers of peace and tradition on the Steppe, and they pursue their calling by hunting down those who would harm Tomarrans or the Tomarran way of life and dispensing vicious punishments upon those who have done significant harm to either. They are often looked upon with suspicion and fear by outsiders, but Tomarrans understand the vital role that they play in the Balance of the Steppe. Shrikes take an oath to defend and preserve the nation's traditions, and are trained in the creed and ways of Alethos, both peaceful and violent. Some wander the trade roads of the Steppe, providing guidance to all who seek them out and keeping a watchful eye out for the stirrings of chaos and anarchy or excessive devotion to order. Others roam the Steppe, seeking to enact violent justice upon those who cannot be redirected from a course that would upset the Great Balance.
Vultures are the guardians and tale-spinners of Tomarran society. They are trained to always be on the lookout for threats, and have guarded the Skarthwall and Tomarr’s seaward borders since the fall of Koro Lazarenik and the end of the Clan Wars. Their ancestors failed in that duty once, and that failure allowed the Vauldan Empire to conquer half the Steppe. Ever since then, the Vultures have steadily worked to claw back every inch of their nation’s lost trust. They patrol the hills, mountains, and cliffs of the nation’s borders, their short legged mountain ponies scaling the steep slopes quickly and sure-footedly. The long stretches of inactivity on guard duty have given rise to a tradition of story-telling and song-smithing amongst them, which is accentuated by the steady exposure to foreign travelers and merchants. When Vultures journey back into the interior of the Steppe every few years, they are welcomed in and celebrated by communities for the new songs and stories that they’ve learned and crafted during their long years of guard duty.