Hello everybody Jorphdan here the PH is silent!
On this channel we talk about all things Dungeons & Dragons lore and today we’re going to
discuss the Uthgardt Barbarians of the Forgotten Realms.
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and explore planescape, eberron, or the forgotten realms!
The Uthgardt tribe is in the northern reaches of Faerun and is a region known as the Savage
Frontier.
Tribes of humans live here, they are a strong hearty folk with black hair and blue eyes.
Their heritage is a mixture of the Netherese and the various human tribes of the north,
some of which were fairly savage.
Uthgardt should not be confused with the Reghedmen Barbarians, who live in the north of Icewind
Dale and the Sea of Moving Ice.
Presently the people known as the “Uthgardt” are divided up into various tribes.
Named after their hero turned deity Uthgar who conquered the beasts of the wilderness.
Some tribes have vanished but sometimes reappear later.
Currently we have the following: Black Lion, Black Raven, Blue Bear, Elk, Gray Wolf, Great
Worm, Griffon, Red Tiger, Sky Pony, Thunderbeast, and Tree Ghost.
Much of their land is untamed, hence the name Savage Frontier.
Some of the tribes have learned agriculture but mainly they are hunters, and the occasional
raid on villages or traveling caravans.
These people are nomadic, and most tribes wander the land in small clans or family groups.
There are a few that have embraced living in one location, but not many.
They can trade, but really they just take.
Pillaging caravans and smaller villages.
A bloodthirsty people they speak a unique language known as Bothii, which has no alphabet.
The tribes are led by a chieftain and tribal shaman.
Although the tribal shaman is respected, all Uthgardt have a paranoia of magic.
The belief is the tribal shaman gets their magic from the spirits of the tribe’s dead
ancestors.
This is more understandable and respected than traditional arcane paths.
The Uthgardt are a very superstitious people with their philosophy and religion revolving
around plundering and war.
The heart of the Uthgardt tribe is their patron Uthgar Gardolfsson.
Born to Gardolf Beorunna, Uthgar was very cruel and malicious.
I couldn’t specifically find out where Uthgar was originally from, but I’m assuming the
Icepeak, which is an island off the coast of Icewind Dale, The Spine of the World, and
Luskan.
Once he came of age Uthgar rallied a great number of followers, and amassed a fleet of
ships.
He took a victory at Bjorn’s Hold on the Icepeak and used his forces to assault the
“Great Island” which was Faerun proper.
He traveled to Illusk (which is ancient Luskan) and killed the leaders of the magocracy there.
Uthgar and his tribe were expecting to be liberators, freeing the people from the evil
mages; but that was not the case.
The people of Illusk retaliated, burning their ships and driving them further east into Faerun.
The people of Illusk hoped these “barbarians” would die in the Savage Frontier and they
would be done with them.
However Uthgar and his followers survived by hunting, and raiding towns across the North.
With each raid he would gain men and women who were impressed with his fighting power.
The villages that swore fealty to him became under his protection.
Kind of like a mafia protection, he would raid these villages of necessary goods but
in return protected them from orcs and other monsters.
A slew of orcs attacked from the Spine of the World around 123 DR.
Uthgar and his people were there to meet them.
He battled a giant named Gurt, who was the giant leader of this assault on the “civilized”
races.
Although Uthgar won, his wounds were critical and he sadly died.
His followers mourned their loss by burying him with all his belongings at the site of
his death; which later became known as Morgur’s Mound.
It says that Morgur is Uthgar’s brother, which is weird to name the site after his
brother…
Although the name of the site is on the wiki I want to note that it wasn’t mentioned
in the Guide to the Savage Frontier.
Basically I'm not 100% sure on this one.
Because of no written history, these stories are passed down to the younger generation.
Perhaps things go missing sometimes.
His body was buried with seven other warriors; brave souls who died with him in battle.
The nearby ground was piled high and a large stone placed on top.
The tribal shaman consecrated the ground and this became the first ancestral burial mound.
A burial practice that the Uthgardt follow to this day.
It was at this time Uthgar’s followers became the Uthgardt, in his honor.
The god Tempus was so taken with Uthgar and his fight that he was sponsored to divinity.
Uthgar became a demigod and is worshiped by many of the Uthgardt people.
Although some other deities have attempted to steal away his faithful, such as Malar
and Auril; both of whom Uthgar hates.
Each tribe of the Uthgardt has an Ancestral mound, and most stay within a weeks travel
of this site.
Specifically Morgur’s Mound was the ancestral mound of the Thunderbeast tribe.
Which a Thunderbeast is a dinosaur that perhaps roamed the Savage Frontier many many years
ago.
Atop of this mound is a skeleton of an apatosaurus; which the Thunderbeast Shamans animate when
the tribe is in great need.
By the current timeline the tribes have carved out and secured the regions that they hunt
in.
The tribes do fight with one another, but nobody is out to conquer the other.
Some tribes like the Gray Wolf Tribe have lycanthropy and roam in packs with ordinary
wolves.
The Uthgardt detest orcs and the two races fight whenever they see one another.
If you want to play a Uthgardt barbarian in the Forgotten Realms there are resources but
nothing that is class specific.
Meaning there isn’t really a Uthgardt Barbarian subclass.
You can take the Uthgardt Tribe Member background which is from Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide,
and that resource also recommends Path of the Totem Warrior.
This is because this sub class of barbarian is all about spirit animals, and a connection
with nature.
The various Totem’s you can choose should reflect your tribe.
There isn’t a Lion totem, but the Tiger can be flavored for someone from the Black
Lion Tribe or Eagle for Black Raven Tribe.
Also with Shamman’s in the mix of these tribes you could multiclass into cleric.
Nature Domain, Tempest Domain, or the War Domain would all work!
I think a Uthgardt barbarian/cleric could be a lot of fun.
Thanks so much for watching everyone.
If you enjoyed this video please subscribe, give it a like, and share it with your gaming
group.
I’ve linked some resources in the description.
If you want more information on the various tribes and their totem animals check out the
Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, or the 2nd edition supplement “The North: Guide to
the Savage Frontier.”
Thanks again and I’ll see you all in the next video.