The Bertammath: The Forgotten Race of Skyrim

The Bertammath kind are little known, and most believed they had gone extinct in the First Dragon War, after which rendered them nearly unknown. As such, the Bertammath are few in number, even for such a hardy species. It is thought that since they thrive the best in the coldest climates, nature's processes caused them to have a very low reproductive rate and live for nearly 300 years. Most, if not all, make their home clans in carved out glaciers and icy caverns of the northernmost border of Skyrim. Bertammaths commonly live in clans in the tundra where their diets mainly consists of arctic wildlife and hoarkers. They treat and herd hoarkers much like cattle, even fencing off sections of ocean for them in their pens; however, occasional vegetation and herbs are a delicacy. 

Standing 7' (2.13 m) tall and nearly entirely resistant to cold and ice thanks to their densely furred bodies, they have thick, strong bodies with a wide, heavy frame. They also have some mysterious, possibly magic-infused, traits that allow them a higher cold resistance and even a partial magic resistance; however, they are highly susceptible to fire and shock damage. Bertammaths have features similar to both bears and mammoths, have a heavy wolf-like tail, and their eye colors have a wide range from purple, blue, green, yellow, and brown. The fur pattern is mainly white with large grey markings that commonly covers half their bodies, varying from light grey to dark grey. Some Bertammaths even have a natural blue or purple hue to the darkest parts of their fur or hair, most commonly seen in subtle shades in the hair or males' beards. The hair on the heads and males' beards can be white, grey, black, and many have multicolored hair if the body patterns run over the skull. The Bertammath's hands and feet are thick, covered in fur with black or pink pads on their palms, soles, fingers, and toes, and tipped in bear-like claws. Standing on the balls of their feet, their stance is digitigrade, owing to their fast sprints and large leaps. 

The facial structure is very unique: long, pointed, furry ears with black fur tufts at the ends adorn the sides of the head; an elongated nose and jaw, with a black or pink bear-like nose tip, and jaw area gives the face a beast-like appearance; while they can speak normally, the sides of the mouth actually go back to the tusks on their cheekbones (most evident in females or beardless males), giving their fearsome roar a frightening appearance; the tusks grow from the cheekbones in both males and females, and the cheekbones are reinforced with thicker bone along the sides of the head up to where horns sprout from just behind the hairline. The tusks never cease growing in males and cease growing at around 60 years old (~20 human years) in females. In older aged male Bertammaths (~180 years old, or ~60 human years), if both are still intact, the tusks' points have either touched or began to cross each other's paths over the forehead; the tusks will never grow into the skull or ever touch it, but only around it, creating a natural protection with age. The patterns of the crossing are unique and often serve as a quick identification at a distance. The tusks can often result in blocking some frontal vision, causing the Bertammath to constantly need to turn his head to the side to see forward. Most Bertammath women, whose tusks are much thinner, have broken, worn, or severed tusks, either by their own doing or from harsh living. For males, the tusks are prized as a masculine feature, much like beards are for human men. Oftentimes, the tusks are sharpened on their outer edge, turning them into blades that cannot be easily worn down.

Like the tusks, both sexes have the cranial horns that are connected to the tusks with reinforced skull bone between them; however, unlike the tusks, the horns don't continue growing throughout the lifespan of the Bertammath and instead reach their final length at early adulthood. The horns are a much, much stronger material than the tusks or even the skull and rarely fracture. Like a seashell, they have a hollow center that funnels sound into another set of eardrums. While these second eardrums are less sensitive to physical sound but serve well for locating sounds behind the Bertammath, they are believed to be more associated with magic aura detection than actual sound waves. While the horns angle backwards, every individual's horns's curves are unique and can vary in color from grey-blue to grey-purple, or white, grey, or black. 

Thanks to their extreme cold resistance, the Bertammath only need to wear light body armor, although some may prefer full-body, heavy armors. They often paint their fur with dyes in Nordic-inspired designs, and their fur keeps it for some time. Influences of Nordic culture is present in their clans from being warrior-like, to their apparel and armor, to their sense of honor, but the origins of the culture remain mostly unknown; although some Bertammaths claim their Nordic-inspired culture is thanks to their original Atmoran roots when some sailed to Skyrim with Ysgramor.

In addition to their warrior-like culture, the Bertammath are generally very peaceful people and share a unique connection with nature. Giving to nature as much receiving from it, they also have traditions for celebrating the earth and snow, the sky, and the sea. They listen to nature's needs as much as nature answers theirs. They will uproot dead plants and in turn plant a seed for it, they will hunt wildlife only for necessity and balance of life, and they never make waste of anything if it can be used or reused. The Bertammaths strongly claim that all life is intelligent with a will and regard every living thing as such, including plant life, even to the point of believing weather may be alive in a similar way. They also claim it is this way of life that blessed them and let them prosper and be adored by an otherwise unforgiving land.