Fates Entwined (A TodoBaku ff) ✔

IV

Midoriya took this chance to explain to Shoto about the different tribes and how they all worked under the King's rule. By the way he talked, you could tell Midoriya was proud of his home and people. The Tribe lands were unlike any place Shoto had ever seen before, not that he had seen many however. The drawings in the books in the library, the descriptions of the soldiers discussing their travels through the outskirts of the forest as they went on excursions for his father, none of it could capture how truly captivating it was.

The Edalian forests were home to the five Barbarian tribes, each with their own unique traditions and lifestyles; yet, they were all united under their king Bakugou Katsuki, recent successor to the throne after his mother Mitsuki Bakugou passed away a year ago. He was a good king, the people told him, and their tribes had never been so prosperous.

The Chivor tribe to the east were full of the strongest, bravest warriors. They prayed to gods Shoto had never heard of, gods of war and victory and peace. The people were strong, bulked with muscle and ate a diet consisting mostly of meat. Some of their strongest and most devoted members received blessings from the gods, gifts handed down through the generations. Kirishima Eijirou, the man Ochako had gone to find to help him secure accommodation for the time being, even if said gesture was dismissed, was one of them. His family had the ability to harden their skin to that akin to rock, leaving it unpenetrable to any sword or arrow it crossed. It was an excellent gift, useful if the situation arose where they would need to protect their loved ones and homes.

The Acrina tribe to the south were a unique people, all assuming different appearances. Some had pure black eyes, others had colours tinged into their skin, some were covered in pierced metal head to toe and others had extra appendages. They worshipped many gods, those who blessed the land, those who blessed magic, those who would secure their people's safety. Their names sounded old and rough on his foreign tongue, and he knew the powers they worshipped had existed long before the Todorokis. Mina Ashido, Kirishima's partner, was from the Acrina tribe and the correspondent representative for her tribe. That, and she was apparently the only one from her tribe with the ability to get under Bakugou's skin so much that he had nobody else to give the position to.

The Kitren tribe from the north were a mysterious people and often kept to themselves. Denki Kaminari came from the Kitren tribe, and would complain about how aloof and boring his people were. They worshipped the spirits in the skies, ones that controlled wind and rain, lightning and thunder. They held many ceremonies, reaching out and praying to these spirits to grant them good weather and harvest, and Denki said that he could harness lighting himself, though he couldn't control it quite well yet.

The Tapsken tribe to the south were a lively yet relaxed people, taking the days as they come and never working too hard. Not to say they didn't work, the clever minds of the Tapskens led them to create ingenious inventions and quick practices that made a day's work done in an hour. They tended to their animals and enjoyed time with their loved ones; Sero Hanta from the Tapsken tribe could often be found tending to the horses in the stables.

Lastly, the Bikarin tribe, where King Bakugou Katsuki lived. The Bikarin kingdom was the largest of them all, home to stables and farmlands, training arenas and marketplaces. The mountains in the distance let only the most beautiful and brightest light shine down on the kingdom, yet Shoto was told it dealt with the harshest of winters that tested their skills and skins. Midoriya was from the Bikarin tribe, and his role as one of Bakugou's advisors stemmed from wanting to go to the other tribes and learn more about them, about the goods that passed through his tribe and the people that lived alongside them.

The tribes held many ceremonies altogether, gathering for the summer and winter solstices, the lunar new year, a day at the start of spring where many people celebrated their loved ones with gifts and parties, declaring proposes and pregnancies, and lastly a week of gift-giving before the new year. Shoto had heard of the practice before, recalling Momo saying that her people used to celebrate a holiday called Christmas before the nobles decided it was a waste of taxes.