The land is bountiful. It takes little effort to produce food and materials from field, stream, and bush.
The realms strength is also it's weakness. Because life is normally so easy, the people are sometimes lax in making preparations for harder times.
The people of the realm have experienced hardship once, (See How the Famine Was Lifted) as a result of a lapse in respect. Will they learn from their mistake, or err again?
The spirits of one's ancestors often take an interest in doings of the their descendants. Provided that one shows the ancestors respect and acts in a manner pleasing to them, they will often prove helpful in many manners. Ignored or slighted, they can cause a great deal of trouble
When drawn, The Ancestor represents 'aid from without' - some being or force, perhaps mysterious, has intervened on the hero's behalf. The aid may vary considerably depending on the degree of respect the hero has been showing the force in question.
Reversed, The Ancestor represents 'hindrance from without' - some being or force is working against the hero's success. The card may be neutral if the hero has been especially respectful to the force, or particularly dramatic if the hero has deliberately slighted it.
In the Realm of the First Chief, this force is always the ancestors, perhaps even the First Chief himself.
As far as the people here are concerned, they live in 'The Village' on 'The Land.' The First Chief is merely the detail that the few Spherewalkers who come this way remember it by. There are no gates in the realm itself.
Rule in the village falls almost entirely to a chief, chosen from among the people. The position of chief is chosen, when vacant, by the consensus of the people. It is not necessarily hereditary, but often is, since the son or other relatives of the Chief have ample opportunity to observe the duties required. The current chief is Wades In The River, but he is beginning to think of stepping down so he will have some time to advise the next chief before he joins the ancestors.
Religion in the village consists almost entirely of ancestor worship. This begins with one's immediate deceased ancestors, and goes back through the generations, all the way to the First Chief, widely believed to be the actual ancestor of the entire village. While the aid of closer ancestors is frequently sought, the First Chief and his family have a special place among the village's ritual. The First Family provides a series of archetypes that are called upon when appropriate. While the First Chief is the primary spirit and guardian of the village of the whole, he is especially important as a chief, father, and husband. His wife, meanwhile is the primary symbol of a wife and mother, encompassing all matters of fertility. Other members of the First Family include the First Hunter, the First Maiden, and the First Child.
Food is made up of whatever is easy to obtain. Roots, berries, fruits, fish, and game are all gathered at various times. A few small planted plots are maintained as a hedge against less plentiful times, but the current extent of the practice is more useful for maintaining the farming techniques from generation to generation then it is for actually producing a noticeable proportion of the diet.
Magic in the realm is nearly non-existent. Primarily it manifests through the ancestor spirits. From time to time an especially treasured possession will be passed down, granting some of it's original owner's qualities to it's bearer. If such an item is passed through several generations, it can acquire visible power, and becomes a major family heirloom. A few items in the village are claimed to have originated with the First Chief or his family. Very few of these actually did, but even so are still very old, and as such have considerable utility.
War is virtually unknown. While other similar villages do exist, they are all too far away to have regular, if any, contact. Given the village's resources, it may eventually expand until more contact with others is established.