Well, this is a bit silly, but even though I write and speak it quite well, English is still not my first language. So I was reading Ancient Magic, in the part about Hyperboreans. Now, the Hyperbore value a personality trait "austerity". I can't find out what this actually means.
Can someone explain to me how an austere Hyberboerean would act? The only definiton I find on the web is something that has to do with economy. Surely it's not that.
In a person, it's often a combination of those - being passively intimidating (ie, without trying), lacking any adornment (as a Victorian/1800's German school teacher), and solemn/lacking emotion.