Editing Other kingdoms (section)

==Barbarian Tribes==

===The Bammenides, nomadic barbarian tribe=== 

The Bammenides are one of the nomadic barbarian tribes of the northern taiga. They live on the edges of the northern glaciers. They are known as the “painted men” to the Twin Cities, because they tattoo their bodies, faces, and hands in bright colors. They tend small herds of [[Megafauna|dire elk]], from which they get milk, meat, fur – and most importantly, transportation. Their dire elk are domesticated and trained to pull sleighs large enough to transport an entire Bammenide family and all their goods. Their clans migrate south in spring and summer to graze and mate their herds. As rivers freeze and snow covers the ground, they migrate north and stay the winter snowbound, keeping the herds safe from the hungry predators of the south. In spring many clans gather in huge meetings to mate their herds; this is when the Bammenides trade with outsiders. In winter they live in homes built of snow, while their herds are hidden in sheltered valleys with some vegetation, or forage brought by their herders.

Shamans of the Bammenides work their magic through wands of many kinds. Each shaman has an assortment of wands of antler, bone, or wood, which must be carefully chosen for each specific purpose. Most shamans eagerly trade for wands made of metal from civilization. One of the few spells that shamans need no wand for are their eating magics. When someone in their clan suffers bad luck, or is afflicted by illness, or haunted by ghosts, the clan’s shaman will ritually consume the offending spirit. They can often scare off troublesome spirits with demonstrations of their eating prowess, by eating stones and other formidable things.

Occupations: Herder, Hunter, Trader, Warrior, Shaman
Suggested Skills: Animal Handling, Area Knowledge (tundra), Driving (sleigh), Spear, Survival, Tracking, Occult (spirits)
Social Background: Low TL, Bammenic (native language), Illiteracy
Suggested Quirks: Likes (metal), Humble, Uncongenial
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Warrior Lodge
Suggested Spells: Eat Anything (IQ/ Hard, req. Shamanic Magic 1+), Eat Ghost (IQ/Very Hard, req. Shamanic Magic 3+) 
Rumor: “The slow retreat of the northern ice and its gradual melting has gradually forced the Bammenides away from their ancestral summer and winter lands. Their herds do not thrive in the warming lands, and the remaining cold lands are too barren. The herds do not grow, and so more and more young men become warriors to gain wealth and status – while the defenses of Narcissus and Diaphane are in decline. If they join with other wandering tribes, a barbarian horde may bring the next Shattering from the north…” 

--Kakita Kojiro

===The Makhlyes, nomadic barbarian tribe===

The Makhlyes are one of the nomadic barbarian tribes of the western grasslands. Their ancestors followed [[Megafauna|thunder beast]] herds, but the great herds from ancient times are no more, and only solitary beasts survive now. They now follow [[Megafauna|hornbeast]] herds across the grasslands. They are frequent trading partners with the Twin Cities, bartering furs and hides, ivory and horn, in return for civilized goods. Every few generations their warriors band together with other barbarian tribes and raid and pillage into civilized lands.

The shamans of the Makhlyes are known as Inverts because they live their lives as the opposite gender. Because of this, they are regarded as spirits by their people – and also regarded as spirits by spirits. Once each year in the spring, all the hunters will dress as the opposite gender as well, for the sacred Inverse Hunt. Their magic allows the hunters to hunt the now-extinct herds of megafauna as though they still roamed the grasslands. The hunters bring back much meat and many trophies from an Inverse Hunt, but every year one hunter does not return from the hunt. Because of these strange customs, people of the Twin Cities think that all Makhlyes change genders, and take precautions against touching them, lest this is contagious.

Occupations: Hunter, Trader, Warrior, Invert
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (grasslands), Mimicry (animal sounds), Spear Thrower, Stealth, Survival, Tracking, Occult (spirits)
Social Background: Low TL, Makhlyic (native language), Illiteracy
Suggested Quirks: Broad-Minded, Responsive, Tolerant* (not bothered by quirks)
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Warrior Lodge
Suggested Spells: Hunt Megafauna Ghosts (IQ/Average) (note: penalties if not an Inverse Hunt), Change Gender (IQ/Very Hard, req. Invert, Shamanic Magic 4+) 
New Advantage: Invert (5 pts., live as opposite gender, spirits react as though you were a spirit yourself)
Rumor: “The Makhlyes say that when one of the Inverts goes on a spiritquest and returns of the opposite gender, that he or she has not really returned at all. Instead she or he has been replaced by a spirit, that will pretend to be the Invert for the rest of its life, until it pretends to die and returns to the spirit-world.” 

--Kakita Kojiro

===The Gorgades, nomadic barbarian tribe===

The Gorgades are one of the nomadic barbarian tribes of the distant steppes to the west of the grasslands and mountains. They are known as the “hairy ones” to most outsiders, because they do not cut their hair. When meeting strangers, they also veil their eyes with their hair so as to not make eye contact, and they will also not look into mirrors. They claim that all these taboos protect them from spirits – and, curiously, they believe that the inhabitants of the Twin Cities are actually spirits who lie about their true natures. They rarely trade with the Twin Cities, but their leather goods often make their way east through trade with other barbarian tribes (such as the Makhlyes).

They have actually domesticated herds of [[Megafauna|megafauna]], and roam the steppes to move their herds to new grazing. Each clan in the tribe typically has its own type of megafauna that it specialized in. Clans often take the opportunity to raid the herds of other clans while nearby, to eat some of their enemies’ beasts instead of their own. Their shamans wear headdresses of the skull and hides of their clan’s beast, and generally know a very odd assortment of spells.

Occupations: Herder, Hunter, Raider, Trapper, Shaman
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (steppes), Animal Handling, Bow, Knife, Leatherworking, Survival, Occult (spirits)
Social Background: Low TL, Gorgadic (native language), Illiteracy
Suggested Quirks: Uncongenial, Vow (do not cut hair, do not look into eyes or mirrors), Unhygienic* (does not bathe)
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Warrior Lodge
Suggested Spells: Find New Forage (IQ/Average), Foretell Weather (IQ/Average)
Rumor: “Gorgades are not actually human – they are abhumans who were once used as servants by the ancients. They escaped back into the wild after the downfall of the ancients, and still fear civilized men.” 

--Kakita Kojiro

===The Nethsras, nomadic barbarian tribe===

The Nethsras are one of the nomadic barbarian tribes of the western Steppe Wastes. They range further west and south than many other tribes, and so while only rumors to the Twin Cities, are better known in the Spice Kingdoms. They specialize in hunting [[Megafauna|hornbeasts]] with bolas from ambush. Their clans roam following the hornbeast herds, living in well-hidden temporary camps. Although they have joined barbarian hordes in times past, they are generally peaceful and not warlike, and usually maintain good relations with neighboring tribes.

It is an oddity that the Nethsras have no shamans among them, and claim they are never troubled by ghosts. This is because, they say, all Nethsras are the same souls of all the Nethsras who ever were, and those souls reincarnate as Nethsras after their death. They know exactly how many Nethsras souls there are, and each clan tells the others of deaths so that they know which souls to look for when new children are born. In times when their birthrates fall below deathrates, though, they must send scouts to nearby tribes, and even into civilized lands, seeking the newborn children that have souls from their tribe. Once identified, the scouts either buy (from other barbarian tribes) or steal (from civilized lands) these newborns and return them to their true people. The worst thing for Nethsras is when their birthrates rise above deathrates – for children born then will be born soulless. In such times it is traditional for the Nethsras to seek some pretext to go to war, so that there will be souls for the newborns.

Some Nethsras do seem able to recover fragments of past lives – although most never progress beyond achieving strong paramnesia sensations. These hints of past lives are usually cherished and encouraged, so Nethsras may seem erratic and mercurial to outsiders. The few who do manage to recover memories of past lives are the Awakened Ones. They are capable of astounding skills, but must struggle with sorting through a confusing mix of memories and personalities that have no context in their present life. Scouts sent to find wayward reborn souls are always young Awakened Ones.

Occupations: Gleaner, Hunter, Scout, Awakened One
Suggested Skills: Area Knowledge (steppes), Autohypnosis, Bolas, Camouflage, Stealth, Survival, Forbidden Lore (soul recognition)
Social Background: Low TL, Nethsric (native language), Illiteracy
Suggested Quirks: Delusions (past lives), Likes, Personality Change
Sample Contact Groups: Clan, Past Life
Suggested Advantages: Reawakened (10 pts) (note: may use to learn Blind Fighting, Body Control, Breath Control, Invisibility Art, Light Walk), Split Personality (-15 pts)
Rumor: “Most of the Awakened Ones of the Nethsras are aware that their numbers are slowly dwindling, as each generation a few reborn souls are never recovered. They believe that someone has stolen their secrets of soul rebirth, and so polluted the way to rebirth such that some souls simply become lost in being reborn. They have heard of the distant Twin Cities, and plan to send scouts there to search for reborn Nethsras souls, to bring back, or to kill if they are too old to bring back.” 

-- by Kakita Kojiro