BARBARIANS

Myth/History and Culture


The Northern Reaches of Landen are as dreaded for their harsh terrain as they are
infamous for the bloody roars which rise over their battling Barbarian tribes.
Perhaps twenty or thirty mighty nomadic tribes make their home in the Reaches,
following its freezing rivers and drawing hard-scrabble sustenance at the edges
of its numberless small lakes and glaciers. At home in rocky hills and barren tundra,
with their bronzed skin, narrow eyes, and jet-black hair, the Barbarians are
strikingly different from southerly humans. And unlike the Vree and Suhndi, their
exact origin is unknown, for they don't keep written history and their ancient fireside
tales of struggle never distinguish legend from fact.

Legend tells that the fathers of the Barbarian tribes were expelled from a paradise
called Isunesu, even colder and harsher than the Reaches. Untold eons ago, these
fathers emerged from Isunesu and simply walked across the ice-cold waters to the
Qataru Qarangqui, or "severe darkness," Landen's northern shore. Back then,
legend says, the entire world lay under snow, and for generations the tribes roamed
freely. But as they grew fat from the space and plenty of the land, the ghosts of
their fathers grew sad, and rolled back the clouds so that sun would make the land warm
and contemptible to even these fatted children. Over the course of a thousand years,
then, the tribes headed back northward to escape the inhospitable warmth, and
today they rarely venture south of the river they have come to call Jaqa Yirtincu,
or "world's edge."

They do, however, consider all the land north of the Yirtincu as theirs to roam
freely, so it is no small sticking point that the Vree kingdom of Fraxley is in
their way. The tribes that usually neighbor on Fraxley (the Kogeguku, the Jigsiku,
often the Sirugun) frequently raid its towns, and these tribes are themselves often
raided by other barbarians, who seek to punish them for failing to destroy utterly
the Vree incursion.

The very idea of "incursion," though, is alien to the barbarians (with one exception,
the Kei Kuiten--see below). For the barbarian does not understand the world as a static
place to be occupied; he sees it as endless motion and need--hardly a "place" at all.
He does not readily understand borders, permanent cities, or the desire to preserve them
by signing treaties--to him, such trappings and efforts suggest pathetic indolence.
A particularly illustrative cultural fact: barbarians do not name their rivers "Rivers,"
or think of them as locations; they name them using their word for "Towards," and think
of them as movement in a direction. (The one exception is the Jaqa Yirtincu.)
But the rest of the rivers in the Reaches carry names such as "Jug Manang"
("towards the fogs"), Jug Jiyasun ("towards fish"), Jug Oytarcui ("towards the hearth"--a
river which runs past a hot volcano), and often Jug Nayar ("towards a lake"). For this
reason, the kingdom of Fraxley is an enemy not so much because it occupies tribal land, but
because it blocks the passage of the tribe across the land. As a result, the capital
city Firaxis has been sacked many times--but also as a result, it has established a
semi-functioning marketplace for the exchange of goods with the tribes. In true chaotic
fashion, they can fight Fraxley one day and trade in its capital the next. They just
desire to keep their blood flowing with almost nonstop movement.

Similarly, on the innumerable islands called the Yariqu Tumen ("Thousand
Conversations"), barbarians (usually the Jida, Qajaqu, Dacaqu and Nisku) meet orc
tribes. Neither group is famed for its seamanship, but the Yariqu Tumen are so
close together that almost anyone in a simple rowboat can cross from the barbarian
shore to the orc shore, stopping to rest on a different island every few hours.
And as many islands as there are, there have been that many trading camps, battles,
and couplings over the eons. Thousands of half-orcs originated on Yariqu Tumen.

Generally, barbarians are nomads who identify with their tribes above all else. They
have been known to establish sprawling cities of animal-skin tents--and these cities
are equally famous for disappearing overnight, packed up and relocated. The tribes
often war on each other; it is rare but known to happen that one is massacred entirely,
or that over some dispute a single large tribe has split into two new ones. But all
are cunningly resourceful survivors and frighteningly mighty combatants.



A few notes on KNOWN MAJOR TRIBES

]Tribal Name
]"Translation of Name"
]Brief Background


Dacaqu
"To Endure"
Their crude fireside epics relate a stunning history of fearless war on the Frost Giants.

Jida
"Spear"
Known to have crossed the Catelet Mountains, down into the forest on the other side,
and to have occasionally defeated surprised elves in their own forest. Half-orcs are
familiar among the Jida.

Jigsiku
"To Hate"
Heedless warriors who often attack Fraxley, Exley, and Elven woods, and whose thirst
for the physical challenge even drives them into the great swamp to battle the trolls.

Kei Kuiten
"Cold Wind"
The Kei Kuiten consider themselves Keepers of the Gate to Heaven; they have never been
known to leave the frigid Qataru Qarangqui, and they sometimes refuse to allow
others any passage through the region. Even other tribes know little about them.

Kogeguku
"To Chase"
The tribe most frequently in contact with the Vree, through Fraxley, and therefore
perhaps the "friendliest" tribe, they nevertheless frequently raid Vree towns, slaying
the men and toting off the women only to trade them back at Fraxley's markets for
better weapons. Some Kogeguku have light eyes and brown hair, indicating that in
the early days of Vree presence on Landen, mixing may have occurred very freely.

Nisku
"To Fly"
The most mobile of tribes, their camp is called Kebteku ("to lie down") and they
believe it would be a great shame to let anyone other than Nisku see it and live to
tell of it. If they realize they've been spotted at rest, they will pursue and
slaughter their new enemy and move the camp that same day, never to revisit that location.

Olusku
"To Hunger"
Their name refers to their hunger to ride the hills and draw the blood of anyone in
their path. They call their nomadic city Jegudun, "To Dream," for they believe they are
only fully awake and alive when riding in the open. The most mystic of tribes.

Qajaqu
"Biting" or "Teeth"
A vicious and daring tribe, it is the Qajaqu who first set foot in the Yariqu Tumen
an eon ago, and they count half-orcs in their families. Physical evidence indicates
the Qajaqu may also have met the Suhndi early in that civilization's experience on
Landen, and if so then the Qajaqu are the most well-traveled tribe in modern times.

Qatun
"Queen"
A tribe dominated by its implacable women warriors. The women lead the charge while
the men fight in supporting roles. At their city, Uruy ("family"), the men act as
their servants.

Sirugun
"Violence"
The Sirigun take no prisoners and see no difference between combatants and noncombatants.
While most tribes scream or roar while charging into battle, the Sirugun are known
for their unnerving silence.

Unegan
"Fox"
They have a history of battling the elves. They hate the elven archers but consider
them worthy foes, and have therefore entertained elven emissaries in their city,
Oljei ("happiness").

Yaljacu
"Mad"
Their name marks their pleasurable rage in battle. They have been known to sign a peace
treaty with the Vree and then attack the next day regardless, because (as one negotiator
from Exley later explained to his King, with a sigh) "They believe any formal peace treaty
is only a ratification of hostility." (The Yaljacu War-King himself used other words--but
Exley got the idea right.)

Other Major Tribes:
Alaqa
Gedesu
Guiku
Ildu
Jingkini
Kuseku
Seguder
Tuleku



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