Impala Riders are just like humans, except with 3d3 SIZ and 2d8 STR. This means that 1/6 of them have a STR high enough to use a composite bow. They naturally do a lot of STR training, but of course only those whose CON was 13+ can make it up to the level needed to use such a bow without minuses. Still, this means that after training, around 40% of the Impala Riders can use composite bows.
Of the rest, most all can use regular bows, and that's what they do, I expect. Either that or cast STR spells (a 1 point STR spell would be enough for most of them to be able to fully use their bows for the next five minutes). But I think that plenty of them wind up using self bows. The self-bow users probably generally tend to be the guys assigned to defend the camp, while the composite bow users are the raiders and troublemakers.
And of course with Firearrow, it doesn't matter what size arrow you're using.
Bolo Lizard and Ostrich Riders are pygmies, too. I'm not sure they're a whole lot larger. Ostriches don't strike me as being a lot more suitable for a mount than a large impala. If a player insisted on being bigger because of his noble bolo lizard heritage, I'd probably give him 3d4 or something in SIZ, but leave the STR the same.
A tale from Kralorela
IT IS JUST AS GOOD
In the time of T'hah Hanwuti [Thalurzni], Dzawan of Shiyang
was mandarin of Hsin Yin. One day he went out to fight Pig Men
robbers. The Pig Men were strong, and one of them struck off Dzawan's
head. He was a vigorous man, and this did not kill him. Dzawan
mounted his horse and returned to the camp. All the soldiers and
people of the camp came to look at him. Dzawan spoke from deep in his
chest. "I was defeated by the Pig Men, and they have cut off my head.
Tell me, in your opinion, which is best: to have a head, or to have
no head?" His officers and mandarins wept and said, "It is better to
have a head." And Dzawan opined, "I do not think so. It is just as
good to have no head."
In the Kralori style, this moralistic tale is accompanied by no explicatory text. However, students who are puzzled by the tale, and wonder what is meant by it, are often told another story.
THE SICK CHERRY TREE
Many years ago, when Mi Ka De [Mikaday] blessed all, a man
had a cherry tree by his house. Sadly, the tree fell ill, and one
summer it produced no fruit at all. The man, saddened by the tree's
condition, summoned his friends to ask their advice. The elf said,
"Pull up the weeds from its roots, and supply it with much water."
The cow tender said, "Dung it well and bring a terrier to kill the
mice nesting in its trunk." The carpenter said, "Build a fence around
the tree to protect it from grazing cows." Then a magistrate walked
by, and said, "The tree is wicked and must be punished. You must lash
it with a strong cord and explain to it its sins." Lastly, a frog
hopped nearby, and also expressed its opinion. "Feed the tree flies.
That will do the trick."
Here is yet another Kralori story, that I hope you like.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FALSE DRAGON RING?
Once four scholars lived happily in Laonon Tao. One day they
decided to travel. "What use is scholarship," they reasoned. "If we
do not gain the favor of rich nobles and acquire much money? We can
never become rich living here."
They journeyed until they found the dry bones of some deceased creature. They looked at it and said, "Behold, a chance to prove our scholarship. Here lies a beast, dead, lo these many months. Let us bring it to life by means of our wisdom, honestly obtained."
The first wise man said, "I can put together the skeleton properly, joining ankle to knee to hip."
The second wise man said, "I can supply skin, flesh, and organs."
The third wise man said, "I can give it life." The fourth wise man was silent. So the first assembled the skeleton, the second formed skin,flesh, and organs. But while the third was laboring on the breath of life, the fourth wise man looked hard at the remade corpse, and suddenly blurted out. "This is a nandi beast! If you bring him to life, he will kill every one of us."
"You fool!", said the third wise man. "I shall not quit and reduce all our scholarship to nullity." "Then," said the fourth. "Give me leave to climb this tree before you complete your task."
When this was done, the nandi beast was restored to life, and killed the first three scholars. Once it had gorged itself, it went elsewhere, and the fourth wise man climbed down and went home.
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