OSTRICH KHAN
"Weak Khans shall be united together
False enemies, the strongest shall be fortified,
Weak assaults, and yet the High quake for fear,
So shall the Two crush the One."
Weak Khans: the Ostrich and Bird Lizard
False Enemies: ?? Which is strongest??
High = High Llama - scared of Bolo Riders??
"Sky-orphan with his harmful tongue,
Shall come to break the Butcher's Covenant.
He shall open the walls to heretics,
By raising golden dreams."
Sky Orphan - archaic name for the Ostrich.
Harmful tongue - liar
Open the walls - Paragua's Walls?
Heretics - either from the Third Council (ie Pavis), from the Decamony of Nida (Flintnail) or the New Horse Tribe
OSTRICH KHAN
You are a nomad khan, but your tribe does not ride the normal beasts of Eiritha. They ride on Ostriches, creatures of the Sky. You worship the Splendid Sun before Waha, for you are descended from the Sky, as are all of those in the Light Clan of the Ostrich People.
"Whenever the chain of authority is broken, lesser khans must prove that they are the Sun Khan, following a sign from the gods." You betrayed the previous Khan to a war band of the Pure Horse People. This was after you were almost nominated as the successor. You were able to do it by gifting the Pure Horse Shaman with ???????. You need the tribe and the gods to acknowledge that you are the worthy and rightful heir. This means you need some sort of sign from the spirits.
<<sign from the spirits? bird spirits: mother ostrich. condor, raven, thunderbird, sun hawk>>
GOLDSMITHING
Here is a curious thing; no metal is mined anyplace in Prax. Nor is any mined or collected by Praxians from such resources as the Copper Sands. There is absolutely no way to process ore, shape metal or perform other such civilised skills. Most metal is obtained by war, or through trade. Yet the Ostrich Tribe knows the secrets of Goldsmithing. Some might doubt the truth of this, for there is no gold to be worked, no smithing takes place. Yet the secrets of the craft have been passed down from father to son, through the generations. The light clan remembers; it works gold in its rituals and myths, its ceremonies and initiations. With gold and tools it could work gold again in accordance with Sacred Solar ceremony. This is proof of the Ostrich tribes' previous civilisation, proof of a higher pedigree than the other, Earth-based Praxian tribes.
Goldsmithing is a priest and shamans art, supposedly. Wealth is displayed in the form of copper and gold rings signifying Ostriches owned. The Ostrich clan has the "best nomad goldsmiths in Prax". This does not really say much about Ostrich Goldsmithing, however, it is an image and a secret power that the Ostrich Tribe strives to maintain in order to impress the other nomads. You do, after all, come from the Sky rather than the Earth, and are therefore, clearly, a more advanced people.
Abilities:
Secret of Goldsmithing - the Ostrich Tribe is famous for it's Goldsmithing. The fact that is actually does not practice the art is a tribal secret. It does talk about the techniques of Goldsmithing and, in fact, does know secret techniques handed down through generations that would be useful to a more settled goldsmith. This is almost a double bluff - the tribe everyone thinks is good with gold turn out not to be any good with it but it really does know a lot about the craft....in theory. This is also the `harmful tongue' and the `golden dreams' alluded to in the Sky Orphan quatrain, although the golden dreams are also related to bringing back a golden age, which would also restore real gold working ability to the Ostrich People.
<<other characters: belt buckle salesman, horse shaman, horse khan, ?? Hofhalados?, Saraska?,>>
"Before you can see the Sun you must know the Earth"
"It is better to be one of a Ten than one of fifty"
Whitebrow society – illuminates?
Do not persecute the Horse People. The Horse Shaman is a friend and ally. This is a secret, and no one else knows of it.
Dancing is a tribal passion. You should try to get involved in any dancing that is happening. The more you dance the more you will gain the support and love of your people.
All Darkness worshippers are hated. Dark Eater, Morocanth, trolls, shades, all manner of Darkness.
Heroquest to obtain a spirit of the Bent One who could make the boomerang return after it has hit.
GOALS:
Arrogance
Form alliance with like-minded independent.(Bird Lizards, Agimori? Basmoli? Starmaids? ).
Influence Paps Council of Elders, to give Ostrich good nesting ground.
Prove that you are Sun Khan, descendant of the Splendid Sun, need sign of the gods.
To do this you need some `killer' facts.
Prevent Darkness achieving it's foul goals, whatever they may be.
Recover the spirit of the Bent One.
Keep on dancing
Get gold craftsmanship that appears to be Ostrich.
TREASURES:
War Arrow Medicine Bundle
Yamsur's Firestarter.
Ostrich Gold jewellery.
KNOWN PEOPLE
Bird Lizard Chief: Father Veruferrari
A pygmy from an ancient race who ride the large bird-lizards, famous for his use if the bola in both hunting and warfare. He is very quite old now, but still spry and wiry. His people are cowards and run from the first sign of conflict, although their skill with the famous bola makes them dangerous, and expert hunters.
Sun Hawk Shaman:
Boburtu Speaks-Straight is an impala rider who worships the Sun Hawk spirit. The Ostrich People revere the mighty Sun Hawk and Boburtu has access to many of his spirits.
Pure Horse Shaman:
Horse's Blood is a fierce Horse nomad. You have worked together in the past as he is an implacable enemy of Waha! and his people had dominated Prax until relatively recently. He is no friend of his own chief, Joraz Kyrem. Of course you do not trust him and he does not trust you, but you understand each other.
Thunderbird Shaman:
Ganik See-Eye is a Bison Rider who follows the storm clouds of the Thunderbird. Mother Ostrich was never a friend of the foolish, rude Thunderbird.
Raven Shaman:
Raven was a clever bird, always making a fool out of the Mother Ostrich. Your people will always despise the Raven, and especially those crazy people who follow his devious ways.
Plot links:
Two Legged Alliance
Friend of Pure Horse Shaman
Cosmic Dragon (Fire)
PURE HORSE SHAMAN
In a sacred manner
I live
To the Heavens
I gaze,
In a sacred manner I live.
My horses
Are many.
See them
Prancing
They come,
Neighing,
They come
A Horse Nation.
See them
Prancing.
They come,
Neighing,
They come.
Horse Blood! You're not sure which is more exasperating; your enemies the Beast Riders, or your friends the Pure Horse People! Time and again the animal nomads have proven faithless in their dealings with the Horse People, and time and again the Chieftains return with a peace pipe. Why can they not see that the only thing that Waha respects is death, and that death comes from swords and swift arrows? If you want to stay in Prax in the face of such people then you must fight them!
But the chiefs of the Horse People continue to try to make deals with the Priestesses and Khans at their Sacred Temple, deals that will be betrayed as soon as it is convenient. They continue to make deals with the Wyrms Friends in Dragon Pass that only bring wealth to the Dragon Lords, to deal with the Middle Sea Empire, as if they can be trusted. They are all fools, and your leader. Joraz Kyrem is the biggest fool of them all. Yet despite his succession of failures the Horse People prefer him as a leader rather than yourself - choosing a man of words over a man of great power and wisdom! Soon they shall learn of their mistake.
The Pure Horse People drink the milk and blood of their horse herds, eat their flesh occasionally at ceremonies, and make cheese, yoghurt, and kumis. In addition the Riders hunt wild animals, and plants gathered by the women, and by the Oasis slaves. They receive exotic foods, cloth and gold from the traders at Robcradle, Adari, Pimper's Block, and the Port of Sog.
You only have dealings with one of the Praxian tribes, a Sky worshipper, their Sun Khan, leads the Ostrich Tribe. You and a band of Horse Warriors helped this peculiar little man gain power by ambushing and killing the previous Sun Khan. He is in your debt, in your opinion, and the paltry gifts he gave you, promises for the future, need to be paid before tomorrow is yesterday.
GOALS:
Discredit Joraz and make your puppet into the Pure Horse Khan.
The Beast Riders are your enemies. - capture their beast's spirit in your Ball of Tails
The Godlearners are fools to be exploited.
The Third Council cannot be trusted.
You particularly hate the Bison Tribe.
A great man owns many horses and slaves, and wears glittering gold. Bravery, Honesty, Generosity, and Obedience are the mark of a great warrior, as are the many heads he's taken in battle.
Amass horses
Amass slaves
Amass Gold jewellery
Allied with the Sun Khan of the Ostrich People
Secrets:
Joraz knows a secret weakness
Has a Ball of Tails!
Friends with Caylash Rhino
Allied with current Ostrich Sun Khan, murdered previous Ostrich Khan.
Abilities:
Appeal to Pure Horse Traditionalists
Horse Lore
Know the Plains
Know how to make ball of tails
Known people:
Joraz Kyrem, Pure Horse Khan
Ostrich Khan
Plot links:
Joraz incarnating as Imperial Ancestor Kargzant
Ostrich Khan owes favour
Ball of Tails[Asacar?, Bazkalia]
General Nomad hostility
Horse politics
trading for gold[ostrich, Godunya, Hofhalados]
alliance with Caylash Rhino[Caylash rhino]
buying of slaves.[dark eater shaman]
Special Mechanic:
Pure Horse popularity.
BIRD LIZARD CHIEF - Veruferrari-father, Chief of the Bird Lizard Riders.
"Sky-orphan with his harmful tongue,
Shall come to break the Butcher's Covenant.
He shall open the walls to heretics,
By raising golden dreams."
The Bird Lizard People
The Bird Lizard people are a matriarchal remnant of Genert's Empire. You are a pygmy, famous for your use if the bola in both hunting and warfare. You are quite old now, but still spry and wiry. You and your people try to avoid conflict, your peaceful virtues are not suited to the savage ways of Waha; you hark back to older, better days. You are in the Paps to pays your respects to the Most Respected Elder, who will soon be passing on, and to give her support in this dangerous time. You have heard of the Wyrm armies, the men from the sea, and the people who live within Paragua's Walls and ride on horses, but these things mean little to you.
You are a descendant of Vermandol, one of Tada's people, true descendants of Genert's Garden of Delight. Your ancestors did not arrive with the Storm Bull and his uncouth brothers, they were already here at the Beginning. Waha does not rank among your ancestors, although the blood of the sons of storm has debased some in your people. You display the outward signs of this noble inheritance that are a reflection of your inner nobility, which is measured by your social position. In effect, amongst your people, Golden Age physique partly determines social rank, because it is a reflection of inner purity and virtue. You are well placed to judge the merits and vices of other people according to the ancient characteristics that remain, however faint, despite many years of inter-breeding.
Hunting
You are a hunter. Your tribe exists by hunting on the plains for your beasts are of little use as food - they are tough and hard to eat, they do not provide milk, their hide is difficult to work with and even their dung does not burn well (but their eggs, of course, are delicious). But they are fast, faster than any other of the beasts ridden across the plains, and you love them for you can hunt the many small creatures of the plains; wild ui, jackrabbit, even birds can be caught with your remarkable bola weapon. You especially like hunting the larger, unprotected wild herds. High Llama are the most spectacular, for when they fall they fall a long way.
The thrill of the chase is, too you, the greatest pleasure. There are several great hunters at the Paps, and you would like to listen to their tales and to tell them your own. Most hunters, although often solitary, are keen to relive their experiences with their peers, and make plans to capture the magical Silver Deer. Foundchild cannot capture the Silver Deer not because of his own failure, nor because of the skill of the Silver Deer, but because of the failure of mortals to be like him. The Silver Deer is known for swiftness and elusiveness. It has never been caught, though Foundchild tries every year. It leads hunters on what some regard as futile chases but which true hunters regard as a sacred journey.
The journey begins as the hunter prepares himself for the hunt; paints hunting symbols on his body, red arrow charms on his left wrist, blue running charms on his left calf, red seeing charms on his forehead, and black death charms on his chest. He asks his mother, who cannot be seen, for aid. Then Hunter sets of with Brother Dog or some other helper, following the deer's spoor. Soon the silver deer is disturbed and leaps up in alarm as the chase begins.
Bird Lizards
You are like a nomad khan, but your tribe does not ride the normal beasts of Eiritha. They ride on Bird Lizards, also known as Veruferar. These are bipedal, greenish brown, herbivorous reptiles. They are about twenty feet long, with most of their length in the neck and tail. Normally bipedal they occasionally drop to all fours, as their forelimbs are quite strong.
The Serpents of Prax
The Serpents of Prax are dangerous and unpredictable. "Serpents" refers to the rivers of Prax, which are, most of the time, dry river bottoms, for the serpents sleep. When they awake, these river bottoms fill with swirling waters, writhing in attempts to escape their beds, and to destroy any who would oppose them. The most dangerous serpent is the Wicked Writher who runs backwards where others flow toward the Dead Bottom. Those who can harness the power of the serpents have great magic at their disposal. Those who can understand them have great wisdom. You are a member of a secret society whose aim is to understand and control the mighty serpents. The Serpent Dancers hold dangerous, week long, trances rituals and dances where the serpents sleep and hope to gain some insight or power. Membership of the group is dangerous, for many fear and distrust the Serpents, but one of the more important goals of the society is to keep its activities secret.
You are the power behind the Serpent Dancers. You have been plotting and planning to complete the awakening of the sleeping serpents of Prax. You do not openly plot but are patient and act through the other members of the Society. The next most powerful member is the Sable Shaman, who is the tool through which you take most of your actions. The High Llama Queen has benefited most from your machinations, for they have ensured her elevation to the position of Respected Elder. She also has the most to lose, for the Alticamelus Khan is part of the your secret plan to reawaken the Serpents. The Queen does not know this, for her entire Nation is being duped by the Serpent Dancers. The Ronance Priest is a minor member, linked to the water rites through his interest in the serpent pulled chariots. He had been manipulated, by you and the Sable Shaman, to be interested in leaving his oasis in the first place. The Sable Shaman is the father of the Ronance Priest. The Axe Sister joined because the High Llama Queen manipulated her into the position, feeling it would be useful to have the military defence of the Sacred Temple under the control of the Dancers. The Teshnan merchant is also a member.
Other Verufen are great story tellers, and you know many stories of ancient times and of far away places. A favourite story is one of the Golden Age which tells of Lord Ronance and his serpent pulled chariot.
You worship Foundchild the Hunter before Waha, for you are descended from the Golden Age folk from Genert's Garden, not the sons of Storm Bull. It gives you a particular pleasure to humble the proud, to belittle the mighty, and to upset the sons of Storm Bull.
Dancing is a tribal passion. You should try to get involved in any dancing that is happening. The more you dance the more you will gain the support and love of your people.
GOALS:
Form alliance with like-minded independent.(Bird Lizards, Agimori? Basmoli? Starmaids? ).
Influence Paps Council of Elders, to give Bird Lizards good nesting ground.
Keep on dancing
Serpent Dancer goals
ABILITIES:
detect Golden Age physiognomy
bola throwing
story telling
hunting
SECRETS:
Golden age story
Serpent dancer goals are your goals. .
TREASURES:
Copper Spice Grass Kettle: In the Golden Age Eiritha never had any trouble providing her children with fodder.
(fresh- impala, dried - bison, mildewed - high llama, smoked - sable, used - rhino, pickled herdman)
KNOWN PEOPLE
Ostrich Khan:
Sun Hawk Shaman:
Pure Horse Shaman:
Kowyimi the Hunter:
Grarl Basmoli: Agimori Iduna: Oakfed Shaman:
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