Atragar

The Atragar are a wild people, living on the plains in Eastern Lauredor, between the White and Nernoth Mountains. The Atragars’ lifestyle does not lend itself towards metal armours or smithies, and they tend to avoid all armour except in times of war when leather or wood armours may be donned. They are generally superior riders and knowledgeable in living off the land.

The Atragar live a semi-nomadic life, with a few small permanent villages. Fiercely protective of their lands, they follow great herds of buffalo across the plains of Lauredor. The Great Spirit is their patron deity, along with Sun, Moon, Wind, and the Earth Mother.

Abilities and Classes

The Atragar gain a +2 to all riding proficiency checks, in addition to any other bonuses. They also gain +1 to wisdom and dexterity scores and -1 to intelligence.

The people of the Atragar clans cannot be Paladins, Wizards, Magicians or Bards. Their viewpoint of the classes is much different than that of “civilized” lands:

Cleric – Clerics among the Atragar are called Spirit Talkers, and are the equivalent of Specialty Priests. All clerics must choose a spirit to follow and abide by their rules.

Druid – This profession carries great respect and stature amongst Atragar people. Their fondness for nature and affinity for the wild makes them perfectly suited to the nomadic, land-based culture of the Atragar. Druids serve the spirits like clerics, but retain the normal druid abilities.

Fighter – Fighters are the warriors of the Atragar people. They eschew most forms of armour, save for shields. Their knowledge of the land and how to use it to their advantage makes them a strong force in the wilds.

Ranger – Rangers exist among the people as scouts, leaders, and advisors. Their superior woodcraft skills along with their magic make them the perfect choice to lead during war and during peace.

Thief – Thieves are different among the Atragar than outside their lands. They are scouts, spies, guides and rarely the dark, nefarious souls that outsiders expect. The word for them among the people is hallillan, which translates to “careful one”.

Clans

The Atragar lands are home to several clans of people, each made up of several tribes. While to outsiders, there is little distinction among the clans, there is a world of difference to the people.

Horse Clan

The Horse Clan are a fierce and warlike people who make their homes among the lush valleys of the north western plains. An important part of their lives is the ritual of mock battles with other tribes in their clan and the seasonal buffalo hunts on the plains.

Members of this clan wear buffalo and deerskin clothing, though not often very much of it. They are most noted for their use of buffalo tooth jewelry (worn by all citizens) and their ceremonial makiki or medicine bundles. Horse Clan warriors are distinguished by the feathered warbonnets that hey wear to mark their past kills.

Horse Clan names often mark the past combat experience of their owners. For example, there was once a mighty Horse Clan warrior named Tarri Lonespear because of his ability to kill almost any foe with a single thrust of his enchanted spear.

The traditional weapon of the Horse Clan is a long, slender spear, often adorned with eagle feathers. Stone or bone hand axes and daggers are common also. Any form of missile weapon, especially the bow, is considered a coward’s weapon. Thus, ranged attacks are seldom made by Horse Clan characters.

The leather clothing worn by Horse Clan characters is sturdy enough to give Armour Class 9. They also employ wood and buffalo hide shields, equivalent to medium shields.

Bear Clan

Living along the southeastern end of the Atragar lands, the Bear Clan fashion their homes out of stone and adobe in the foothills of the White Mountains. They have one of the few permanent villages of the people, the village of Ilnyr. Located at the juncture of the Landsplit River and Great River, it is a popular trading post for the Clans along with the Elves of Elvallie, the free cities across the Great River and even the occasional trading party of the Grey Dwarves.

The Bear Clan tend to dress in loose cotton clothing, often brightly coloured, and sometimes don leather jerkins. Much of their ornamentation is drawn from the snakes that live in the area. Viper fangs are often fashioned into jewelry, snakeskin made into footwear, belts, or pouches, and rattlesnake rattles are either worn or fashioned into children’s noisemakers.

Bear Clan names tend to be comments about their own natural agility or climbing skills. For example, the great hero Anni Surehands is once said to have climbed from the plains below to the ledge half a mile above to light a signal fire and warn her people of an impending attack.

The Bear Clan favours blunt weapons in combat. This tradition grew, it seems, from the heavy hammers they use in creating their stone homes. Typical weapons for them are clubs, hammers and staves. They make some use of arrows and other ranged weapons but are not hunters and thus seldom attain any great skill with them.

In battle, the Bear Clan warriors will often don thick, quilted cotton tunics and snake-leather jerkins, giving them an Armour Class of 8 (jerkin) or 7 (tunic). They have no interest in shields.

Elk Clan

The Elk Clan live in the Cloakwood Forest in the northeast area of the Atragar lands. There, they use their superior knowledge of the woods and their knowledge of woodcraft to keep their lands free of invaders.

Members of the Elk Clan make much of their clothing from buckskin. Often, they decorate their garb with dyes and porcupine quills. The most outstanding characteristic of these people, however, is their love of make-up. Both men and women routinely paint not only their faces but their entire bodies with ornate patterns and symbols. Both sexes commonly carry make-up kits to ensure they always look their best.

Elk Clan named are chosen to honour the forest that sustains them and the animals that dwell there. Prominent members of this clan in the past have included warriors named Mighty Oak or Deep Roots and scouts named Silent Deer and Stalking Wolf.

The most common weapon employed among these people is the tomahawk (hand axe). The Elk Clan also favours the short bow. They prefer hit-and-run tactics in combat, and thus tend to place a minimal reliance on melee weapons.

Wolf Clan

The Wolf Clan lives in the far northeast of the Atragar lands, across the River En. There, the Wolf Clan ranges from the mountains to the Landsplit River. They control the only crossing on this side of Lauredor across the En and are careful about whom they allow to use it.

Clothing for the Wolf Clan features buckskin pants and vests, along with their most treasured possession: a wolf skin. Each warrior, scout and spiritual leader is expected to wear one. To allow one’s skin to be taken is a sign of cowardice, and the person is usually ejected from the Clan.

Names for the Wolf Clan involve two names - the first is a name chosen by the Spirit Talker of each tribe. When a child is born, they are given a name that is usually prophetic about that person. The second is one that describes the exploits of the person. Famous past members of this Clan include the druid Nettlepath, who led a group of orcs through a field of nettles to make her escape from them, and Giantsorrow, who slew a rampaging giant, but not before it killed his mate.

The Wolf Clan warriors favour their spears in combat, both as melee and ranged weapons. They normally carry a long spear for fighting and several shorter, lighter spears (javelins) for ranged combat. They will use shields of wood and hide (equivalent to medium shields) but rarely wear any armour heavier than a leather jerkin (AC 8) or hide coat (AC 7).

Leadership

The Atragar do not have a central government or any ruling bodies. Each Clan is separate unto themselves and accountable to no one. Within a Clan, however, there is a strict hierarchy.

Clan Chiefs are the absolute rulers of their people. They are the final say on disputes, plans and decisions. They serve as judge and jury in matters that cannot be solved at the tribal level, and if a tribal leader brings a dispute to them against another tribe.

Within the tribe, a Chief is the ruler. He or she will be advised by a spiritual leader, but they make all decisions for their tribe. When a Tribal Chief is old and steps down, he appoints another in his place. If a Chief is weak, another may challenge them for the position. If the challenger has not shown themselves to be a person of honour, the challenge may be refused.

Below the Tribal Chief, all others are considered equal except for the spiritual leader of the tribe – the Spirit Talker. They are (normally) the eldest Druid in the tribe, but occasionally a younger member will show a deep connection with the gods and assume the position.

Gods of the Atragar

The Atragar worship a pantheon of gods that encompass all facets of their lives. The Great Spirit is their patron deity, along with Sun, Moon, Wind and the Earth Mother.

Cities of the Atragar

Derridon: Ancestral home of the Atragar trainers. Young Atragar are sent here to learn the ancient art of horse training and rearing

Fleymark: Fleymark serves the Atragar as a farming community. Here, they grow much of the food needed to supplement their protein-heavy diet.

Meridun: This city is perhaps the most important for the Atragar. It is their capital, where the great Chiefs come to debate and decide on actions. It also blocks the elves of the Dark Forest from the Temple of Emrik, located in the woods to the East. This is a fact not lost on the Atragar, and they use it to their advantage against the elves.

Dunethal: Dunethal serves as one of the few permanent settlements of the Atragar. Here, they send out patrols and hunting parties to the west.