Thu Nov 19, 2020 10:50 pm  
Tiger nomads

by Gaetano “Grendelwulf” LeFavi

The open prairies of the Tiger Nomads offer the Dungeon Master and Players a break from the standard urban-like and dungeon-crawl fantasy mold. References to non-medieval cultures and a willingness to explore new understandings of natural ecologies and magical arts – both sorcerous and divine – provide a large empty canvas for the imagination. This is an unforgiving landscape of untamed grasslands that is bordered by the rugged Yecha Hills, the clustered Yatil Mountains, the immense Burneal Forest, and the desolate shores along the Dramidj Ocean.

Here the fierce wandering horsemen of the "Chakyik Hordes", as the Tiger Nomads refer to themselves, fight to ensure the survival of their tribal clans. Descended from the Baklunish people, these nomads are a mixture of hunter-gatherers, pastoral herdsmen, and merchant traders. Although seen as a barbaric culture of constant travelers, they have managed to establish a few settlements. This has been mostly due to times of harsh seasonal weather and a desire to slow the unwelcome encroachment of others into their territory.

From Yecha, their capital settlement named for the hills in which it is found, the Tiger Nomads have begun mining for precious minerals, such as silver and gems. Along with their skilled furrier talents, this has led to a friendly trade with their neighbors from the lands of Ekbir, Perrenland, and even their ‘cousins’ the Wolf Nomads. Unfortunately, this has not prevented their occasional raiding among their neighbors, particularly where clan differences and claims to certain land areas arise.

Country Specific Resources:
– Fiend Folio (1981) – details the aggressive Quaggoth, who are specifically mentioned in the World of Greyhawk Glossography under the encounter areas for the Tiger Nomads
– Greyhawk Adventures (1988) - details the Tiger Cloak of Chakyik and the Razor Claws of the Chakyik
– WGS2 Howl from the North (1991) – details 'Dreamsinger' (one of the Blades of Corusk) in the possession of the Tiger Nomads.

Adventures in this country include:
– Aggressive bands of the shaggy furred Quaggoth are stalking the grasslands, endangering the clans’ herds and people.
– Due to a harsh season, herds and natural food sources are scarce. Hunting parties are needed to help replenish supplies for the clans so they will survive the hardship.
– Strange cave tribesmen and beasts have begun raiding the villages in the Yecha Hills.
– The grasslands once lay beneath the northern arctic ice. Strange tales of ruins and unknown humanoids near them have stoked curiosity among some of the clans.

Adventures in nearby areas include:
– Bandits & brigands are disrupting traders traveling through the prairies and its neighbors.
– Mountain dwarves have begun claiming land close to several of the Tiger Nomad’s mining areas. What is the dwarven intent? Are their claims just? Can a peace be brokered, or will the people have a new enemy?
– Someone has stolen the holy sword, Dreamsinger! Is this treachery from one of the Tiger Nomads’ neighbors? The relic MUST be recovered at all costs before rivalries cause some of the clans to lay blame upon each other and cause outright war.

The landscape is one which provokes images of old pulp adventures, from such authors as Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard. Here is a place where the prime struggle is for survival and making peace with the land and its inhabitants. It is a barbaric world still discovering its own rules. Will you and your players take up the challenge of joining in?
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Richard Di Ioia (aka Longetalos)