Hollow Stone Tribe
Race: Goblin, Worg
Domesticated Animal: Wolf
Organization: Transitional, nomadic, hunter-gatherer group with pieces of tribal structure
Symbol: Black arrowhead inscribed in arrowhead, outer pointing towards you, inner pointing outward
Territory: Mediterranean Plains
Talents: Archery, Riding, Poison, Alchemy (esp. herbal), Leatherworking, Nature Worship, Learned Magic
Wall of text information (requires organizing):
Views: Loyalty to the tribe is the emphasized morality. Those with inborn magic (such as gnomes) are resented and looked upon with dislike as not having earned their place. Learning magic by theft, study or piety is favorably looked upon. Skill at thievery is lauded and the concept quite generalized. They make heavy use of poison, minor creation being a common psionic power (and occasional spell), in both hunting and war. In hunting, the use of poison allows them to fell small and swift game such as birds and gazelles that would be otherwise difficult to pursue. This allows them to cohabit to an extent with gnoll tribes, who focus on larger prey. In both hunting and war they rarely use ingested poisons other than drugs, viewing it as sacrilegious to corrupt resources such as food or water. Indigo, black, and ochre dyes dominate their options for coloring. Cannabis is commonly smoked for recreation; sannish is a not-uncommon luxury as well, a cosmetic of indigo color is applied to the lips to cover the stains. Priests sometimes utilize Baccaran for spiritual purposes. In appearance great importance is ascribed to the ears, which are heavily decorated with jewelry (of varying taste and quality) to accent their features. They believe that the soul is reincarnated as one of its descendants, except if a goblin dies with a worg (souls combined into a barghest) or with no descendants (becomes a spirit of ill fortune). Either way, (presuming no one plans to raise the fellow) the possessions of the dead are quickly stripped and scattered to discourage them from returning to the location of their body, and in a cultural twist adopted from the gnoll tribes those not related to the dead ensure the corpse is eaten to relieve its memory and ensure the spirit doesn't cling to a rotting corpse for the next generation. Often, goblins and worgs trade duties on this, since all goblins could easily be related, and all worgs, but are unlikely to be related to each other. Those who die young enough are presumed capable of returning as a sibling's child, and a young goblin may therefore find themselves named for an unknown, dead aunt or uncle. Stillborn children are viewed as evil spirits and burned, and sacrifices soon made to Talona to stave off their ill omen. Largely nomadic, they cover a hunting ground of hundreds of square miles, using teepees of either gazelleskin or canvas for portable shelter. Their agriculture, such as it is, consists of deliberately spreading the seeds of plants they utilize in order to harvest such on their return; consequently, they tend to grow and use plants easily classified as weeds by more stringent farmers. A single family unit consists of married couples or groups (if there are multiple men, they live with the woman's family; if multiple women with the man's, and the pair get to choose/argue) and potentially their married siblings; their parents, possibly grandparents, and any unmarried children of the lot. In terminology, the children refer to the generation in a family group above them as mother and father, and above that as grandparents. The former families of those brought into the group are called cousins, aunts, and uncles. Craftsmanship is a common talent with many knowing how to make what they need themselves. They tend to be suspicious and resentful of long-lived races, seeing their mores as devious, unjust tactics to hoard increasing amounts of power and leave the young to stagnate.
Social divisions:
The four lower castes are relatively flexible, often dictated by social circumstances or personal choice.
Thief:
Vagabond caste and often the domain of the young, any who wander far from the tribe without leaving it are in this caste. Their social role is to acquire things (valuables, knowledge, information, territory) that can benefit the group. Archivists, erudites and wizards often spend time as this caste; rogues and spellthieves are a natural fit; and the occasional bard generally manages to sneak into this group. Traders, traveling scholars, and actual thieves fall into this, as do raiders (who typically dye their hands black with a temporary dye to hide their tribal tattoos before moving aggressively on a territory, particularly of other goblins).
Hunter:
Everyday providers for the tribe, hunters use poisoned arrows and the swiftness of wolf or worg mounts to bring down quick and light prey from birds to gazelles. They defend the tribe against attack and fight in times of war. Often they are skilled with fletchery, skinning and leatherworking, cooking, and/or poisoncrafting. While rangers are common, most classes can find a role in this caste.
Gatherer:
More likely to consist of mothers, children, and older goblins, those disinclined to hunt or wander may instead play the role of gatherer, harvesting the plants and simpler prey such as insects from the plains. They often become skilled with utilizing their acquisitions, and deliberately spread seeds of favored plants over their territories to ensure a good harvest the next season.
Priest:
While any caster and some erudites may be priests, druids are the favored spiritual leaders of the tribe, owing to their ability to provide guidance on maintaining the land and negotiate with the druids of the gnoll tribes that also prowl the land. They revere more minor spirits of nature rather than the higher deities, but beg and offer sacrifices to placate the more savage nature deities when ill omens afflict them. Curiously, the goddess most often followed is Mystra, magic itself having a strong presence in their society.
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Upper Castes:
Worg:
These intelligent and vicious wolves enjoy a quality of life and reverence reserved for nobles in most societies, if that. In return, they give the goblins a significant boost militarily.
Black Hand:
Those selected to become assassins dye their hands permanently black, apparently for anonymity. They eliminate threats to the tribe quietly and efficiently.
Archivist:
Not to be confused with the class, an archivist creates permanent records of knowledge, magical or nonmagical, that can be preserved for many generations. They are selected for their judgement, determining which facts and formulae are worth immortalizing. They are typically picky and unsentimental enough that future generations forget where they came from fairly rapidly, and elaborate and dynamic fabrications develop instead.
Lieutenant:
These trusted few, appointed by the chieftain, gain a portion of his authority and may generally speak for him.
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Leaders:
Chieftain:
Accepted leader of the tribe, preferably of a former chief's lineage. Typically partnered with the alpha of the worg pack. Tradition adapted from more agricultural societies, with relatively less power.
High Priest:
Spiritual leader of the tribe.
Warlord:
One who calls together multiple tribes in pursuit of a common purpose, esp. to wage war.
Morality
Humility is favored. Those who boast or put on airs are made fun of.
Authority, while present, is consequently soft, and viewed with humorous distrust outside the tribe.
Religiously, this entails dealings with gods better able to be viewed as equals, though vicious powers are placated. Given their appreciation of Mystra this can lead to some strange looks from other followers - a Hollow Stone tribesman might talk about or with the Lady like an old friend, or tease her irreverently should they meet.
Thievery is sport, inconsequential within and beneficial without.
Tribe members are playful. Most productive work is a sort of game.
Tribesmembers are trusted and often friends while those outside the tribe are to be viewed with great suspicion until befriended.
Consequently it's generally a good idea to make friends in neighboring tribes, and have a few of your own children marry in if goblin.
They get in wars or battles most often with agricultural societies trying to claim 'unsettled' land, a tendency that can be mitigated if the agricultural societies produce sufficiently excellent food to accept their continued existence, at which point they switch modes to stealing it because man that's good bread.
They get into wars second most often if they fail to placate evil gods. When in the midst of gnolls, beg mercy of Yeenoghu. Sometimes their practices offend ... less evil gods as well. Generally when an irreverent approach to religion might clash with more zealotry. Or, of course anyone who gets pissed off by stealing and magic.
Third most often are clashes with other bands who use the land without respect.
Arguments within the tribe are most often decided democratically, with democratically entailing getting the most people on your side.
Language Basics:
All speak a southeast plains dialect of goblin.
The common language of their region is a creole of goblin and gnoll.
A pidgin goblin/worg aids interaction with the intelligent wolves, but owing to goblins having a different physical structure can't evolve past that point in language. Goblin plus translation is used for complex communications.
They use common for most dealings with other races.
They use draconic for dealings with magic, since that's what everyone else does and everyone else is where they got their magic, and a sort of pidgin has evolved around that where even those unversed with the language often use the terms. Hearing it spoken aloud is a somewhat amusing experience for those used to it as a technical language.
Elven is a religious language because it sounds cool and elves are immortal beings with sometimes similarity in worship.
Giant is relatively infrequent.
Orc warlords at times in the region's history sweep the tribes up into their ambitions, either as warriors or as slaves, leaving their language as a mark to greater or lesser degree (and pushing out the elven where it does).
Holidays:
Annual Holidays
Wheel of the Year:
Winter Solstice: The Longest Nights, the Solstice and the nights before and after, are celebrated with continuous hunting during the night, ceremonies and feasting during the day. The ceremonies stave off diseases and pneumonia from the rainy months of winter, often including sacrifices of hunted beasts brought back alive. When there is a plentiful hunt the tribe shares its bounty with those in the region struggling with the coldest part of the (admittedly pretty warm) year, strengthening bonds with other tribes and pacifying villages in a tradition brought back from the Malarites of the far north. When there is little food and disease is rampant, the purpose of the hunt may be inverted, striking up war that the vicious side of the hunt will be placated with sacrifice and populations growing too much for the land, reduced.
New Year: Between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox, the New Year celebrates the lengthening of days and return of warmth. It is celebrated with fire, bonfires and candles commonly marking it as well as the smoking of the last of the stores of hashish, anticipating the growth in spring soon. Divination is a traditional activity, cutting off the head of a captured fowl and interpreting its movements afterward, as well as using the visions formed in the fire with use of baccaran, and other customs. This is also the beginning of the worg and wolf mating season, and the tribe generally spreads out and digs in as the wolves disperse, spending much more time relaxing and eating saved food until the Equinox, or setting off on travel to acquire mates for themselves or other rewards. The Rite of Passage to adulthood is traditionally done between New Year's and the Equinox.
Spring Equinox: The Equinox celebrates marriage, birth, and return, welcoming new pups born into the pack, goblins married into the tribe, and those returning from their journeys and rites of passage. Salads of young growth, bird's eggs, fresh wolves' milk and derivative foods, and the smoking of the fresh leaves and young buds mark the feasts of spring. Bringing wolves' milk back to the tribe is often a final stage of the rite of passage, a test of the goblin's friendship and sacred bond with an extremely dangerous creature (a nursing mother).
Start of Summer: Between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice, this is a festival of optimism and fertility, with great amounts of dancing and rituals to ward away evil spirits from the coming year while inviting blessings in, including the burning of plants which turn the fires white. The drinking of wolf kumis (fermented wolf's milk) and use of baccaran while dancing induces spirit possession and enhanced magic, making for some highly entertaining events.
Summer Solstice: The traditional time to gather the plants used for the Sannish drink (as well as many healing herbs). The wolf kumis is distilled into a spirit called araka, which is then combined with the distillation of the blue flower to make the Sannish drink, a staple of the celebration as well as through the year ('taste of summer'). Sacrifices of beasts are made to celebrate the peak of fertility, flowers are gathered and made into dye or herbs or simply woven into temporary jewelry, fires are lit and danced around to ward off spirits of ill omen who have again a chance to roam as the days begin to shorten, and a child is made chieftain of the tribe for a week.
First Fruit: The first flowers begin to go to seed, particularly grains and so forth. Hemp seed is gathered in great quantity, pressed into cakes which are then made into flour and the oils from the pressing gathered. Flatbread and porridge are eaten in great quantity, along with nut butter, other derivatives and other plants gathered this season. It is less prominent a holiday than in agrarian societies.
Autumnal Equinox: A day of feasting, corresponding to the pomegranate and walnut season, and the corresponding foods, drinks and syrups. Leafy plants are these days bitter and root plants turned to for food. It is a rich meal, including many common meats of the tribe hunted for the occasion along with the foods of autumn.
Day of Masks: Last feast of Autumn, correlating with the pumpkin harvest; many dishes are made of the black gourds and pumpkin wine distilled, while animals flying here from the north join the meat of the feast. The spirits of the restless dead return this night, looking for a relative who they can possess and make their own body. To ward them away all in the tribe wear masks, obscuring their features sufficiently to make it difficult to determine relations, except for a select group who wear masks of bone. This group invites the spirits of the restless dead to possess them and join in the festivities, with the aim to get the spirits far too drunk and exhausted to do any harm. Pregnant women make offerings to dead ancestors, with the aim to ensure the right souls take life in their children.
Lunar Holidays:
Full Moon: Night of the Savage Hunt: Hunting is done by those who transform into animal forms, and no manufactured weapon utilized. Those brought down are sacrificed bloodily in the name of the savage spirits (including gods) appeased by such measures.
Half Moon: Night of Harmony: Celebration of positive relationships: romantic, friendship within tribe, friendship between tribes, between worg and goblin, and between goblin and wolf. Traditional day to scatter seeds of fruits and plants, and have championship-style games.
New Moon: Night of the Closed Eye: The moon's absence is seen as an eye being fully closed, and license given to run amok. Tribe members are freed to be entirely self-indulgent, taking whatever amount of the tribe's saved food they can manage to eat, stealing any possession they want and any mate (if they cooperate or can be made to). Often a night of brawling and chaos, with the place in disarray by the morning, and a decent source of annoyance for other societies who happen to be in the near area. It provides a release of growing tensions, with all being forgiven within the tribe on the day after.
Popular Sports:
Popular Sports:
Archery, unmounted: Participants will craft or tie a target and take turns trying to hit it from varied distances.
Archery, mounted: Participants will craft or tie a series of targets along a course, and then ride through shooting at each in turn, attempting speed and accuracy.
Foot Race: Participants mark starting and ending points and race on foot.
Race, mounted: Same as before, but on wolves. More likely to include obstacles to jump.
Spearing, Spear-Jousting: Participants charge and stab (inanimate) targets with spears in sequence, or seek to unseat opponents with sticks where the spearheads have been replaced by padded ends.
Ink Toss: Participant teams wear strips of clean cloth tied around themselves, and a set of (not so clean) gloves. They take a pair of cloth balls soaked in indigo dye into the game, seeking to throw them at the cloth of members of the opposing team without being hit themselves. Generally someone is 'out' once hit, and play continues until one team is victorious or the balls dry out.
Tag: As tag, with numerous possible variants; sometimes uses the dye method of Ink Toss, with dye being smeared on the fingers first.
Sticktoss: Similar to lacrosse, participants of opposing teams seek to propel a small leather ball to a targeted area using small nets at the end of sticks. Played on foot or wolfback.
Dancing: Catch-all display of athletic prowess and rhythm. Done to the beat of drums, in celebrations, prayer, argument resolutions and simple friendly contests. Heavy on rhythmic gymnastics, often lewd, heavy on storytelling as it often leads into possession trance. May incorporate forms of juggling.
White Rock: A symbolic token, traditionally a white rock, is located, displayed for the participants to see and then hidden away in some fashion. Through the day, participants seek out, acquire, and conceal the token from each other by means of theft, subterfuge and misdirection. At the end of the day, the game initiator trades a gift to the person who comes forward with the (original) white rock.