Howl Basin - User contributions [en]

Bandit gangs

2025-09-18T16:32:00Z

Zadammac:

[[Category:Bandit Gangs]]

''This article is about using Bandit Gangs as a general gameplay mechanic. For specific bandit gangs, see [[Category: Bandit Gangs | the category page]] for a list of known gangs.''

Whether at character creation or as a result of later decisions, it can be possible to become a member of a Bandit Gang, replacing your [[Folks | Folk]] affiliation as your primary social affiliation, or treating it as your character's background at creation time. While the motives (and heinousness) of these gangs vary depending on who is leading them and making up the backbone of their culture, as a general rule, they tend to have some things in common: a disdain for the laws of [[the Federation]], a desire for personal freedom, and a willingness to live entirely outside the bounds and protection of the law.

== Lifestyles and Culture ==
=== Cultural Values ===
Individual gangs have their own unique culture and values. Some are desperado gangs held together by little more than a charismatic figurehead and the mutually-assured destruction caused by any of their members turning a witness, where others are unified by grand causes, enclaves of societies whose only rite of citizenship is their mutual benefit. When you're in, you know you're in, and everyone else is out.

==== In Group ====
In order to truly be part of the gang, you need the trust of your peers and the fealty of your lessers. While most gangs that intend on surviving the lifestyle long don't exactly go around town parading their allegiances, they for damn know for sure who is in, and who is on the outs. In this respect, they are not altogether unlike [[Packfolk]] packs, and indeed such groups are often the nucleus around which a gang eventually forms. Being born into a gang is rare, but it can happen. Otherwise, joining a gang is usually fraught with hardships - some deliberately-constructed rites of passage to prime the "low man" for a life of criminality and invest them in the same risk as the rest of the gang, others imposed by the realities of living on the move, hunted, and outside the law. Leaving a gang is often even harder - it's a dangerous game to get out of, once you're in.

==== Kicking In ====
Whether the packfolk-like lifestyle comes naturally to the members of a gang or not, there is a packfolk maxim that is undeniably essential for the continued existence of a Bandit Gang - the idea of kicking in. In a gang, money rarely flows downhill. Yes, individuals who scare up their own scores keep a cut (in the most successful gangs, often a rather large cut), but to one degree or another, everyone "pays their dues". The rules that govern this sort of thing vary, of course, from gang to gang, but in general, everyone gives their cut. Usually, the majority of this money winds up enriching the lives of the gang, however indirectly - keeping a hideout or camp well-furnished, providing bail funds, or covering costs. In the more noble gangs, this cut sometimes goes toward the good of the communities they deem worthy of charity, or to the families of fallen members of the gang. In the worst, this enriches the lives of the leader most strongly.

==== Watch Your Back ====
Regardless of the stated motives of a gang, and running contrary to the necessary web of trust to hold it together, the ideal that best separates a Bandit Gang from a similar structure (like a Packfolk Pack) is the underlying current of distrust felt between its members. Even when the leaders of a gang are solid, and the nature at camp is brotherly, there will be elements of the gang that just cannot be trusted. In "good" gangs, more unsavoury elements will be seeking their own profit, and in "bad" gangs, everyone is transparently playing the game for themselves. As a result, the life is a life of continual mistrust. At best, you'll be hoping everyone's good nature stays genuine, while keeping a knife up your sleeve. At worst, you know damn well everyone around you would sell you and their own mothers for a chance to sit on top.

=== Renegades ===
Most Bandit Gangs don't form, in the first place, around the idea of flipping the bird to the law, and running riot across the basin, murdering and thieving. This category is full of work gangs who were cheated and took matters into their own hands, groups driven off their land and trying to keep a slice of the life they knew before, anti-industrialists fighting against the destruction of the environment in the name of "progress", or outright rebellions against local or regional tyranny. Such Renegades occupy a place in the social zeitgeist that is a mixed bag - dangerous, but sometimes even seen as heroic. Gangs - or individual outlaws - who can maintain this kind of reputation sometimes benefit from a blind eye when dealing with Townies... as long as their crimes stay well away from those communities.

=== Villains ===
Whether the gang nucleated around the wrong people, or was driven into extremis by the nature of outlaw life, many gangs completely devolve into outright villainy. These gangs lead mean, violent, and usually brutally short lives, but those who are absorbed into them in totality are usually the toughest, most dangerous sons of bitches in their respective counties. Unable to live among society by grace, when forced to interact with civil societies, they usually fall back on intimidation, violence, or, at best, reputation for both.

=== Gangs in the Cities ===
One way or the other, gangs and their members *must* interact with society in two ways: the first, by victimizing it with their crimes, and the second, by appearing in populated areas to "come up for air": obtaining supplies, socializing, and so on. Depending on the degree to which the gang is organized and competent, this could be anything from the whole posse of outlaws dropping into town to paint it red, versus a few at a time keeping a low profile. Some gangs are known to keep members who don't participate directly in the criminal life, but who can come and go between camp (or hideout) and town with impunity, being of low reputation but not really criminal. Other gangs are careful to range wide and commit their crimes far from where they call home, ensuring they always have a town or two to return to where they have no poor reputation at all.

=== Coming Up in the Gang ===
Many gangs (or at least their hideouts and camps) are co-educational, and romances bloom. Members of outlaw groups having children is a phenomenon as old as outlaw groups, and not all of them wind up on the steps of churches or wealthy households. Camp and hideout is no place for a child, and yet, some of the most famous outlaws of them all were born into this life. Still others wind up in gangs from their youth, from circumstance or misadventure. Any character whose backstory prior to the start of play has them in the gang life for longer than one year can use the Bandit Gang background regardless of what folk they might otherwise belong to.

=== Joining a Gang ===
In order to truly be part of the gang, you need the trust of your peers and the fealty of your lessers. While most gangs that intend on surviving the lifestyle long don't exactly go around town parading their allegiances, they for damn know for sure who is in, and who is on the outs. In this respect, they are not altogether unlike [[Packfolk]] packs, and indeed such groups are often the nucleus around which a gang eventually forms. Being born into a gang is rare, but it can happen. Otherwise, joining a gang is usually fraught with hardships - some deliberately-constructed rites of passage to prime the "low man" for a life of criminality and invest them in the same risk as the rest of the gang, others imposed by the realities of living on the move, hunted, and outside the law. Leaving a gang is often even harder - it's a dangerous game to get out of, once you're in.

=== Shunned by the Gang ===
When you're in, you're in, and when you're out, you're really out. Sufficiently wronging the gang of your origin will turn that gang hostile against you. You can no longer succeed at connection rolls against that gang. At best, gang members will refuse to help or otherwise associate with you. At worst, you may be hounded by violence from their territory or even pursued all across the Basin as a reprisal against your treachery or out of fear you will bear witness against them.

== Gameplay Rules ==
In the Howl Basin campaign setting, folks serve two roles. If your character was raised within the cultural context of the a Folk, they take that folk as their [[Tarnished Tale: Background | Background]]. On the other hand, circumstances occasionally lead to a character becoming a member of a folk retroactively. This happens at their discretion as long as they have and maintain a [[Tarnished Tale: Connections| Connections]] score above 60% with that folk. At the player's discretion, such a character becomes an "adoptee" member of that Folk. Facilitators are encouraged to roleplay out this adoption as much as fits the taste of the party. Each folk's "lifestyles and culture" section includes a section on any additional requirements to join that faction permanently.

=== As A Background ===
When taking Bandit Gang as your starting background, you develop your starting skillpoints and acquire a character trait as a result of your upbringing. For the purposes of determining your starting skillpoints, there are three subtypes of this background: Born Outlaw, Outlaw Renegade, and Villain. You must pick from one of the three types when creating your Bandit character, but please note you may still have had a mixed history, having lived the lives of any or all of the three subtypes prior to becoming an adventuring character.

==== Starting Skill Points ====
All Bandit Gang characters start the game with Analysis * 1 + Intuition * 4 skill points which they may distribute among any skills they so choose. These represent the skills you acquired during your career with your gang of origin.

In addition, such characters add the following skills as Occupation Skills depending on their subtype:
* Born Outlaw: [[Skill: Survival|Survival]], [[Skill: Firearm Use | Firearm Use (Any One Specialty)]], [[Skill: Ride|Ride]]
* Renegade Outlaw: [[Skill: Dealmaking| Dealmaking]], [[Skill: Firearm Use | Firearm Use (Any One Specialty)]], [[Skill: Ride|Ride]]
* Villain Outlaw: [[Skill: Intimidation | Intimidation]], [[Skill: Firearm Use| Firearm Use (Any One Specialty)]], [[Skill: Disguise | Disguise]]

If one of these bonus Occupation Skills is already a feature of your chosen occupation, the [[Facilitator]] should work with you to come up with a substitute skill. If no substitute skill can be found, take 5 extra Occupation Skill Points in lieu of the substitute.

==== Bandit Trait: When You're In, You're In ====
Regardless of subtype, Bandit characters start with the Background Trait '''When You're In, You're In'''. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Whenever a character with the When You're In, You're In trait is making a connections check with any Bandit Gang (including other than their own), they may use their own Bandit Gang's connection score in place of their score with the relevant faction. When making connection checks in this way (using the native score as a substitute), the score that would have been more relevant (such as the personal or organization-specific connection score) is the one that gets marked for Advancement if such a reward is given. In other words, your bond with your own gang is never advanced as a result of this trait. You lose this ability if you become a Bandit Gang Exile.

==== Starting Connections ====
All landfolk characters begin with the following connections at a score of (Hardiness + Intuition + Wisdom):
* Bandit Gang (Their Gang)
* The Character's Family

=== As a Connection ===
Adoptees who meet the faction alignment requirement and exemplify the traits of the Bandit Gang to the point of becoming cultural adoptees to the faction retain their original backgrounds and do not retrain skills, for obvious reasons: the past is fundamentally immutable and moving your house doesn't change your capabilities. That being said, they do acquire a new trait.

==== Bandit Adoptee Trait: You're Among Friends ====
This is an ''Active Effect''. Whenever a character with this trait is making a social check (excluding connections checks), the character's player may choose to reduce their Connections: (This Gang) score by X points. If they do so, they may lower the result of their social check roll by X points. This decision may be made after the roll. Points spend in this way are lost, but may be made up for with the normal ebb and flow of Connections points. If the player has fewer than 50 point in their connection to their own gang left, they may not use this effect (doing so would represent overstepping the hospitality of their adoptive folk).

If a character gains an Advancement tick on a social skill from a check in which they used the You're Among Friends ability, their connection score with their adoptive gang gains as many points as the skill itself does at advancement.

[[Category: Folks]] [[Category: Backgrounds]]

Bandit gangs

2025-09-18T15:57:05Z

Zadammac: Created page with "Category:Bandit Gangs ''This article is about using Bandit Gangs as a general gameplay mechanic. For specific bandit gangs, see the category page for a list of known gangs.'' Whether at character creation or as a result of later decisions, it can be possible to become a member of a Bandit Gang, replacing your Folk affiliation as your primary social affiliation, or treating it as your character's background at creation time...."

[[Category:Bandit Gangs]]

''This article is about using Bandit Gangs as a general gameplay mechanic. For specific bandit gangs, see [[Category: Bandit Gangs | the category page]] for a list of known gangs.''

Whether at character creation or as a result of later decisions, it can be possible to become a member of a Bandit Gang, replacing your [[Folks | Folk]] affiliation as your primary social affiliation, or treating it as your character's background at creation time. While the motives (and heinousness) of these gangs vary depending on who is leading them and making up the backbone of their culture, as a general rule, they tend to have some things in common: a disdain for the laws of [[the Federation]], a desire for personal freedom, and a willingness to live entirely outside the bounds and protection of the law.

== Lifestyles and Culture ==
=== Cultural Values ===
Individual gangs have their own unique culture and values. Some are desperado gangs held together by little more than a charismatic figurehead and the mutually-assured destruction caused by any of their members turning a witness, where others are unified by grand causes, enclaves of societies whose only rite of citizenship is their mutual benefit. When you're in, you know you're in, and everyone else is out.

==== In Group ====
In order to truly be part of the gang, you need the trust of your peers and the fealty of your lessers. While most gangs that intend on surviving the lifestyle long don't exactly go around town parading their allegiances, they for damn know for sure who is in, and who is on the outs. In this respect, they are not altogether unlike [[Packfolk]] packs, and indeed such groups are often the nucleus around which a gang eventually forms. Being born into a gang is rare, but it can happen. Otherwise, joining a gang is usually fraught with hardships - some deliberately-constructed rites of passage to prime the "low man" for a life of criminality and invest them in the same risk as the rest of the gang, others imposed by the realities of living on the move, hunted, and outside the law. Leaving a gang is often even harder - it's a dangerous game to get out of, once you're in.

==== Kicking In ====
Whether the packfolk-like lifestyle comes naturally to the members of a gang or not, there is a packfolk maxim that is undeniably essential for the continued existence of a Bandit Gang - the idea of kicking in. In a gang, money rarely flows downhill. Yes, individuals who scare up their own scores keep a cut (in the most successful gangs, often a rather large cut), but to one degree or another, everyone "pays their dues". The rules that govern this sort of thing vary, of course, from gang to gang, but in general, everyone gives their cut. Usually, the majority of this money winds up enriching the lives of the gang, however indirectly - keeping a hideout or camp well-furnished, providing bail funds, or covering costs. In the more noble gangs, this cut sometimes goes toward the good of the communities they deem worthy of charity, or to the families of fallen members of the gang. In the worst, this enriches the lives of the leader most strongly.

==== Watch Your Back ====
Regardless of the stated motives of a gang, and running contrary to the necessary web of trust to hold it together, the ideal that best separates a Bandit Gang from a similar structure (like a Packfolk Pack) is the underlying current of distrust felt between its members. Even when the leaders of a gang are solid, and the nature at camp is brotherly, there will be elements of the gang that just cannot be trusted. In "good" gangs, more unsavoury elements will be seeking their own profit, and in "bad" gangs, everyone is transparently playing the game for themselves. As a result, the life is a life of continual mistrust. At best, you'll be hoping everyone's good nature stays genuine, while keeping a knife up your sleeve. At worst, you know damn well everyone around you would sell you and their own mothers for a chance to sit on top.

=== Renegades ===
Most Bandit Gangs don't form, in the first place, around the idea of flipping the bird to the law, and running riot across the basin, murdering and thieving. This category is full of work gangs who were cheated and took matters into their own hands, groups driven off their land and trying to keep a slice of the life they knew before, anti-industrialists fighting against the destruction of the environment in the name of "progress", or outright rebellions against local or regional tyranny. Such Renegades occupy a place in the social zeitgeist that is a mixed bag - dangerous, but sometimes even seen as heroic. Gangs - or individual outlaws - who can maintain this kind of reputation sometimes benefit from a blind eye when dealing with Townies... as long as their crimes stay well away from those communities.

=== Villains ===
It's not unheard of for there to be town-dwelling Landfolk, and Landfolk towns tend to spring up organically. While a few are [[Station Towns]] and are best thought of in that way, even remote of the railroads, Landfolk Towns exist. These tend to form at locations that are "central" to surrounding homesteads in terms of natural routes of travel, and support basic common services that the surrounding homesteads rely on, like general stores, specialist trades (farriers and machinists and the like), professional services (including - often especially - medical services), religious facilities, and in areas aligned to [[the Federation]], government offices. Most importantly, such towns almost always provide a congregated poiint of access to some form of transportation, be it a road, a waterway, or the railway.

Landfolk Townies and Homesteaders see one another as more or less one division of the folk, joined by the common elements of the culture and their comparative isolation from other communities. To a certain extent they are "playfully" at odds with their city-dwelling cousins, who they view as partially assimilated into Hivefolk culture.

=== Landfolk in the Cities ===
Cities are populated heavily, and full of opportunity, which can tend to attract younger Landfolk wishing to make their way in the world and forge new paths of Landfolk traditions. This by and large has two possible outcomes: the formation of Landfolk boroughs in those cities, and cultural attrition from the greater Landfolk identity. In the former class, life continues as normal, substituting available labour jobs for traditional pursuits like farming and woodworking, and the city block or row of townhouses for the role of the homestead. In the latter, it's not uncommon for children who were raised Landfolk to more fully embrace city life, and align themselves more culturally with either the city itself or with the dominant folk (usually, in Howl Basin's limited major cities, the [[Hivefolk]].)

=== Coming Up Landfolk ===
Whether born into families of homesteaders, townies, or cityfolk, childhood for Landfolk is largely the same, and highly valued, as it tends to be somewhat abbreviated and end at adolescent. The oldest children in the family invariably become quickly integrated into the workflow of the family unit, whether that is simply a nuclear family or a full extended family sharing a united homestead or neighbourhood. This often takes the farm of attending to the younger siblings (or even cousins) and helping out with the chores of day to day life. Informal education and cultural imprinting begins at a young age, focusing on life skills relevant to both general daily life and usually one or both parents' trades (including homemaking). Formal education, where available, focuses on history (local or federal, depending on the community's general alignment on the matter), trades-arithmetic, reading and writing (usually in both [[Lagosi]] and the community's relavent language), and often a religious or folklore topic.

=== Becoming Landfolk ===
It's not uncommon for people to be adopted into Landfolk communities and come to consider themselves as Landfolk, and be considered the same by their neighbours. Usually, this requires becoming something of a permanent fixture in a Landfolk community; no matter how honest their dealings are otherwise, itinerants and travelling merchants tend to be viewed as slightly foreign even after several repeat visits to a Landfolk community. However, for those who choose to make their lives in a Landfolk settlement (or in close proximity to Landfolk homesteads) and who build up a good reputation for upholding the three values (Community, Honesty, and Industriousness), they may eventually get the reputation locally of being "one of the folk". Usually after this happens it is not long before that reputation starts proceeding the character in question, and the culture begins to rub off.

=== Shunned by the Landfolk ===
Conversely, it is possible to become excluded by Landfolk society, though it's not necessarily trivial to do so. Career criminality (or even singular crimes, if sufficiently egregious), a reputation for refusal to help out your community, and sufficient displays of shiftlessness or greed (the former without reasonable excuse - ability matters), can lead to a person becoming a social outcast, or even an outright outlaw. Such individuals become seen as outsiders to the Landfolk community, even in communities in which they were raised or currently reside. Others' shoulders become cold, and help is extended less and less often by your neighbours.

The majority of people who face this treatment leave the communities in which it begins. More often than any other outcome, they end up settling in another community and "turn their lives around", getting a fresh start (an outcome encouraged by the Landfolk themselves). In some cases however, this treatment entrenches whatever attitudes played a part in the person's prior behaviour and they may become outlaws or settle down with other folks. A fair number of [[bandit gangs]] and even some [[Mountainfolk]] come about in this fashion.

== Gameplay Rules ==
In the Howl Basin campaign setting, folks serve two roles. If your character was raised within the cultural context of the a Folk, they take that folk as their [[Tarnished Tale: Background | Background]]. On the other hand, circumstances occasionally lead to a character becoming a member of a folk retroactively. This happens at their discretion as long as they have and maintain a [[Tarnished Tale: Connections| Connections]] score above 60% with that folk. At the player's discretion, such a character becomes an "adoptee" member of that Folk. Facilitators are encouraged to roleplay out this adoption as much as fits the taste of the party. Each folk's "lifestyles and culture" section includes a section on any additional requirements to join that faction permanently.

=== As A Background ===
When taking Landfolk as your starting background, you develop your starting skillpoints and acquire a character trait as a result of your upbringing. For the purposes of determining your starting skillpoints, there are three subtypes of this background: Homesteader Landfolk, Townie Landfolk, and City Landfolk. You must pick from one of the three types when creating your Landfolk character, but please note you may still have had a mixed history, having lived the lives of any or all of the three subtypes prior to becoming an adventuring character.

==== Starting Skill Points ====
All Landfolk start the game with Analysis * 2 + Intuition * 3 skill points which they may distribute among any skills they so choose. These represent the skills you acquired during your youth as a rounded member of the Landfolk society.

In addition, Landfolk characters add the following skills as Occupation Skills depending on their subtype:
* Homesteader Landfolk: [[Skill: Survival|Survival]], [[Skill: Firearm Use | Firearm Use (Rifles)]], [[Skill: Ride|Ride]]
* Townie Landfolk: [[Skill: Dealmaking| Dealmaking]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation]], [[Skill: Drive | Drive (Wagons) or Drive (Riverboat)]]
* City Landfolk: [[Skill: Charm | Charm]], [[Skill: Dealmaking]], [[Skill: Repair | Repair (Carpentry) or Repair (Plumbing)]]

If one of these bonus Occupation Skills is already a feature of your chosen occupation, the [[Facilitator]] should work with you to come up with a substitute skill. If no substitute skill can be found, take 5 extra Occupation Skill Points in lieu of the substitute.

==== Landfolk Trait: Salt of the Earth ====
Regardless of subtype, Landfolk characters start with the Background Trait '''Salt of the Earth'''. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Whenever a character with the Salt of the Earth trait is making a connections check with a Landfolk character, organization with the Landfolk alignment, or in a Landfolk-aligned community, they may use their Landfolk connection score in place of their more relevant connection score if the Landfolk score is better. When making connection checks in this way (using the Landfolk score as a substitute), the score that would have been more relevant (such as the personal or organization-specific connection score) is the one that gets marked for Advancement if such a reward is given. In other words, your bond with the Landfolk community is never advanced as a result of using Salt of the Earth. You lose this ability if you become a Landfolk Exile.

==== Starting Connections ====
All landfolk characters begin with the following connections at a score of (Hardiness + Intuition + Wisdom):
* Landfolk
* The Character's Hometown or County (as appropriate)
* The Character's Family

This base score is chosen because Landfolk communities by and large favor individuals who are reliable, empathetic, and who demonstrate social grace, but discourages celebrity and self-reliance.

=== As a Connection ===
Adoptees who meet the faction alignment requirement and exemplify the traits of the Landfolk to the point of becoming cultural adoptees to the faction retain their original backgrounds and do not retrain skills, for obvious reasons: the past is fundamentally immutable and moving your house doesn't change your capabilities. That being said, they do acquire a new trait.

==== Landfolk Adoptee Trait: You're Among Friends ====
This is an ''Active Effect''. Whenever a character with this trait is making a social check (excluding connections checks), the character's player may choose to reduce their Connections: Landfolk score by X points. If they do so, they may lower the result of their social check roll by X points. This decision may be made after the roll. Points spend in this way are lost, but may be made up for with the normal ebb and flow of Connections points. If the player has fewer than 50 Connections: Landfolk points left, they may not use this effect (doing so would represent overstepping the hospitality of their adoptive folk).

If a character gains an Advancement tick on a social skill from a check in which they used the You're Among Friends ability, their Connections: Landfolk score gains as many points as the skill itself does at advancement.

[[Category: Folks]] [[Category: Backgrounds]]

Yotes

2025-09-18T12:59:33Z

Zadammac: Created page with "The '''Yotes''' (singular: Yote) are a coyote-like Packfolk race which are commonly found all throughout the Continent. Like many other Folks, their culture is divided both between the Packfolk and a sizeable Mountainfolk minority, but also between a broader "Howler" polity native to the Basin, and a broader "Comer" polity native to elsewhere in the Federation. While the line between Comer and Howler Yotes is often invisible within their own speci..."

The '''Yotes''' (singular: Yote) are a coyote-like [[Packfolk]] race which are commonly found all throughout [[the Continent]]. Like many other [[Folks]], their culture is divided both between the [[Packfolk]] and a sizeable [[Mountainfolk]] minority, but also between a broader "Howler" polity native to the Basin, and a broader "Comer" polity native to elsewhere in [[the Federation]]. While the line between Comer and Howler Yotes is often invisible within their own species, it's much more strongly felt among other folk; to Howler Lagos, for example, Comer Yotes are almost seen as the most avaricious example of Comer culture.

== History ==
Yotes can be found throughout [[the Continent]], and there's no clear understanding on their direct origin, as accounts of their presence are more or less cosmopolitan as far back as records go, and that includes Howl Basin. So far as they are concerned, there are no meaningful distinctions between Yotes from different geographic areas other than some physiological aspects, so there has been little conflict between native Yotes and those who have moved into the Territory.

== Culture ==
=== Art and Architecture ===
=== Yote Tale-Song ===
Because of their communitarian spirit and their tonal language, it is said by the Yotes that they developed song early in their history. The Yote culture has a native operatic form - Tale-Song - which is used to tell their history. Such stories are often twisted to comedic effect and also contain morals. For this reason, it is common for Yote scholarship to view histories as allegorical rather than literal.

=== Language ===
The [[Yotesto]] language is more or less spoken exclusively by Yotes, which is not to say that it is a secret language. It is, however, heavily tonal, which can make it harder than some other languages for individuals with dissimilar native languages to pick up.

=== Food ===
{{Moving Target}}

Yotes are omnivores, and they share with the [[Corvados]] a physiology that suits them toward scavenging and foraging, though always as a last resort. Their cultural cuisine is rich in spices and has a variety of approaches toward dried meats.

=== Religion and Spirituality ===
Though they are endemic throughout [[the Continent]], they predate the establishment of [[the Federation]] and so, culturally, have little use for the federation's idea of religious orthodoxy. Yote religious practice is strongly tied to the land of their birth and is full of spirits and animism.

=== Science and Technology ===
Though they cleave to their traditional ways of life, the Yotes are quick to adopt new technologies and are even often drivers of innovation. Some are known for a particular knack for pyrotechnics and chemistry.

=== Entertainment ===
'''See Also: [[Yotesto Music]], [[Yotesto Literature]]'''

Life's a joke, and then you die. The Yotes have a strong culture of music and dance, both of which they frequently fill their spare time and working days. You would be hard pressed in all but the poorest communities not to find at least one guitar or fiddle, and often you'd even find the luthier to go with them.

== Society ==
While the pack instinct is not quite as strong as it is with the [[Lupata]], the Yotes are nevertheless the next most pack-oriented society of any among the [[Packfolk]]. Yote tend to form family units centered around a particularly socially-forcible matriarch or patriarch; groups of siblings and their spouses supporting granny or grandpa while they collectively raise their cousin-children. Equally true, it is the norm for late-teen Yotes to break off from these groups and strike off on their own, cliquing in with friend-packs or travelling alone as [[Mountainfolk]] while they search for their place in the world as they understand it to themselves.

== Physiology ==
=== General Body Plan ===
Yotes are an anthropoid species, on average between 1.6 to 2 metres tall, with fully furred bodies and coyote-like heads. Yote tails are important to the nonverbal communication of their culture and are always, as a rule, left exposed by the clothing.

== Gameplay Mechanics ==
{{Moving_Target}}

=== Base Aptitudes ===
Yote characters have +2 Intuition, -1 Willpower, and -1 Hardiness when applying their initial aptitudes during character creation.

=== Heritage Trait ===
{{Moving Target}}

All Yotes have the [[Fearful Cry (Heritage Trait)]] property.

Lagos may also select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:
* [[Lone Yotes's Exuberance (Heritage Trait)]] - Comer Lagos are necessarily social and their adventurous streak extends that social grace to socializing with other races and folks, granting them a boon on the usage of social skills.
* [[Pack Yotes's Society (Heritage Trait)]] - Howler Lagos have a reputation for reliability that proceeds them have a boon on [[Tarnished Tale:Connections | Connections]] checks whenever they are in a [[Landfolk]] community.
* [[Laughing Madness (Heritage Trait)]] - Laughing Yotes recover [[Tarnished Tale: Willpower | Willpower]]-derived pools at double their usual rate.

Template:WIP

2025-09-18T12:04:33Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Moving Target}}"

Template:Traits

2025-09-18T12:03:20Z

Zadammac: Created page with "Category:Traits"

[[Category:Traits]]

Hardiness (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:49:35Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Hardiness''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Varkii heritage. Varkii are a long-suffering people whose bodies are as solidly composed as their armoured hides would suggest. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait recover points spent or otherwise lost from Hardiness-derived pools at double the normal rate for the pool in question."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Hardiness''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Varkii]] heritage. Varkii are a long-suffering people whose bodies are as solidly composed as their armoured hides would suggest. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait recover points spent or otherwise lost from Hardiness-derived pools at double the normal rate for the pool in question.

Full Moon Birth (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:45:50Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Full Moon Birth''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Lupata heritage. Howler Lore proposes that Lupataborn under the astrological full moon bear a special connection to the Strangeness. Even outside the Basin, Lupata have long recognized their lunar progeny as being especially willfull - for good or ill. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait recover points spent or otherwise lost from Willpower-derived pools at doubl..."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Full Moon Birth''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Lupata]] heritage. Howler Lore proposes that Lupataborn under the astrological full moon bear a special connection to the [[Strangeness]]. Even outside the Basin, Lupata have long recognized their lunar progeny as being especially willfull - for good or ill. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait recover points spent or otherwise lost from Willpower-derived pools at double the normal rate for the pool in question.

Frontier Royalty (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:43:32Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Frontier Royalty''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Adler heritage. Some Adler find themselves in the Frontier because they are connected to Adler families that are economically or politically powerful. This is a '''Active Effect'''. Characters with this trait may use their Connection score for their family in place of any other connection score, incuding connections they don't have, when making connection checks. However, doing so inc..."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Frontier Royalty''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Adler]] heritage. Some Adler find themselves in [[the Frontier]] because they are connected to Adler families that are economically or politically powerful. This is a '''Active Effect'''. Characters with this trait may use their Connection score for their family in place of any other connection score, incuding connections they don't have, when making connection checks. However, doing so incurs a bane on the check. In order to do this, the Adler must disclose to the "recipient" of the connection check their identity. Their family connection score is effected by this check as normal.

Friends in Wild Places (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:40:01Z

Zadammac: Created page with "'''Friends in Wild Places''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Varki heritage. Varki who are deeply steeped in the traditional way of life for their culture, and who have not focused too strongly on assimilation into the Comer societies, often have this trait. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait may use their Landfolk connection score when dealing with Mountainfolk or Woodfolk; this represents the idea that the Varki culture has a..."

'''Friends in Wild Places''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Varki]] heritage. Varki who are deeply steeped in the traditional way of life for their culture, and who have not focused too strongly on assimilation into the Comer societies, often have this trait. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait may use their [[Landfolk]] connection score when dealing with [[Mountainfolk]] or [[Woodfolk]]; this represents the idea that the Varki culture has always bridged the gap between these factions.

Forest Royalty (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:35:55Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Forest Royalty''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Cervanos heritage. Cervanos characters naturally exude a grace and charm that is uncommon in the Bisn, even among landfolk, and have been brought up in a culture that is detail-oriented and emphasizes aesthetics. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait may use their Inution score instead of their Presence score whenever they need to compute the base score for a Connection..."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Forest Royalty''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Cervanos]] heritage. Cervanos characters naturally exude a grace and charm that is uncommon in the Bisn, even among landfolk, and have been brought up in a culture that is detail-oriented and emphasizes aesthetics. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait may use their Inution score instead of their Presence score whenever they need to compute the base score for a Connection (if it is to their advantage). This applies during and after [[character generation]].

Cervano

2024-04-05T01:30:29Z

Zadammac: /* Food */

The '''Cervano''' are a [[Landfolk]] race with a few distinct ethnic subgroups, and who are somewhat are commonly found all throughout [[Howl Basin]]. Like most Landfolk, they're known for a strong sense of community. Like their cousins, the [[Lagos]], Cervano tend to be popularly thought of as timid, mild-mannered people, but within Landfolk communities and the greater society of the Basin they also tend to be thought of as gregarious, charismatic, and noble.

== History ==
Cervano can be found throughout [[the World]], bordering on being endemic. They come in a large number of ethnic varieties most of which originated outside of [[Howl Basin]] in time immemorial, though there's no good way to tell just by looking at any Cervano if they're from one of the newcomer groups or not.

== Culture ==
=== Art and Architecture ===
Cervano are excellent artists and artisans, and their culture long praised "the beautiful form that demonstrates the function" even before they started to meld into the greater [[Landfolk]] culture. Cervano homes tend to be very clean, well organized, and maintained to a high standard. Wealthy Cervano collect fine art, even exotic varieties.

=== Language ===
[[Cerf]], the [[Cervano Language]], has a lilting quality and its own unique script. Most Cervano also speak [[Lagosi]]; then again, so does almost everyone else in the [[Howl Basin]].

=== Food ===
{{Moving Target}}

Cervano diets are entirely vegetarian as a matter of course; they do not have the physiology to readily digest meats. They have a special fondness for dairy, and especially for cheeses, which they have some skill at producing. "Plain but elegant" are the bywords; Cervano chefs have gotten by with a surprising knack for teasing rich and balanced flavours out of simple, straightforward, recipes.

The Cervano Mus have a variety of cultivated swamp plants not seen in the cuisines of other groups, which many Basin folks mistakenly identify with Cervano diets overall. This has given a reputation for "strangeness" to the Cervano diet, which is strange only in that they are one of only three obligate herbivore races found in the Basin (the others being the [[Lagos]] and the [[Ramu]].)

The Cervano have a rich history of distillation in both their traditional medicines and their spirits, the line between which is sometimes blurred. [[Cervano Rye]] is especially well-regarded.

=== Religion and Spirituality ===
The Cervano tend to be syncretic, merging the popular religion of the day into their longstanding traditional beliefs. This has lead to them largely assimilating into the broader culture on one-hand, while having a cultural comprehension of the [[Strange Occurrences]] that happen in the [[Howl Basin]] (and, presumably, the rest of [[the World]]) at the same time.

=== Science and Technology ===
Cervano have by and large embraced the technological revolution that has spurred settlement of [[Howl Basin]] as part of [[the Frontier]], but also shun the physical artifacts of that science where they fail to align with the aesthetic sensibilities of the Cervano. This means that while they're happy to consume goods made more easily by manufacture and will tolerate certain infrastructural advancements, they Cervano by and large do not adopt things such as [[Steam Power]] into their daily lives, unless they are satisfied by the aesthetic look of those objects as much as they are the function.

== Society ==
Cervano in society tend toward professions where their aesthetic sense can be satisifed or their personal charms serve as a boon. While most are farmers, homesteaders, and ranchers, quite a few live in the cities and townships. Educated Cervano who leave academia tend to become artists, especially painters and sculptors. In more religiously liberal communities they are often found among the clergy, and even in more orthodox communities they sometimes enjoy political office.

=== Cervano Mus ===

The Cervano Mus are a subset of the Cervano who have a more robust and much larger overall physiology than their more mainstream cousins, and they also have a culture all their own. These Cervano tend to live much more solitary lives, homesteading in and near lowlands, marshes, and swamps. Many of the Cervano Mus fit in better with the [[Mountainfolk]], but quite a few of them still identify with the [[Landfolk]] and join urban lifestyles.

== Physiology ==
=== General Body Plan ===
Lagos are an anthropoid species, on average between 1.6 to 2.4 metres tall, with fully furred bodies and deer-like (or, with the Cervano Mus, moose-like) heads.

They have extremely short tails, which may be concealed within their clothing or exposed, depending on preference and cultural attitudes at the time, as they are not strongly used for communication.

=== Ethno-Geographic Variances ===
{{Moving_Target}}

A variety of sub-ethnicities exist that are loosely coupled to geographic distribution, both within the [[Howl Basin]] and around the rest of [[the World]]. These varieties are almost too numerous to list but are commonly adaptive, and can change both general appearance (ie, fur coat) and body proportion (including relative limb/neck length, ear length, overall head structure) quite significantly. These differences more or less breed true generation over generation.

One especially noteworthy instance of this is the '''Cervano Mus''', a variety of Cervano with more moose-like features. They are typically as much as half a meter taller than their cousins, between 1.8 and 2.3 meters tall on average, with a much stockier overall physique.

== Gameplay Mechanics ==
{{Moving_Target}}
=== Base Attributes ===

Cervanos start the game with +2 Intuition in exchange for -1 Analysis and -1 Presence.

=== Heritage Trait ===
All Cervanos have the [[Forest Royalty (Heritage Trait)]] property.

Cervanos may also select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:
* [[Trained Eye (Heritage Trait)]] - Many Cervanos have a permanent boon on [[Tarnished Tale: Skills | Skill Checks]] related to [[Appraise (Skill)]].
* [[Cervanos' Kindling (Heritage Trait)]] - The spiritual connections in the Carvano culture granted them a boon on checks related to [[Strangeness]].
* [[Cervanos Mus (Heritage Trait)]] - Cervano Mus [[Tarnished Tale: Hardiness | Hardiness]]-derived pools at double their usual rate.

Eyes of an Eagle (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:27:24Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Eyes of an Eagle''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Adler heritage. The Adler are famously perceptive visually, and a few members of their heritage take this to extremes. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait may gain a boon when making Perception (Skill) checks from an elevated position while under daylight conditions (or observing a well-lit position). This includes situations where the Adler is on the wing."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Eyes of an Eagle''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Adler]] heritage. The Adler are famously perceptive visually, and a few members of their heritage take this to extremes. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait may gain a boon when making [[Perception (Skill)]] checks from an elevated position while under daylight conditions (or observing a well-lit position). This includes situations where the Adler is on the wing.

Darkvision (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:24:57Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Darkvision''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Delivin heritage. The Delvin are fundamentally subterranian and have remarkable sense of vision in the absense of natural light. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait may see as normal (except without the perception of individual colors) in the dark."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Darkvision''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Delivin]] heritage. The Delvin are fundamentally subterranian and have remarkable sense of vision in the absense of natural light. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait may see as normal (except without the perception of individual colors) in the dark.

Corvados Awareness (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:22:41Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Corvados''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Corvados heritage. Some Corvados are said to have been born with the sight of the Strangeness upon them. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait recover spent points from Awareness-derived pools at double their usual rate."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Corvados''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Corvados]] heritage. Some Corvados are said to have been born with the sight of the [[Strangeness]] upon them. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait recover spent points from Awareness-derived pools at double their usual rate.

Crowned Lagos (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:20:55Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Crowned Lagos''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Lagos heritage. It represents the birthright of the incredibly rare "Crowned Lagos", whether or not they embrace their heritage and wear their antlers proudly.. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait gain recover spent points from Willpower-derived pools at double their usual rate."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Crowned Lagos''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Lagos]] heritage. It represents the birthright of the incredibly rare "Crowned Lagos", whether or not they embrace their heritage and wear their antlers proudly.. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait gain recover spent points from Willpower-derived pools at double their usual rate.

Comer Lago's Exuberance (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:19:40Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Comer Lagos' Exuberance''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Lagoss heritage. It chiefly applies to those Lagos who are from elsewhere in The Federation and have immigrated to the Basin, and to their descendants. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait gain a boon on social skill checks except those made to intimidate or coerce-by-force."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Comer Lagos' Exuberance''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Lagoss]] heritage. It chiefly applies to those Lagos who are from elsewhere in [[The Federation]] and have immigrated to the Basin, and to their descendants. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait gain a boon on social skill checks except those made to intimidate or coerce-by-force.

Climbing Claws (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:16:21Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Climbing Claws''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Quillions heritage. This represents an individual who has become adept at climbing with their species' prodigous claws. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait gain a boon on relevant skill checks when they are climbing structures made primarily of wood, including natural structures like trees."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Climbing Claws''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Quillions]] heritage. This represents an individual who has become adept at climbing with their species' prodigous claws. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait gain a boon on relevant skill checks when they are climbing structures made primarily of wood, including natural structures like trees.

Cervanos Mus (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:14:09Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Cervanos' Mus''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Cervano heritage. It usually typifies that the person is a member of the Cervanos Mus subculture, the mooselike Cervanos from the extreme north of the basin, and beyond the Howling Herald Mountains. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait recover their spent or lost points from pools based on Hardiness at twice the normal rate."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Cervanos' Mus''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Cervano]] heritage. It usually typifies that the person is a member of the Cervanos Mus subculture, the mooselike Cervanos from the extreme north of the basin, and beyond the [[Howling Herald Mountains]]. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait recover their spent or lost points from pools based on [[Hardiness]] at twice the normal rate.

Cervanos' Kindling (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:12:17Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Cervanos' Kindling''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Cervano heritage. While the Cervano culture tends toward spirituality, a few find themselves especially gifted in this regard. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait gain a boon when using Strangeness (skill) for purposes other than using a Strange Power. In other words, this represents a boon to ''understanding strangeness'', not necessarily to invoking it...."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Cervanos' Kindling''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Cervano]] heritage. While the Cervano culture tends toward spirituality, a few find themselves especially gifted in this regard. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait gain a boon when using [[Strangeness (skill)]] for purposes other than using a [[Strange Power]]. In other words, this represents a boon to ''understanding strangeness'', not necessarily to invoking it. This boon applies to checks made to learn a Strange Power.

Bolster Ingenuity (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:08:26Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Bolster Ingenuity''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Bolster heritage; found among those who work heavily in industrial trades. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait recover spent points from pools based on Analysis at double the normal rate for that pool."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Bolster Ingenuity''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Bolster]] heritage; found among those who work heavily in industrial trades. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait recover spent points from pools based on [[Analysis]] at double the normal rate for that pool.

Bedrock Delvin (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:06:50Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Bedrock Delvin''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Delvin heritage; found among those who work heavily in the removal of bedrock and in blasting operations. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this gain one boon when making Explosives (Skill) checks for the purposes of demoliting structures or natural stone, or when attempting to disassemble or otherwise render inert explosive devices constructed for the same purpose."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Bedrock Delvin''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Delvin]] heritage; found among those who work heavily in the removal of bedrock and in blasting operations. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this gain one boon when making [[Explosives (Skill)]] checks for the purposes of demoliting structures or natural stone, or when attempting to disassemble or otherwise render inert explosive devices constructed for the same purpose.

Bare-Fanged Brawler (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:02:42Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Bear-Fanged Brawler''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Lupata heritage; some traditional Lupata fighting techniques make use of their powerful jaws and priminent fangs. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait roll 1d6 instead of 1d4 when generating damage from a melee attack, provided they are able to bite the target (this is a hard Unarmed Attack roll). Additionally, a character who takes this trait at character creati..."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Bear-Fanged Brawler''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Lupata]] heritage; some traditional Lupata fighting techniques make use of their powerful jaws and priminent fangs. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait roll 1d6 instead of 1d4 when generating damage from a melee attack, provided they are able to bite the target (this is a hard Unarmed Attack roll).

Additionally, a character who takes this trait at character creation may (if it is advantageous) use Strength instead of Presence for the purpose of calculating the base [[Inimidation (Skill) Score]].

Axe Bite (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T01:01:11Z

Zadammac:

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Axe Byte''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Bolster]] heritage; a few of their heritage have made a special study of the proper use of their remarkable teeth in combat. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait roll 1d6 instead of 1d4 when generating damage from a melee attack, provided they are willing to bite the target.

Axe Bite (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T00:59:04Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Axe Byte''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Bolster heritage; a few of their heritage have made a special study of the proper use of their remarkable teeth in combat. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait roll 1d6 instead of 1d4 when generating damage from a melee attack, provided they are able to bite the target (this is a hard Unarmed Attack roll)."

Assimilated (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T00:53:34Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Assimilated''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Delvin heritage; Delvin who have assimilated into the above-ground settlements and cultures of the basin may optionally have this trait. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait take one additional Connection with a single city (being the settlement to which they have assimilated) at a base score of their Presence Score * 1.5. '''Prerequisite''': A Delvin character who take..."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Assimilated''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Delvin]] heritage; Delvin who have assimilated into the above-ground settlements and cultures of the basin may optionally have this trait. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with this trait take one additional Connection with a single city (being the settlement to which they have assimilated) at a base score of their Presence Score * 1.5.

'''Prerequisite''': A Delvin character who takes this heritage trait must replace their [[Darkvision (Heritage Trait)]] with either [[Bedrock Delvin (Heritage Trait)]] or [[Mental Compass (Heritage Trait)]]. This represents them having acclimatized to life above ground.

Alertness (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T00:49:12Z

Zadammac:

{{Traits}}

{{Moving Target}}

'''Alertness''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Lagos]] heritage; all Lagos have this trait. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with the Alertness heritage trait are particularly aware of their surroundings at all times. Provided they have access to their faculties (are not drunk or unconscious (except in natural sleep)), characters with this trait have one boon on initiative checks made to determine turn order at the start of combat, and two boons on Intuition checks made to awaken from sleep.

Alertness (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T00:48:59Z

Zadammac:

{{Traits}}

{{Work in Progress}}

'''Alertness''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Lagos]] heritage; all Lagos have this trait. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with the Alertness heritage trait are particularly aware of their surroundings at all times. Provided they have access to their faculties (are not drunk or unconscious (except in natural sleep)), characters with this trait have one boon on initiative checks made to determine turn order at the start of combat, and two boons on Intuition checks made to awaken from sleep.

Alertness (Heritage Trait)

2024-04-05T00:48:41Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Traits}} {{WIP}} '''Alertness''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the Lagos heritage; all Lagos have this trait. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with the Alertness heritage trait are particularly aware of their surroundings at all times. Provided they have access to their faculties (are not drunk or unconscious (except in natural sleep)), characters with this trait have one boon on initiative checks made to determine turn order at the start of combat, a..."

{{Traits}}

{{WIP}}

'''Alertness''' is a Heritage Trait provided by the [[Lagos]] heritage; all Lagos have this trait. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Characters with the Alertness heritage trait are particularly aware of their surroundings at all times. Provided they have access to their faculties (are not drunk or unconscious (except in natural sleep)), characters with this trait have one boon on initiative checks made to determine turn order at the start of combat, and two boons on Intuition checks made to awaken from sleep.

Iron Gut (Heritage Trait)

2024-03-22T18:57:47Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{Stub}} '''Iron Gut''' is a Heritage Trait found among the Corvados and Volo peoples. It is a ''passive effect'' conferring: * One Boon added to any Hardiness checks meant to resist the effects of any ingested substance (including resisting drunkenness), and; * Automatic success against any Hardiness check meant to resist the effects of eating spoiled food."

{{Stub}}

'''Iron Gut''' is a Heritage [[Traits | Trait]] found among the [[Corvados]] and [[Volo]] peoples. It is a ''passive effect'' conferring:

* One Boon added to any Hardiness checks meant to resist the effects of any ingested substance (including resisting drunkenness), and;
* Automatic success against any Hardiness check meant to resist the effects of eating spoiled food.

Hivefolk

2024-03-22T18:47:58Z

Zadammac: Created page with "The '''Hivefolk''' are a basin-folk made up chiefly of the Vespos, Loci peoples, who view themselves as innovative modernizers, a force for progress and the predestined future. Hivefolk families tend to be extremely large, and they practice a collectivist attitude which extends beyond simple family lines and into the community as a whole. They expect similar communitarian effort on behalf of the other folks, extending what they feel is great courtesy toward those..."

The '''Hivefolk''' are a basin-folk made up chiefly of the [[Vespos]], [[Loci]] peoples, who view themselves as innovative modernizers, a force for progress and the predestined future. Hivefolk families tend to be extremely large, and they practice a collectivist attitude which extends beyond simple family lines and into the community as a whole. They expect similar communitarian effort on behalf of the other folks, extending what they feel is great courtesy toward those who help with the great work of urbanization and fall in line toward the machine of society. Similarly, they feel a great distrust toward individualists, particularly finding fault with the [[Mountainfolk]]. That said, hive folk find prospectors, guides, and enforcers selected from among the Mountainfolk (or any other folk) invaluable, and can quickly lay their distrust aside if profit is in the balance. Those outside Hivefolk society sometimes disparage the Hivefolk as conniving, heterodox, or avaricious, but the Hivefolk consider their best exemplars to be honourable, fair-dealing, and future-thinking.

== Lifestyles and Culture ==
=== Cultural Values ===
The hivefolk consider "folk" more a matter of community than heritage, which puts them in contrast to the Eyriefolk (who tend to view themselves as exclusively consisting of the traditional heritages that make up their community) or Packfolk (which sometimes don't even see other packfolk as packfolk). Of the various folks, only the [[Landfolk]] are more welcoming of outsiders into their ranks. Hivefolk value high density urbanization and innovation above most other concerns and consider population growth a valuable metric of "civilization".

==== The Hive ====
While Hivefolk do recognize the existence of family units, especially hivefolk with heritages apart from the [[Vespos]] or [[Loci]], the community itself is the fundamental block of hive-folk culture. While the exact definition of such "hives" is a bit variable, they usually range in scope from entire communities (such as a hivefolk [[Station Town]]) and are rarely smaller than at least an entire neighbourhood within a larger city - [[San Cucaracha]] has numerous such "sub-hives". This term is never clear cut in any capacity; a hivefolk politician in charge of a region with several hives, like the Mayor of San Cucaracha, will appeal to the entire city or region as a single hive rather than acknowledge a division between, say, its north and south sides.

This role approaches the way most players might be used to thinking of familial obligation. It is seen as aberrant within Hivefolk culture to be too individualistic, and de-rigure that your community might ask for effort on your part.

==== Our Best Efforts ====
Hivefolk are innovators - their invention of [[Steam Power]] set the stage for the vast industrialization that is currently griping [[Howl Basin]] and leading to this era of robust settlement and population growth. However, Hivefolk innovation and their spirit of "Best Efforts" does not begin and end on the drawing table.

"Our Best Efforts" describes an important hivefolk ethos - that all roles in the engine of society are important, and must be done correctly; in fact, it is a common Vespos saying that it would be better to be a brilliant laborer than an inadequate governor. Hivefolk therefore have relatively strict ideals as far as a strong productivity culture goes, and culturally have come to expect long working hours in perhaps uncomfortable (or even perilous) working conditions as a result.

Everything a member of the Hive does is done in the mindset that the rest of the Hive will someday judge it. Aesthetics and grooming are a high priority, as is giving the presentation of good bearing and success, perhaps even if sacrificing actual luxury to do so. Large families are encouraged, to the point that it is expected that one or more partners in a household will drop out of the workforce exclusively to deal with the raising of children.

==== Marching Two By Two ====
While Our Best Efforts can often highlight the oppressiveness of Hive Cultures, the idea of Marching Two By Two serves to underline the benefit of this far-reaching collectivisation - the hive that strives together, thrives together. Hivefolk think nothing of supporting one another - at least within the same perceived hive. Wronged hive members rarely have to face their aggressors alone; the metaphor of hives and swarms is apt when describing the hivefolk ethos.

This cultural attitude is also the hivefolk's hidden interior weakness, as hives have been known to rise up and collectivize against their own leadership in times of misrule. Perhaps it is fitting that the society that gave the Basin capitalism has also given it the labour uprising.

=== Leadership Hivefolk ===
While obviously not every member of hivefolk society can be a governor or mayor, the hivefolk actually retains a relatively large social subgroup best thought of as the Leadership Class. The vast majority of members of these class are employed in comparatively unremarkable ways - as clergy, clerks, middle managers, junior executives, heads of households, and so-on. Much of hivefolk culture involves interpreting the minor distinctions in social rank between members of this class equally, and showing the correct degrees of respect; nobody more acutely aware (or precariously implicated) than the Leadership Class itself. On the otherhand, nobody is better equipped to live such a life than those who were raised in it.

=== The Drone Classes ===
The vast majority of Hivefolk live hard-wearing, orchestrated lives, and do so with relatively little social mobility even generation-over-generation. For those born or adopted into it, the Drone Classes set the stage of your life from an early age, and usually it takes a great act of fate to remove you from a predictable course.

The Drone Class are the cogs in the Hivefolk machine, the innumerable day-labourers, soldiers, custodians, functionaries, flunkies, smiths and grocers that fill their great cities and make the Engine of Industry turn over. While most never leave their ordinary lives, those who chafe under socio-economic pressure often make surprisingly hard-wearing adventurers.

=== The Swarm Class ===
While a minority of the Drone Class seek adventure, the Swarm Class are more or less born to it. While not a caste in the strict sense, some Hivefolk are just obvious from childhood and adolescence as misfits, loners, or dreamers, and their education tends toward the skills useful for this kind of work. Counter-intuitively, the rare Swarm Class's members are in demand despite this outsider perception; the hive needs someone to represent its interests abroad, after all. In this way, the Swarm Class is also a rare form of social mobility; you aren't quite a Leader, but you're the next best, and if your adventures go particularly well, you might even form a whole new hive around your findings.

=== Born in the Hive ===
To be born into the Hive is, as the [[Vespos]] would put it, to be a wheel set in motion. Unimaginative hivefolk could predict their entire lives in its broadest strokes from the time they first develop speech, but that regularity breeds a kind of certainty and mental equilibrium that sometimes is unseen among the lives of other folks.

Being born in a Hive means being born to the entire pack as your family, with bloodline as only secondary importance. You spend your whole life training for a position, until suddenly you're in that position and doing the work you've known you were always meant to do - whether you're a good fit for it or not.

=== Adopting the Hive Mentality ===
The gears of the machine of a city is those who live in it. Hivefolk are arguably the most cosmopolitan of all the folks, in spite of having been more or less founded by (and culturally, largely dominated by) the [[Vespos]] and [[Loci]]. Hives are quick to adopt and quick to eject; move to the city, make your mark, and you're one of us forever - until you become a drain on society.

== Gameplay Rules ==
In the Howl Basin campaign setting, folks serve two roles. If your character was raised within the cultural context of the a Folk, they take that folk as their [[Tarnished Tale: Background | Background]]. On the other hand, circumstances occasionally lead to a character becoming a member of a folk retroactively. This happens at their discretion as long as they have and maintain a [[Tarnished Tale: Connections| Connections]] score above 60% with that folk. At the player's discretion, such a character becomes an "adoptee" member of that Folk. Facilitators are encouraged to roleplay out this adoption as much as fits the taste of the party. Each folk's "lifestyles and culture" section includes a section on any additional requirements to join that faction permanently.

=== As A Background ===
When taking Hivefolk as your starting background, you develop your starting skillpoints and acquire a character trait as a result of your upbringing. For the purposes of determining your starting skillpoints, there are three subtypes of this background, described below. You must pick from one of the three types when creating your Hivefolk character, but please note you may still have had a mixed history, having lived the lives of any or all of the three subtypes prior to becoming an adventuring character.

==== Starting Skill Points ====
All Packfolk start the game with Analysis * 3 + Intuition * 2 skill points which they may distribute among any skills they so choose. These represent the skills you acquired during your youth as a rounded member of the Packfolk society.

In addition, Packfolk characters add the following skills as Occupation Skills depending on their subtype:
* Leader Hivefolk: [[Skill: Dealmaking| Dealmaking]], [[Skill: Intimidate| Intimidate]], and either [[Skill: Ride|Ride]] or [[Skill: Drive | Drive (Wagons)]]
* Drone Hivefolk: Pick any 3 skills with the '''Trade Skill''' property.
* Swarm Hivefolk: [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation]], [[Skill: Ride]], [[Skill: Firearm Use | Firearm Use (Rifles)]]

If one of these bonus Occupation Skills is already a feature of your chosen occupation, the [[Facilitator]] should work with you to come up with a substitute skill. If no substitute skill can be found, take 5 extra Occupation Skill Points in lieu of the substitute.

==== Hivefolk Trait: One of a Million ====
Regardless of the subtype, a person with the hivefolk background has access to the '''Passive Ability''' "One of a Million". Whenever the character is in a hivefolk-controlled area (at Facilitator's discretion), and making skill checks attempting to disguise their identity (whether through impersonation or attempting to "blend in") with the crowd, the character may substitute their Connections: Hive Folk score for the relevant skill score if the connection score is higher. When using this ability in such a way, the skill they would have used instead is the skill that gets marked for advancement if advancement is relevant; that is, you never gain Hivefolk reputation by using this skill.

==== Starting Connections ====
All Hive Folk characters begin with the following connections at a score of (Analysis + Presence + Willpower):
* Hivefolk
* The Character's Birth Community
* The Character's current employer, if any.

This base score is chosen because Hivefolk communities by and large value logical operation, social cohesion, and resolve.

=== As a Connection ===
Adoptees who meet the faction alignment requirement and exemplify the traits of the Hivefolk to the point of becoming cultural adoptees to the faction retain their original backgrounds and do not retrain skills, for obvious reasons: the past is fundamentally immutable and moving your house doesn't change your capabilities. That being said, they do acquire a new trait.

==== Hivefolk Adoptee Trait: Hive's Embrace ====
This is an Active Effect. Whenever a character with this trait is making a social check (excluding other connections checks), the character's player may choose to reduce their Connections: Hivefolk score by X points. If they do so, they may lower the result of their social check roll by X points. This decision may be made after the roll. Points spend in this way are lost, but may be made up for with the normal ebb and flow of Connections points. If the player has fewer than 50 Connections: Hivefolk points left, they may not use this effect (doing so would represent overstepping the hospitality of their adoptive folk).

If a character gains an Advancement tick on a social skill from a check in which they used the Hive's Embrace ability, their Connections: Hivefolk score gains as many points as the skill itself does at advancement. The hive respects and rewards both native and adoptive cogs in its machine.

[[Category: Folks]] [[Category: Backgrounds]]

Template:High Level Summary

2023-10-31T01:04:19Z

Zadammac: Created page with "<blockquote>From high enough up, all details fall away, and simplicity reigns.</br> -- Common Eyriefolk Proverb</blockquote>"

<blockquote>From high enough up, all details fall away, and simplicity reigns.</br>
-- Common [[Eyriefolk]] Proverb</blockquote>

Template:Stub

2023-10-31T01:01:46Z

Zadammac:

<blockquote>"This here article's a mite thin. You'd be doin' me a solid if you'd expand it."</br>
-- Unknown [[Striggan]] Chronicler from the [[Columbian Parliament]]</blockquote>

Template:Stub

2023-10-31T01:01:33Z

Zadammac:

<blockquote>"This here article's a mite thin. You'd be doin' me a solid if you'd expand it."
</br>
-- Unknown [[Striggan]] Chronicler from the [[Columbian Parliament]]</blockquote>

Template:Stub

2023-10-31T01:01:23Z

Zadammac:

<blockquote>"This here article's a mite thin. You'd be doin' me a solid if you'd expand it."

-- Unknown [[Striggan]] Chronicler from the [[Columbian Parliament]]</blockquote>

Template:Stub

2023-10-31T01:01:14Z

Zadammac: Created page with "<blockquote>"This here article's a mite thin. You'd be doin' me a solid if you'd expand it." -- Unknown Striggan Chronicler from the Columbian Parliament</blockquote>"

<blockquote>"This here article's a mite thin. You'd be doin' me a solid if you'd expand it."
-- Unknown [[Striggan]] Chronicler from the [[Columbian Parliament]]</blockquote>

Strangeness

2023-10-31T00:59:01Z

Zadammac: Created page with "{{High Level Summary}} '''Disambiguation:''' This article is about the general concept of Strangeness. For the skill governing understanding and manipulating these forces, see Strangeness (Skill). '''Strangeness''' is the colloquial term used by the Folks of Howl Basin (and often points beyond) to refer to the paranormal events, effects, creatures, and similar phenomena and situations that crop up from time to time around the Basin. This Strangeness is tied..."

{{High Level Summary}}

'''Disambiguation:''' This article is about the general concept of Strangeness. For the skill governing understanding and manipulating these forces, see [[Strangeness (Skill)]].

'''Strangeness''' is the colloquial term used by the [[Folks]] of [[Howl Basin]] (and often points beyond) to refer to the paranormal events, effects, creatures, and similar phenomena and situations that crop up from time to time around the Basin. This Strangeness is tied in deeply to the folklore of the Basin, where it seems to be a more powerful force than throughout much of the rest of [[the World]], though perhaps not being uniquely isolated to the basin, either.

Of course, one could write a thousand words on [[Strange Creatures]], [[Strange Occurrences]] and [[Strange Powers]] and never fully exhaust or explain the realm of possibilities under this umbrella term. For the most part, Strangeness is rare enough that there are plenty of good, God-fearing folk in the Basin (and especially outside of it) who dismiss the concept of Strangeness entirely, but common enough that the tales get around and player characters in particular are likely to run up against it, or harness it for their own ends.

You, can, however, make a few broader strokes.

=== Strange Creatures ===
''Main Article: [[Strange Creatures]]''

The Basin is home to the rare strange creature, but the line can be thin between what does and doesn't qualify. A [[Lagos | Lago]] of the '''Crowned Lagos''' subtype is no more a creature than an ordinary Lago is, but legends tell of a mythical [[Salamander Wolf]] in the [[Proctor Erg]] which borders on sounding like a dragon; if they're real they would certainly count.

In general, a Strange Creature is any creature which, by their very nature, is preternatural. A flying horse, a fire-breathing [[Salamander Wolf]], reality-warping [[Moon Bat]]s and all manner of similar creatures populate the folklore of the Basin. Most Strange Creatures are more than merely extremely rare or quasi-legendary and instead have some property that goes back into Strangeness, or some aspect of their biology that violates the conventional scientific understanding.

=== Strange Occurrences ===
''Main Article: [[Strange Occurrences]]''

Strange Occurrences are magical, or at least, paranormal, localized phenomena. They are different from '''Strange Locations''' in that they are commonly localized in time as well. The [[San Cucaracha Lights]] are one such effect, occurring irregularly on single nights under unknown conditions. Strange occurrences are therefore good fodder for adventures.

=== Strange Powers ===
''Main Article: [[Strange Powers]]''

Strange Powers are the primary way in which most characters are going to learn to harness strangeness. These are the ability-traits that couple to the [[Strangeness (Skill)]], using [[TarnishedTale]]'s Magic Rules. Strange powers are exceptionally rare. Most characters should never expect to obtain any, and even on a Strangeness-rich campaign, they should likely never acquire more than a few. Many more claim to posses Strange Powers than actually have them; four or five charlatans in the world, at minimum, for every true sorcerer.

A character may not even necessarily understand why their Strange Powers work. Most Strange Powers draw on the [[Force of Will (Pool)]], an empowered character imposing their will on the universe in a conscious or unconscious way. This Willpower-derived pool is found in all characters and ebbs and flows over the run of their adventures regardless of whether they are consciously (or unconsciously) making use of Strange Powers.

=== Strange Locations ===
''Main Article: [[Strange Locations]]''

Some physical locations are especially advantageous (or disadvantageous) for Strange Powers, Strange Occurrences, and Strange Creatures. This effect is so pronounced that it is commonly said that the forces which one manipulates using Force of Will (or other forces manipulated by Strangeness) are somehow geophysical, though the explanations are as myriad as the culture of the basin; hauntings, psychic echoes of ritual sites, buried profane or sacred artifacts, or even concepts like Ley Lines all collectively taking the blame.

Gaspard

2023-10-25T08:52:10Z

Zadammac: Created page with "The '''Gaspards''' (singular: Gaspards) are a [Packfolk]] race compared often to Grasshopper Mice and other predatory mice, which are commonly found all throughout Howl Basin, especially on its coast and waterways - they are not native to anywhere in the Federation but actually originate across the sea. By and large, Gaspard are largely considered Packfolk, with some rare Mountainfolk exemplars. The iconic, stereotypical Gaspard is a talented boater, possesse..."

The '''Gaspards''' (singular: Gaspards) are a [Packfolk]] race compared often to Grasshopper Mice and other predatory mice, which are commonly found all throughout [[Howl Basin]], especially on its coast and waterways - they are not native to anywhere in [[the Federation]] but actually originate across the sea. By and large, Gaspard are largely considered Packfolk, with some rare [[Mountainfolk]] exemplars. The iconic, stereotypical Gaspard is a talented boater, possessed of a mercantile (even avaricious) bent, and somewhat bellicose. There is an old standard tale of a showdown between a [[Lupata]] outlaw and a rival Gaspard who considered himself a swordsman - the telling sometimes changes the outcomes but it's universally accepted that this incident ultimately lead to an example of the Lupata adopting a Gaspard into their pack structure - to some, this is the start of the recognition of Gaspards as pack folk.

== History ==
Gaspards are native of the wider world, so only the youngest generation of Gaspard are born in the Basin. Gaspard consider family ties paramount, and family to flow along bloodlines from parent to child. Gaspard regiments served [[the Federation]] early in its formation and formed the backbone of agencies dedicated to enforcing the laws against enslaving or eating the species recognized as [[Folks]].

== Culture ==
=== Art and Architecture ===
Gaspard communities are built of shiplap and oftentimes ostentatiously painted, when they are stationary. Many Gaspard are masters of their own ships, and a not-insignificant subset of those live on [[Gaspard Narrowboat]] floating houses, giving them extreme mobility.

=== The Cry ===
While your heritage makes you the legacy of your ancestors, among the Gaspard, your achievements are uniquely your own. This has evolved a cultural trait known as the Cry, a shrieking howl typically signifying a moment the Gaspard considers to be a personal win. This practice supposedly evolved from specifically a ritual of hunting or battle into a more general sense of victory. Many a shady Howl Bason saloon bloodied when a card-game went bad because a Gaspard chose the wrong crowd to cry to after a big hand.

=== Language ===
The [[Gaspese]] language is unique to the Gaspard, and so many travelling Gaspard pick up an extra language, such as Lupata or Lagosi. The script used to write this language is extremely florid in all but the most hasty circumstances, and includes consonant and vowel graphemes along with diacritics to indicate inflection, sometimes changing the meaning of a specific word dramatically.

Gaspard who frequently traffic with the [[Lupata]] learn to communicate through the [[Lupata Howl]].

=== Food ===
{{Moving Target}}

The Gaspard are traders and sailors, and so it is little surprise their diet is rich in seafood, with shellfish in particular being prized. Potatoes have become a staple starch and exotic ingredients are often used to play off flavours, as well as whatever is in season for forage when ashore, and whatever can be traded for. Gaspards are gourmands at heart, and even their plainer common foods are prepared with tender care and a mindful balance.

Some Gaspard who have found themselves in [[Castle Badlands]] have reintroduced a traditional delicacy rarely seen on this side of the oceans and have started consuming scorpions and tarantulas with increasing regularity.

=== Religion and Spirituality ===
Gaspard have a folk religion which combines elements of half-forgotten pre-contact spiritualities with the broader religion of The Federation. They are known in particular for practices of divination, curse-laying, and similar carnival witchcraft, though these tales are heavily exaggerated by outsiders, and supposedly the practice is quite rare. Most such "wise Gaspards" are charlatans and only a minority are truly [[Starry-Eyed Navigators]] in tune with their connection to [[Strangeness]].

=== Science and Technology ===
Gaspard adopt technology relatively quickly. They've been quick about adopting the steam engine in particular, as well as the smaller internal combustion engine, at least aboard their ships (though rarely to the exclusion of other methods of propulsion).

=== Entertainment ===
{{Moving Target}}

== Society ==
Even Gaspard whose families have been seen to be in [[the Federation]] for quite some time, or Gaspard currently involved in federal service, are often seen as "foreign" to the greater society of the place, especially in [[Howl Basin]]. That said, they fill important economic niches. Their utility with watercraft and taste for adventure makes them handy prospectors and traders, and many find themselves in the service of [[Hivefolk]] or even [[Seafolk]] enterprises.

== Physiology ==
=== General Body Plan ===
Gaspards are an anthropoid species, on average between 1 to 1.6 metres tall, with fully furred bodies and the heads and tails of various species of predatory desert mice, such as Jerboa and Grasshopper Mice. Their thin, whiplike tails give them exceptional mobility and balance, which they leverage well, to offset being one of the smallest [[Folks]] in the entire known world.

Gaspard tails are quite long, sometimes as long or longer than the rest of their body, and so are almost always exposed by their clothing; this is seen as a practical matter, given their usefulness in the mobility of the rest of themselves.

== Gameplay Mechanics ==
{{Moving_Target}}

=== Base Aptitudes ===
Gaspard characters have +2 Agility, and -2 Hardiness when applying their initial aptitudes during character creation. Gaspards who find themselves spoiling for a fight are planning on taking advantage of their mobility to avoid taking hits, as almost any opponent other than another Gaspard will certainly be larger and stronger than them.

=== Heritage Trait ===
{{Moving Target}}

All Gaspard have the [[Salt-Blooded Hides (Heritage Trait)]] property.

Lagos may also select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:
* [[Sureclaw (Heritage Trait)]] - Gaspards often are especially fleet and steady of foot and take fewer banes on Agility related skill checks as pertain to moving quickly and maintaining balance.
* [[Hunter's Eye (Heritage Trait)]] - Many Gaspards have spectacular eyesight on par with [[Eyriefolk]] raptors like the [[Adler]]. They have a bonus to [[Initiative (Skill)]] whenever they would have awareness of the impending threat.
* [[Starry-Eyed Navigator (Heritage Trait)]] - Gaspard with this trait use their Connection score with their gaspard family to learn [[Strange Phenomena]] rather than directly learning them through [[Strangeness]] as otherwise described in the strangeness rules.

Lagos

2023-10-24T14:56:47Z

Zadammac:

The '''Lagos''' (singular: Lago) are a rabbit-like [[Landfolk]] race which are commonly found all throughout [[Howl Basin]]. Like most Landfolk, they're known for a strong sense of community. Outside of those communities, they have a reputation for timidness, but amongst the Landfolk they are considered to be exceptionally adaptable, even to the point of bravery, and are frequently praised for their alertness and quick reactions, and should not be dismissed out of hand in a pinch. Considered a modest and unremarkable Howl Basin "staple" in the civilized areas of the Basin, outlaws are wise not to under-estimate the Lagos adventurer, who is typically clever, resorceful, and more in touch with the wilder aspects of their heritage than you would otherwise expect.

== History ==
Lagos can be found throughout [[the World]], and there's no clear understanding on their direct origin, as accounts of their presence are more or less cosmopolitan as far back as records go, and that includes Howl Basin. So far as they are concerned, there are no meaningful distinctions between Lagos from different geographic areas other than some physiological aspects, so there has been little conflict between native Lagos and those who have moved into the Territory.

== Culture ==
=== Art and Architecture ===
=== Lagos Kick-Boxing ===
The Lagos culture has a long and well-developed tradition surrounding an endemic martial art, of which there are many regional and family-line variants, known as Lagos Kick-Boxing. The art is a highly ritualized form of empty-handed combat mostly used, by the current era, for social and even romantic pursuits, and the sparring forms are usually so heavily stylized that they almost more closely resemble dancing, with both partner's actions being heavily choreographed. The ability for two partners to make it fully through a "scrum" (as these dual-kata are known) without fumbling is considered highly auspicious for the matter at hand. The style is falling increasingly out of fashion through cultural inter-mixing with other [[Landfolk]].

A very rare version of Lagos Kick-Boxing known as "The Wild Child's Dance" is considered materially useful in actual combat, but the increasing reliability of automatic and repeating firearms is driving it out of fashion and it is mostly only seen as an oddity.

=== Language ===
The [[Lagosi]] language is more or less the [[common language]] of the [[Howl Basin]] and is certainly the common tongue used by the [[Landfolk]] altogether.

=== Food ===
{{Moving Target}}

Lagosi physiology calls for a diet that is entirely vegetable. Their bodies are not particularly set up to adequately digest animal matter, and instead they rely heavily on grains and the products made from grains alongside a variety of fruits and vegetables to maintain good health. Many Lagosi foods have very low moisture continent, both in order to allow for better stockpiling and because of the needs they have in maintaining good dental health.

Lagos are also very well known for their beers; unsurprisingly for masters of cereal agriculture they also have a developed history and culture of working with cereals to produce alchohic beverages, of which beers are primarily the favourite.

=== Religion and Spirituality ===
For the most part Lagos are orthodox when it comes to religion and are not especially given to flights of fantasy or to interest in the occult, both of which are culturally discouraged. Lagos can tend to be superstitious, perhaps even to a fault, and their common mythology is full of fables of fae, spirits, ghosts, and gremlins, to which they ascribe no shortage of unfortunate circumstances and events.

=== Science and Technology ===
Lagos are not luddites like many of the [[Mountainfolk]] or their [[Cervano]] cousins, but they are also not given to rapid adoption of the latest and greatest technologies. Their culture (in general) strongly emphasizes the tried and true, and their overall attitude to science and technology reflects this. They prefer small and incremental improvements to machinery and methods rather than dramatic innovation, and focus accordingly on their work.

Lagos also have no major usage for labour-saving technology, given their typically large families and dense communities. In general, they view over-industrialization as a potential threat, possibly leading to mass idleness of their families and destruction of their way of life.

=== Entertainment ===
'''See Also: [[Lagosi Music]], [[Lagosi Literature]]'''

If you work hard, you must play hard. The Lagos have a strong culture of music and dance, both of which they frequently fill their spare time and working days. You would be hard pressed in all but the poorest communities not to find at least one guitar or fiddle, and often you'd even find the luthier to go with them.

Legos also, especially recently, have a bit of a literary culture. As the more progressive Lagos start to take advantage of the labour savings provided by industrialization, some have begun to make a living by chronically and even novelizing Lagosi folk tales.

== Society ==
There are broad overlaps in most of Lagosi society regardless of where they're from. Lagos are quite possibly the most common Landfolk race in the Basin, and outside the [[Hivefolk]] cities of the Basin they might be the most common race overall. Unsururpsingly, a discussion of their society is much like attempting to discuss the society of the Howl Basin. Lagos of all strata of social class, wealth, and occupation can be found, from simple plains wheat-farmers to narrowly specialized academics to outlaw adventurers.

Lagosi families tend to be quite large; a confluence of physiology and social pressures leading to anywhere from five to seven children being the norm in most households, and such households holding together until the children's late teens. It's somewhat customary for familes that do divide to build additional cabins, cottages, and so-on on their property for the daughters who are starting their own families; it's also a cultural custom that young Lagosi men go out to seek their fortunes elsewhere.

=== Howler Lagos ===
Howler Lagos, being those whose families have been in the Basin before the Basin was considered part of [[the Frontier]], are, to some, synonymous with the basin. They are not the only native group to the Basin, sharing the distinction with subsets of the [[Varki]], [[Cervano]], and [[Delvin]], as well as subsets of the [[Woodfolk]] and [[Mountainfolk]], and, technically, all [[Eyriefolk]], but they're the only group with the same degree of ubiquity across all the different environments in the Basin.

Howler Lagos are also probably most responsible for the reputation for timidness all Lagos are saddled with, and are almost always found exclusively within their own communities, perhaps sometimes in community with other [[Landfolk]], but almost never in the major cities founded by the [[Hivefolk]].

=== "Comer" Lagos ===
By comparison, Lagos who either migrated into the Basin themselves or were born to those who had are considered "Comer" Lagos. They tend to be a bit more adventurous than their native cousins and have a higher chance of being found in more cosmopolitan communities.

== Physiology ==
=== General Body Plan ===
Lagos are an anthropoid species, on average between 1.6 to 2 metres tall, with fully furred bodies and rabbit-, hare-, or pika-like heads. They are broader in the horizontal than the average human and have a very "solid" lower body, known to be especially well-muscled in their legs. Some develop prominent "ruffs" around their necks that rest atop their chests; this is believed to be related to one of their grooming behaviors and is not directly related to sexual dimorphism, though it is seen somewhat more prominently in females.

They have extremely short tails, which may be concealed within their clothing or exposed, depending on preference and cultural attitudes at the time, as they are not strongly used for communication.

=== Ethno-Geographic Variances ===
{{Moving_Target}}

A variety of Lagos sub-ethnicities exist that are loosely coupled to geographic distribution, both within the [[Howl Basin]] and around the rest of [[the World]]. These varieties are almost too numerous to list but are commonly adaptive, and can change both general appearance (ie, fur coat) and body proportion (including relative limb/neck length, ear length, overall head structure) quite significantly. These differences more or less breed true generation over generation.

=== Crowned Lagos ===

Very rarely, perhaps as few as one in a million births, a Lagos will be born who, around the time of adolescence, develops antlers or horns, the exact nature of which vary according to other elements believed to be related to bloodline; this phenomenon has not been known to be coupled to either gender or sex and examples of the phenomenon are seen across the spectrum. Some ascribe [[supernatural]] properties to the so-called Crowned Lagos, or peculiar fates. Depending on the cultural attitude of the community some Jack Lagos go to great lengths to conceal their nature (including having the horns removed or cut short periodically) while others might embrace them as a mark of their own exceptionality.

== Gameplay Mechanics ==
{{Moving_Target}}

=== Base Aptitudes ===
Lagos characters have +2 Intuition, -1 Strength, and -1 Hardiness when applying their initial aptitudes during character creation.

=== Heritage Trait ===
{{Moving Target}}

All Lagos have the [[Alertness (Heritage Trait)]] property.

Lagos may also select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:
* [[Comer Lago's Exuberance (Heritage Trait)]] - Comer Lagos are necessarily social and their adventurous streak extends that social grace to socializing with other races and folks, granting them a boon on the usage of social skills.
* [[Howler Lago's Society (Heritage Trait)]] - Howler Lagos have a reputation for reliability that proceeds them have a boon on [[Tarnished Tale:Connections | Connections]] checks whenever they are in a [[Landfolk]] community.
* [[Crowned Lagos (Heritage Trait)]] - Jack Lagos recover [[Tarnished Tale: Willpower | Willpower]]-derived pools at double their usual rate.

Lupata

2023-10-24T13:01:47Z

Zadammac: Created page with "The '''Lupata''' (singular: Lupata) are a wolf-like [Packfolk]] race which are commonly found all throughout Howl Basin, especially the Packland Prarie, which is largely their traditional territory, along with the Wolverton Foothills. The structure of Lupata communities give both the Packfolk generally and the Packlands their name. If the Lagos are the typical workaday folk of the basin, the Lupata are the most iconic polity of the Basin when viewed from..."

The '''Lupata''' (singular: Lupata) are a wolf-like [Packfolk]] race which are commonly found all throughout [[Howl Basin]], especially the [[Packland Prarie]], which is largely their traditional territory, along with the [[Wolverton Foothills]]. The structure of Lupata communities give both the Packfolk generally and the Packlands their name. If the [[Lagos]] are the typical workaday folk of the basin, the Lupata are the most iconic polity of the Basin when viewed from the outside - wide-ranging, semi-nomadic, and fiercely protective of who and what they consider to be their own. It is a small wonder that every child of the wider world thinks of Howl Basin and a Lupata rancher or ranger in the same thought.

== History ==
The Lupata are natives of the Basin, but also most of the wider world, so individual Lupata may have originated in the basin homelands of Packland Prarie or Wolverton Foothills, or might be of a more exotic Lupata bloodline from much further afield. Lupata take their heritage and history extremely seriously, often able to recite litanies of their more famous ancestors, and packs of Lupata soldiers are part of the history of the formation of [[the Federation]]. Though an inherently predatory and carnivorous race, the Lupata abandoned the hunting and eating of [[Folks]] much earlier in their history than other races and helped champion the ban on the practice in Federal law.

== Culture ==
=== Art and Architecture ===
Lupata are necessarily a wandering people, best comfortable when well afield, and many live accordingly, favouring a lifestyle of practical ornamentation and portable shelter. Those who build permanent dwellings (a not-insignifcant minority - see for example the city of [[Grafton]]) tend to do so in the typical architectural style of the Basin more generally - essentially, after the Lagosi or Hivefolk fashions.

=== The Pack ===
If the Lagosi central cultural object is the extended family and the analogous construct for the [[Adler]] is the nuclear family, the Lupata's most important social construct is that of the Pack. Packs are named by their constituent members by general consensus, and made up of multiple individuals, oftentimes as few as 4 or as many as 20, usually from multiple bloodlines. Everyone who travels with the pack and is Lupata is considered part of the pack; children, grown adults, or the elderly alike. Pack members split all duties and rotate through tasks as needed by the pack, including leadership; the woman calling the shots on Thursday might very well be countermanded on Monday by a new member, depending on who is feeling assertive and what is actually at issue.

At various points throughout the year, Lupata packs will "shuffle". Members from two or more packs will switch places with one another, or individuals from different packs, especially those freshly entering adulthood, will strike off on their own to join another pack or form a new pack of similar individuals. This is seen as a good and healthy progression of pack life.

It is rare, but not unheard of, for cosmopolitan or even traditionalist Lupata packs to adopt non-Lupata members. This is especially true of Lupata work crews, and especially those concerned with the herding, ranging, and long-distance driving of cattle. These sorts of well-travelled Lupata are aware that the important quality of a pack member is the appropriate attitude rather than the appropriate genetics.

=== Language ===
The [[Lupata]] language is broadly known by all the [[Packfolk]], at least well enough to recognize it, and involves an angular script of a similar practical nature to [[Quillon]] language, but unique to itself. Lupata are also possessed of a large vocabulary of "trail signs" which they mark their paths and territory with, able to convey simple information about hazards ahead, direction the pack is currently travelling in, or the presence or absence of material resources like water, game, or other food sources.

There is a sublanguage within Lupata proper known as [[Lupata Howl]]; this is the "Howl" for which the basin is named and is a stripped-down language made suitable for very long distance communication, conveying limited information. All Lupata learn to understand Howl at a young age and most learn how to do it for themselves by their adolescent years. Many other species within the Basin also learn to at least understand the language, even if they can't themselves use it.

=== Food ===
{{Moving Target}}

Like their cousins, the [[Lagos]], the Lupata are an argrarian people; however, their agriculture moves with them. Lupata trade heavily in cattle of all kinds - goats, sheep, and cows primarily - selling them off for slaughter and using them to buy other foodstuffs. Their diet is therefore necessarily rich in meat, though they ''are'' omnivores and have a particular taste for eggs, fruits, and legumes. For foods they cannot immediately consume in full they have a variety of preservation methods that leave them with a product that is shelf-stable for extended periods.

=== Religion and Spirituality ===
Lupata, especially those native to the basin, tend not to be especially religious. Their church is the pack and their hymn is the howl and their litany of ancestors. A few adopt religion when exposed to it and are no more or less faithful than followers of any other faith.

=== Science and Technology ===
For technology to become broadly accepted into Lupata society, it needs to be reliable, portable, and serve a necessary purpose. Lupata have been quick to warm to the firearm but less quick about adopting steam engines, preferring to rely on horse power, though this is of course somewhat different for those Lupata who have settled down in the cities.

Either way they tend to be net consumers of technological products rather than counting large volumes of inventors and craftspeople among their numbers. The craftsperson in Lupata packs who do specialize in technology tend to be focused on its repair and maintenance, since workshops of almost any kind travel poorly.

=== Entertainment ===
{{Moving Target}}

== Society ==
There are a few broad overlaps in most of Lupata society regardless of where they're from. Lupata of all strata of social class, wealth, and occupation can be found, from simple plains goatherds to narrowly specialized academics to outlaw adventurers.

The Pack mentality rules regardless of where Lupata originate and where they have settled. For this reasons, Lupata who have left their parent packs or been born into urban life tend to view their other social relationships as at least pack-like. It's common for Lupata neighbourhoods to congregate. In major cities, sometimes a single brownstone apartment block can come to see itself as one pack. In other areas, two or more rival Lupata packs might try to assert their own dominance over "Wolf Town".

This packish nature is often exploited when Lupata become [[company men]], with the Company trying to ensure that their Lupata employees see themselves as part of the pack - a difficult exploit, given that packs usually have a much flatter hierarchy than your usual enterprise structure allows. When done successfully, however, it can make for a loyal - and thereby valuable - employee.

=== Howler Lupata ===
Howler Lupata, being those whose families have been in the Basin before the Basin was considered part of [[the Frontier]], are, to some, synonymous with the basin, though they are far from ubiquitous, mostly found in and around [[Packland Prarie]], their traditional herdlands.

=== "Comer" Lupata ===
By comparison, Lupata who either migrated into the Basin themselves or were born to those who had are considered "Comer" Lupata. They tend to be a bit more adventurous than their native cousins and have a higher chance of being found in more cosmopolitan communities.

== Physiology ==
=== General Body Plan ===
Lupata are an anthropoid species, on average between 1.6 to 2 metres tall, with fully furred bodies and the heads and tales of wolves. Their thick coat permits more than enough thermoregulation to allow their body mass to be lean muscle, and tends to be shed in the spring and autumn, transitioning between summer and winter coats.

Lupata tails are a strong body language signal and are necessary for the full nuance of verbal communication in the Lupata language, and so Lupata fashion necessarily always exposes them.

== Gameplay Mechanics ==
{{Moving_Target}}

=== Base Aptitudes ===
Lupata characters have +1 Strength, +1 Hardiness, and -2 Analysis when applying their initial aptitudes during character creation. Lupata characters are no dumber than characters of any other type, but their cultural methodologies place greater emphasis on intuitive solutions than "paperwork problem-solving".

=== Heritage Trait ===
{{Moving Target}}

All Lupata have the [[Strength of the Pack (Heritage Trait)]] property.

Lagos may also select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:
* [[Lupata Far-Ranger (Heritage Trait)]] - Some Lupata have greater experience than others at operating without the immediate support of their pack, as forerunners or scouts. These Lupata trade their [[Survival (Skill)]] value for the appropriate connection score when using their Strength of the Pack ability.
* [[Bare-Fanged Brawler (Heritage Trait)]] - A Lupata with this ability has been trained in the appropriate use of their species' prodigious jaws in combat and gains an additional bite attack which is used through the [[Unarmed (Skill)]]. Since this trait is taken at character creation, they also use their Strength for the basis of their [[Intimidation (skill)]] score, rather than presence, if strength is higher.
* [[Full Moon Birth (Heritage Trait)]] - Lupata born under the astrological full moon recover [[Tarnished Tale: Willpower | Willpower]]-derived pools at double their usual rate.

Volpi

2023-10-24T01:34:14Z

Zadammac: Created page with "The '''Volpi''' (singular: Volpe) are a fox-like Packfolk (and oftentimes Woodfolk) race which are commonly found all throughout Howl Basin's more forested areas. Among the Packfolk heritages they are some of the more individualistic, but the are nonetheless strongly social individuals who form and feircely defend personal, and oftentimes familial, cliques. They are particularly known for their social graces, general cleverness, and cunning. These may be inte..."

The '''Volpi''' (singular: Volpe) are a fox-like [[Packfolk]] (and oftentimes [[Woodfolk]]) race which are commonly found all throughout [[Howl Basin]]'s more forested areas. Among the Packfolk heritages they are some of the more individualistic, but the are nonetheless strongly social individuals who form and feircely defend personal, and oftentimes familial, cliques. They are particularly known for their social graces, general cleverness, and cunning. These may be intended as complements or condemnation depending on who is speaking: one man's gracious problem solver is, after all, another man's schemer.

== History ==
While the Volpi are found throughout the temperate northern regions of [[the World]], and even parts of [[the Frontier]] in native populations, perhaps surprisingly, they are relative newcomers to [[Howl Basin]], arriving only as the region began to be settled. By and large they have formed two broader camps within their own culture, with one portion of their culture finding their tribe and niche in the denser cities springing up around the basin, and the other subset finding greater comradery abroad and afield, in a return to their roots.

== Culture ==
=== Art and Architecture ===
Volpi artists tend toward find craft as often as possible, favouring what they would term as "tasteful ostentation" over purely functional design. Their homes are always orderly and usually well appointed. It is common for Volpi to collect and display art objects and other "finer things" as both an investment and display of wealth, as part of their social climber natures.

Furs are especially prized by Volpi and are used in their fashion and artworks. Sometimes these are Folk furs, though this practice has been illegal for nearly a century now thanks to the formation of [[the Federation]].

=== Language ===
The Volpi language, [[Volantine]], has a complex structure, with a somewhat rigid (though hard to navigate for foreigners) system of gendered grammar, applying to both the speaker and the subject. This grammer also includes several layers of formality and honorifics intended to not just acknowledge the presence of a social divide, but just how broad that divide may be. Many Volpi learn additional languages appropriate for the region in which they live, but they rarely suppress their own distinct accents.

The Volantine written language is clearly recognizable as it is written in the [[Lagosi]] script, causing it to appear to be complete jibberish to those familiar with that language.

=== Food ===
Volantine cuisine is rich, varied, and heavily oriented toward the consumption of animal protein - prior to the Volantine joining the Federation, this sometimes included the flesh of other Folks, especially [[Lagos]]. It is common for Volantine dishes to involve extensive preparation and prior planning, and even their vegetable dishes and sweets are considered exercises in decadence.

=== Religion and Spirituality ===
{{Moving Target}}

=== Science and Technology ===
The attitudes of Volpi toward the current era of rapid technological progress are mixed, and are largely divided between their urban-dwelling cousins (who tend to be among the Packfolk) or their more rural counterparts (who tend to be among the [[Woodfolk]]). The former group have lives that are improved in measured strides with each individual advancement of technology and are quick to embrace any development that benefits them personally or is obtaining social currency. The latter, with a more measured approach and often times more experience dealing with Howler natives and the working class, tend to have more nuanced attitudes toward the use of technology, though they're often reluctant to give up a luxury if they become accustomed to it.

=== Entertainment ===
Volpi dancers are especially well known and sought after for cabarets, and their singers often obtain quite a fair bit of fame.

== Society ==
While they're all relatively new to the Basin, the gracious nature of most Volpi tends to make them endearing to their neighbours. Many look to them as fans of their work, consider them as visible and well-mannered members of the community, or find usefulness in their gregarious natures. It's quite common for Hivefolk or Eyriefolk magnates to hire Volpi overseers to work with [[Folks]] that don't necessarily share their ideals, since the Volpi are by and large both comfortable and skilled at managing these sorts of social interactions. Because of this, quite a few public personalities, minor politicians, and middle managers are Volpi.

== Physiology ==
Vulpi are small and lithe for the folks of the [[Howl Basin]], approaching (and occasionally exceeding) 1.5 meters in height, and usually possessed of proportions best described as waifish. This makes them the second smallest of all the folks which constitue the [[Packfolk]], second only to the musine [[Gaspard]]. A variety of factors create some variation in coats and facial features of the Vulpi, which otherwise track with most species of fox, be they exceptionally fluffy and white like an Arctic Fox, or lithe, ruddy, and keen-eyed.

The tails of Vulpi are a point of pride for their species and are often very well maintained, sometimes even ornamented.

== Gameplay Mechanics ==
{{Moving Target}}

=== Base Apptitudes ===
During character creation, all Vulpi have +1 Presence and +1 Intuition, along with -1 Hardiness and -1 Willpower. Vulpi are phenomenally empathetic and perceptive socialites, but tend to let themselves be swayed by the social tide as a survival matter. Their small sizes naturally mean they cannot take the same physical punishment as, say, their larger [[Lupata]] cousins.

=== Heritage Trait ===

All Vulpi have the [[Mask of the Todd (Heritage Trait)]] property.

Vulpi may also select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:
* [[Urbane (Heritage Trait)]] - Urbane Vulpi have strong webs of connections and are especially talented at forging and improving new connections.
* [[To the Cleverest (Heritage Trait)]] - Many Vulpi are exceptionally clever and pride themselves on their ability to solve problems and understand puzzles, making huge leaps of inferences. This heritage trait adds a mechanic to supplement Analysis-related skill checks with Presence.
* [[Silver Breath (Heritage Trait)]] - A rare few Vulpi are touched by [[Strangeness]] in birth or life, and have an especial knack for a particular sort of it. This trait gives them access to that ability.

Packfolk

2023-07-02T18:57:43Z

Zadammac: Created page with "The '''Packfolk''' are a basin-folk made up chiefly of the Lupata, Volpi, Gaspard and Yotes peoples, who view themselves as ancient, honourable in their own way, and as a rule put their people first and foremost. Packfolk families are not always large, but they can seem that way to outsiders; a community of Packfolk are often all interrelated (either by blood or cultural conjunction), and they practice a collectivist attitude that they feel makes them ext..."

The '''Packfolk''' are a basin-folk made up chiefly of the [[Lupata]], [[Volpi]], [[Gaspard]] and [[Yotes]] peoples, who view themselves as ancient, honourable in their own way, and as a rule put their people first and foremost. Packfolk families are not always large, but they can seem that way to outsiders; a community of Packfolk are often all interrelated (either by blood or cultural conjunction), and they practice a collectivist attitude that they feel makes them extremely hardy. That said, their sense of community does not often extend beyond their folk, and while they are seen from time to time in cities, they're often far more comfortable in their own insular communities. There is a strong distrust between Landfolk and Packfolk communities as the result of past conflicts, some of which stretch back even further than the settlement of the Basin. That said, Packfolk and Landfolk who can set aside their misgivings about each other also make powerful partners, and they are seen as expert survivalists, rangers, prospectors, and explorers; moreover are considered the pre-eminent ranchers in the Basin. Packfolk who leave their communities and join the more cosmopolitan parts of Basin society are often sought after as guards, police, and mercenaries, which are all roles they excel in, and even more peaceable Packfolk who join major cities tend to form insular neighborhoods and reform their packs together.

== Lifestyles and Culture ==
=== Cultural Values ===
The Packfolk are the loosest of the "folk" backgrounds in Howl Basin, a stateless nation bound together by mutual respect more than common identity. None the less, the four cultures that make up the bulk of the Packfolk have a common understanding of three critical traditions which can collectively be called the Pack, Hunt, and Howl. These three cultural touchstones are often highly distinct amongst each of the subcultures in the packfolk, but have a common thread which runs between them and have lead to the understanding of the packfolk as a concept.

==== The Pack ====
If the central unit of the [[Landfolk]] is the extended family and the central unit of the [[Woodfolk]] is the tribe, then the same role in Packfolk society is the Pack, which is simultaneously both and neither. In the simplest terms, a Pack in packfolk understanding is any collection of Packfolk who identify as members of that pack. This might be several interrelated families occupying a neighbourhood in a major city like [[San Cucaracha]], a half-dozen young adult packfolk who are all hired on as security at a logging camp, or a roving band of Traveller packfolk. The shared common identity of being in the Pack is more important than any family relationships shared (or not) by the members of the pack; at peace, these packs may indeed develop along similar lines to Woodfolk tribes and become multi-generational, whereas in other cases they may simply be functional groups.

Packs are therefore more mutable than other forms of "family" concepts seen in the other folks of the [[Howl Basin]]. It's not unheard of for packfolk to change membership among several packs as they progress through their lives, or conversely for packs established for one functional purpose to "settle down" and become longer-term communities. The most important concept is the sense of belonging to and with the pack, and the shared responsibility among all members of the pack for the pack's wellbeing.

==== The Hunt ====
Without exception, the four cultures that make up the Packfolk were all predatory species in the ancient past - even the comparatively small and seemingly harmless [[Gaspard]]. This does not necessarily mean that the Packfolk are inherently socially predatory or even inherently violent (at least, no more inherently violent than any other culture in [[the World]]), but it does mean that the four cultures share a mutual respect and understanding for the practice of hunting, and a tendency to view all trades as a modified form of the hunt.

Packfolk cultures tend to build up codes of honourable conduct around hunts that lead into their professional lives. As an example, all four of the cultures recognize the importance of a respect for what is lost in the hunt. Hunting, and the trades these cultures have extended the ethos from hunting overtop of, is viewed as a sort of grim reality. While trophies are kept, hunting purely for trophies is extremely discouraged. Where some profit is made, doing business purely for the sake of personal enrichment is similarly discouraged. No more should ever be taken - in any sense - than is needed.

Conversely, it is also seen as inappropriate to show undeserved mercy. While the hunter's quick kill is considered the pinnacle practice amongst the Packfolk for its merciful properties, refusal to hunt outright is seen as especially shameful; a dereliction of your responsibilities to the Pack, who must be provided for.

==== The Howl ====
Packfolk cultures share a concept of a Howl - often, a literal howling vocalization - which can be more broadly generalized as the cultural arts which communicate among and unify the culture even more broadly than membership in an individual pack. These practices have placed a broad emphasis on musical culture and communication among the four cultures that make up the Packfolk and have even evolved into the contemporary [[Howl Signals]] system which is thought to have (in part) given [[Howl Basin]] its name.

=== Travelers ===
The Travelers are the most populous of the subsets of the packfolk, making up about two-thirds of the overall packfolk population. Traveller packs live a nomadic lifestyle, ranging broadly within a relatively small geographic area, usually moving between seasonal camps which serve as waypoints along their perpetual journey. Such packs tend to be young, rotating in fresh members constantly, and with older persons either in a position of prominence among the pack or occasionally retiring to join packfolk "settler" communities.

Traveler packs usually serve a relatively fixed and focused purpose, to one extent or another. Among these, the three most common are herding, hunting, and prospecting for resources - the latter a relatively recent innovation. The Packfolk are famed throughout the Basin as some of the best ranchers in the region in part because of the success of their nomadic herding strategy when it comes to raising large livestock in perpetual drives.

Travelers should not be thought of as a rejection of the urban or settled mode of life as much as a maintainance of tradition. The practice is seen as much among [[Federalist]] packs as it is amongst [[Howler]] packs. Instead, it is a manifestation and embrace of the packfolk's instinctual drive to hunt, to explore their territory, and to reject what they feel is banality.

=== Settlers ===
Some packfolk - as much as one in every three - are what are known as "settled" packfolk. These are packfolk who, for one reason or another, have settled in a fixed location, usually small towns run by packfolk for packfolk, but occasionally in other communities. The settler community is growing in proportion in the contemporary era due to the advent of industrialization; more and more packfolk find themselves attached to jobs that have rendered them settlers, however temporarily. Others are retirees, or even just working trades that are best served by being in fixed locations.

It's worth noting that the Traveler packfolk and Settler packfolk look upon each other with mutual respect, rather than disdane, and settler packs are just as much Packfolk as Traveler packs, and vice versa. It is very common whenever a Traveler pack is moving through a settler territory for some exchange to happen in terms of population - both in terms of reproduction and of some settlers joining the traveller pack while some travelers choose to settle.

=== Packfolk in the Cities ===
Urban packfolk are a relatively new phenomenon, because major cities are a relatively new phenomenon in the [[Howl Basin]] in the first place. As a result, City Packfolk often feel like they don't quite fit into either group. The cultural identity of city packfolk is poorly defined relative to the travelers and the settlers, and packfolk who live in cities, it's not uncommon to feel like they have a foot in both social roles.

Packfolk usually form their own boroughs in urban centers, and tend to form packs within those neighbourhoods, amongst members of their block or subdivision or what have you. Many come to cities temporarily for work and then find themselves feeling entangled into the lifestyle while wishing to resume their travels. Some others come to the cities fully intending to embrace urban life, and feel unsettled by the constantly-changing nature of cities.

=== Born in the Pack ===
To be born into the Packfolk way of life is, as the [[Gaspard]] saying goes, to be born with a rifle in one hand and your boots on your feet. Plenty of Packfolk are born into traveller life, and even those who aren't often spend their early years having joined a traveller pack - to complete one circuit with a traveller pack is more or less a ubiquitous experience and a rite of passage from childhood into adulthood amongst most of the packfolk settler packs.

Being born in a Pack means being born to the entire pack as your family, with bloodline as only secondary importance. While it's perfectly normal to grow up and leave the pack, until you do, you've been putting up with that pack for your entire life. The whole pack takes it in turns (as a matter of social responsibility) to do their part in the raising, education, protection of, and provision for, all the youths in the pack. Not just your littermates, but all of the children of the pack are your brothers and sisters, and for most Packfolk, their birth pack remains a special point of social attachment even after they take the decision to move on (which almost always happens, and is even encouraged).

=== Adopting the Pack Mentality ===
The packfolk's "found family" mentality knows no racial or heritage boundaries. While monocultral packs are the norm, this is more because of the way the different territories of the packfolk heritages has evolved over time than any form of prejudice. Packs mixed among the packfolk cultures are increasingly common, and it's even not unheardof for packfolk packs to adopt complete outsiders who do well with the pack way of life and share emotional bonds with the pack. While far from being the only path to this lifestyle, this borders on being a common occurance with [[Woodfolk]] Rangers, who often share enough in common with the packfolk way of life in the first place that their adoption into a pack is almost pro forma.

These adoptions are gradual processes and rarely stand on ceremony. If you spend enough time travelling with a packfolk pack or working alongside them, getting along the whole while, and miss the subtle social queues, you might even be surprised to find you were adopted to the pack when you announce your intention to leave. Packfolk view such newcomers as members of their pack without distinction, and will go so far as to spread the word to other packs as they encounter them.

=== Packfolk Justice ===
Above and beyond the [[Federalist]] justice system imposed in the annexed portions of the basin, the Packfolk have their own sense of justice and ways of meting out reprisal for criminality. For the most part, these crimes are of relatively serious natures; theft from amongst your own pack, assaulting one another, murder, and the like. Packfolk do not truck with the idea of "petty" criminality, and even in federalist areas will laugh at concepts like criminalizing protest or vagrancy.

In most cases, the pack themselves gather with the accused and the victim and hash out a path to restitution. For abject criminality, repeat offenses, or very serious violations, these gatherings sometimes turn violent. Often, the intent is to simply run the offender off. It is however not unheard of for murderers, kidnappers, and enslavers in particular to meet a violent end in such cases.

== Gameplay Rules ==
In the Howl Basin campaign setting, folks serve two roles. If your character was raised within the cultural context of the a Folk, they take that folk as their [[Tarnished Tale: Background | Background]]. On the other hand, circumstances occasionally lead to a character becoming a member of a folk retroactively. This happens at their discretion as long as they have and maintain a [[Tarnished Tale: Connections| Connections]] score above 60% with that folk. At the player's discretion, such a character becomes an "adoptee" member of that Folk. Facilitators are encouraged to roleplay out this adoption as much as fits the taste of the party. Each folk's "lifestyles and culture" section includes a section on any additional requirements to join that faction permanently.

=== As A Background ===
When taking Packfolk as your starting background, you develop your starting skillpoints and acquire a character trait as a result of your upbringing. For the purposes of determining your starting skillpoints, there are three subtypes of this background: Homesteader Packfolk, Roving Packfolk, and City Packfolk. You must pick from one of the three types when creating your Packfolk character, but please note you may still have had a mixed history, having lived the lives of any or all of the three subtypes prior to becoming an adventuring character.

==== Starting Skill Points ====
All Packfolk start the game with Willpower * 2 + Intuition * 3 skill points which they may distribute among any skills they so choose. These represent the skills you acquired during your youth as a rounded member of the Packfolk society.

In addition, Packfolk characters add the following skills as Occupation Skills depending on their subtype:
* Traveler Packfolk: [[Skill: Survival|Survival]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation]], and either [[Skill: Ride|Ride]] or [[Skill: Drive | Drive (Wagons)]]
* Settler Packfolk: [[Skill: Dealmaking| Dealmaking]], [[Skill: Lore | Lore (Packfolk Folklore)]], [[Skill: Animal Handling | Animal Handling]]
* City Packfolk: [[Skill: Intimidation | Intimidation]], [[Skill: Drive (Wagons)]], [[Skill: Firearm Use | Firearm Use (Handguns)]]

If one of these bonus Occupation Skills is already a feature of your chosen occupation, the [[Facilitator]] should work with you to come up with a substitute skill. If no substitute skill can be found, take 5 extra Occupation Skill Points in lieu of the substitute.

==== Packfolk Trait: I Run With the Pack ====
Regardless of subtype, Packfolk characters start with the Background Trait '''I Run With The Pack'''. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Whenever a character with the I Run With The Pack Trait attacks another character (including creatures), that creature becomes '''Marked''' until the start of its next turn. A creature Marked by '''I Run With The Pack''' has one bane added to their bane/boon pool for Dodge rolls made against attacks by members of the pack of the Packfolk character who so marked them. For the purposes of player characters, fellow player characters who are part of their adventuring party are pack members for the purposes of this effect. This effect has no effect on other packfolk characters.

==== Starting Connections ====
All Packfolk characters begin with the following connections at a score of (Intuition + Presence + Strength):
* Packfolk
* The Character's Birth Pack
* The Character's Current Pack, if different from their birth pack.

This base score is chosen because Packfolk communities by and large value observant and capable "hunters" with the confidence to match their skills.

=== As a Connection ===
Adoptees who meet the faction alignment requirement and exemplify the traits of the Packfolk to the point of becoming cultural adoptees to the faction retain their original backgrounds and do not retrain skills, for obvious reasons: the past is fundamentally immutable and moving your house doesn't change your capabilities. That being said, they do acquire a new trait.

==== Packfolk Adoptee Trait: Pack Tactics ====
This is an ''Passive Effect''. Whenever a character with this trait attacks a character who has been '''Marked''' by the effect of '''I Run With The Pack''', this character gains one boon to their to-hit pool for the attack. In addition, if the attack is successful, this characters' Connection: Packfolk score increases by the amount of damage dealt, up to a maximum of 75%. If the attack misses in spite of the benefit of this attack, this character rolls the normal damage for their attack anyway. Damage rolled in this way is not dealt to the target character but instead is subtracted from this character's Connection: Packfolk score. Characters may not use Pack Tactics if they have a Connection: Packfolk score lower than 50%, meaning they neither gain connection score nor the boon-to-hit from this trait.

[[Category: Folks]] [[Category: Backgrounds]]

Woodfolk

2023-06-28T19:41:30Z

Zadammac: Created page with "Primarily native to the Basin, the Woodfolk are a Folk of communitarian survivalists, native especially to its forested areas, in which they are the specialists. Maintaining ancient traditions that pre-date the settlement of the Howl Basin by other communities, the Woodfolk have a grasp of Strangeness that is mildly stronger than those of the other folks, but not much. They are the great survivors of the Basin, keeping its traditions alive and its roads open,..."

Primarily native to the Basin, the [[Woodfolk]] are a Folk of communitarian survivalists, native especially to its forested areas, in which they are the specialists. Maintaining ancient traditions that pre-date the settlement of the [[Howl Basin]] by other communities, the Woodfolk have a grasp of [[Strangeness]] that is mildly stronger than those of the other folks, but not much. They are the great survivors of the Basin, keeping its traditions alive and its roads open, and count among their number some Howler [[Lagos]] communities, along with [[Quillions | Quillion]], [[Volpi]], [[Cervano]], lowland [[Striggan]], and [[Corvados]] communities.

The Woodfolk are seen by some as a people imperiled; there is no one "uniquely Woodfolk" group (all the woodfolk races are represented in the other folks, to a degree not seen with any other folk type), and their way of life has been challenged by the settlement of the Basin as part of [[the Frontier]], and the gross industrialization of the region continues. Many younger Woodfolk wind up allying more strongly with the Landfolk or Mountainfolk depending on their own views of the changes befalling their homeland.

== Lifestyles and Culture ==
=== Cultural Values ===
Much like the similar [[Landfolk]], the woodfolk have a highly unified culture, where the traditions of individual heritages within the folk are more like idiosyncracies than complete cultures in and of themselves. This is largely because of the three key virtues of the Folk being universal across all the disparate groups that make it up.

==== Tradition ====
The Woodfolk place their traditional ways of life as paramount among the virtues and consider their ability to keep living in the ways they always have as paramount. They consider [[Howl Basin]] in whole to be their responsibility to maintain and identify their traditional methods of farming and industry as being in harmony with the land in ways that the increasingly industrialized modern practices are not. In more contemporary times, this ideal is a major sticking point between the older generations and the younger ones, who want the freedom to leave their tribal lands and explore the possibilities of the new industries.

==== Tribe ====
If the sense of community is a key underpinning of [[Landfolk]] culture, the [[Woodfolk]] similarly prize tribe, which can be thought of as community writ large. Several individual settlements often have one shared tribal continuity, and it is the pleasant duty of every Woodfolk individual to set aside their individual needs to provide for the tribe. Before the expansion of [[the Frontier]] this was a straightforward ask. In more contemporary times, this ideal is a major sticking point between the older generations and the younger ones, many of whom feel that the Tribe is too small a unit and that ''all'' woodfolk, or what is left of them, need to pull together.

==== Trade ====
There is argument amongst the contemporary Woodfolk as to the extent to which their traditional definitions of trade should extend beyond the woodfolk themselves. While they've always had good terms with the Landfolk, even before the expansion of the Frontier, that same expansion of [[the Federation]]'s influence into [[Howl Basin]] has brought a lot of change, displacement of Woodfolk communities, and destruction of the natural landscape. Some argue that continued trade will allow the Woodfolk to benefit from the largess of this rapidly-industrializing economy. Others, especially the older generations, argue that continuing to trade with the "newcomer" groups (and especially the [[Hivefolk]]) will only encourage their destructive industrialization.

This emphasis on trade went deeper than simple economics. Many old footpaths which have since become roads and railroads in [[Howl Basin]] were established by travelling Woodfolk traders and maintained for multiple generations. More than goods were exchanged as well, and cultural, scientific, and linguistic interchange were all heavily encouraged.

=== Woodfolk Rangers ===
While the most iconic of Woodfolk lifestyles (and probably the most common background for Woodfolk adventurers), Woodfolk Rangers are more exception than rule. With many (if not most) woodfolk communities being relatively remote, but a communitarian drive to connect those communities, the ranger social caste sprang up to fill a need for an expert survivalist. Rangers are pathfinders, foragers, and (where appropriate for the diet of their community) hunters, who are usually intimately familiar with their surrounding areas. Such figures lead lives of adventure they themselves think normal; finding, marking, or maintaining paths from point to point; plotting the routes of migrations of their people; or serving as a sort of informal militia, in addition to their day-to-day duties.

=== Woodfolk Towns ===
Woodfolk build towns. While this sounds strange to say to someone unfamiliar with tales of the Howl Basin, it's sometimes asserted to the contrary. A common stereotype about the Woodfolk held by the other [[Folks]] is that all Woodfolk are nomads. This is not so. It is a misconception born of the combination of the architecture of the [[Corvados]] and the tendency of [[Striggan]] communities to be broadly geographically dispersed. While some tribes are mobile and do practice nomadism, even their camps should be more properly thought of as towns as they may stand for many months in one position.

Whether static or nomadic, however, Woodfolk towns have the commonality that the people who live in them often practice specialist trades. Such gathering places are the primary residences of the Woodfolk (who have no corresponding practice of homesteading) and these communities are usually a central cluster of structures surrounded by a wide area of actively farmed, ranched, or ranged land. Woodfolk nomads have evolved a colorful system of [[Wayfinding Markers]] to communicate changes in the paths between fixed towns and moving ones which are maintained by their rangers.

=== Woodfolk Mystics ===
Woodfolk traditionalists have a mystic class in the same way that most cultures have some form of religious apparatus, though this should be thought of as seperate-yet-equivalent to a church or religion, as most of the peoples that uphold these traditions don't see this caste as "priests" in the same way they don't see their mystic traditions as religions, and often practice both. Woodfolk Mystics usually occupy a roll much like the Rangers; they have a hometown, but are not often there, and they have important responsibilities that draw them away from greater civilization.

=== Coming Up Woodfolk ===
The childhood and rearing of Woodfolk is in a sort of middle ground between the relatively cherished phase of life seen among the [[Landfolk]] and the rushed push of responsibility shown by the [[Eryiefolk]]. Children are given the time they need to grow into their social role and encouraged to play and experiment, socially and "professionally". Education is entirely informal, taking the form of experts in this, that, or the other passing on their knowledge to the next generation through storytelling, demonstration, and apprenticeship. By adolescence a Woodfolk's role in society begins to solidify, but may not necessarily be the same as either of their parents', as personality, aptitude, and willingness are all taken into account. Throughout this process they also undergo a number of rites and ceremonies that mark their passage through life and celebrate their connection to the Woodfolk culture as a whole.

=== Becoming Woodfolk ===
Woodfolk communities are often happy to induct new members in the form of willing adults who wish to live and work among them, as long as those individuals are willing to uphold the traditional ways of life of the woodfolk. This is, however, an increasingly contentious practice in modern times. Many Woodfolk leaders and elders consider the practice to be diminishing the focus on Tradition in an age where more and more young woodfolk are moving away from their communities, which is seen as an abandonment of important Woodfolk values. Conversely, other elders and communities encourage the assimilation of interested outsiders into the woodfolk way of life as a way to recover from this same attrition, believing that the way of life exemplified by the Woodfolk culture can be taught and applies to everyone.

=== Outcasts and the Woodfolk ===
There's no such thing as a true outcast in Woodfolk culture. [[Howl Basin]] is an unforgiving region and throwing someone permanently out of the community is seen as tantamout to killing them, which is largely taboo. At most, habitual troublemakers might be kicked out of an individual town or sent for a time to a location for confinement, but they're never fully outside of the support of Rangers or Mystics sent to observe them.

With the growing trend of Woodfolk leaving to join the cities this has created a second kind of "outcast"; Woodfolk who disappear for a time and often return to find they have angered their original communities.

== Gameplay Rules ==
In the Howl Basin campaign setting, folks serve two roles. If your character was raised within the cultural context of the a Folk, they take that folk as their [[Tarnished Tale: Background | Background]]. On the other hand, circumstances occasionally lead to a character becoming a member of a folk retroactively. This happens at their discretion as long as they have and maintain a [[Tarnished Tale: Connections| Connections]] score above 60% with that folk. At the player's discretion, such a character becomes an "adoptee" member of that Folk. Facilitators are encouraged to roleplay out this adoption as much as fits the taste of the party. Each folk's "lifestyles and culture" section includes a section on any additional requirements to join that faction permanently.

=== As A Background ===
When taking Woodfolk as your starting background, you develop your starting skillpoints and acquire a character trait as a result of your upbringing. For the purposes of determining your starting skillpoints, there are three subtypes of this background: Town Woodfolk, Woodfolk Ranger, and Woodfolk Mystic. You must pick from one of the three types when creating your Woodfolk character, but please note you may still have had a mixed history, having lived the lives of any or all of the three subtypes prior to becoming an adventuring character.

==== Starting Skill Points ====
All Woodfolk start the game with Analysis * 1 + Intuition * 4 skill points which they may distribute among any skills they so choose. These represent the skills you acquired during your youth as a rounded member of the Woodfolk society.

In addition, Woodfolk characters add the following skills as Occupation Skills depending on their subtype:
* Town Woodfolk: [[Skill: Dealmaking|Dealmaking]], [[Skill: Melee | Melee (Any)]], [[Skill: Repair|Repair (Carpentry) or Repair (Leatherwork)]]
* Rangers: [[Skill: Survival| Survival]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation]], [[Skill: Firearm Use | Firearm Use (Rifles) or Firearm Use (Archery)]] OR [[Skill: Herbalism | Herbalism]]
* Mystics: [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation]], [[Skill: Lore | Lore(Astronomy) or Lore(Woodfolk Folklore) ]], [[Skill: Strange Efforts | Strange Efforts]]

If one of these bonus Occupation Skills is already a feature of your chosen occupation, the [[Facilitator]] should work with you to come up with a substitute skill. If no substitute skill can be found, take 5 extra Occupation Skill Points in lieu of the substitute.

==== Woodfolk Trait: Strange Senses ====
Regardless of subtype, Woodfolk characters start with the Background Trait '''Strange Senses'''. This is an '''Active Effect''' and an '''Ability'''. At will, a character with the Strange Senses ability may heighten their senses as connected to [[Strangeness]]. This provides them with the ability to:
* Sense the presence of an active [[Strange Occurrence]], a [[Strange Creature]], or [[Strange Object]] within a half-kilometer radius, or;
* Intuit one property or ability at the discretion of the [[Facilitator]] about the above object if they are within line of sight of it, or;
* In the presence of a [[Strange Occurrence]] that was cast by a character, determine the source.

This includes passive [[Strange Occurrence]]s which are active on their target at the time the effect is in progress.

Strange Senses costs 1 point from the [[Strange Potency]] pool per round the user is keeping it active. Activating or maintaining the effect in combat or while performing any other action (such as driving, climbing, etc) requires a [[Skill: Strange Efforts | Strange Efforts]] check. If the character does not already have a [[Strange Potency]] pool when they obtain the trait that gives them this ability, they gain the pool at its normal base value.

==== Starting Connections ====
All Woodfolk characters begin with the following connections at a score of (Presence + Hardiness + Willpower):
* Woodfolk
* The Character's Hometown
* The Character's Tribe

=== As a Connection ===
Adoptees who meet the faction alignment requirement and exemplify the traits of the Woodfolk to the point of becoming cultural adoptees to the faction retain their original backgrounds and do not retrain skills, for obvious reasons: the past is fundamentally immutable and moving your house doesn't change your capabilities. That being said, they do acquire a new trait.

==== Landfolk Adoptee Trait: Wilderness Training ====
This is a ''Passive Effect''. Whenever a character is making a Survival check, they may instead user their Connections: Woodfolk score. On a failure, they lose 1d4 points from the connection (to represent the failure to absorb the lessons they have been taught). On a success which generates an Advancement opportunity, the Survival score is advanced rather than the connection.

A player who lowers their Connections: Woodfolk score below 50 in this way may experience roleplaying penalties as a result at the discretion of the [[Facilitator]].

[[Category: Folks]] [[Category: Backgrounds]]

Eyriefolk

2023-06-28T18:12:52Z

Zadammac: /* Eyriefolk Trait: Martial Tradition */

=== The Kings of the Cliffs: The Eyriefolk ===
[[File:A_corvados_sharpshooter.png|thumb|right|alt=A crow-person with a rifle, glasses, a hat on their back, and some kind of bandolier. They are wearing a scarf.|A Corvados sharpshooter, from a sketchbook found in the desert.]]
The '''Eyriefolk''' are made up entirely of the [[Corvados]], [[Adler]], [[Volo]], and [[Striggan]] peoples, whose ancestral lands string all along the [[Howling Herald Mountains]] and portions of the region's central deserts. As with most the rest of the races they've taken an interest in the [[Howl Basin]] given this recent season of settlement and development, and are seen by those in the basin as somewhat aloof, even uncaring. Born with the power of flight, the Eyriefolk see themselves as the people of the sky, and the isolation of their homeland has meant that these recent explorations are a sort of "breaking down" of a long history of cultural isolation for them.

Eyriefolk can be aloof and insular, but they can also be charismatic, and are highly driven. In cosmopolitan areas, stereotypical Eyriefolk can be found in positions of authority, such as clergymen, lawmen, or government officials, and the other Folks of the Basin tend to expect them to be taciturn, honourbound (sometimes to a fault), and concerned with appearances.

== Lifestyles and Culture ==
Moreso than many of the other folks, the actual lifestyles of the [[Corvados]], [[Adler]], [[Volo]], and [[Striggan]] are quite highly unique to each individual line. However, they can be broadly seperated into three cultural groups and share a common cultural core, which is why they see themselves as a single polity (as much as any polity can be).

=== Cultural Values ===
Eyriefolk culture as a whole favours a few key ideals, though each of the heritages that make up the Folk tend to place their own spin and emphases on these ideals. These principals in general can be collectively thought of as "honour" and fall into three broad strokes: Right Standing, Right Action, and Right Speech.

==== Right Standing ====
Right Standing, amongst the Eyriefolk, is the awareness of one's position in the social heirarchy and the social performances and obligations responsible to that role. One who upholds the principal of Right Standing understands their role in their community and the culture of the people they hail from, and plays that part well. A [[Striggan]] philosopher described Right Standing as "Nobility Without Rank" and argued that a [[Corvados]] beggar who fully devoted himself to the role of the city beggar was every bit as noble as a great chieftan of the [[Adler]].

This virtue is controversial, and is thought to have factored heavily into the long-standing isolationism of the Eyriefolk as much as their natural ability to fly and correspondingly remote settlements has. Under the idea of Right Standing, a member of another folk, such as a [[Lagos]] from the [[Landfolk]], is performing Right Standing by being a Lagos of the Landfolk and is violating the virtue when they attempt to integrate themselves into Eyriefolk culture. This has been used as an excuse for some Eyriefolk who prefer the isolationism or wish to feel superior to dismiss all other folks as uncivilized outsiders, though yet other Eyriefolk argue that Right Standing says nothing about civilized behaviour at all.

==== Right Action ====
Eyriefolk honour calls for a concept of Right Action, which implies that there are Right and Wrong things that can be done in any situation. It is not Right Action to steal something, for example, but it may be Right Action to punish a thief. Violence may or may not be right action depending on the offense that prompted it and the degree and method of violence chosen, which conflicts with some of the more pacifistic attitudes in [[Howl Basin]]. Like Right Standing, Right Action calls social heirarchy and occupation into account when considering whether or not an action is right. It might be perfectly justifiable for [[Corvados]] clan leaders to exile a repeat thief from the community but entirely against Right Action for a random selection of members of the same community to do so, even if the same inciting incident exists.

Right Action is also not merely about what is permissible but also what is required. Right action calls for the strong to protect the weak and the righteous to defend the mild. It also calls for the rich to espouse the poor, though as this runs contrary to many Eyriefolk stereotypes (for complicate historical reasons), they are rarely given credit for this.

==== Right Speech ====
Right Speech is another social queue that calls upon Eyriefolk to carefully consider their words. This goes beyond knowing the nuances of various modes of address (which is, in reality, a very small part of Right Speech) and addresses more the overall idea of expression entirely. While it is cited as a governing principal when it comes to taboos and cursing and so-on, it runs considerably deeper. It is considered a violation of the idea of Right Speech to show great outbursts of any strong emotion (which has lead to a reputation for stoicism amongst the birdfolk). An Adler philosopher explained:

<blockquote>It isn't at all accurate to say that Right Speech and Anger are antithetical to one another, nor Joy, nor Sorrow, nor any other of the Ten Thousand Emotions. Emotions are emotions, as natural to the Kings of Birds as the sun is to the sky. We do not scold our fledgelings for their outbursts because it is morally wrong for them to feel slighted by us, or for their hunger or weariness to be upsetting to them, or because they have any other unmet need. Right Speech requires that we comport ourselves as the moment requires. Before we lash out in joy or hate or sorrow, we must understand what it is that has us so enthused. We must do this so that we can communicate that need, and we must do so calmly to be the better understood. In this manner, the cry of an unworded babe is Right Speech, the cold order of exile is right speech, the slight of the jester to the chief is right speech, and the roar of the warrior is right speech.</blockquote>

Right Speech over the years has evolved into a catch-all simplification of a sort of extension of Right Standing to cover all of behaviour. Volo teachers will tell you that Right Standing is motive and Right Speech is action.

=== Alpine Traditionalists ===
In the forests and mountains of [[Howl Basin]] and the [[Howling Herald Mountains]] one subset of the Eyriefolk culture exists. This is made up mostly of the eyriefolk-aligned subsets of the [[Striggan]], along with [[Corvados]] and [[Adler]] cultures, the latter of which could be considered the dominant cultural influence. This is also the most stereotypical of the lifestyles of the Eyriefolk in the eyes of outsiders and other folks as a result. This is double down upon where the [[Adler]] culture is also a strong underpinning of the culture of [[the Federation]] as a whole.

Such communities are staunchly self-reliant and even territorial. Adler chiefs are somewhat famous for territorial bickering even in their prehistory and federalist "modern" Adler are know different, though such territoriality may be abstracted to areas of responsibility in a single organization rather than literal violence over borders of land-claims... though the latter happen as well. Adler communities tend to be especially lofty and removed from areas of overland travel and are therefore rarely visited by most of the people who call Howl Basin home.

In contrast communities of Corvados and Striggan occasionally spring up - far more commonly the former, as the Corvados tend to be far more social overall. These communities can be somewhat remote but are usually not extremely so and often trade with the surrounding area. This is especially true because the Alpine Traditionalist faction of the Eyriefolk is strongly aligned to [[the Federation]] and is considered non-native to Howl Basin (except perhaps for a few of the Adler clans). This is because the Corvados Clans that were native to the basin are actually socially aligned to the [[Woodfolk]], and the same is also true for the native [[Columbian Parliament]] of the Striggans.

=== Mesa Traditionalists ===
The [[Volo]] are a unique people, inhabiting both the [[Castle Badlands]] and [[Proctor Erg]] since prehistory, which is aligned with the Eyriefolk through centuries of cultural interaction with native [[Adler]] bands. More populous than the Alder, they are therefore the largest population within the Eyriefolk proper which consider themselves nativist rather than federalist, and by and large they tend to be against [[the Federation]]'s expansion into [[Howl Basin]] and the corresponding disruption of their way of life.

=== Cosmopolitan Eyriefolk ===
Many Eyriefolk are cosmopolitan. Their native abilities of flight make them handy travellers and the relatively solitary nature of most of the cultures that make up the folk tends to give them motive to get around. What's more, Corvados are ubiquitous throughout [[the World]] anyway.

Eryiefolk will happily settle into other communities, including cities, so long as their needs to live as they see fit are met. Many come to occupy positions of authority owing to a combination of their own ambitious natures and their general suitability for such roles, though it helps that federalist propaganda often features them (especially Adler) in such roles of authority, pre-seeding the notion.

=== Hatched and Brooded ===
Growing up among the Eyriefolk can be tough, because the road of their three virtues is demanding. However, childhoods vary much among the different peoples that make up the folk, so it is hard to speak in broad generalizations for them.

=== Birds of a Feather ===
It's not unheard of for people to become part of the Eyriefolk community, though it is almost unheard of for those without the power of flight to do so. Therefore, most such "assimilants" are Corvados or Striggan [[Woodfolk]] who have come more attuned to the newcomer Eryiefolk than their native clans. This process is actually somewhat formal and legalistic and requires sponsorship by existing Eryiefolk who are able to stand for your suitability and involves a social ritual known as the [[Oath of Cups]].

=== Eyriefolk Exiles ===
Before joining [[the Federation]], Eryiefolk justice was brutal and capital punishment or several corporal punishment was common. While Federal law has largely changed that, in [[the Frontier]] and especially [[Howl Basin]], laws only apply as long as they can be enforced. It's not uncommon for criminals and other social outcasts in Eyriefolk society who live in isolated Eyriefolk communities to therefore go "on the wing" and exile themselves from their communities than to risk facing the "old justice" some feel Right Action still calls for.

== Gameplay Rules ==
In the Howl Basin campaign setting, folks serve two roles. If your character was raised within the cultural context of the a Folk, they take that folk as their [[Tarnished Tale: Background | Background]]. On the other hand, circumstances occasionally lead to a character becoming a member of a folk retroactively. This happens at their discretion as long as they have and maintain a [[Tarnished Tale: Connections| Connections]] score above 60% with that folk. At the player's discretion, such a character becomes an "adoptee" member of that Folk. Facilitators are encouraged to roleplay out this adoption as much as fits the taste of the party. Each folk's "lifestyles and culture" section includes a section on any additional requirements to join that faction permanently.

=== As A Background ===
When taking Eyriefolk as your starting background, you develop your starting skillpoints and acquire a character trait as a result of your upbringing. For the purposes of determining your starting skillpoints, there are three subtypes of this background: Mountain Eyriefolk, Mesa Eyriefolk, and Cosmopolitan Eyriefolk. You must pick from one of the three types when creating your Eyriefolk character, but please note you may still have had a mixed history, having lived the lives of any or all of the three subtypes prior to becoming an adventuring character.

==== Starting Skill Points ====
All Eyriefolk start the game with Analysis * 3 + Intuition * 1 + Presence * 1 skill points which they may distribute among any skills they so choose. These represent the skills you acquired during your youth as a rounded member of the Eyriefolk society.

In addition, Eyriefolk characters add the following skills as Occupation Skills depending on their subtype:
* Mountain: [[Skill: Navigation|Navigation]], [[Skill: Tracking | Tracking]], [[Skill: Intimidation|Intimidation]]
* Mesa: [[Skill: Lore| Lore(Basin Mythology)]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation]], [[Skill: Intimidation | Intimidation]]
* Cosmopolitan: [[Skill: Survival | Survival]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation ]], [[Skill: Repair | Repair (Any One Subtype)]]

If one of these bonus Occupation Skills is already a feature of your chosen occupation, the [[Facilitator]] should work with you to come up with a substitute skill. If no substitute skill can be found, take 5 extra Occupation Skill Points in lieu of the substitute.

==== Eyriefolk Trait: Martial Tradition ====
Regardless of subtype, Eryiefolk characters start with the Background Trait '''Martial Tradition'''. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. The character may select any one combat skill as a bonus occupation skill. It starts at its normal base score, plus Analysis, to represent offhand martial training acquired in the course of growing up.

==== Starting Connections ====
All Eyriefolk characters begin with the following connections at a score of (Presence + Intuition + Wisdom):
* Eyriefolk
* The Character's Hometown or County (as appropriate)
* The Character's Family

=== As a Connection ===
Adoptees who meet the faction alignment requirement and exemplify the traits of the Eyriefolk to the point of becoming cultural adoptees to the faction retain their original backgrounds and do not retrain skills, for obvious reasons: the past is fundamentally immutable and moving your house doesn't change your capabilities. That being said, they do acquire a new trait.

==== Eyriefolk Adoptee Trait: Wrong Standing ====
This is an ''Active Effect''. Whenever a character with this trait is making a social check (excluding connections checks), the character's player may choose to reduce their Connections: Eyriefolk score by X points. If they do so, they may lower the result of their social check roll by X points. This decision may be made after the roll. Points spend in this way are lost, but may be made up for with the normal ebb and flow of Connections points. If the player has fewer than 50 Connections: Eyriefolk points left, they may not use this effect (doing so would represent overstepping the hospitality of their adoptive folk).

The Eyriefolk Adoptee may not use Wrong Standing against Eyriefolk characters, who are sufficiently aware of the nuances of their culture to mark the outsider. Given the rarity of outsider adoption into the culture, they may even be aware of their status in advance.

[[Category: Folks]] [[Category: Backgrounds]]

Eyriefolk

2023-06-28T18:11:14Z

Zadammac: /* Eyriefolk Trait: Martial Ability */

=== The Kings of the Cliffs: The Eyriefolk ===
[[File:A_corvados_sharpshooter.png|thumb|right|alt=A crow-person with a rifle, glasses, a hat on their back, and some kind of bandolier. They are wearing a scarf.|A Corvados sharpshooter, from a sketchbook found in the desert.]]
The '''Eyriefolk''' are made up entirely of the [[Corvados]], [[Adler]], [[Volo]], and [[Striggan]] peoples, whose ancestral lands string all along the [[Howling Herald Mountains]] and portions of the region's central deserts. As with most the rest of the races they've taken an interest in the [[Howl Basin]] given this recent season of settlement and development, and are seen by those in the basin as somewhat aloof, even uncaring. Born with the power of flight, the Eyriefolk see themselves as the people of the sky, and the isolation of their homeland has meant that these recent explorations are a sort of "breaking down" of a long history of cultural isolation for them.

Eyriefolk can be aloof and insular, but they can also be charismatic, and are highly driven. In cosmopolitan areas, stereotypical Eyriefolk can be found in positions of authority, such as clergymen, lawmen, or government officials, and the other Folks of the Basin tend to expect them to be taciturn, honourbound (sometimes to a fault), and concerned with appearances.

== Lifestyles and Culture ==
Moreso than many of the other folks, the actual lifestyles of the [[Corvados]], [[Adler]], [[Volo]], and [[Striggan]] are quite highly unique to each individual line. However, they can be broadly seperated into three cultural groups and share a common cultural core, which is why they see themselves as a single polity (as much as any polity can be).

=== Cultural Values ===
Eyriefolk culture as a whole favours a few key ideals, though each of the heritages that make up the Folk tend to place their own spin and emphases on these ideals. These principals in general can be collectively thought of as "honour" and fall into three broad strokes: Right Standing, Right Action, and Right Speech.

==== Right Standing ====
Right Standing, amongst the Eyriefolk, is the awareness of one's position in the social heirarchy and the social performances and obligations responsible to that role. One who upholds the principal of Right Standing understands their role in their community and the culture of the people they hail from, and plays that part well. A [[Striggan]] philosopher described Right Standing as "Nobility Without Rank" and argued that a [[Corvados]] beggar who fully devoted himself to the role of the city beggar was every bit as noble as a great chieftan of the [[Adler]].

This virtue is controversial, and is thought to have factored heavily into the long-standing isolationism of the Eyriefolk as much as their natural ability to fly and correspondingly remote settlements has. Under the idea of Right Standing, a member of another folk, such as a [[Lagos]] from the [[Landfolk]], is performing Right Standing by being a Lagos of the Landfolk and is violating the virtue when they attempt to integrate themselves into Eyriefolk culture. This has been used as an excuse for some Eyriefolk who prefer the isolationism or wish to feel superior to dismiss all other folks as uncivilized outsiders, though yet other Eyriefolk argue that Right Standing says nothing about civilized behaviour at all.

==== Right Action ====
Eyriefolk honour calls for a concept of Right Action, which implies that there are Right and Wrong things that can be done in any situation. It is not Right Action to steal something, for example, but it may be Right Action to punish a thief. Violence may or may not be right action depending on the offense that prompted it and the degree and method of violence chosen, which conflicts with some of the more pacifistic attitudes in [[Howl Basin]]. Like Right Standing, Right Action calls social heirarchy and occupation into account when considering whether or not an action is right. It might be perfectly justifiable for [[Corvados]] clan leaders to exile a repeat thief from the community but entirely against Right Action for a random selection of members of the same community to do so, even if the same inciting incident exists.

Right Action is also not merely about what is permissible but also what is required. Right action calls for the strong to protect the weak and the righteous to defend the mild. It also calls for the rich to espouse the poor, though as this runs contrary to many Eyriefolk stereotypes (for complicate historical reasons), they are rarely given credit for this.

==== Right Speech ====
Right Speech is another social queue that calls upon Eyriefolk to carefully consider their words. This goes beyond knowing the nuances of various modes of address (which is, in reality, a very small part of Right Speech) and addresses more the overall idea of expression entirely. While it is cited as a governing principal when it comes to taboos and cursing and so-on, it runs considerably deeper. It is considered a violation of the idea of Right Speech to show great outbursts of any strong emotion (which has lead to a reputation for stoicism amongst the birdfolk). An Adler philosopher explained:

<blockquote>It isn't at all accurate to say that Right Speech and Anger are antithetical to one another, nor Joy, nor Sorrow, nor any other of the Ten Thousand Emotions. Emotions are emotions, as natural to the Kings of Birds as the sun is to the sky. We do not scold our fledgelings for their outbursts because it is morally wrong for them to feel slighted by us, or for their hunger or weariness to be upsetting to them, or because they have any other unmet need. Right Speech requires that we comport ourselves as the moment requires. Before we lash out in joy or hate or sorrow, we must understand what it is that has us so enthused. We must do this so that we can communicate that need, and we must do so calmly to be the better understood. In this manner, the cry of an unworded babe is Right Speech, the cold order of exile is right speech, the slight of the jester to the chief is right speech, and the roar of the warrior is right speech.</blockquote>

Right Speech over the years has evolved into a catch-all simplification of a sort of extension of Right Standing to cover all of behaviour. Volo teachers will tell you that Right Standing is motive and Right Speech is action.

=== Alpine Traditionalists ===
In the forests and mountains of [[Howl Basin]] and the [[Howling Herald Mountains]] one subset of the Eyriefolk culture exists. This is made up mostly of the eyriefolk-aligned subsets of the [[Striggan]], along with [[Corvados]] and [[Adler]] cultures, the latter of which could be considered the dominant cultural influence. This is also the most stereotypical of the lifestyles of the Eyriefolk in the eyes of outsiders and other folks as a result. This is double down upon where the [[Adler]] culture is also a strong underpinning of the culture of [[the Federation]] as a whole.

Such communities are staunchly self-reliant and even territorial. Adler chiefs are somewhat famous for territorial bickering even in their prehistory and federalist "modern" Adler are know different, though such territoriality may be abstracted to areas of responsibility in a single organization rather than literal violence over borders of land-claims... though the latter happen as well. Adler communities tend to be especially lofty and removed from areas of overland travel and are therefore rarely visited by most of the people who call Howl Basin home.

In contrast communities of Corvados and Striggan occasionally spring up - far more commonly the former, as the Corvados tend to be far more social overall. These communities can be somewhat remote but are usually not extremely so and often trade with the surrounding area. This is especially true because the Alpine Traditionalist faction of the Eyriefolk is strongly aligned to [[the Federation]] and is considered non-native to Howl Basin (except perhaps for a few of the Adler clans). This is because the Corvados Clans that were native to the basin are actually socially aligned to the [[Woodfolk]], and the same is also true for the native [[Columbian Parliament]] of the Striggans.

=== Mesa Traditionalists ===
The [[Volo]] are a unique people, inhabiting both the [[Castle Badlands]] and [[Proctor Erg]] since prehistory, which is aligned with the Eyriefolk through centuries of cultural interaction with native [[Adler]] bands. More populous than the Alder, they are therefore the largest population within the Eyriefolk proper which consider themselves nativist rather than federalist, and by and large they tend to be against [[the Federation]]'s expansion into [[Howl Basin]] and the corresponding disruption of their way of life.

=== Cosmopolitan Eyriefolk ===
Many Eyriefolk are cosmopolitan. Their native abilities of flight make them handy travellers and the relatively solitary nature of most of the cultures that make up the folk tends to give them motive to get around. What's more, Corvados are ubiquitous throughout [[the World]] anyway.

Eryiefolk will happily settle into other communities, including cities, so long as their needs to live as they see fit are met. Many come to occupy positions of authority owing to a combination of their own ambitious natures and their general suitability for such roles, though it helps that federalist propaganda often features them (especially Adler) in such roles of authority, pre-seeding the notion.

=== Hatched and Brooded ===
Growing up among the Eyriefolk can be tough, because the road of their three virtues is demanding. However, childhoods vary much among the different peoples that make up the folk, so it is hard to speak in broad generalizations for them.

=== Birds of a Feather ===
It's not unheard of for people to become part of the Eyriefolk community, though it is almost unheard of for those without the power of flight to do so. Therefore, most such "assimilants" are Corvados or Striggan [[Woodfolk]] who have come more attuned to the newcomer Eryiefolk than their native clans. This process is actually somewhat formal and legalistic and requires sponsorship by existing Eryiefolk who are able to stand for your suitability and involves a social ritual known as the [[Oath of Cups]].

=== Eyriefolk Exiles ===
Before joining [[the Federation]], Eryiefolk justice was brutal and capital punishment or several corporal punishment was common. While Federal law has largely changed that, in [[the Frontier]] and especially [[Howl Basin]], laws only apply as long as they can be enforced. It's not uncommon for criminals and other social outcasts in Eyriefolk society who live in isolated Eyriefolk communities to therefore go "on the wing" and exile themselves from their communities than to risk facing the "old justice" some feel Right Action still calls for.

== Gameplay Rules ==
In the Howl Basin campaign setting, folks serve two roles. If your character was raised within the cultural context of the a Folk, they take that folk as their [[Tarnished Tale: Background | Background]]. On the other hand, circumstances occasionally lead to a character becoming a member of a folk retroactively. This happens at their discretion as long as they have and maintain a [[Tarnished Tale: Connections| Connections]] score above 60% with that folk. At the player's discretion, such a character becomes an "adoptee" member of that Folk. Facilitators are encouraged to roleplay out this adoption as much as fits the taste of the party. Each folk's "lifestyles and culture" section includes a section on any additional requirements to join that faction permanently.

=== As A Background ===
When taking Eyriefolk as your starting background, you develop your starting skillpoints and acquire a character trait as a result of your upbringing. For the purposes of determining your starting skillpoints, there are three subtypes of this background: Mountain Eyriefolk, Mesa Eyriefolk, and Cosmopolitan Eyriefolk. You must pick from one of the three types when creating your Eyriefolk character, but please note you may still have had a mixed history, having lived the lives of any or all of the three subtypes prior to becoming an adventuring character.

==== Starting Skill Points ====
All Eyriefolk start the game with Analysis * 3 + Intuition * 1 + Presence * 1 skill points which they may distribute among any skills they so choose. These represent the skills you acquired during your youth as a rounded member of the Eyriefolk society.

In addition, Eyriefolk characters add the following skills as Occupation Skills depending on their subtype:
* Mountain: [[Skill: Navigation|Navigation]], [[Skill: Tracking | Tracking]], [[Skill: Intimidation|Intimidation]]
* Mesa: [[Skill: Lore| Lore(Basin Mythology)]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation]], [[Skill: Intimidation | Intimidation]]
* Cosmopolitan: [[Skill: Survival | Survival]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation ]], [[Skill: Repair | Repair (Any One Subtype)]]

If one of these bonus Occupation Skills is already a feature of your chosen occupation, the [[Facilitator]] should work with you to come up with a substitute skill. If no substitute skill can be found, take 5 extra Occupation Skill Points in lieu of the substitute.

==== Eyriefolk Trait: Martial Tradition ====
Regardless of subtype, Eryiefolk characters start with the Background Trait '''Tradition'''. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. The character may select any one combat skill as a bonus occupation skill. It starts at its normal base score, plus Analysis, to represent offhand martial training acquired in the course of growing up.

==== Starting Connections ====
All Eyriefolk characters begin with the following connections at a score of (Presence + Intuition + Wisdom):
* Eyriefolk
* The Character's Hometown or County (as appropriate)
* The Character's Family

=== As a Connection ===
Adoptees who meet the faction alignment requirement and exemplify the traits of the Eyriefolk to the point of becoming cultural adoptees to the faction retain their original backgrounds and do not retrain skills, for obvious reasons: the past is fundamentally immutable and moving your house doesn't change your capabilities. That being said, they do acquire a new trait.

==== Eyriefolk Adoptee Trait: Wrong Standing ====
This is an ''Active Effect''. Whenever a character with this trait is making a social check (excluding connections checks), the character's player may choose to reduce their Connections: Eyriefolk score by X points. If they do so, they may lower the result of their social check roll by X points. This decision may be made after the roll. Points spend in this way are lost, but may be made up for with the normal ebb and flow of Connections points. If the player has fewer than 50 Connections: Eyriefolk points left, they may not use this effect (doing so would represent overstepping the hospitality of their adoptive folk).

The Eyriefolk Adoptee may not use Wrong Standing against Eyriefolk characters, who are sufficiently aware of the nuances of their culture to mark the outsider. Given the rarity of outsider adoption into the culture, they may even be aware of their status in advance.

[[Category: Folks]] [[Category: Backgrounds]]

Eyriefolk

2023-06-28T18:10:54Z

Zadammac: /* Eyriefolk Trait: Claimed Authority */

=== The Kings of the Cliffs: The Eyriefolk ===
[[File:A_corvados_sharpshooter.png|thumb|right|alt=A crow-person with a rifle, glasses, a hat on their back, and some kind of bandolier. They are wearing a scarf.|A Corvados sharpshooter, from a sketchbook found in the desert.]]
The '''Eyriefolk''' are made up entirely of the [[Corvados]], [[Adler]], [[Volo]], and [[Striggan]] peoples, whose ancestral lands string all along the [[Howling Herald Mountains]] and portions of the region's central deserts. As with most the rest of the races they've taken an interest in the [[Howl Basin]] given this recent season of settlement and development, and are seen by those in the basin as somewhat aloof, even uncaring. Born with the power of flight, the Eyriefolk see themselves as the people of the sky, and the isolation of their homeland has meant that these recent explorations are a sort of "breaking down" of a long history of cultural isolation for them.

Eyriefolk can be aloof and insular, but they can also be charismatic, and are highly driven. In cosmopolitan areas, stereotypical Eyriefolk can be found in positions of authority, such as clergymen, lawmen, or government officials, and the other Folks of the Basin tend to expect them to be taciturn, honourbound (sometimes to a fault), and concerned with appearances.

== Lifestyles and Culture ==
Moreso than many of the other folks, the actual lifestyles of the [[Corvados]], [[Adler]], [[Volo]], and [[Striggan]] are quite highly unique to each individual line. However, they can be broadly seperated into three cultural groups and share a common cultural core, which is why they see themselves as a single polity (as much as any polity can be).

=== Cultural Values ===
Eyriefolk culture as a whole favours a few key ideals, though each of the heritages that make up the Folk tend to place their own spin and emphases on these ideals. These principals in general can be collectively thought of as "honour" and fall into three broad strokes: Right Standing, Right Action, and Right Speech.

==== Right Standing ====
Right Standing, amongst the Eyriefolk, is the awareness of one's position in the social heirarchy and the social performances and obligations responsible to that role. One who upholds the principal of Right Standing understands their role in their community and the culture of the people they hail from, and plays that part well. A [[Striggan]] philosopher described Right Standing as "Nobility Without Rank" and argued that a [[Corvados]] beggar who fully devoted himself to the role of the city beggar was every bit as noble as a great chieftan of the [[Adler]].

This virtue is controversial, and is thought to have factored heavily into the long-standing isolationism of the Eyriefolk as much as their natural ability to fly and correspondingly remote settlements has. Under the idea of Right Standing, a member of another folk, such as a [[Lagos]] from the [[Landfolk]], is performing Right Standing by being a Lagos of the Landfolk and is violating the virtue when they attempt to integrate themselves into Eyriefolk culture. This has been used as an excuse for some Eyriefolk who prefer the isolationism or wish to feel superior to dismiss all other folks as uncivilized outsiders, though yet other Eyriefolk argue that Right Standing says nothing about civilized behaviour at all.

==== Right Action ====
Eyriefolk honour calls for a concept of Right Action, which implies that there are Right and Wrong things that can be done in any situation. It is not Right Action to steal something, for example, but it may be Right Action to punish a thief. Violence may or may not be right action depending on the offense that prompted it and the degree and method of violence chosen, which conflicts with some of the more pacifistic attitudes in [[Howl Basin]]. Like Right Standing, Right Action calls social heirarchy and occupation into account when considering whether or not an action is right. It might be perfectly justifiable for [[Corvados]] clan leaders to exile a repeat thief from the community but entirely against Right Action for a random selection of members of the same community to do so, even if the same inciting incident exists.

Right Action is also not merely about what is permissible but also what is required. Right action calls for the strong to protect the weak and the righteous to defend the mild. It also calls for the rich to espouse the poor, though as this runs contrary to many Eyriefolk stereotypes (for complicate historical reasons), they are rarely given credit for this.

==== Right Speech ====
Right Speech is another social queue that calls upon Eyriefolk to carefully consider their words. This goes beyond knowing the nuances of various modes of address (which is, in reality, a very small part of Right Speech) and addresses more the overall idea of expression entirely. While it is cited as a governing principal when it comes to taboos and cursing and so-on, it runs considerably deeper. It is considered a violation of the idea of Right Speech to show great outbursts of any strong emotion (which has lead to a reputation for stoicism amongst the birdfolk). An Adler philosopher explained:

<blockquote>It isn't at all accurate to say that Right Speech and Anger are antithetical to one another, nor Joy, nor Sorrow, nor any other of the Ten Thousand Emotions. Emotions are emotions, as natural to the Kings of Birds as the sun is to the sky. We do not scold our fledgelings for their outbursts because it is morally wrong for them to feel slighted by us, or for their hunger or weariness to be upsetting to them, or because they have any other unmet need. Right Speech requires that we comport ourselves as the moment requires. Before we lash out in joy or hate or sorrow, we must understand what it is that has us so enthused. We must do this so that we can communicate that need, and we must do so calmly to be the better understood. In this manner, the cry of an unworded babe is Right Speech, the cold order of exile is right speech, the slight of the jester to the chief is right speech, and the roar of the warrior is right speech.</blockquote>

Right Speech over the years has evolved into a catch-all simplification of a sort of extension of Right Standing to cover all of behaviour. Volo teachers will tell you that Right Standing is motive and Right Speech is action.

=== Alpine Traditionalists ===
In the forests and mountains of [[Howl Basin]] and the [[Howling Herald Mountains]] one subset of the Eyriefolk culture exists. This is made up mostly of the eyriefolk-aligned subsets of the [[Striggan]], along with [[Corvados]] and [[Adler]] cultures, the latter of which could be considered the dominant cultural influence. This is also the most stereotypical of the lifestyles of the Eyriefolk in the eyes of outsiders and other folks as a result. This is double down upon where the [[Adler]] culture is also a strong underpinning of the culture of [[the Federation]] as a whole.

Such communities are staunchly self-reliant and even territorial. Adler chiefs are somewhat famous for territorial bickering even in their prehistory and federalist "modern" Adler are know different, though such territoriality may be abstracted to areas of responsibility in a single organization rather than literal violence over borders of land-claims... though the latter happen as well. Adler communities tend to be especially lofty and removed from areas of overland travel and are therefore rarely visited by most of the people who call Howl Basin home.

In contrast communities of Corvados and Striggan occasionally spring up - far more commonly the former, as the Corvados tend to be far more social overall. These communities can be somewhat remote but are usually not extremely so and often trade with the surrounding area. This is especially true because the Alpine Traditionalist faction of the Eyriefolk is strongly aligned to [[the Federation]] and is considered non-native to Howl Basin (except perhaps for a few of the Adler clans). This is because the Corvados Clans that were native to the basin are actually socially aligned to the [[Woodfolk]], and the same is also true for the native [[Columbian Parliament]] of the Striggans.

=== Mesa Traditionalists ===
The [[Volo]] are a unique people, inhabiting both the [[Castle Badlands]] and [[Proctor Erg]] since prehistory, which is aligned with the Eyriefolk through centuries of cultural interaction with native [[Adler]] bands. More populous than the Alder, they are therefore the largest population within the Eyriefolk proper which consider themselves nativist rather than federalist, and by and large they tend to be against [[the Federation]]'s expansion into [[Howl Basin]] and the corresponding disruption of their way of life.

=== Cosmopolitan Eyriefolk ===
Many Eyriefolk are cosmopolitan. Their native abilities of flight make them handy travellers and the relatively solitary nature of most of the cultures that make up the folk tends to give them motive to get around. What's more, Corvados are ubiquitous throughout [[the World]] anyway.

Eryiefolk will happily settle into other communities, including cities, so long as their needs to live as they see fit are met. Many come to occupy positions of authority owing to a combination of their own ambitious natures and their general suitability for such roles, though it helps that federalist propaganda often features them (especially Adler) in such roles of authority, pre-seeding the notion.

=== Hatched and Brooded ===
Growing up among the Eyriefolk can be tough, because the road of their three virtues is demanding. However, childhoods vary much among the different peoples that make up the folk, so it is hard to speak in broad generalizations for them.

=== Birds of a Feather ===
It's not unheard of for people to become part of the Eyriefolk community, though it is almost unheard of for those without the power of flight to do so. Therefore, most such "assimilants" are Corvados or Striggan [[Woodfolk]] who have come more attuned to the newcomer Eryiefolk than their native clans. This process is actually somewhat formal and legalistic and requires sponsorship by existing Eryiefolk who are able to stand for your suitability and involves a social ritual known as the [[Oath of Cups]].

=== Eyriefolk Exiles ===
Before joining [[the Federation]], Eryiefolk justice was brutal and capital punishment or several corporal punishment was common. While Federal law has largely changed that, in [[the Frontier]] and especially [[Howl Basin]], laws only apply as long as they can be enforced. It's not uncommon for criminals and other social outcasts in Eyriefolk society who live in isolated Eyriefolk communities to therefore go "on the wing" and exile themselves from their communities than to risk facing the "old justice" some feel Right Action still calls for.

== Gameplay Rules ==
In the Howl Basin campaign setting, folks serve two roles. If your character was raised within the cultural context of the a Folk, they take that folk as their [[Tarnished Tale: Background | Background]]. On the other hand, circumstances occasionally lead to a character becoming a member of a folk retroactively. This happens at their discretion as long as they have and maintain a [[Tarnished Tale: Connections| Connections]] score above 60% with that folk. At the player's discretion, such a character becomes an "adoptee" member of that Folk. Facilitators are encouraged to roleplay out this adoption as much as fits the taste of the party. Each folk's "lifestyles and culture" section includes a section on any additional requirements to join that faction permanently.

=== As A Background ===
When taking Eyriefolk as your starting background, you develop your starting skillpoints and acquire a character trait as a result of your upbringing. For the purposes of determining your starting skillpoints, there are three subtypes of this background: Mountain Eyriefolk, Mesa Eyriefolk, and Cosmopolitan Eyriefolk. You must pick from one of the three types when creating your Eyriefolk character, but please note you may still have had a mixed history, having lived the lives of any or all of the three subtypes prior to becoming an adventuring character.

==== Starting Skill Points ====
All Eyriefolk start the game with Analysis * 3 + Intuition * 1 + Presence * 1 skill points which they may distribute among any skills they so choose. These represent the skills you acquired during your youth as a rounded member of the Eyriefolk society.

In addition, Eyriefolk characters add the following skills as Occupation Skills depending on their subtype:
* Mountain: [[Skill: Navigation|Navigation]], [[Skill: Tracking | Tracking]], [[Skill: Intimidation|Intimidation]]
* Mesa: [[Skill: Lore| Lore(Basin Mythology)]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation]], [[Skill: Intimidation | Intimidation]]
* Cosmopolitan: [[Skill: Survival | Survival]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation ]], [[Skill: Repair | Repair (Any One Subtype)]]

If one of these bonus Occupation Skills is already a feature of your chosen occupation, the [[Facilitator]] should work with you to come up with a substitute skill. If no substitute skill can be found, take 5 extra Occupation Skill Points in lieu of the substitute.

==== Eyriefolk Trait: Martial Ability ====
Regardless of subtype, Eryiefolk characters start with the Background Trait '''Claimed Authority'''. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. The character may select any one combat skill as a bonus occupation skill. It starts at its normal base score, plus Analysis, to represent offhand martial training acquired in the course of growing up.

==== Starting Connections ====
All Eyriefolk characters begin with the following connections at a score of (Presence + Intuition + Wisdom):
* Eyriefolk
* The Character's Hometown or County (as appropriate)
* The Character's Family

=== As a Connection ===
Adoptees who meet the faction alignment requirement and exemplify the traits of the Eyriefolk to the point of becoming cultural adoptees to the faction retain their original backgrounds and do not retrain skills, for obvious reasons: the past is fundamentally immutable and moving your house doesn't change your capabilities. That being said, they do acquire a new trait.

==== Eyriefolk Adoptee Trait: Wrong Standing ====
This is an ''Active Effect''. Whenever a character with this trait is making a social check (excluding connections checks), the character's player may choose to reduce their Connections: Eyriefolk score by X points. If they do so, they may lower the result of their social check roll by X points. This decision may be made after the roll. Points spend in this way are lost, but may be made up for with the normal ebb and flow of Connections points. If the player has fewer than 50 Connections: Eyriefolk points left, they may not use this effect (doing so would represent overstepping the hospitality of their adoptive folk).

The Eyriefolk Adoptee may not use Wrong Standing against Eyriefolk characters, who are sufficiently aware of the nuances of their culture to mark the outsider. Given the rarity of outsider adoption into the culture, they may even be aware of their status in advance.

[[Category: Folks]] [[Category: Backgrounds]]

Eyriefolk

2023-06-28T18:09:31Z

Zadammac: /* Eyriefolk Adoptee Trait: Wrong Standing */

=== The Kings of the Cliffs: The Eyriefolk ===
[[File:A_corvados_sharpshooter.png|thumb|right|alt=A crow-person with a rifle, glasses, a hat on their back, and some kind of bandolier. They are wearing a scarf.|A Corvados sharpshooter, from a sketchbook found in the desert.]]
The '''Eyriefolk''' are made up entirely of the [[Corvados]], [[Adler]], [[Volo]], and [[Striggan]] peoples, whose ancestral lands string all along the [[Howling Herald Mountains]] and portions of the region's central deserts. As with most the rest of the races they've taken an interest in the [[Howl Basin]] given this recent season of settlement and development, and are seen by those in the basin as somewhat aloof, even uncaring. Born with the power of flight, the Eyriefolk see themselves as the people of the sky, and the isolation of their homeland has meant that these recent explorations are a sort of "breaking down" of a long history of cultural isolation for them.

Eyriefolk can be aloof and insular, but they can also be charismatic, and are highly driven. In cosmopolitan areas, stereotypical Eyriefolk can be found in positions of authority, such as clergymen, lawmen, or government officials, and the other Folks of the Basin tend to expect them to be taciturn, honourbound (sometimes to a fault), and concerned with appearances.

== Lifestyles and Culture ==
Moreso than many of the other folks, the actual lifestyles of the [[Corvados]], [[Adler]], [[Volo]], and [[Striggan]] are quite highly unique to each individual line. However, they can be broadly seperated into three cultural groups and share a common cultural core, which is why they see themselves as a single polity (as much as any polity can be).

=== Cultural Values ===
Eyriefolk culture as a whole favours a few key ideals, though each of the heritages that make up the Folk tend to place their own spin and emphases on these ideals. These principals in general can be collectively thought of as "honour" and fall into three broad strokes: Right Standing, Right Action, and Right Speech.

==== Right Standing ====
Right Standing, amongst the Eyriefolk, is the awareness of one's position in the social heirarchy and the social performances and obligations responsible to that role. One who upholds the principal of Right Standing understands their role in their community and the culture of the people they hail from, and plays that part well. A [[Striggan]] philosopher described Right Standing as "Nobility Without Rank" and argued that a [[Corvados]] beggar who fully devoted himself to the role of the city beggar was every bit as noble as a great chieftan of the [[Adler]].

This virtue is controversial, and is thought to have factored heavily into the long-standing isolationism of the Eyriefolk as much as their natural ability to fly and correspondingly remote settlements has. Under the idea of Right Standing, a member of another folk, such as a [[Lagos]] from the [[Landfolk]], is performing Right Standing by being a Lagos of the Landfolk and is violating the virtue when they attempt to integrate themselves into Eyriefolk culture. This has been used as an excuse for some Eyriefolk who prefer the isolationism or wish to feel superior to dismiss all other folks as uncivilized outsiders, though yet other Eyriefolk argue that Right Standing says nothing about civilized behaviour at all.

==== Right Action ====
Eyriefolk honour calls for a concept of Right Action, which implies that there are Right and Wrong things that can be done in any situation. It is not Right Action to steal something, for example, but it may be Right Action to punish a thief. Violence may or may not be right action depending on the offense that prompted it and the degree and method of violence chosen, which conflicts with some of the more pacifistic attitudes in [[Howl Basin]]. Like Right Standing, Right Action calls social heirarchy and occupation into account when considering whether or not an action is right. It might be perfectly justifiable for [[Corvados]] clan leaders to exile a repeat thief from the community but entirely against Right Action for a random selection of members of the same community to do so, even if the same inciting incident exists.

Right Action is also not merely about what is permissible but also what is required. Right action calls for the strong to protect the weak and the righteous to defend the mild. It also calls for the rich to espouse the poor, though as this runs contrary to many Eyriefolk stereotypes (for complicate historical reasons), they are rarely given credit for this.

==== Right Speech ====
Right Speech is another social queue that calls upon Eyriefolk to carefully consider their words. This goes beyond knowing the nuances of various modes of address (which is, in reality, a very small part of Right Speech) and addresses more the overall idea of expression entirely. While it is cited as a governing principal when it comes to taboos and cursing and so-on, it runs considerably deeper. It is considered a violation of the idea of Right Speech to show great outbursts of any strong emotion (which has lead to a reputation for stoicism amongst the birdfolk). An Adler philosopher explained:

<blockquote>It isn't at all accurate to say that Right Speech and Anger are antithetical to one another, nor Joy, nor Sorrow, nor any other of the Ten Thousand Emotions. Emotions are emotions, as natural to the Kings of Birds as the sun is to the sky. We do not scold our fledgelings for their outbursts because it is morally wrong for them to feel slighted by us, or for their hunger or weariness to be upsetting to them, or because they have any other unmet need. Right Speech requires that we comport ourselves as the moment requires. Before we lash out in joy or hate or sorrow, we must understand what it is that has us so enthused. We must do this so that we can communicate that need, and we must do so calmly to be the better understood. In this manner, the cry of an unworded babe is Right Speech, the cold order of exile is right speech, the slight of the jester to the chief is right speech, and the roar of the warrior is right speech.</blockquote>

Right Speech over the years has evolved into a catch-all simplification of a sort of extension of Right Standing to cover all of behaviour. Volo teachers will tell you that Right Standing is motive and Right Speech is action.

=== Alpine Traditionalists ===
In the forests and mountains of [[Howl Basin]] and the [[Howling Herald Mountains]] one subset of the Eyriefolk culture exists. This is made up mostly of the eyriefolk-aligned subsets of the [[Striggan]], along with [[Corvados]] and [[Adler]] cultures, the latter of which could be considered the dominant cultural influence. This is also the most stereotypical of the lifestyles of the Eyriefolk in the eyes of outsiders and other folks as a result. This is double down upon where the [[Adler]] culture is also a strong underpinning of the culture of [[the Federation]] as a whole.

Such communities are staunchly self-reliant and even territorial. Adler chiefs are somewhat famous for territorial bickering even in their prehistory and federalist "modern" Adler are know different, though such territoriality may be abstracted to areas of responsibility in a single organization rather than literal violence over borders of land-claims... though the latter happen as well. Adler communities tend to be especially lofty and removed from areas of overland travel and are therefore rarely visited by most of the people who call Howl Basin home.

In contrast communities of Corvados and Striggan occasionally spring up - far more commonly the former, as the Corvados tend to be far more social overall. These communities can be somewhat remote but are usually not extremely so and often trade with the surrounding area. This is especially true because the Alpine Traditionalist faction of the Eyriefolk is strongly aligned to [[the Federation]] and is considered non-native to Howl Basin (except perhaps for a few of the Adler clans). This is because the Corvados Clans that were native to the basin are actually socially aligned to the [[Woodfolk]], and the same is also true for the native [[Columbian Parliament]] of the Striggans.

=== Mesa Traditionalists ===
The [[Volo]] are a unique people, inhabiting both the [[Castle Badlands]] and [[Proctor Erg]] since prehistory, which is aligned with the Eyriefolk through centuries of cultural interaction with native [[Adler]] bands. More populous than the Alder, they are therefore the largest population within the Eyriefolk proper which consider themselves nativist rather than federalist, and by and large they tend to be against [[the Federation]]'s expansion into [[Howl Basin]] and the corresponding disruption of their way of life.

=== Cosmopolitan Eyriefolk ===
Many Eyriefolk are cosmopolitan. Their native abilities of flight make them handy travellers and the relatively solitary nature of most of the cultures that make up the folk tends to give them motive to get around. What's more, Corvados are ubiquitous throughout [[the World]] anyway.

Eryiefolk will happily settle into other communities, including cities, so long as their needs to live as they see fit are met. Many come to occupy positions of authority owing to a combination of their own ambitious natures and their general suitability for such roles, though it helps that federalist propaganda often features them (especially Adler) in such roles of authority, pre-seeding the notion.

=== Hatched and Brooded ===
Growing up among the Eyriefolk can be tough, because the road of their three virtues is demanding. However, childhoods vary much among the different peoples that make up the folk, so it is hard to speak in broad generalizations for them.

=== Birds of a Feather ===
It's not unheard of for people to become part of the Eyriefolk community, though it is almost unheard of for those without the power of flight to do so. Therefore, most such "assimilants" are Corvados or Striggan [[Woodfolk]] who have come more attuned to the newcomer Eryiefolk than their native clans. This process is actually somewhat formal and legalistic and requires sponsorship by existing Eryiefolk who are able to stand for your suitability and involves a social ritual known as the [[Oath of Cups]].

=== Eyriefolk Exiles ===
Before joining [[the Federation]], Eryiefolk justice was brutal and capital punishment or several corporal punishment was common. While Federal law has largely changed that, in [[the Frontier]] and especially [[Howl Basin]], laws only apply as long as they can be enforced. It's not uncommon for criminals and other social outcasts in Eyriefolk society who live in isolated Eyriefolk communities to therefore go "on the wing" and exile themselves from their communities than to risk facing the "old justice" some feel Right Action still calls for.

== Gameplay Rules ==
In the Howl Basin campaign setting, folks serve two roles. If your character was raised within the cultural context of the a Folk, they take that folk as their [[Tarnished Tale: Background | Background]]. On the other hand, circumstances occasionally lead to a character becoming a member of a folk retroactively. This happens at their discretion as long as they have and maintain a [[Tarnished Tale: Connections| Connections]] score above 60% with that folk. At the player's discretion, such a character becomes an "adoptee" member of that Folk. Facilitators are encouraged to roleplay out this adoption as much as fits the taste of the party. Each folk's "lifestyles and culture" section includes a section on any additional requirements to join that faction permanently.

=== As A Background ===
When taking Eyriefolk as your starting background, you develop your starting skillpoints and acquire a character trait as a result of your upbringing. For the purposes of determining your starting skillpoints, there are three subtypes of this background: Mountain Eyriefolk, Mesa Eyriefolk, and Cosmopolitan Eyriefolk. You must pick from one of the three types when creating your Eyriefolk character, but please note you may still have had a mixed history, having lived the lives of any or all of the three subtypes prior to becoming an adventuring character.

==== Starting Skill Points ====
All Eyriefolk start the game with Analysis * 3 + Intuition * 1 + Presence * 1 skill points which they may distribute among any skills they so choose. These represent the skills you acquired during your youth as a rounded member of the Eyriefolk society.

In addition, Eyriefolk characters add the following skills as Occupation Skills depending on their subtype:
* Mountain: [[Skill: Navigation|Navigation]], [[Skill: Tracking | Tracking]], [[Skill: Intimidation|Intimidation]]
* Mesa: [[Skill: Lore| Lore(Basin Mythology)]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation]], [[Skill: Intimidation | Intimidation]]
* Cosmopolitan: [[Skill: Survival | Survival]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation ]], [[Skill: Repair | Repair (Any One Subtype)]]

If one of these bonus Occupation Skills is already a feature of your chosen occupation, the [[Facilitator]] should work with you to come up with a substitute skill. If no substitute skill can be found, take 5 extra Occupation Skill Points in lieu of the substitute.

==== Eyriefolk Trait: Claimed Authority ====
Regardless of subtype, Eryiefolk characters start with the Background Trait '''Claimed Authority'''. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Whenever a character with the Claimed Authority trait is making a social check and the player desires to do so, they may instead use their Eryiefolk connection score in place of their relevant social skill. Doing so against characters aligned against the Eryiefolk incurs a bane as the attempt necessarily reveals the characters' Eryiefolk connections, even if the social check would have been more discreet. When doing such a check using the benefit of Claimed Authority, neither the Eyriefolk Connection score nor the skill score can be marked for advancement, regardless of the difficulty or criticality of the check.

==== Starting Connections ====
All Eyriefolk characters begin with the following connections at a score of (Presence + Intuition + Wisdom):
* Eyriefolk
* The Character's Hometown or County (as appropriate)
* The Character's Family

=== As a Connection ===
Adoptees who meet the faction alignment requirement and exemplify the traits of the Eyriefolk to the point of becoming cultural adoptees to the faction retain their original backgrounds and do not retrain skills, for obvious reasons: the past is fundamentally immutable and moving your house doesn't change your capabilities. That being said, they do acquire a new trait.

==== Eyriefolk Adoptee Trait: Wrong Standing ====
This is an ''Active Effect''. Whenever a character with this trait is making a social check (excluding connections checks), the character's player may choose to reduce their Connections: Eyriefolk score by X points. If they do so, they may lower the result of their social check roll by X points. This decision may be made after the roll. Points spend in this way are lost, but may be made up for with the normal ebb and flow of Connections points. If the player has fewer than 50 Connections: Eyriefolk points left, they may not use this effect (doing so would represent overstepping the hospitality of their adoptive folk).

The Eyriefolk Adoptee may not use Wrong Standing against Eyriefolk characters, who are sufficiently aware of the nuances of their culture to mark the outsider. Given the rarity of outsider adoption into the culture, they may even be aware of their status in advance.

[[Category: Folks]] [[Category: Backgrounds]]

Folks

2023-06-28T18:06:10Z

Zadammac: /* The Kings of the Cliffs: The Eyriefolk */

The '''Folks''' are the least granular of all the social units in the otherwise largely disorganized [[Howl Basin]], fulfilling a role far more akin to a nation than a state, more cultural than racial. As such, the lines between the Folks of the Howl Basin are somewhat fuzzy, and as always, exceptions to the descriptions and generalizations below exist. From a sociological prospect, Folks are a useful concept in dividing among the various [[category: races|races]] that live in the Howl Basin along lines of similarity, and they're a useful concept at the level of attempting to understand communities; rare is the community made up entirely of any one single race, but in the more rural and wild parts of the Basin, community made up mostly or entirely of members of a single Folk is far more common.

To belong to a Folk is to have a sense of common purpose with the other members of that Folk, but that common purpose, and the interpretation of your rights and responsibilities to that folk, is different. This article discusses the folk as if they could be cleanly divided, but should not be treated as exhaustive. Some [[bandit gangs]] would think of themselves as "their folks", as might some [[company men]], rather than thinking of Folks in the terms desribed above.

== Understanding Folk from the Perspective of the Folks ==
To begin with, the average person living in the Basin wouldn't think of their folk as a nationality, as in "I belong to the mountainfolk because I was born here and this is mountainfolk country". Indeed, nation-states and the concept of nationalism haven't had much influence in the Basin owing to its largely wild and only recently-settling nature. Someone of the basin knows their folks as the people most like them. This is especially interesting when discussing the mountainfolk, below.

== The "Common Grouping" of the Folks ==
Most sociological studies of the Folks of the Howl Basin would consist of the following six key folks.

=== The Salt of the Earth: The Landfolk ===
The [[Landfolk]], made up chiefly of the [[Lagos]], [[Quillions]], [[Varki]], [[Cervano]], [[Bolster]] and [[Delvin]], are one of the more populous folks of the valley and are seen by many even who identify stronger with other folks as the "down home" citizens of the Basin. The Landfolk value peace and prosperity, as most folks do, and have found (in their estimation) that community, honest dealing, and hard work are the best way to achieve those values. As such, they're driven toward large families and resillient communities, as comfortable in tight-knit rural counties, station towns, and major cities alike. Landfolk are often seen as the natural farmers and tenders of the land, and the tendancy toward larger families means there are plenty of them (especially the Lagos) to be found almost anywhere in the Basin.

=== The Kings of the Cliffs: The Eyriefolk ===
[[File:A_corvados_sharpshooter.png|thumb|right|alt=A crow-person with a rifle, glasses, a hat on their back, and some kind of bandolier. They are wearing a scarf.|A Corvados sharpshooter, from a sketchbook found in the desert.]]
The [[Eyriefolk]] are made up entirely of the [[Corvados]], [[Adler]], [[Volo]], and [[Striggan]] peoples, whose ancestral lands string all along the [[Howling Herald Mountains]]. As with most the rest of the races they've taken an interest in the [[Howl Basin]] given this recent season of settlement and development, and are seen by those in the basin as somewhat aloof, even uncaring. Born with the power of flight, the Eyriefolk see themselves as the people of the sky, and the isolation of their homeland has meant that these recent explorations are a sort of "breaking down" of a long history of cultural isolation for them.

Eyriefolk can be aloof and insular, but they can also be charismatic, and are highly driven. Stereotypical Eyriefolk can be found in positions of authority, such as clergymen, lawmen, or government officials, and the other Folks of the Basin tend to expect them to be taciturn, honourbound (sometimes to a fault), and concerned with appearances.

=== We Who Keep the Land: The Woodfolk ===
Primarily native to the Basin, the [[Woodfolk]] are a Folk of communitarian survivalists, native especially to its forested areas, in which they are the specialists. Maintaining ancient traditions that pre-date the settlement of the [[Howl Basin]] by other communities, the Woodfolk have a grasp of [[Strangeness]] that is mildly stronger than those of the other folks, but not much. They are the great survivors of the Basin, keeping its traditions alive and its roads open, and count among their number some [[Lagos]] communities, along with [[Quillions | Quillion]], [[Volpi]], [[Cervano]], lowland [[Striggan]], and [[Corvados]] communities.

The Woodfolk are seen by some as a people imperiled; there is no one "uniquely Woodfolk" group (all the woodfolk races are represented in the other folks, to a degree not seen with any other folk type), and their way of life has been challenged by the settlement of the Basin as part of [[the Frontier]], and the gross industrialization of the region continues. Many younger Woodfolk wind up allying more strongly with the Landfolk or Mountainfolk depending on their own views of the changes befalling their homeland.

=== Those Who Hunt Together: The Packfolk ===
The [[Packfolk]] are a basin-folk made up chiefly of the [[Lupata]], [[Volpi]], [[Gaspard]] and [[Yotes]] peoples, who view themselves as ancient, honourable in their own way, and as a rule put their people first and foremost. Packfolk families are not always large, but they can seem that way to outsiders; a community of Packfolk are often all interrelated (either by blood or cultural conjunction), and they practice a collectivist attitude that they feel makes them extremely hardy. That said, their sense of community does not often extend beyond their folk, and while they are seen from time to time in cities, they're often far more comfortable in their own insular communities. There is a strong distrust between Landfolk and Packfolk communities as the result of past conflicts, some of which stretch back even further than the settlement of the Basin. That said, Packfolk and Landfolk who can set aside their misgivings about each other also make powerful partners, and they are seen as expert survivalists, rangers, prospectors, and explorers; moreover are considered the pre-eminent ranchers in the Basin. Packfolk who leave their communities and join the more cosmopolitan parts of Basin society are often sought after as guards, police, and mercenaries, which are all roles they excel in, and even more peaceable Packfolk who join major cities tend to form insular neighborhoods and reform their packs together.

=== Captains of Industry: The Hivefolk ===
In some sense, it was the arrival of the [[Hivefolk]] that really kick-started the settlement of the Howl Basin, as before their appearance there were no major settlements to drive the kind of industry that is driving this development. It was they who discovered and developed the earliest [[Steam Power]] designs and realized their extreme potential, and the naturally tightly-communal nature of the [[Vespos]] and [[Loci]] people that make up the folk has made them natural urbanizers, almost to a fault. At their best, the Hivefolk drive industry and push the importance of the good of the collective above that of the individual. At their worst, the Hivefolk's extreme collectivism and consumption over-tax those who work closely with them, or with whom they have to share the valley.

=== The Free and the Brave: The Mountainfolk ===
The least strongly-ethnically-correlated of all the Folks are the Mountainfolk, who for one reason or another share the common attitude of being better off alone, or at least best off when comfortable in solitude and self-reliance. Mountainfolk communities are rarely large, sometimes single-household homesteads... sometimes even smaller. Made up chiefly of the [[Raddail]], [[Ramu]], [[Leon]] and [[Urs]], Mountainfolk occupy a dual role in the zeitgeist, as likely to be seen as vital survivalists - rangers and prospectors - as they are to be seen as dangerous wild men, up to no good in the wilds.

=== The Merchants of Secrets: The Seafolk ===
The least understood of all the major folk groups are the [[Nauts]] and their even less-understood [[Cark]] cousins. Seen only rarely and never without their [[Striding Suits]], the [[Seafolk]] aren't quite a people of the [[Howl Basin]], appearing almost exclusively in coastal port cities as trade partners for the Folks who do live there. If the technology of the [[Hivefolk]] is what is driving industrialization, the needs of the [[Seafolk]] are what is making it profitable, as they trade large quantities of exotic goods in direct exchange for [[natural resources]] harvested from the basin, including livestock.

Loathe to discuss too closely their own affairs, its thought that they live in sunken cities nearer to the coast than the horizon.

Eyriefolk

2023-06-28T18:05:27Z

Zadammac: Created page with "=== The Kings of the Cliffs: The Eyriefolk === A Corvados sharpshooter, from a sketchbook found in the desert. The '''Eyriefolk''' are made up entirely of the Corvados, Adler, Volo, and Striggan peoples, whose ancestral lands string all along the Howling Herald Mountains and portions of th..."

=== The Kings of the Cliffs: The Eyriefolk ===
[[File:A_corvados_sharpshooter.png|thumb|right|alt=A crow-person with a rifle, glasses, a hat on their back, and some kind of bandolier. They are wearing a scarf.|A Corvados sharpshooter, from a sketchbook found in the desert.]]
The '''Eyriefolk''' are made up entirely of the [[Corvados]], [[Adler]], [[Volo]], and [[Striggan]] peoples, whose ancestral lands string all along the [[Howling Herald Mountains]] and portions of the region's central deserts. As with most the rest of the races they've taken an interest in the [[Howl Basin]] given this recent season of settlement and development, and are seen by those in the basin as somewhat aloof, even uncaring. Born with the power of flight, the Eyriefolk see themselves as the people of the sky, and the isolation of their homeland has meant that these recent explorations are a sort of "breaking down" of a long history of cultural isolation for them.

Eyriefolk can be aloof and insular, but they can also be charismatic, and are highly driven. In cosmopolitan areas, stereotypical Eyriefolk can be found in positions of authority, such as clergymen, lawmen, or government officials, and the other Folks of the Basin tend to expect them to be taciturn, honourbound (sometimes to a fault), and concerned with appearances.

== Lifestyles and Culture ==
Moreso than many of the other folks, the actual lifestyles of the [[Corvados]], [[Adler]], [[Volo]], and [[Striggan]] are quite highly unique to each individual line. However, they can be broadly seperated into three cultural groups and share a common cultural core, which is why they see themselves as a single polity (as much as any polity can be).

=== Cultural Values ===
Eyriefolk culture as a whole favours a few key ideals, though each of the heritages that make up the Folk tend to place their own spin and emphases on these ideals. These principals in general can be collectively thought of as "honour" and fall into three broad strokes: Right Standing, Right Action, and Right Speech.

==== Right Standing ====
Right Standing, amongst the Eyriefolk, is the awareness of one's position in the social heirarchy and the social performances and obligations responsible to that role. One who upholds the principal of Right Standing understands their role in their community and the culture of the people they hail from, and plays that part well. A [[Striggan]] philosopher described Right Standing as "Nobility Without Rank" and argued that a [[Corvados]] beggar who fully devoted himself to the role of the city beggar was every bit as noble as a great chieftan of the [[Adler]].

This virtue is controversial, and is thought to have factored heavily into the long-standing isolationism of the Eyriefolk as much as their natural ability to fly and correspondingly remote settlements has. Under the idea of Right Standing, a member of another folk, such as a [[Lagos]] from the [[Landfolk]], is performing Right Standing by being a Lagos of the Landfolk and is violating the virtue when they attempt to integrate themselves into Eyriefolk culture. This has been used as an excuse for some Eyriefolk who prefer the isolationism or wish to feel superior to dismiss all other folks as uncivilized outsiders, though yet other Eyriefolk argue that Right Standing says nothing about civilized behaviour at all.

==== Right Action ====
Eyriefolk honour calls for a concept of Right Action, which implies that there are Right and Wrong things that can be done in any situation. It is not Right Action to steal something, for example, but it may be Right Action to punish a thief. Violence may or may not be right action depending on the offense that prompted it and the degree and method of violence chosen, which conflicts with some of the more pacifistic attitudes in [[Howl Basin]]. Like Right Standing, Right Action calls social heirarchy and occupation into account when considering whether or not an action is right. It might be perfectly justifiable for [[Corvados]] clan leaders to exile a repeat thief from the community but entirely against Right Action for a random selection of members of the same community to do so, even if the same inciting incident exists.

Right Action is also not merely about what is permissible but also what is required. Right action calls for the strong to protect the weak and the righteous to defend the mild. It also calls for the rich to espouse the poor, though as this runs contrary to many Eyriefolk stereotypes (for complicate historical reasons), they are rarely given credit for this.

==== Right Speech ====
Right Speech is another social queue that calls upon Eyriefolk to carefully consider their words. This goes beyond knowing the nuances of various modes of address (which is, in reality, a very small part of Right Speech) and addresses more the overall idea of expression entirely. While it is cited as a governing principal when it comes to taboos and cursing and so-on, it runs considerably deeper. It is considered a violation of the idea of Right Speech to show great outbursts of any strong emotion (which has lead to a reputation for stoicism amongst the birdfolk). An Adler philosopher explained:

<blockquote>It isn't at all accurate to say that Right Speech and Anger are antithetical to one another, nor Joy, nor Sorrow, nor any other of the Ten Thousand Emotions. Emotions are emotions, as natural to the Kings of Birds as the sun is to the sky. We do not scold our fledgelings for their outbursts because it is morally wrong for them to feel slighted by us, or for their hunger or weariness to be upsetting to them, or because they have any other unmet need. Right Speech requires that we comport ourselves as the moment requires. Before we lash out in joy or hate or sorrow, we must understand what it is that has us so enthused. We must do this so that we can communicate that need, and we must do so calmly to be the better understood. In this manner, the cry of an unworded babe is Right Speech, the cold order of exile is right speech, the slight of the jester to the chief is right speech, and the roar of the warrior is right speech.</blockquote>

Right Speech over the years has evolved into a catch-all simplification of a sort of extension of Right Standing to cover all of behaviour. Volo teachers will tell you that Right Standing is motive and Right Speech is action.

=== Alpine Traditionalists ===
In the forests and mountains of [[Howl Basin]] and the [[Howling Herald Mountains]] one subset of the Eyriefolk culture exists. This is made up mostly of the eyriefolk-aligned subsets of the [[Striggan]], along with [[Corvados]] and [[Adler]] cultures, the latter of which could be considered the dominant cultural influence. This is also the most stereotypical of the lifestyles of the Eyriefolk in the eyes of outsiders and other folks as a result. This is double down upon where the [[Adler]] culture is also a strong underpinning of the culture of [[the Federation]] as a whole.

Such communities are staunchly self-reliant and even territorial. Adler chiefs are somewhat famous for territorial bickering even in their prehistory and federalist "modern" Adler are know different, though such territoriality may be abstracted to areas of responsibility in a single organization rather than literal violence over borders of land-claims... though the latter happen as well. Adler communities tend to be especially lofty and removed from areas of overland travel and are therefore rarely visited by most of the people who call Howl Basin home.

In contrast communities of Corvados and Striggan occasionally spring up - far more commonly the former, as the Corvados tend to be far more social overall. These communities can be somewhat remote but are usually not extremely so and often trade with the surrounding area. This is especially true because the Alpine Traditionalist faction of the Eyriefolk is strongly aligned to [[the Federation]] and is considered non-native to Howl Basin (except perhaps for a few of the Adler clans). This is because the Corvados Clans that were native to the basin are actually socially aligned to the [[Woodfolk]], and the same is also true for the native [[Columbian Parliament]] of the Striggans.

=== Mesa Traditionalists ===
The [[Volo]] are a unique people, inhabiting both the [[Castle Badlands]] and [[Proctor Erg]] since prehistory, which is aligned with the Eyriefolk through centuries of cultural interaction with native [[Adler]] bands. More populous than the Alder, they are therefore the largest population within the Eyriefolk proper which consider themselves nativist rather than federalist, and by and large they tend to be against [[the Federation]]'s expansion into [[Howl Basin]] and the corresponding disruption of their way of life.

=== Cosmopolitan Eyriefolk ===
Many Eyriefolk are cosmopolitan. Their native abilities of flight make them handy travellers and the relatively solitary nature of most of the cultures that make up the folk tends to give them motive to get around. What's more, Corvados are ubiquitous throughout [[the World]] anyway.

Eryiefolk will happily settle into other communities, including cities, so long as their needs to live as they see fit are met. Many come to occupy positions of authority owing to a combination of their own ambitious natures and their general suitability for such roles, though it helps that federalist propaganda often features them (especially Adler) in such roles of authority, pre-seeding the notion.

=== Hatched and Brooded ===
Growing up among the Eyriefolk can be tough, because the road of their three virtues is demanding. However, childhoods vary much among the different peoples that make up the folk, so it is hard to speak in broad generalizations for them.

=== Birds of a Feather ===
It's not unheard of for people to become part of the Eyriefolk community, though it is almost unheard of for those without the power of flight to do so. Therefore, most such "assimilants" are Corvados or Striggan [[Woodfolk]] who have come more attuned to the newcomer Eryiefolk than their native clans. This process is actually somewhat formal and legalistic and requires sponsorship by existing Eryiefolk who are able to stand for your suitability and involves a social ritual known as the [[Oath of Cups]].

=== Eyriefolk Exiles ===
Before joining [[the Federation]], Eryiefolk justice was brutal and capital punishment or several corporal punishment was common. While Federal law has largely changed that, in [[the Frontier]] and especially [[Howl Basin]], laws only apply as long as they can be enforced. It's not uncommon for criminals and other social outcasts in Eyriefolk society who live in isolated Eyriefolk communities to therefore go "on the wing" and exile themselves from their communities than to risk facing the "old justice" some feel Right Action still calls for.

== Gameplay Rules ==
In the Howl Basin campaign setting, folks serve two roles. If your character was raised within the cultural context of the a Folk, they take that folk as their [[Tarnished Tale: Background | Background]]. On the other hand, circumstances occasionally lead to a character becoming a member of a folk retroactively. This happens at their discretion as long as they have and maintain a [[Tarnished Tale: Connections| Connections]] score above 60% with that folk. At the player's discretion, such a character becomes an "adoptee" member of that Folk. Facilitators are encouraged to roleplay out this adoption as much as fits the taste of the party. Each folk's "lifestyles and culture" section includes a section on any additional requirements to join that faction permanently.

=== As A Background ===
When taking Eyriefolk as your starting background, you develop your starting skillpoints and acquire a character trait as a result of your upbringing. For the purposes of determining your starting skillpoints, there are three subtypes of this background: Mountain Eyriefolk, Mesa Eyriefolk, and Cosmopolitan Eyriefolk. You must pick from one of the three types when creating your Eyriefolk character, but please note you may still have had a mixed history, having lived the lives of any or all of the three subtypes prior to becoming an adventuring character.

==== Starting Skill Points ====
All Eyriefolk start the game with Analysis * 3 + Intuition * 1 + Presence * 1 skill points which they may distribute among any skills they so choose. These represent the skills you acquired during your youth as a rounded member of the Eyriefolk society.

In addition, Eyriefolk characters add the following skills as Occupation Skills depending on their subtype:
* Mountain: [[Skill: Navigation|Navigation]], [[Skill: Tracking | Tracking]], [[Skill: Intimidation|Intimidation]]
* Mesa: [[Skill: Lore| Lore(Basin Mythology)]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation]], [[Skill: Intimidation | Intimidation]]
* Cosmopolitan: [[Skill: Survival | Survival]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation ]], [[Skill: Repair | Repair (Any One Subtype)]]

If one of these bonus Occupation Skills is already a feature of your chosen occupation, the [[Facilitator]] should work with you to come up with a substitute skill. If no substitute skill can be found, take 5 extra Occupation Skill Points in lieu of the substitute.

==== Eyriefolk Trait: Claimed Authority ====
Regardless of subtype, Eryiefolk characters start with the Background Trait '''Claimed Authority'''. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Whenever a character with the Claimed Authority trait is making a social check and the player desires to do so, they may instead use their Eryiefolk connection score in place of their relevant social skill. Doing so against characters aligned against the Eryiefolk incurs a bane as the attempt necessarily reveals the characters' Eryiefolk connections, even if the social check would have been more discreet. When doing such a check using the benefit of Claimed Authority, neither the Eyriefolk Connection score nor the skill score can be marked for advancement, regardless of the difficulty or criticality of the check.

==== Starting Connections ====
All Eyriefolk characters begin with the following connections at a score of (Presence + Intuition + Wisdom):
* Eyriefolk
* The Character's Hometown or County (as appropriate)
* The Character's Family

=== As a Connection ===
Adoptees who meet the faction alignment requirement and exemplify the traits of the Eyriefolk to the point of becoming cultural adoptees to the faction retain their original backgrounds and do not retrain skills, for obvious reasons: the past is fundamentally immutable and moving your house doesn't change your capabilities. That being said, they do acquire a new trait.

==== Eyriefolk Adoptee Trait: Wrong Standing ====
This is an ''Active Effect''. Whenever a character with this trait is making a social check (excluding connections checks), the character's player may choose to reduce their Connections: Eyriefolk score by X points. If they do so, they may lower the result of their social check roll by X points. This decision may be made after the roll. Points spend in this way are lost, but may be made up for with the normal ebb and flow of Connections points. If the player has fewer than 50 Connections: Eyriefolk points left, they may not use this effect (doing so would represent overstepping the hospitality of their adoptive folk). This ability represents the use of Claimed Authority without actually having high social standing in Eyriefolk culture.

The Eyriefolk Adoptee may not use Wrong Standing against Eyriefolk characters, who are sufficiently aware of the nuances of their culture to mark the outsider. Given the rarity of outsider adoption into the culture, they may even be aware of their status in advance.

[[Category: Folks]] [[Category: Backgrounds]]

Landfolk

2023-06-28T17:49:07Z

Zadammac: /* Landfolk Trait: Salt of the Earth */

The '''Landfolk''', made up chiefly of the [[Lagos]], [[Quillions]], [[Varki]], [[Cervano]], [[Bolster]] and [[Delvin]], are one of the more populous [[Folks]] of the [[Howl Basin]] and are seen by many even who identify more closely with other folks as the "down home" citizens of the Basin. The Landfolk value peace and prosperity, as most folks do, and have found (in their estimation) that community, honest dealing, and hard work are the best way to achieve those values. As such, they're driven toward large families and resilient communities, as comfortable in tight-knit rural counties, station towns, and major cities alike. Landfolk are often seen as the natural farmers and tenders of the land, and the tendancy toward larger families means there are plenty of them (especially the Lagos) to be found almost anywhere in the Basin.

== Lifestyles and Culture ==
=== Cultural Values ===
Above all, Landfolk value peace and sufficiency, and have found that three specific virtues: community, honesty, and industriousness. These three values more or less entirely underpin the shared Landfolk identity in a way that runs deeper than typical styles of dress or favoured forms of artistic expression. Repeatedly acting out against these norms in a highly public way is a fast track to lowering your Connections score with the Landfolk.

==== Community ====
The Landfolk ethos eschews over-emphasis on ''self-reliance'', favouring a community-oriented approach that praises reliance on your family, neighbours, and friends and their reciprocal reliance back on yourself. The Landfolk ideals of community applied to life in [[Howl Basin]] make the Landfolk equally comfortable as homesteaders, members of sprawling countryside communities, and in the relatively dense cities in the region. Under this virtue, it is considered the norm to borrow and lend, and to be subject to one another. Landfolk who uphold the virtue of community can be assured of support whenever they need it, and don't think twice of offering such support themselves, such as their means and abilities warrant.

The cultural thinking around these values tends to lead toward large "families", be they reproductive or of the found-family variety. The line between "extended family" and "close friends" is naturally about as fuzzy as it could be while still maintaining any sort of distinction at all.

==== Honesty ====
Close-knit communities and co-reliance require a high degree of Honesty, both in the literal sense of an unwillingness to deceive as well as in broader interpretations of the word, like standing by one's word that a certain action be completed. While not as legalistic or transactional as the [[Hivefolk]], among the Landfolk, the Straight Deal is practically law, and a Landfolk's agreement and the handshake that goes with it is better than a contract in the average Landfolk's eye. A common ideal is therefore to be slow to promise, and never fail to deliver on those promises actually made.

==== Industriousness ====
Team work makes the dream work, and there's a reason the word "work" appears twice in that adage. Landfolk communities require a certain willingness to pitch in toward hard work, and occupations that involve physical labour to one degree or another are, if not venerated, highly respected. For better or worse, the inverse is also true: some jobs are also seen as somewhat "wasteful" or "beneath" the Landfolk. In general, these are jobs which are culturally linked to the vices of sloth or greed through their apparently-genteel lifestyles or parasitic nature, such as certain subsets of the "professional" careers, such as some forms of lawyer, investment bankers, and the like. A landfolk saying (believed to originate with the [[Delvin]]) is that "A dollar left to rise feeds none"; the general sentiment being that it is preferable to spend money ensuring the health of the community rather than let it slowly appreciate (or not) in a bank account. The [[Lagos]] version of the same saying is "Greenbacks ain't lettuce." Conversely to all of the above, many trades that don't fit the stereotype of "shovel-swinging miner" or "longshorman" levels of 'hard work' are still exhaustively praised. Homemaking in particular is seen as the mother of all professions and is sometimes said to be "everyone's first occupation", with your "salary" profession being "what needs done to make ends meet" by comparison.

For this reason, the economics and industry of Landfolk communities tend to be geared toward maintaining a steady ratio of "supplies to bodies" rather than rapid economic growth.

=== Homesteaders ===
On the whole, the vast majority of Landfolk are either homesteaders, descended from homesteaders, or at least consider themselves homesteaders, at least within the context of the [[Howl Basin]]. The lifestyle works well for the cultural ethos of the Landfolk and suits the idea of a growing and perpetually-developing family. In addition to the obvious land set aside for farming and the rearing of small livestock such as chickens (where meat is eaten amongst the various heritages that make up the Landfolk, anyway), homesteads tend to include multiple dwellings if they have been established for any real length of time. It's not unheard of to build a separate home for Nana and Papa or additional farmhouses for children who have reached adulthood and started families but who (for one reason or another) don't want to bootstrap a whole new homesteading holding somewhere else removed from the family. In some extreme cases, whole communities have sprung up organically in this very way.

=== Townies ===
It's not unheard of for there to be town-dwelling Landfolk, and Landfolk towns tend to spring up organically. While a few are [[Station Towns]] and are best thought of in that way, even remote of the railroads, Landfolk Towns exist. These tend to form at locations that are "central" to surrounding homesteads in terms of natural routes of travel, and support basic common services that the surrounding homesteads rely on, like general stores, specialist trades (farriers and machinists and the like), professional services (including - often especially - medical services), religious facilities, and in areas aligned to [[the Federation]], government offices. Most importantly, such towns almost always provide a congregated poiint of access to some form of transportation, be it a road, a waterway, or the railway.

Landfolk Townies and Homesteaders see one another as more or less one division of the folk, joined by the common elements of the culture and their comparative isolation from other communities. To a certain extent they are "playfully" at odds with their city-dwelling cousins, who they view as partially assimilated into Hivefolk culture.

=== Landfolk in the Cities ===
Cities are populated heavily, and full of opportunity, which can tend to attract younger Landfolk wishing to make their way in the world and forge new paths of Landfolk traditions. This by and large has two possible outcomes: the formation of Landfolk boroughs in those cities, and cultural attrition from the greater Landfolk identity. In the former class, life continues as normal, substituting available labour jobs for traditional pursuits like farming and woodworking, and the city block or row of townhouses for the role of the homestead. In the latter, it's not uncommon for children who were raised Landfolk to more fully embrace city life, and align themselves more culturally with either the city itself or with the dominant folk (usually, in Howl Basin's limited major cities, the [[Hivefolk]].)

=== Coming Up Landfolk ===
Whether born into families of homesteaders, townies, or cityfolk, childhood for Landfolk is largely the same, and highly valued, as it tends to be somewhat abbreviated and end at adolescent. The oldest children in the family invariably become quickly integrated into the workflow of the family unit, whether that is simply a nuclear family or a full extended family sharing a united homestead or neighbourhood. This often takes the farm of attending to the younger siblings (or even cousins) and helping out with the chores of day to day life. Informal education and cultural imprinting begins at a young age, focusing on life skills relevant to both general daily life and usually one or both parents' trades (including homemaking). Formal education, where available, focuses on history (local or federal, depending on the community's general alignment on the matter), trades-arithmetic, reading and writing (usually in both [[Lagosi]] and the community's relavent language), and often a religious or folklore topic.

=== Becoming Landfolk ===
It's not uncommon for people to be adopted into Landfolk communities and come to consider themselves as Landfolk, and be considered the same by their neighbours. Usually, this requires becoming something of a permanent fixture in a Landfolk community; no matter how honest their dealings are otherwise, itinerants and travelling merchants tend to be viewed as slightly foreign even after several repeat visits to a Landfolk community. However, for those who choose to make their lives in a Landfolk settlement (or in close proximity to Landfolk homesteads) and who build up a good reputation for upholding the three values (Community, Honesty, and Industriousness), they may eventually get the reputation locally of being "one of the folk". Usually after this happens it is not long before that reputation starts proceeding the character in question, and the culture begins to rub off.

=== Shunned by the Landfolk ===
Conversely, it is possible to become excluded by Landfolk society, though it's not necessarily trivial to do so. Career criminality (or even singular crimes, if sufficiently egregious), a reputation for refusal to help out your community, and sufficient displays of shiftlessness or greed (the former without reasonable excuse - ability matters), can lead to a person becoming a social outcast, or even an outright outlaw. Such individuals become seen as outsiders to the Landfolk community, even in communities in which they were raised or currently reside. Others' shoulders become cold, and help is extended less and less often by your neighbours.

The majority of people who face this treatment leave the communities in which it begins. More often than any other outcome, they end up settling in another community and "turn their lives around", getting a fresh start (an outcome encouraged by the Landfolk themselves). In some cases however, this treatment entrenches whatever attitudes played a part in the person's prior behaviour and they may become outlaws or settle down with other folks. A fair number of [[bandit gangs]] and even some [[Mountainfolk]] come about in this fashion.

== Gameplay Rules ==
In the Howl Basin campaign setting, folks serve two roles. If your character was raised within the cultural context of the a Folk, they take that folk as their [[Tarnished Tale: Background | Background]]. On the other hand, circumstances occasionally lead to a character becoming a member of a folk retroactively. This happens at their discretion as long as they have and maintain a [[Tarnished Tale: Connections| Connections]] score above 60% with that folk. At the player's discretion, such a character becomes an "adoptee" member of that Folk. Facilitators are encouraged to roleplay out this adoption as much as fits the taste of the party. Each folk's "lifestyles and culture" section includes a section on any additional requirements to join that faction permanently.

=== As A Background ===
When taking Landfolk as your starting background, you develop your starting skillpoints and acquire a character trait as a result of your upbringing. For the purposes of determining your starting skillpoints, there are three subtypes of this background: Homesteader Landfolk, Townie Landfolk, and City Landfolk. You must pick from one of the three types when creating your Landfolk character, but please note you may still have had a mixed history, having lived the lives of any or all of the three subtypes prior to becoming an adventuring character.

==== Starting Skill Points ====
All Landfolk start the game with Analysis * 2 + Intuition * 3 skill points which they may distribute among any skills they so choose. These represent the skills you acquired during your youth as a rounded member of the Landfolk society.

In addition, Landfolk characters add the following skills as Occupation Skills depending on their subtype:
* Homesteader Landfolk: [[Skill: Survival|Survival]], [[Skill: Firearm Use | Firearm Use (Rifles)]], [[Skill: Ride|Ride]]
* Townie Landfolk: [[Skill: Dealmaking| Dealmaking]], [[Skill: Navigation | Navigation]], [[Skill: Drive | Drive (Wagons) or Drive (Riverboat)]]
* City Landfolk: [[Skill: Charm | Charm]], [[Skill: Dealmaking]], [[Skill: Repair | Repair (Carpentry) or Repair (Plumbing)]]

If one of these bonus Occupation Skills is already a feature of your chosen occupation, the [[Facilitator]] should work with you to come up with a substitute skill. If no substitute skill can be found, take 5 extra Occupation Skill Points in lieu of the substitute.

==== Landfolk Trait: Salt of the Earth ====
Regardless of subtype, Landfolk characters start with the Background Trait '''Salt of the Earth'''. This is a '''Passive Effect'''. Whenever a character with the Salt of the Earth trait is making a connections check with a Landfolk character, organization with the Landfolk alignment, or in a Landfolk-aligned community, they may use their Landfolk connection score in place of their more relevant connection score if the Landfolk score is better. When making connection checks in this way (using the Landfolk score as a substitute), the score that would have been more relevant (such as the personal or organization-specific connection score) is the one that gets marked for Advancement if such a reward is given. In other words, your bond with the Landfolk community is never advanced as a result of using Salt of the Earth. You lose this ability if you become a Landfolk Exile.

==== Starting Connections ====
All landfolk characters begin with the following connections at a score of (Hardiness + Intuition + Wisdom):
* Landfolk
* The Character's Hometown or County (as appropriate)
* The Character's Family

This base score is chosen because Landfolk communities by and large favor individuals who are reliable, empathetic, and who demonstrate social grace, but discourages celebrity and self-reliance.

=== As a Connection ===
Adoptees who meet the faction alignment requirement and exemplify the traits of the Landfolk to the point of becoming cultural adoptees to the faction retain their original backgrounds and do not retrain skills, for obvious reasons: the past is fundamentally immutable and moving your house doesn't change your capabilities. That being said, they do acquire a new trait.

==== Landfolk Adoptee Trait: You're Among Friends ====
This is an ''Active Effect''. Whenever a character with this trait is making a social check (excluding connections checks), the character's player may choose to reduce their Connections: Landfolk score by X points. If they do so, they may lower the result of their social check roll by X points. This decision may be made after the roll. Points spend in this way are lost, but may be made up for with the normal ebb and flow of Connections points. If the player has fewer than 50 Connections: Landfolk points left, they may not use this effect (doing so would represent overstepping the hospitality of their adoptive folk).

If a character gains an Advancement tick on a social skill from a check in which they used the You're Among Friends ability, their Connections: Landfolk score gains as many points as the skill itself does at advancement.

[[Category: Folks]] [[Category: Backgrounds]]

Folks

2023-06-28T16:57:11Z

Zadammac: /* The Kings of the Cliffs: The Eyriefolk */

The '''Folks''' are the least granular of all the social units in the otherwise largely disorganized [[Howl Basin]], fulfilling a role far more akin to a nation than a state, more cultural than racial. As such, the lines between the Folks of the Howl Basin are somewhat fuzzy, and as always, exceptions to the descriptions and generalizations below exist. From a sociological prospect, Folks are a useful concept in dividing among the various [[category: races|races]] that live in the Howl Basin along lines of similarity, and they're a useful concept at the level of attempting to understand communities; rare is the community made up entirely of any one single race, but in the more rural and wild parts of the Basin, community made up mostly or entirely of members of a single Folk is far more common.

To belong to a Folk is to have a sense of common purpose with the other members of that Folk, but that common purpose, and the interpretation of your rights and responsibilities to that folk, is different. This article discusses the folk as if they could be cleanly divided, but should not be treated as exhaustive. Some [[bandit gangs]] would think of themselves as "their folks", as might some [[company men]], rather than thinking of Folks in the terms desribed above.

== Understanding Folk from the Perspective of the Folks ==
To begin with, the average person living in the Basin wouldn't think of their folk as a nationality, as in "I belong to the mountainfolk because I was born here and this is mountainfolk country". Indeed, nation-states and the concept of nationalism haven't had much influence in the Basin owing to its largely wild and only recently-settling nature. Someone of the basin knows their folks as the people most like them. This is especially interesting when discussing the mountainfolk, below.

== The "Common Grouping" of the Folks ==
Most sociological studies of the Folks of the Howl Basin would consist of the following six key folks.

=== The Salt of the Earth: The Landfolk ===
The [[Landfolk]], made up chiefly of the [[Lagos]], [[Quillions]], [[Varki]], [[Cervano]], [[Bolster]] and [[Delvin]], are one of the more populous folks of the valley and are seen by many even who identify stronger with other folks as the "down home" citizens of the Basin. The Landfolk value peace and prosperity, as most folks do, and have found (in their estimation) that community, honest dealing, and hard work are the best way to achieve those values. As such, they're driven toward large families and resillient communities, as comfortable in tight-knit rural counties, station towns, and major cities alike. Landfolk are often seen as the natural farmers and tenders of the land, and the tendancy toward larger families means there are plenty of them (especially the Lagos) to be found almost anywhere in the Basin.

=== The Kings of the Cliffs: The Eyriefolk ===
[[File:A_corvados_sharpshooter.png|thumb|right|alt=A crow-person with a rifle, glasses, a hat on their back, and some kind of bandolier. They are wearing a scarf.|A Corvados sharpshooter, from a sketchbook found in the desert.]]
The [[Eyriefolk]] are made up entirely of the [[Corvados]], [[Adler]], [[Volo]], and [[Striggan]] peoples, whose ancestral lands string all along the [[Howling Herald Mountains]]. As with most the rest of the races they've taken an interest in the [[Howler Basin]] given this recent season of settlement and development, and are seen by those in the basin as somewhat aloof, even uncaring. Born with the power of flight, the Eyriefolk see themselves as the people of the sky, and the isolation of their homeland has meant that these recent explorations are a sort of "breaking down" of a long history of cultural isolation for them.

Eyriefolk can be aloof and insular, but they can also be charismatic, and are highly driven. Stereotypical Eyriefolk can be found in positions of authority, such as clergymen, lawmen, or government officials, and the other Folks of the Basin tend to expect them to be taciturn, honourbound (sometimes to a fault), and concerned with appearances.

=== We Who Keep the Land: The Woodfolk ===
Primarily native to the Basin, the [[Woodfolk]] are a Folk of communitarian survivalists, native especially to its forested areas, in which they are the specialists. Maintaining ancient traditions that pre-date the settlement of the [[Howl Basin]] by other communities, the Woodfolk have a grasp of [[Strangeness]] that is mildly stronger than those of the other folks, but not much. They are the great survivors of the Basin, keeping its traditions alive and its roads open, and count among their number some [[Lagos]] communities, along with [[Quillions | Quillion]], [[Volpi]], [[Cervano]], lowland [[Striggan]], and [[Corvados]] communities.

The Woodfolk are seen by some as a people imperiled; there is no one "uniquely Woodfolk" group (all the woodfolk races are represented in the other folks, to a degree not seen with any other folk type), and their way of life has been challenged by the settlement of the Basin as part of [[the Frontier]], and the gross industrialization of the region continues. Many younger Woodfolk wind up allying more strongly with the Landfolk or Mountainfolk depending on their own views of the changes befalling their homeland.

=== Those Who Hunt Together: The Packfolk ===
The [[Packfolk]] are a basin-folk made up chiefly of the [[Lupata]], [[Volpi]], [[Gaspard]] and [[Yotes]] peoples, who view themselves as ancient, honourable in their own way, and as a rule put their people first and foremost. Packfolk families are not always large, but they can seem that way to outsiders; a community of Packfolk are often all interrelated (either by blood or cultural conjunction), and they practice a collectivist attitude that they feel makes them extremely hardy. That said, their sense of community does not often extend beyond their folk, and while they are seen from time to time in cities, they're often far more comfortable in their own insular communities. There is a strong distrust between Landfolk and Packfolk communities as the result of past conflicts, some of which stretch back even further than the settlement of the Basin. That said, Packfolk and Landfolk who can set aside their misgivings about each other also make powerful partners, and they are seen as expert survivalists, rangers, prospectors, and explorers; moreover are considered the pre-eminent ranchers in the Basin. Packfolk who leave their communities and join the more cosmopolitan parts of Basin society are often sought after as guards, police, and mercenaries, which are all roles they excel in, and even more peaceable Packfolk who join major cities tend to form insular neighborhoods and reform their packs together.

=== Captains of Industry: The Hivefolk ===
In some sense, it was the arrival of the [[Hivefolk]] that really kick-started the settlement of the Howl Basin, as before their appearance there were no major settlements to drive the kind of industry that is driving this development. It was they who discovered and developed the earliest [[Steam Power]] designs and realized their extreme potential, and the naturally tightly-communal nature of the [[Vespos]] and [[Loci]] people that make up the folk has made them natural urbanizers, almost to a fault. At their best, the Hivefolk drive industry and push the importance of the good of the collective above that of the individual. At their worst, the Hivefolk's extreme collectivism and consumption over-tax those who work closely with them, or with whom they have to share the valley.

=== The Free and the Brave: The Mountainfolk ===
The least strongly-ethnically-correlated of all the Folks are the Mountainfolk, who for one reason or another share the common attitude of being better off alone, or at least best off when comfortable in solitude and self-reliance. Mountainfolk communities are rarely large, sometimes single-household homesteads... sometimes even smaller. Made up chiefly of the [[Raddail]], [[Ramu]], [[Leon]] and [[Urs]], Mountainfolk occupy a dual role in the zeitgeist, as likely to be seen as vital survivalists - rangers and prospectors - as they are to be seen as dangerous wild men, up to no good in the wilds.

=== The Merchants of Secrets: The Seafolk ===
The least understood of all the major folk groups are the [[Nauts]] and their even less-understood [[Cark]] cousins. Seen only rarely and never without their [[Striding Suits]], the [[Seafolk]] aren't quite a people of the [[Howl Basin]], appearing almost exclusively in coastal port cities as trade partners for the Folks who do live there. If the technology of the [[Hivefolk]] is what is driving industrialization, the needs of the [[Seafolk]] are what is making it profitable, as they trade large quantities of exotic goods in direct exchange for [[natural resources]] harvested from the basin, including livestock.

Loathe to discuss too closely their own affairs, its thought that they live in sunken cities nearer to the coast than the horizon.