Varki
The Varki (singular: Varko) are a race of Armadillo-like people who are usually found amongst the Landfolk, throughout Howl Basin. Like most Landfolk, they're known for a strong sense of community, but are also the least populous of all the Landfolk races owing to their isolationist quirk, with some feeling more at home among the Mountainfolk. Outside their Folk, Varki are thought of as defensive, combative, and hearty, though among the Landfolk these qualities are instead interpreted more generously, as protective and upstanding. Varki are one of the few settlers in Howl Basin that were entirely located within the region prior to the advent of settlement.
History
Varki traditional ranges are almost entirely limited to the northeastern and southeastern Basin, where they live in the rain-shadow of the Howling Herald Mountains. While they have explored and settled other areas of the Howl Basin, they never established much presence beyond the mountains and so can be thought of as entirely endemic to it.
Culture
Art and Architecture
Varki are master craftsmen and brilliant readers of the land, and in their traditional ranges they very rarely wind up building in flood areas. A tradtional Varki community is usually ringed with a wooden wall, sometimes with ditches and culverts dug as a method of flood control. Their dwellings tend to be broad, rather than tall, and are partially dug into the earth, all on one level.
Sporting
The Varki are thought to be the originators of Shotball, a sport played with the use of a hollow or cork ball a little larger than a base ball, and two teams. The objective of each team is to land the ball into one of five baskets defended by the opposing team, gently enough that the ball remains in the basket; each player uses a pair of scoops to attempt to achieve this.
Language
The Varkesk language is a cultural cousin of Quillic, but in truth the influences of Quillions on the language are actually relatively modern. At some point in the past, the Varkesk learned the trick of Lagosi script and co-opted it for use with their language. Most Varki speak both languages.
Food
"The right way to rob a movin' train is to stop it first."
- Anonymous Lagos Bandit
This article or section alludes to information that is under active development and subject to change.
Varki have a protein-heavy diet, eating by far the most meat of any of the groups usually seen as Landfolk, much of which they (lately) trade with the Woodfolk for. Traditional varki cuisine has been a strong influence on other Basin cuisines, especially where the use of spices and smoke in the preparation of jerky is concerned.
Varki rely very heavily on dried meats to pad out their diets and require large amounts of meat to live; their vegetable and fruit consumption is more a matter of taste than of broad nutrition.
Religion and Spirituality
Varki, for the most part, are not especially religious. Their culture emphasizes trust in each other and in the ground under their feet over more esoteric concerns. On the flip side, they tend to be especially superstitious, avoiding many of the Strange Occurrences throughout the Basin and viewing them as taboo. They have a rich culture of myth to explain some of these phenomena but are loathe to share them with outsiders (even other Landfolk) due to a belief that speaking of something and invoking that thing are closely related.
Science and Technology
Varki are for the most part enthusiasts about industrial technology and the rapid leap forward currently undergone in fields like steam power and medicine, but are also deep skeptics when it comes to technology's ability to fully understand the world or explain its deeper meaning. They prefer to incorporate technology into their existing traditional ways of life rather than let it revolutionize their lives. Many Varki are strongly opposed to the Railroads due to the mass defoliation and groundworks needed to construct their new lines.
Varki are consider warfare to be taboo and so tend to overall reject weapons other than those that would be useful in hunting game.
Entertainment
See Also: Varkesk Music, Varkesk Festivals
Society
Varki society has become somewhat bifurcated since Howl Basin has become part of the Frontier. There's a strong traditionalist core of Varki that, though personable and even downright friendly with the other Landfolk, prefer to keep to themselves and to their own largely homogenous communities, maintaining a largely unchanged way of life by comparison to how it was before the Prospecting Races came to the Basin, albeit with some more modern comforts and arguably better access to processed materials. Conversely, there's also a faction of assimilated Varki - the "Joiners" - who have blended into the greater Landfolk society, where they make their living in a variety of ways and are culturally more akin to Lagos than their own kind.
Traditionalist Varki
While certainly not hostile to outsiders, Traditionalist Varki prefer things the way they were before the Prospecting Races came, and stick to their own communities. Accordingly, they're rarely seen outside of their communities and hunting grounds, except perhaps in other frontier communities acting as traders or hired scouts.
Joiner Varki
Joiner Varki have, to some degree or another, assimilated into the broader culture of the Landfolk and of the Frontier as a whole, and live in more cosmopolitan communites. These Varki are much more likely to have accepted a greater degree of technology and modernization than their colleagues, and are the sort most usually encountered outside of their historical ranges.
Physiology
General Body Plan
Varki are an anthropoid species, on average between 1.5 to 1.8 metres tall, with armadillo-like features, including a "shell" of hardened, chitinous tissues on their backs, upper arms, and the sides of their legs. Some Varki are more heavily armoured than others, and for those who are, the extra armour gives them a bit of a hunched or domed-back appearance.
Gameplay Mechanics
"The right way to rob a movin' train is to stop it first."
- Anonymous Lagos Bandit
This article or section alludes to information that is under active development and subject to change.
Base Attributes
Varki start the game with +2 Hardiness and -1 each to Agility and Willpower.
Heritage Trait
All Lagos have the Hardiness (Heritage Trait) property.
Lagos may also select any one of the following secondary heritage traits:
- Tankskin (Heritage Trait) - Some Varki have armour so thick that it qualifies as actual natural damage reduction, scaling with their development.
- Varki Roll (Heritage Trait) - Some Varki's finer armour and a lifetime of learning to take advantage of it have an improved ability to take advantage of their natural penchant for tumbling.
- Friends in Wild Places (Heritage Trait) - Traditionalist Varki have ties outside the Folks system and can make Connections checks with Mountainfolk and Woodfolk even if they aren't members of those folks, with some caveats.