Fantasy World
Environment
In Heroes of Fantasy, you take on the role of a character who lives in their own world. Forget what you know from our own world and try to put yourself in a place similar to the Middle Ages or antiquity, where nothing is more complex than a watermill, a plough or a horse harness. Instead, you will meet mages, strange creatures, talking animals or wild raiders. It will be up to your Game Master how they portray your world.
The following lines may give you a better idea of such worlds.
Classical Middle Ages
(Life in the Kingdom of Kiredon)How the inhabitants live
The Peasant Athuve
The peasant Athuve has lived his whole life in the small village of Komětín, together with his wife and four children. He is not doing badly - he has five cows and two horses. The fields he farms are not his, but belong to a noble lord, the Baron of Hesitat. He must do corvée labor on the lord's land for 4 days, then five days on his own, and he has one day off. However, since he must also think of his own livelihood, he sends his day laborers to the lord's fields in his place.
The whole family usually eats oat or millet porridge, and sometimes has cheese or even a chicken. They are well-off, so on holidays they also treat themselves to a roast.
He sees the Baron twice a year at the festivities the Baron holds at his castle. He settles his problems and disputes with the steward who manages the Baron's estates.
His eldest son will inherit the farm, the younger one will go into the Baron's service as a soldier, his daughter will marry and the youngest son, if he cannot find employment, may, with the Baron's permission, go to work in the city.
They are all serfs and may not marry or move without their lord's consent, but otherwise they live quite contentedly. They are troubled by occasional raids by robbers, who fill the surrounding hills, by the weather, by levies for the temple and by occasional taxes for the army.
Baron Almrich of Hesitat
The House of Almrich has resided at Krahujec Castle in the Hesitat Hills since time immemorial. Its members always swear an oath to the king at the coronation in the capital of Kiredon. Despite all the hardships that lie upon the kingdom, they are loyal to the king.
The Baron, unlike the peasant Athuve, lives high on the hog. He eats and drinks whatever his heart desires, usually venison or roasts. He often goes hunting, practices with the sword, pursues robbers or tends to the administration of the estate (although his steward mostly does that for him). His task is to protect his subjects and guard the borders, pay taxes (which keep getting higher) and raise an army for the king when needed. He is strict but fair to his subjects. He permits marriages even into other baronies and usually grants requests for release from the fief (if someone wants to move to the city). There are not many such requests anyway - a peasant is a peasant and is bound to his land, but now and then someone wants to try his luck and sets out into the world.
He will marry his daughter to the Baron of Triborg, an older but very powerful man. The firstborn son will take over the estate after his father, and the second son will serve at court as a page and later perhaps become a knight of the king.
Samik the Cobbler
Samik lives in the city of Kiredon, ruled by King Gatvin II. He is a free citizen, but doesn't pay much attention to it, as he has to struggle to support his family. As a cobbler, he still has plenty of customers, but times are harsh and he has to pay taxes, guild dues, rent and above all food. If he doesn't earn enough money, he could lose his trade and the roof over his head, and end up a beggar.
He had his son enrolled in the guild so that he could study to become a cobbler like him (he paid 2 gold pieces for it, i.e. several months' earnings). He is also trying to save up for a dowry for his daughter so that he can find her a suitable and preferably rich groom.
Samik's family earns their wheat bread, indulges in meat from time to time, dresses decently, occasionally buys something just for fun, goes to the amphitheater or gladiator fights.
Gaspor the Guard
Gaspor serves in the Kiredon city guard and lives alone in the military barracks. He earns decent money, but squanders most of it in taverns, on gambling, drink, loose women and other pleasures, so he doesn't have much money left.
Unlike a cobbler or a peasant, he doesn't have to work, but he often practices with his sword - the life of a guard is quite dangerous, and one day he could end up killed by bandits.
King Gatvin II.
Gatvin, as king, is the most powerful man in the land. He has almost unlimited power - he is the supreme lord and sovereign and can command all subjects - nobles, burghers and serfs. His wealth is immense, so unlike most of the population, he doesn't have to worry about what to buy - he lives in luxury, eats the finest food, wears the most expensive clothes, and has whole hosts of servants, entertainers and guards.
You might say he is very benevolent to his subjects, but he does not know what is going on in his country - little news reaches his ears, and while his subjects suffer, the nobility is rebellious and the country is on the brink of civil war, he himself knows nothing of it. Many barons and princes are rebellious, the House of Stewards grows ever more powerful, and the threat of rebellion or assassination hangs over the king.
The Structure of the Feudal World
Land
The first important thing on which the whole civilization of the feudal world stands is land. The vast majority of the population must toil in the fields from dawn to dusk to feed themselves, their families, the old and the sick, to pay taxes and to feed the nobility and the burghers. More than nine tenths of the population thus live on farms and in villages.
Who owns the land?
In the feudal world, the land belongs to the nobility, the lords. The nobility either farms the land itself - hiring peasants or using corvée laborers (subjects who must work part of the week on the nobility's fields). It also leases the land to its subjects - peasants, tenants and the like, who in return for the lease pay taxes (often in kind) and render other services (serving in the army).
A landowner can also be a non-noble, free peasant who can sell the land and is guaranteed more freedoms.
Social Classes
In principle, the inhabitants of a country can be divided into the following classes:
King
The king, as supreme ruler, administers the whole country, grants titles and fiefs, has legislative and judicial powers, and is often commander-in-chief of the armies.
The correct address for the king is "Your Majesty", and the address for the prince (princess) is "Your Highness".
Nobility
The nobility are subject to the king; they have the most powers but also the most duties. They often have absolute power over their own subjects, who have no recourse (not even to the king). The nobility protects the subjects, administers the land, collects taxes and raises the army.
There is a hierarchy among the nobility; high nobles may have vassals (subordinate nobles bound by an oath), just as the higher nobles are vassals of the king.
Title
The title of a noble may be hereditary (usually passed from father to eldest son) or conferred (granted; for example, the administrator of a city is its duke, and the title need not be hereditary).
Prince, Princess (Your Highness)
— a close relative of the king, such as a son, daughter or brother
Prince, Princess (Your Grace)
— this title belongs to the princes of Marmion, Fenexos and Sur-lúmin, but now (after the rebellion) Kiredon formally recognizes only the Principality of Sur-lúmin
Duke, Duchess (Your Grace)
— a conferred title, relating exclusively to the supreme command of the armies
Count, Countess
— a hereditary or conferred title (depending on the region) of the owner of a large estate, often with vassals, usually a fortified town
Marquis, Marchioness
— a title conferred for merit
Viscount, Comtesse
— a title inherited by the son or daughter of a high noble (the first son then inherits the main title)
Baron, Baroness
— the basic hereditary title associated with a territory
Baronet, Baroness
— the title of a baron's descendant who has not yet inherited the title
Knight
— an honorary noble title that can be won on the battlefield or obtained for merit (by service to a higher noble)
Free Citizens
They are legally on the level of the nobility, as they are directly subject to the king. They are often free peasants and burghers. Unlike the nobility, they have fewer obligations, but also less power, and under customary law they rank behind the nobility - when a noble and a free burgher are brought before the king, the noble always takes precedence (even if he were only a squire).
They must also show due respect to the nobility, and even if they are not subordinate to the nobility, they must obey the applicable laws and regulations (such as those of the Duke, who administers the city).
Subjects
Subjects of the nobility are subject to their lord, who is responsible for them. He collects taxes from them (part of which he pays to the king), leases land to them, but also protects them. Subjects are restricted in their freedom - they generally cannot marry, move or choose a profession without their lord's consent. These restrictions are usually only formal - a peasant has no reason to move elsewhere because he couldn't get land anyway, marriages are arranged by parents or relatives, and the vast majority of the population is engaged in farming and knows nothing else.
Army
A special group is made up of soldiers, who come from the previous groups but are subject to different rules. The army is raised either by the king or by the nobility. Wealthy merchants and burghers may have small detachments, but never an army.
With few exceptions, the leaders of armies are nobles, often the second or third sons of a lord whose title passes to the first son, and they would be left without land and income.
According to the customs of the country, the army may consist of knights (nobles having their own armor), conscripts (subjects may be required to serve in the army), volunteers (free citizens may accept service), and mercenaries (foreigners and freemen acting for hire under their commanders).
Priests
The clergy and other classes standing outside the common ranks have a status according to the customs of their country. In some places they are revered and enjoy considerable respect, in others they are merely at the level of free citizens or even persecuted.
In Kiredon, priests are revered, but not allowed to interfere in secular life. They usually act as teachers, tutors or advisors to the nobility.
Life of the People
Life of the Nobility
The nobility have their rights and duties. A noble always ranks above a commoner, regardless of wealth or merit. He is responsible for his subjects. He should be just and protect his subjects.
However, we often see a decline and departure from the original custom. The upper class tends to be haughty, debauched, overbearing and has little regard for their subjects.
The behaviour and life of a nobleman depends very much on his personal attitude (he has a choice). His wealth also plays an important role - a wealthy nobleman can lead a life of debauchery, support the arts or hold tournaments.
There is not nearly as much difference between a higher-ranking noble and his vassal as between a baron and a peasant. A vassal has his duties, such as payments or raising troops, but he cannot be stripped of his title (only the king has this right), tried, have his property confiscated, or otherwise have his rights impaired - all crimes or misdemeanours must be heard before a royal tribunal.
Village life
Villagers live together, know each other and are bound together by kinship. Little stays secret in a village; a stranger is always the target of speculation, gossip or slander.
Villagers tend to be very close-knit, unless they become enemies for some reason (disputes over land, livestock or other things).
They are often uneducated (they don't have time to learn to read and write), but hardworking (a lazy person would probably starve to death), honest (they won't tolerate liars and cheats among themselves) and they certainly have their own wishes, desires and dreams.
Life in the City
Feudal cities are not usually large, with at most thousands of inhabitants. Large cities can hardly feed themselves, and they also suffer from disease, fires and other ills. They serve both as centres of crafts and as places of trade, administration and defence.
Most city dwellers practise crafts that could not support them in the countryside. The activities and work of craftsmen depend on the system of government; most often they are controlled and managed by guilds and monopolies.
A larger population leads to a certain anonymity; people are more reserved and rely more on themselves and their families than on their neighbours. The bigger the city, the greater the opportunity for crime and violence (as opposed to villages, where crime is virtually non-existent).
Guild
Every trade is subject to a guild, an association that controls and governs it. It makes sure that there are not too many (or too few) craftsmen, controls their quality and skill. A worker starts as an apprentice, becomes a journeyman after a few years, and once he passes the necessary exams and gains experience, he can become a master and set up his own trade. There are fees (often high) to pay to the guild. On the other hand, the guild defends the interests of the guild members (most often before the nobility).
Monopolies and permits
If an activity is not regulated by a guild (for example, it is new or nobody practises it), it must first be authorized. The applicant must pay for a patent (charter) to be allowed to carry it out, but in return is protected by a monopoly (no one else in the area has the right to compete with him, so that the trade is not weakened).
Trade
Towns are centres of trade, where the inhabitants of surrounding villages, farms and fields flock to the markets to buy and sell their goods (in villages there are not as many opportunities for trade, and the prices offered are unfavourable).
Taxes are paid on trade, mostly per business (a regular payment of a set amount; nobody keeps accounts). The permit to trade is often tied to a guild or a patent.
Law and Customs
Since few people can read and write, the laws are kept simple so that anyone can learn them. Law and relations with the nobility are more complicated.
Customary law is also important - many laws are unspoken and unwritten, but everyone follows them - these are customs. These can be more rigid and more closely followed than royal decrees. These are, for example, the rights of priests, marriage, the respect of subjects for nobles or priests, the observance of various ceremonies (solstice celebrations, the birth of a royal heir, etc.).
Respect
Inhabitants of medieval worlds tend to be respectful: to parents and relatives, to elders, to superiors, to the nobility, to priests. They are taught this from a young age and lead their children to it as well. It is common to greet others; an insult is almost unthinkable.
Honour
For people who know each other, honour is as important as food or air. A person who loses their honour has no place among the others and is excluded from their society. In a foreign environment they will not be easily accepted, and alone outside they will not survive.
Money
Although money may seem very important, it cannot buy everything - honour, title, fame and respect are not for sale. Most inhabitants make their living from their fields, and money is only a supplementary means of exchange for them.
This does not mean that nobody wants money - quite the contrary - but certain things are not for sale.
Caste System
(Life in Olmion)How the inhabitants live
The Peasant Tathal
Tathal has lived on the estate of the venerable Arkza since birth. He works a small field, which he cultivates with his family, and tends a small herd of goats. He usually hands over half of the harvest, which is enough for the family to live on, and he still saves for a dowry for his two daughters.
If it is a bad year or the noble Arkza decides to go to war (and only Nefelktrah herself knows why and with whom), hard times come. Three years ago Tathal's family had to pay the lord for the war, and his mother and father died of hunger and exhaustion so that the rest of the family could survive.
But this year looks like a good year - perhaps his wife will save up for cloth for new clothes, and they will be able to give one goat as an offering to Nefelktrah to look kindly upon them and grant them another year without war, locusts, plague, famine, and drought.
Arkza the Noble
The mighty lord Arkza owns a vast estate, entrusted to his family by the gods. Since his family has owned the land since the beginning, he has more honor and nobility than his neighbours (which gives him good reason to make war on them). He has several thousand subjects, three hundred warriors, vast fields, and several herds of cows.
His wealth is immeasurable from the point of view of a peasant or burgher. Arkza may have everything he can think of, but he has little time left for pleasure. He constantly has to plan, negotiate with other nobles and make deals to keep his power and not be swallowed up by someone stronger. In the web of intrigues and schemes he is helped by his spies and the Master of Shadows, the chief spy who directs them.
Since he has a vast estate and most of his attention is taken up by diplomacy and intrigue, he has his Steward, who manages the estate's economy.
He has his own army to defend the estate, for no noble can rely solely on the favour of the gods and the kindness of his neighbours. The army is led by a war commander, but in the event of war Arkza himself takes command.
In addition to taking care of his territory (and possibly expanding it), Arkza must pay levies to the Temple, pay taxes to the king and have an army at his disposal should a war with another country break out, which fortunately has not happened in the last few years.
Gadbo the Warrior
Gadbo has served Lord Arkza since his birth. His father is still in service, and his son (once he is born) will also be a warrior.
Gadbo does not have to worry about a household or a farm, as he has everything provided. He lives in a house built for soldiers and eats in the communal dining hall; his cleaning is done by a slave woman whose name he doesn't even know.
He has to train hard or ride on patrols around the estate, chasing robbers and escaped slaves, which he does not enjoy much, as it brings him no honour. So far he has only been in one battle, short and bloody, from which he has an honourable scar across his whole right cheek and the recognition of the other warriors.
The service is hard and demanding, but Gadbo would not dream of complaining or wanting to trade his position with someone else. He is, after all, a warrior with honor and not a whining peasant.
Zereba the Slave
Zereba is a slave on the estate of the noble Arkza. The steward assigned her to master Gadbo as a reward for his successes in some battle (Nefelktrah knows for what and where). Gadbo is a good master; unlike the steward, he doesn't beat her, which is very strange, nor does he take her to bed. This troubles Zereba, as she considers herself pretty and would like to serve her master better.
In the shrine, she prays for her master, that Nefelktrah may not take him and she may not have to return to the other slave women and be beaten. At night, she dreams that in her next life she will rise higher and be the wife of a peasant or even of a merchant from the city.
Hagh the Priest
Hagh is in charge of the spiritual side of Lord Arkza's estate. This honour was bestowed upon him for his service in bringing up the lord in his youth, and the Temple, at the lord's intercession, has promoted him.
Hagh has three acolytes, one of whom will raise Arkza's son in the future. He must lead worship and ensure the fervent faith of all on the estate.
Not long ago, the superior priestess of the Temple came to inspect him. She found no serious problems except one, and that one now worries him. No great sacrifice has been made for a long time. Everyone accepted his sermons, but nobody volunteered. That can be called a lack of faith. He will have to choose himself; perhaps the pretty slave, Zereba, would be a worthy sacrifice for his mistress Nefelktrah, Ruler of Darkness, Protector of Olmion.
The Structure of Olmion
Castes
The population of the land is strictly divided into castes. Each caste has its own rights and duties; members of a higher caste expect respect from a lower caste and obedience to their orders. Members of different castes may not intermarry, and it is unthinkable for anyone to pass from one caste to another.
The King and His House
The king stands highest of all and is the supreme ruler (despot). His relatives are also members of the highest caste; they mostly live in a huge palace in the capital (there are about 10,000 of them in total) and hold the highest offices. The king is crowned by the high priest of Nefelktrah, always, according to tradition, as the eldest son of the old king (if he has no son, there are exact rules for the choice according to tradition - but it is always a man of royal blood).
The king can do anything. His word is an order. He has unlimited power; at his command anyone, regardless of rank, can end up on the scaffold. But he cannot change anyone's fate (i.e. move them to a different caste).
He lives in utter luxury; his wealth is immeasurable. His relatives enjoy life, plot against each other, hoard wealth, try to persuade the king to entrust them with a lucrative province, and pursue many other activities. Their status and power derive from how closely related they are to the king, and also from their honour and wealth.
Priests
The second caste, also very influential, is the priests. They mostly serve Nefelktrah, but the Olmionese do not forget their history, and all the cults of the Mighty have representation among them (though much smaller than the Temple of Nefelktrah). Their duty and right is to care for the spiritual side of life; they also take care of education and culture.
The paths of the priests are not very clear. They have their own hierarchy and a mission that few understand. They are held in high esteem by all the inhabitants and to attack a priest is unthinkable to them.
The High Priest (High Priestess) of Nefelktrah stands highest, and their ranks descend all the way to novices. According to their position in the hierarchy, they have power in secular society (a low-ranking priest cannot command a noble). No one (except the king) can arrest a priest or judge him (this duty falls to his superior).
Inside the Temple, there are complex intrigues and power struggles, with many priests trying to work their way up and higher priests trying to maintain power.
This is true of the Order of Nefelktrah; the other orders have relatively few members, and although they are also respected and revered, they do not dare to oppose it too much and cannot compete with the most powerful order.
Slightly different caste rules apply to priests. Since they are few in number, they need more adepts. A high priest can choose anyone and bring them into the order. That person then becomes a priest and cannot be a member of any other caste from that point on.
Priests decide on the manner of worship and can also order human sacrifices.
Nobility
The third very powerful caste is the nobility. These are high-ranking inhabitants who rule the provinces as sovereign lords. In their territory they have unlimited authority and must obey only the orders of the king or the clergy. They too hoard wealth, seek to strengthen their influence, weaken rivals, gain allies and avoid being killed by the assassins of other nobles.
A noble's status depends on his honour. Honour depends on the age of the family, victories in battles, wealth and many other things. The honour of a family can be greatly increased by the voluntary sacrifice of one of its members on the altar of Nefelktrah.
A noble has his own army on his estate and is responsible for protecting his territory. One noble can attack another (unless the king forbids it). This gives rise to complex alliances, pacts and intrigues. A noble can marry off his offspring to members of another family and thus strengthen his alliances.
A noble can never become king or marry into the royal family. Younger sons and daughters can, however, be called into service and become priests, but then they are struck from the family registers and lose all ties to their relatives. Their relatives help them and hold offices on their estate. If the (second or third) son of a noble manages to win territory, he may found a new family and become a sovereign lord.
Vassalage
A noble may pledge vassalage to another noble if, for example, he seeks protection, does not have enough money, or has been defeated. However, he cannot be a vassal of the king.
Vassalage is a win-win situation - the lord does not have to worry so much about a large estate, the vassal gets protection.
Warriors
The warrior caste is also highly respected and revered. Warriors pledge themselves to a noble, and the best of them may be called into service at the royal court. A warrior is bound by his word, and until his lord releases him, he must serve him even at the cost of his life. Betraying one's lord is almost unthinkable (only as an intrigue, where a warrior may feign loyalty while being an agent of another noble). Traitors and cowards are hunted down and executed without mercy, or sacrificed in the temple.
If a warrior's lord is killed, the warrior may choose whether to enter the service of the victor. He may also choose another lord, but in doing so he loses much honour and few will hire him.
A warrior can also be without a master and thus without income. He may then be hired by a townsman (merchant), which is very disgraceful for him.
Townsmen
The burghers are their own masters, but must of course show due respect to the higher castes. They must pay taxes to the king and to the administrator of the city in which they live, and also dues to the Temple.
Most of the townspeople are not well off. Because of the high taxes, they can barely make a living. Their activities are governed by the guilds, which determine who may produce and sell what, and for how much. The guilds are subject to the noble who administers the town, and few dare to defy him.
Wealthier townspeople in need of protection can pay for the services of foreign warriors, most often dwarves. The wealthiest even hire members of the warrior caste (that is, those without honour).
This caste also includes clerks and administrators.
Peasants
Peasants stand very low on the social ladder. They are better off than slaves, but they still have relatively few freedoms and many duties. Their caste does not have the right to move, so they must serve the lord in whose territory they were born, or the lord can "sell" them to another noble. Even peasants can own slaves.
Although most profits and production come from the villages (fields, meadows and pastures, or mines and forges), villagers do not have an easy life. It also depends on their lord how much he fleeces them and how much he leaves them (they have no one to stand up for them). Their lord can even sell them (although officially it is called "relocation"), but he cannot order them what to do - a farmer remains a farmer; he cannot be sent to the quarry.
Foreigners
Foreigners and new residents (if they move to Olmion) stand apart, forming a separate caste. Their status is carefully monitored, according to the jobs they hold, but it is unthinkable that they could marry someone from another caste (except for slaves). They can never hold a position higher than that of the bourgeois caste.
Slaves
Slaves can be found almost everywhere in Olmion. They do the worst jobs, which even the villagers don't want to do. Their lives are worthless, they have no hope of change and are mostly resigned to their fate. They are the lowest-ranking inhabitants of the land and have no rights. In fact, they are little more than animals. Slavery in the country is hereditary; no slave can be freed (i.e. move to another caste). It is generally believed that if a slave voluntarily undergoes sacrifice in the Temple, he will be better off in his next life.
Although they may try to escape, they rarely dare - for there is a high reward for an escaped slave. At best, the runaway ends up on an altar in the Temple or is cruelly tortured.
Land
The actual structure of Olmion does not differ that much from Kiredon, though there is one difference - the land is owned directly by the noble (and of course also by the king or the temple), not leased to him. So he pays no rent and does not raise an army; instead, he must defend himself and get along with his neighbours as best he can (although there are certain rules). He must, however, pay taxes, which are assessed by the royal officials. So they are not bound by a vow of vassalage, but by tradition.
Life of the People
Village life
In Olmion, as elsewhere, villagers stick together, know each other and are bound together by kinship. Little stays secret in a village; a stranger is always the target of speculation, gossip or slander.
Villagers tend to be very close-knit, unless they become enemies for some reason (disputes over land, livestock or other things).
They are uneducated (they don't have time to learn to read and write), but hardworking (a lazy person would probably starve to death), honest (they won't tolerate liars and cheats among themselves) and they certainly have their own wishes, desires and dreams.
Life in the City
There are many towns in Olmion with large populations. The townspeople here try to make a living mostly by crafts or trade (the caste system does not allow them to become villagers or warriors). Part of the trade belongs to the nobility and the royal family (they have a monopoly); the rest is largely controlled by the guilds (which are again subject to the local noble). Ordinary people are left with only small shops and trades, which makes it hard for them to make a living.
Crime in the City
Cities are full of violence, robbers and bandits, so visiting the poorer districts is a risky business and the guards have their hands full.
If a criminal is caught, he will most likely face the gallows or the scaffold (there are always plenty of these around cities). However, that never deters most outcasts from their nefarious trade anyway.
The Thieves' Guild
The abundance of poor and impoverished people plays into the hands of the underworld. In every city, there is a more powerful organization that reaches into the ranks of the nobility (many nobles sell their honour and turn a blind eye in exchange for a fat paycheck).
There is a thriving trade in stolen goods, release passes are sold to captured criminals, merchants are kidnapped for ransom, there is trade with enemy countries, and any illegal goods can be obtained.
Magic
Practitioners of magic do not have their own caste, nor anywhere to learn spells, which is largely due to the priests. Spellcasting is generally not allowed, and if someone wants to practise it (has the talent), they are considered a craftsman (mages cannot come from any caste other than the burghers).
Law and Customs
Castes
The Basic Law divides people into castes, teaching them humility before the upper caste and the gods. Members of the upper caste must be shown due respect. Subordinates must obey their superiors and do whatever the higher caste orders them to do.
Priests are revered above all, they have their own laws and rules.
Honor, Honor and Honor
For most of the population, honor is everything. In particular, the nobleman and warrior is judged by honour, the townsman less so, and the slave has no honour.
Money
According to law and custom, money is not the mainstay of Olmion society, but its power applies here as well.
Clan Structure
(A village of highlanders somewhere in the mountains)How the inhabitants live
Hrot
Hrot is no different from the rest of his fellow tribesmen. His strong, muscular body is scarred from the countless clashes and skirmishes he has lived through in his long life. Every morning he rises at dawn, goes to milk the cows, and then sets out with the others to hunt or scout the surroundings.
When it is his turn, he stays on watch all night and then has time off until lunch to recover his strength.
He doesn't care much about what has been, and of the future he is interested only in the outcome of the hunt or this year's harvest.
Shaman Frik
Frik's job is to protect the tribe from evil forces. He must perform a series of rituals to drive out the evil spirits and forces of Evil that circle around the village and in the souls of the inhabitants. He also teaches the children wisdom and the preservation of stories.
Frik is the only one who doesn't have to work in order to focus on his mission. However, his soul must be pure, and so he is the only one who cannot partake in wild drinking and feasting, instead he has his Pipe of Contemplation and Herbs of Vision.
In his last vision, he had the feeling that an unknown evil was approaching the village. He therefore warned the chief, who had the village closed off. All travellers who come here are now seized and interrogated by the shaman.
Chief Ogun
Ogun leads the entire tribe. He is the chief because he is the strongest and smartest of all its members. He single-handedly slew a giant troll that was devouring sheep belonging to the village and had even eaten two shepherds.
His main tasks include making alliances, judging disputes, representing the tribe in the clan council and leading the tribe in battle. However, he cannot decide on an attack alone, as all the warriors vote on it at his call. Nor is he in charge of choosing a new hunting ground; his wife is.
Ogun will remain chief until someone else is found who is bold, clever and strong enough to perform a sufficiently significant deed and can then challenge him.
Structure
The village of Upper Plain has just over 200 inhabitants, highlanders who know no lords. The head of the village is Chief Ogun, one of the oldest and most revered inhabitants. Together with him, the Council of Elders decides about the village. Its members are experienced warriors whose youthful strength has been replaced by the wisdom of long years.
Each of the elders is also the head of his family, so the village has a total of eight families (including the chief)."
Men
Everyone is equal to everyone else, but the stronger and braver warriors are more revered and the others are more likely to heed their opinion.
Men seek out women from families they are not closely related to or kidnap them from other tribes (this earns them the admiration and respect of their own tribe).
Women
Women are indispensable to the preservation of the clan, so they do not stray too far from the village (although they can fight bravely). They carry out most of the household chores: preparing food, grinding grain or making weapons.
In public, the women obey the men, but at home they rule and the men must obey them.
Children
Children learn from a young age how to survive in the wilderness, how to fight, and all the necessary chores without which the village could not manage.
Shaman
Every tribe has its shaman (or even several shamans) who knows how to make sacrifices to the gods and can face the dark forces. Shamans also know many stories and tribal wisdom, which they pass on to adults and children alike.
Tribe
The inhabitants of the Upper Plains belong to the Hruga tribe. Members of the tribe are related, and individual families sometimes move to another clan. The entire tribe is presided over by the High Chief, the most experienced of all the clan chiefs. The High Chief is elected by a council of shamans. The tribe has 14 clans altogether, about 2,000 heads in total. The High Chief resolves disputes between clans over territory, families moving between clans and minor skirmishes, and above all commands the tribe in times of danger. Although the individual clans quarrel, in times of danger they close ranks and fight as one man.
In the vicinity of the Hruga territory live a clan of hostile dargs, several families of wild giants and three other tribes - the Dauto, the Ftan and the Ugurs.
The Hruga are waging a blood feud with the Ftan tribe whose beginnings they barely remember, but since there have already been many dead on both sides, an end to the fighting is nowhere in sight.