THE KLOISARI

Introduction

The Kloisari live in northern Fronela, from Gharkor to the Sweet Sea, overlapping with the territories of the more numerous Uncoling and Rathori peoples. In total, they number about 20,000 individuals, with nearly half of them living in the Tastolar region. They have relatively little contact with civilised outsiders, although they have been known to operate as mercenaries for some of the cities along the Janube. They have a reputation for being grouchy and anti-social, but, as so often with Hsunchen, this is more true of their attitude to outsiders than among their own kind.

Kloisari clans number between 100 and 200 members each, including children. Each is based around a permanently inhabited village, or sett, with a number of hunting lodges scattered around the surrounding territory. These lodges are small, and not permanently inhabited, being used only as temporary bases when hunters travel away from the village. Like the Rathori, the badger-folk sleep through the winter, sheltered in their setts and watched over by guardian spirits. The long sleep is preceded by a huge communal feast, usually in mid Darkseason, although it may be delayed if the weather remains good. The clan wakes up shortly before the Sacred Time.

Both homes and hunting lodges consist of circular holes dug in the earth to a depth of six feet or so, and topped off with wooden beams covered by turf to make a conical roof extending a couple of feet or so above ground at the apex. Such structures seem remarkably cramped to members of most other races. Underground tunnels are also commonly constructed, for use as storerooms for preserved food, sally ports in the event of attack, and as holy places for shamanic communion with earth spirits.

Clans are matriarchal, and ruled by a council of older women lead by the most powerful shaman. There is also a warchief, who primarily serves to organise and lead hunting parties, but who also takes charge of the menfolk in the event of more widespread conflict. Like most hsunchen, the Kloisari are hunter-gatherers, living off a wide range of local wildlife and edible fruit and wild plants.

Marriage is both monogamous and exogamous, with the prospective husband expected to prove his worth at some length before being accepted by a wife. As a result, Kloisari men tend to marry relatively late in life, with the minimum accepted age being twenty, and many having to wait for some years more than that. Women may be married as soon as they reach adulthood at sixteen, although many wait longer. On the other hand, marriage is not exclusive, with no taboos against adultery, provided that the mother is married (and so can afford to look after any resulting children) and both partners are of marriageable age. Both men and women are trained to fight and use weapons, although only men actually craft weapons.

Shamans are always female, although they carry out many of the tasks normally associated with men such as making tools, building homes etc. While they do not hunt as men do, neither do they engage in foraging with the other women, except to gather potent herbs and fungi for magical preparations and charms.

Appearance

The Kloisari are a Wareran race, with pale skin and dark brown or black hair. They are short and stocky and the men are particularly hirsuite. They are generally described as being ugly by outsiders, but this is perhaps unfair and due more to their surly attitude and their habit of daubing themselves with strong-smelling concoctions of musk or animal urine. Because they engage in manual labour, most shamans are muscular by comparison with other women.

Men wear hooded leather tunics, trews and heavy boots. The leather is a patchwork, being made from the hides of small animals such as rabbits and then sewn together with sinew. The hoods have a forward peak to shade the eyes (the Kloisari seem to prefer dim lighting conditions, perhaps because of their gloomy huts, although they are not genuinely nocturnal) and this is generally decorated with dark pigments to resemble a badger's snout.

Women wear clothing similar to the men, and this is often heavy enough to disguise their figures, so that many outsiders mistake them for the opposite gender, especially since they also carry weapons when outside of their sett. However, the 'perfumes' that they wear are subtly different from those of the men, and the latter have bushy beards which make it easy to distinguish the sexes from up close. Both genders keep their hair thick and long.

BADGERS

Taxidea taxus

Natural habitat: Woodland
Distribution: Fronela, N Ralios, Carmania
Male adult size: 52-72 cm head/body length, 3.5-12 kg

This is the Fronelan badger, the species associated with the Kloisari [1]. A related species, Meles meles, lives in Maniria, S Ralios, Seshnela and Dragon Pass, while many other species are known in the orient. Males are somewhat larger than females. Fur is greyish to reddish, with black and white markings on the face. Badgers mate in early Earthseason, and give birth to up to five cubs (twins being most common) in late Seaseason to early Fireseason. They dwell in burrows, and are essentially solitary animals. They are primarily carnivores, although they will eat fruit and roots occaisionally. Favoured prey are chipmunks, mice and rabbits but almost any small, ground-dwelling animal will do. Badgers also eat carrion and may hide their food in caches for later consumption.

Stats

RQ3

STR	1d6+2	5-6		Move 5
CON	2d6+6	13		HP 8
SIZ	1d3+1	3		Fatigue 19
INT	4	4
POW	3d6	10-11
DEX	3d6	10-11

Bite   SR9   40-8%   1d4

Armour: 1 point hide
Skills: Smell 40-4, Listen 25-4, Hide 40+7, Dig 40+6
Hit locations as a typical quadruped. Sows subtract 1 from STR.

GURPS: (see GURPS Bestiary p7)

[1] - Yes, this is the American badger, not the familiar brock of Europe. This seemed more appropriate to the Fronelan environment, although the difference isn't that great if you want to change it, especially as I have based the Kloisari social structure on the more communal European badger anyway!