The Wenino
The coastal area north of the mountains is
inhabited by cavemen, ‘The Wenino’. These cavemen live in extended family
groups ranging in size from 10 to 120 people. They inhabit caves and caverns,
either along the coast or further back into the mountains. They are a short
stocky and hirsute people, who tend to wear a full beard and shoulder length
unbound hair. They dress in animal skins and have a language that allows them to
communicate most matters, but does not deal well with abstract concepts and
values well.
Larger groups of Wenino are served by shaman of Varen a nature god and the
Wenino follow a life style based on those things that nature provides, they do
not cultivate crops but hunt, trap and gather whatever they can find. All
members of the family, female as well as male, are involved in these activities
although more men are hunters and more women are gatherers. Children are
introduced to these activities as soon as their mothers are able to return to
normal activities.
Many small groups, and all medium or large groups, will have at least one member
that speaks the common tongue to facilitate trade with the occasional merchant
or adventuring group travelling from Porter’s Bar. The largest groups will
have more than one common speaker, who all speak with a strong guttural accent.
Coastal Wenino have a diet, which includes seaweed’s, birds’ eggs, fish and
shellfish, and they tend to have pearls and shell jewellery to trade. Mountain
dwelling Wenino generally live on small game and whatever they can forage in the
local area, they have animal skins and carved wooden jewellery to trade.
Although the main source of trade for both groups is the wood so desperately
needed by Porter’s Bar, although there are religious implications associated
with that. High ranking Wenino generally have metal tools and weapons, gained
through trade, while most others are equipped with stone, bone or wooden weapons
and tools and are seen as a symbol of rank
Leaders of small groups of Wenino are known as ‘Sub-Chiefs’ and most are
associated to the ‘Chief’ of a medium sized group. Most Chiefs are
associated to the local ‘High-Chief’, who is generally the leader of the
largest band in the area. The Wenino are semi-nomadic, smaller groups regularly
moving in and out of the caverns of the larger groups. It is not unusual for
small group to spend 3 months or so living, and integrated, with their local
medium size. For part of that time the medium sized group could be living in the
cavern of their High-Chief. The small family group might then move back to a
small cave for a few months.
The Wenino value physical skills over cerebral abilities, and this coupled with
their naturally powerful bodies mean they have better than average human hit
points and armour class. Perhaps because they live in such an unsettled area,
all Wenino are skilled with at least one weapon.
Some people noting their low sloping forehead and lower than average
intelligence, have postulated that the Wenino are actually proto-human rather
than fully human.
Coastal Wenino
Weapon Skills Available
Javelin
Harpoon
Club
Dagger
Sling
Fishermen use Javelins 70% of the time Harpoons 10%, gathers are likely to have
40% Daggers and 40% slings. Others will be armed with clubs
Non Weapon Skills Available
G
Blind Fighting
G
Boating (canoe)
G Set
Snares (lobster pots etc)
G
Alertness
G Boat
Building (Canoes only at Int-1)
G Danger
sense
G Fire
Building
G
Fishing (javelin or harpoon)
G Hiding
(humanoids book, restricted to coastal regions)
G
Language [various]
G
Leather Working
G Shell
Carving (make shell jewellery at dex–2) based on gem cutting
G Stone
Napping (make weapons and tools from flint - Dex-2
G
Survival (coastal)
G
Swimming
G
Weather Sense
G Wood
Working
P
Healing
P
Herbalism
P
Local History
P
Musical Interment (drum)
Mountain Wenino
Weapon Skills Available
Spear
Club
Battle Axe
Dagger
Sling
Hunters use Spears 50% of the time Slings 30%, gathers are likely to have 40%
Daggers and 40% slings. Others will be armed with clubs. Chieftains will often
have Battle Axes.
Non Weapon Skills Available
G
Blind Fighting
G
Hunting
G Set
Snares (small game)
G
Alertness
G Danger
sense
G Fire
Building
G Hiding
(humanoids book, restricted to hilly or mountainous regions)
G
Language [various]
G
Leather Working
G Stone
Napping
G
Survival (Hill/Mountains)
G
Weather Sense
G Wood
Working
P
Healing
P
Herbalism
P
Local History
P
Musical Interment (drum)
The Wenino People
Normal People
Hit Points
(2d8)
Armour Class
8
Move 12”
Strength
10+d6
Constitution
10+d6 [Wenino
do not receive hit point bonuses]
Dexterity
8+2d4
Wisdom 2+2d4
Intelligence
2+2d4
Charisma 3d6
[-6 to non Wenino]
Comeliness 3d6
[-6 to non Wenino]
Perception 3d6
THACO 19
Weapon Skills
d2
Non weapon Skills Survival [appropriate area] +2 other
appropriate skills [use fighter and general groups]
Sub Chief
Hit Points
(3d8)
Armour Class
7 [shield or
piece of armour]
THACO 18
Weapon Skills
2 [specialised
in 1 weapon more likely to have metal weapons]
Non weapon Skills Survival
[appropriate area] +3 other appropriate skills
Chief
Hit Points
(4d8)
Armour Class
6 [shield
and/or pieces of armour]
THACO 18
Weapon Skills
2 [specialised
in 1 weapon more likely to have metal weapons]
Non weapon Skills Survival [appropriate area] +3 other
appropriate skills
High Chief
Hit Points
(5d8)
Armour Class
5 [shield
and/or pieces of armour]
THACO 17
Weapon Skills
3 [specialised
in 1 weapon will have metal weapons]
Non weapon Skills Survival [appropriate area] +4 other
appropriate skills
Varen
Varen is a lesser god, who if he appears takes the form of a bulbous 15’ clay
human with 3 heads and armed with a club. He has a neutral outlook on life, but
with Chaotic Good overtones. He encourages the Wenino to give outsiders the
benefit of the doubt (most of the time) but to be wary. The Wenino are expected
to live from the fruits of the land, cultivation is seen as a desecration and
should be avoided, they are required to live in harmony with their surroundings.
Taking whole plants (including trees) is ok - so long as they are taken singly
and the immediate locality given a chance to recover before another plant is
taken out. EG single trees are OK - logging operations are not.
Most ceremonies are carried out in the open to the accompaniment of the drums,
sacrifices are weekly and consist of the best the tribe has gathered dedicated
to Varen and then used as a feast for all the tribe. Rare and important
ceremonies are carried out in deep, dark caves and involve the use of
mind-expanding drugs. Only shaman attends these ceremonies.
Shamans, both male and female, are often in a senior advisor position within a
particular group.
Varen allows his shaman normal clerical spell levels with access to spells from
the spheres of All, Animal, Plant and Weather. All Shaman are expected to be
proficient with the club. Many Shaman are skilled in playing the drum.
The local drum is deep and narrow and generally covered by an animal skin
important to the individual shaman.
Junior Shaman
as Normal Wenino
& 1st level Clerical spell abilities]
use priest and general groups for non weapon skills
Shaman
as Normal Wenino
& 2nd level clerical spell abilities
use priest and general groups for non weapon skills
High Shaman
as Sub Chief
& 3rd level Clerical spell abilities
use priest and general groups for non weapon skills