Melhed/Foederati

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Overview

Life in the north is not an easy thing, indeed 'brutality' is the one word that best described such an existence. Savage wilds, hideous monsters, and bitter cold all make life unforgiving. A citizen of the Republic is tempered in the sweltering summer heat, quenched in the biting winter chill and bloodied in the battles against the inhuman creatures, and that is in the modern day of relative peace. As one moves back through the Ages, to the time when the first colonists set foot on the wild lands, you find that life was even more savage. Every step had to be won, every breath snatched from death's icy grasp. Those first colonists grimly accepted the hardships of life in the north as their farms and families were shattered by the inhuman creatures. Having settled the lands of Beluaterra without guidance or unity, the first colonists were unable to mount a successful defence and were nearly wiped out. However the survivors refused to surrender and the fires of suffering forged the few into hardy bands of nomads who could melt into the wild lands better than the inhuman creatures who stalked them. By the time the second wave of colonists arrived in the north, with kings and armies, the scattered people had become something more, something alien.

The Foederati had been subtly warped and changed by generations of consuming the flesh of animalistic monsters and drinking from springs changed with strange powers. The grim people had struggled with uncontrollable changes to their bodies, with men and women twisting into an unnatural blend of animal and human in cruel mimicry of their monstrous nemeses. Only the revelation of the Old Gods allowed the tribes to master their transformations, called Grafts, by limiting their powers to a single totem animal. Selected at birth, the totem animal mark the Foederati as different than other people by permanently replacing a single feature of their body with that of the animal. Thus some have the ears of beasts, others teeth, wings or fur to name but a few possibilities. The Foederati so marked were also able to activate other Grafts whenever they wished, changing themselves fluidly to adapt to any situation. The combination of human guile and Graft born adaptability allowed the Foederati to survive and prosper in the harsh lands. Their loyal communities move between hunting grounds, pool talents both Graft and not, to make a life for themselves when all others perished.

When the fledgling human nations were founded, the Foederati were initially shunned for their strangeness, and yet they are the most successful explorers and slayer of beasts in the north proving time and again to be invaluable to the people of the Republic. The people of the north knew they could not turn aside aid, no matter how strange and thus the tribes were accepted into the Republic but apart from the flow of normal society. The nomadic communities were free to live as they wished while standing bounties called some brave adventurers to employ their talents to the benefit of others. For their part the people of the Republic do not fear the Foederati, but only the truly open call them friend. <br


Members

Membership into the Foederati requires only one thing, the presence of a totem Graft.


Strata Philosophy

Foederati hold a few beliefs close to their heart, and guard them fiercely.

Resolve

The Foederati have stood alone against the horrors of the north and survived. They have lived despite all odds and even endured the transition from normal humanity to mastery of their strange powers. They are a people who never surrender, never bow their head and never admit defeat. They have accomplish the impossible before and will again.

Adapt

To have anything you must be able to protect it. To want anything you must be able to gain it. Those who cannot adapt fail and die, those who can prosper and live. The Foederati always focus on learning new ways to tackle problems easier, faster, better than the old and spend a great deal of time honing their skills in whatever they do.

Control

In the dangerous lands of the north it is easy for the unaware to die. For the Foederati the key to survival is complete mastery of the world, which only comes by mastery of themselves. Manifesting as a grim reserved nature and hyper awareness of their surroundings the Foederati often seem out of place in rambunctious or cultured gatherings of the other Strata.


Common Personal Beliefs

The Foederati have little patience for elaborate, ritualistic practices As the leisurely and skilled members of the Republic, the Patricians often invent new rituals even as they recover ancient practises. Studying the history of their inspiring ancestors is one of the things they enjoy doing.

Choosing the Totem

When one of the Foederati are born the exact nature of their corruption is ambiguous. If left unchecked it will warp and twist the resulting child into something truly inhuman. Thankfully a totem can be imprinted by contact between the child and an animal, a matter the parents often prepare in advance. Once imprinted there is no going back, but to delay invites disaster.

Grafts

After being bound to their totem, the Foederati gains minor shape shifting abilities called Grafts. Grafts are individual features of the totem animal replacing the nearest human equivalent.
All Foederati possess one obvious permanent Graft which they can temporarily repress, only for a short time and with great effort. It is also possible to momentarily access a second, third or more Grafts but each is more taxing than the last.
This merging of animal and human does more to isolate the Foederati than anything else, and for good reason. They are certainly something more than human but less than monster.

Coming of Age

A boy is not considered a man till he hunts down one of the monster's that belong to their own band and slays the beast alone. A girl isn't sent on quite such a deadly mission since they are rarer but are still expected to brave the elements in tests of endurance and skill, and then best the boys in fights who pass their own tests. The results of such contests are often repeated and a source of much amusement for the Tribes.

The Assembly

The gatherings of the Tribal Foederati, called the Assembly by the other Strata, are rare events. The tribes have no interest in political dominion, or using vigorous debate to demonstrate their excellence, they only gather together to tackle problems too large for any one group. Thus the chaotic meetings tend to focus on finding the solution as quickly as possible to whatever problem dragged everyone together. Explained in more detail under Structure of the Republic


Common Professions

The Foederati pride themselves on their adaptability and creativity and thus rarely specialize in a single profession like the other strata. All Foedereti tend to display a wide range of skills and abilities, making them capable of surviving in harsh environments. That said the natural talents granted by the Grafts do lend some people to certain crafts, for example, those with spider totems make excellent weavers for example.

  • An Adventurer makes a living exploring and killing for others.
  • A Chief calls the shots like a mini king.
  • A Crafter makes whatever the tribe requires to survive.
  • A Hunter the bulk of the tribe, skilled at tracking and fighting since most things you can eat can also fight back.
  • A Shaman speaks with the spirits on behalf of the Tribe.



Stereotypes of the Strata

  • Senate: Old men who turn their backs on what they are chasing the Sun.
  • Patricians: Soft fools, but rich.
  • Equites: Pretend all you want, you have nothing but shadows.
  • Plebeians: You work the land and value your fellows, I can respect you, if you can take it.
  • Foederati: We are the Children of the Wolf, no matter what any say.
  • Foreigners: Bait.