Tribal Confederation of Kaom (Kah-Oh-Me)

West off the coast of Nakolota is an archipelago consisting of five islands. the archipelago, called Kaom, is surrounded by reefs, which makes maritime navigation impossible with larger ships.
A long time ago, a Maoqui tribe traveled here by canoe, fleeing the plains and barren landscape of Nakolota and reclaiming these islands, rich in life, as their own. Thus the Kaomi were born. A Maoqui tribe that, unlike its now distant cousins, did not fear the unknown of the sea, but on the contrary, showed admiration and fascination.
They threw themselves into the waves, trying to reach what for their brothers was unattainable, sailing through the troubled sea in their fragile canoes, skirting the dangerous reefs, reaching the mythical islands of the archipelago and taming its dangers, colonizing the islands.
The kaomi are a confederation of tribes with a culture distinct from their distant brothers from the mainland, but with some similarities. like the Maoqui, these are extremely superstitious and have a short pantheon, based on a strong set of beliefs.
The tribes of Kaom believe that everything in the world descends from common bonds, something they call whakapapa. Tangaroa is venerated as the personification of the oceans and the origin of all marine species. Tãne-mahuta is the personification of the forest and origin of all birds. Rongo is the personification of peace, agriculture, and the origin of flora. Tumatauenga is the personification of war, hunting and fishing. And Tãwhirimãtea is the personification of the sky, storms and winds.
Beyond the pantheon, religion of these is based on the belief in concepts such as tapu and mana. Tapu can be interpreted as "sacred", "spiritual restriction" or "implied prohibition" and involves rules and prohibitions. Basically, it is the moral code of this people. Mana is the essence or spiritual power that dwells in all beings. The priests of this religion are seen as beings with great mana, thanks to which they can do their divine spells.
Their society does not bury their dead. instead, rach family, normally not many per tribe, has a totem pole made of wood, nephrite and reinforced whalebone, which serves as the totem of this family. These are built by blocks, each block having enough space to hold a container. Each block is synonymous with a person. This is worked on by this person's children after her passing and fitted into the obelisk. The blocks usually have motives related to the life of the deceased.
Their dead are burned and their ashes placed in a carved wooden box, and later kept within the block space. As a general rule, the totem is created from bottom to top, with the founders of the family at the base of the obelisk. As a result of this, there are obelisks of impressive sizes.
Being tribal, the people of Kaom do not have an advanced society. Their economy is mainly subsistence, prevailing fishing activities as the main livelihood and each tribe having a small group of horticulturists. Their warriors are often used as mercenaries in distant wars, and those who return to their homeland come with fantastic stories to tell, fascinating the locals and inspiring the younger generations. Many of those who return healthy from these quarrels on the continent end up gaining notoriety among their own, becoming prominent roles in their society.
The architecture of the Kaom archipelago tribes is quite rudimentary. People live in houses made of branches, intertwined with lianas, using whale bones as foundations to support the houses. In addition, each family can have various houses with enough space between the next family to guarantee space for everyone. The totem poles are usually at the entrance of the family space, showing the family history and lineage to any guests.
Kaomi society is governed by a mixture between gerontocracy and meritocracy, but above all patriarchal. Their leaders tend to be men sucessful in combat, but equally with plenty of life experience.
Militarily, kaomi infantry are extremely violent and effective, using terror and guerrilla tactics to gain an advantage against their opponents. Their reputation turns out to be more famous than the warriors themselves.
To aid in their infamy, they've been known to be cannibals, using weapons made from bones and other retrograde means. They don't actually eat other humans, at least the vast majority do not, and the rumor serves more to intimidate and discourage foreign excursions into their territory. This rumour serves as another way of intimidating foes.
To complement this arsenal of terror tactics, their warriors fill parts of their bodies with tribal tattoos upon reaching adulthood, using rather primitive, and painful, methods that scar the skin. These tattoos vary from place to place depending on the island, for example, kaomi from the Kauna Island cover the face of tattoos, while Maona's cover her waist, legs and ass.
A typical kaomi warrior uses an array of different weapons. These are mainly made of whale bone, using a secret method in their creation that stiffens the material being almost as tough as metal, later coating them with shark teeth. Their leaders also tend to use a traditional weapon known as a "Mere". This is created from a mineral found on the islands called nephrite.
A Kaomi likes to wear simple robes. In the archipelago it is usually very hot and as a result the tribals use very little clothing, just enough to hide their private parts. On special occasions, such as parties or ceremonies, the people adorn themselves with exaggerated wooden masks, which cover much more than their heads, and bright colored robes.
A typical kaomi native usually has between 1.50m to 1.90m and dark hair and skin.

Main Hub

Hahalua Island

The island of Hahalua is the closest to the mainland, thus it's the one getting more international attention. Several boats usually stop near the island, bringing a dingy to their shoreline to trade with the locals, who tend to tolerate more foreigners than the other islands.
The islanders of Hahalua worship mainly Rongo, and several reinfoced wooden shrines of the god can be seen throught the island, usually accompanied by several acolytes and devotees.
Most of the island's folk live near the shore, with the core being reserved for nature.

Kaomi Traits

Kaomi Ethnic Proficiencies

Characters with this trait are proficient with Mere Club, Taiaha, Terbutje, Great Terbutje and Wahaika.

Tattoed Sea Cannibals

+1 to Intimidate and Swim Skill checks. This bonus increases by 1 every 5 levels.

Aquatic Combatant as bonus feat.

Infamous Mercenaries

+1 to Attack rolls with melee and thrown weapons. This bonus increases by 1 every 5 levels.

Characters with this trait cause +1d4 damage on critical hits.

Famous Tenacity

Characters with this trait begin play with Toughness, Endurance and Diehard as bonus feats at level 1.

Tribal Weapon Masters

+1 to Damage Rolls with Mere club, Terbutje, Great Terbutje, Taiaha and wahaika. this bonus increases by 1 every 5 levels.

Characters with this trait using Mere Clubs have a crit of 19-20/ x3.

Medium Armor Restrictions

Characters with this trait can't use Medium or Heavy Armor, with the exception of Hide Armor.

Oral Traditions

Characters with this trait begin play unable to read or write and must spend 2 skill points to be able to do so.

Tribe of...

choose one:

• Ururoa - White Shark Tribe : +1 to Fortitude saves; Wildshapers in Shark form get +1 to damage rolls and +1 to Natural Armor; These bonuses increase by 1 every 5 levels; Shark animal companions have the advanced template; Improved Initiative as bonus feat.
• Tohora - Baleen Whale Tribe : +1 to Diplomacy checks; Wildshapers in Whale form get +1 to Natural Armor and +1 hitpoint per level; These bonuses increase by 1 every 5 levels; Whale animal companions have the advanced template. Deep Breath as Bonus feat.
• Wheke - Octopus Tribe : +1 to Will saves; +1 to Grapple combat maneuver checks. Wildshapers in Octopus form get +1 to Attack Rolls and Dodge AC; These bonuses increase by 1 every 5 levels; Octopus animal companion have the advanced template; Weapon Finesse as Bonus Feat.
• Hahalua - Manta Ray Tribe : +1 to Appraise skill checks; +1 to Bull Rush combat maneuver checks; Wildshapers in Manta Ray form get +1 to Reflex saves and +1 to damage rolls; These bonuses increase by 1 every 5 levels; Manta Ray animal companions get the advanced template;
• Raksasa - Lizard Tribe : +1 to stealth skill checks; +1 to craft (alchemy) to brew poisons; 1 to fortitude saves to resist poisons; Wildshapers in Komodo form get +1 to their Natural AC and poison's DC; These bonuses increase by 1 every 5 levels; Komodo Dragon animal companions get the advanced template;

Type

Political, Confederation