Pagaelin Barbarians
Dishonorable, brutal, treacherous, underhanded and cowardly, these are the Pagaelin’s finest qualities.
The Pagaelin have described them as Human Orcs, and the Orcs treat them as fellows.
They use poison and every dirty or creative trick to win in a conflict, and if defeat is imminent, they without hesitation run away, happily sacrificing their wounded.
However, the much-feared Raunir, drug-fueled Berserkers who paint their faces to look like skulls are immune to pain and are dangerous foes.
The Pagaelin are unpredictable and strongly addicted to drugs, which are supplied by their priests, the mysterious Augurs.
The nation has around 120 tribes that vary from 60 to 240 members. They are nomadic, moving among historic tribal camps after they have exhausted local resources.
Structure
A tribe's leadership is despotic, based on domination, intimidation, bluff, bribery, and power. Combat, subterfuge, poison, and murder decide who will be the Chief, and he remains in power only as long as he can fend off or outsmart rivals. The chief will decide the tribe's movement, the composition of war parties, and the division of spoils. Even though he has absolute power, if he cannot keep his warriors happy, they will quickly kill him.
Under him are the strong and experienced warriors, then the weaker or younger warriors. These train the young warriors when they reach fighting or hunting age.
Below them are male children, then women and the elderly, who raise the children, and finally the slaves.
The Pagaelin have no concept of marriage, the most dominant claim the best women, and they have no regard for parentage or the concept of the family. No tribesmen can name their father.
They treat their elders brutally and often rob and kill them, or worse, sell them as food for a nearby Orc tribe.
Public Agenda
The Pagaelin appear no more than a simple tribal society at home hunting, raiding, and looting.
History
The Pagaelin were originally a hard and brutal fishing people from the northwestern shores of Lythia who migrated to Harn around 50 TR. Over the centuries, they established their tribal ranges, raiding and trading with the nearby Kingdoms of Kaldor and Chybisa.
Around 50 years ago, the mysterious Augurs, Priests of the Cult of Walker on the Heath arrived and quickly intimidated the tribes into submission. They supply the tribes with drugs and poisons.
Territories
The tribes range from the western Setha Heath to the Kingdom Chybisa, north to the upper and lower Osel River, and the north to Tontury Lake.
Their tribal ranges overlap territory claimed by both Kaldor and Chybisa.
Military
Around one-third of a given tribe are warriors, with around one in ten of these being Raunir.
Warriors are typically equipped with spears, clubs, javelins, short bows, throwing knives, and daggers. They wear leather or hide armor, and some have small shields. Many warriors make use of Orc made weaponry such as the Mang, Mankar, and Gudjag Mang.
Elite warriors, leaders, and the Raunir wield occasionally looted swords and always have better armor.
Chieftains have the best weaponry, usually a good quality sword or axe and at least chain or ring mail armor.
All Pagaelin warriors are equipped with poison, sometimes very potent, and most have herbal drug potions, which boost their aggression, strength, and reflexes.
Tactically the Pagaelin favor ambush and night attacks. They usually prefer to stay at range as long as possible, pelleting the foes with poison weaponry, then closing in to kill with melee weapons once their opponents have been weakened.
Technological Level
The Pagaelin have little agriculture, occasionally growing some grains but are mostly a hunter-gatherer and raiding society.
They have no metal crafting and rely on stealing, looting, or trading with Orcs for metal items.
Many of the older women make themselves valuable by having good herbalists and natural healing skills.
Woodcraft is good and coastal tribes have good small boat building skills.
Religion
Traditionally the Pagaelin have worshiped Saraen, which appears to be a primitive version of the Ivinian God Sarajin. However, this religion began to fade, with only around a quarter, mostly coastal tribes still faithful.
Over 50 years ago, a powerful new religion arrived, the much more dangerous Walker on the Heath Cult, whose priests are the mysterious Augurs. The walker is a terrible spectral herald of death and bringer of nightmares. The mysterious Augurs supply the tribes with intoxicants, drugs, and poisons. Most tribe members are now addicted and follow the decrees of the Augurs without question.
At every new moon, the Augurs hold feasts at their Lodges, and all nearby tribes attend. These include the sacrifice of animals and sometimes slaves. They gorge on drugged food and ale, with the event being mostly peaceful, and the only deaths are usually due to an overdose of drugs, which the Augurs claim is the will of the walker. These feasts serve the dual purposes of placing the tribes more under control of the Augurs and allow some degree of inter-tribal coordination.
During the feasts, the Augurs may allow some of the strongest warriors to take the Akan-shri, an ordeal said to allow the participant to be admitted to the Walker's presence on the Heath. This involves imbibing a potent alchemical or herbal mix called Akana-sor and spending a night in a Raun or Pagaelin sweat lodge. If the Pagaelin survives, as many don’t, they describe strange visions and sometimes see the mysterious Walker. The survivors are Raunir (“one who touches The Walker’s Cloak”) and are treated with much respect. The Raunir seem untouched by pain and fear, but their personality has changed. They are more violent and unpredictable. They are first into combat and are especially savage. Raunir are never allowed to be chieftains.
Blackfang
As dreaded and revered as the Augurs are, there is one entity that instills even more fear. Pagaelin has a legend of the great Dragon of Setha Heath, known in their language as Svart Tann or the dreaded Blackfang. So it is said when the Blackfang wakes from his decades-long sleep periods, he wakes hungry and angry.
Foreign Relations
Kingdom of Evael - The tribes avoid the Elves thinking them Wood Demons.
Kingdom of Chybisa - Over the last few decades, the tribes have avoided antagonizing the Chybisians and have remained relatively peaceful apart from a few unfortunate incidences of drug-crazed raids.
Kingdom of Kaldor - Seen as the enemy and tribes raid periodically.
Chelni Barbarians - The dangerous Cheni are avoided, they are too mobile and hard to ambush.
Kath Barbarians - Pagaelin find the Kath Warrior women terrifying and avoid unless they have superiority in numbers.
Bujoc Barbarians - Good source of slaves and plunder, but very evasive. Pagaelin attack whenever practical.
Pagaelin Raunir Warrior
Pagaelin trade in anything, coins, food, weapons, slaves, and any other goods.
Pagaelin Tribal Range
Other Articles
The Pagaelin - D&D 5E NotesBlackfang
Pagaelin Language
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