Wednesday, June 21, 2017

The Bear-Folk

Building off of a previous post, this article presents a small community of people who can present trading opportunities along with plot hooks for a nautical or space fantasy campaign.

-Nate


An Ursine Longhouse
The typical home of a bear-folk family is a relatively simple but comfortable structure. It is built from roughly-hewn logs lashed into A-frames; more logs, packed with straw and clay, form the walls of a single rectangular room some twenty feet deep and fifty feet long. In this way, the bottoms of the A-frame logs protrude beyond the outside walls. A roof of thick thatch covers this structure, and the rafters beneath it create additional room for storing household goods. Inside, the building's broad double doors are flanked by two raised platforms on which the family's younger members keep their bedrolls. A similar platform stands in another corner, the sleeping place for the parents. Opposite the doors is a hearth for cooking and warmth, usually with a couple of chairs for sitting in front of it. There is also a table and chairs for meals and other activities. Storage is provided in the form of barrels, chests and baskets.

Typical Ursine Warrior: Use the stats for a werebear from page 181 of the Bestiary 2.

Using the Bear-Folk in an Aetherial Adventures Campaign
This group can provide plenty of plot elements for a space fantasy or more traditional RPG campaign; presented here are a few of the possibilities.
  • At first glance, the bear-folk might seem to be an odd fit for a space fantasy campaign. If there is truth to their legend of being the first starfarers, however, then they might possess some important lost relic or lore.
  • That would especially be the case if the aforementioned enemy, the furmah, ever returned to threaten Homeworld's solar system.
  • In a more mundane way, the bear-folk could also be trading partners for PCs who have their own vessel, exchanging fish, sealskin and even scrimshaw for foodstuffs, metal goods and other items that they can't produce for themselves.
  • The PCs could be called in to help mediate or otherwise resolve the conflict when an orc whale hunting vessel moves into the bear-folk's territory, killing off the very animals that they need to make their living.
  • Clerics or other followers of Luna might journey here to learn about the stories and other traditions of the bear-folk.
  • With the GM's permission, one of the PCs could hail from this tribe of primitive but powerful people—a proposition that entails, of course, all of the expected benefits and drawbacks of lycanthropy.



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