Adventures in Arcadayn
Desert Men (Kelduzi)
By Tim Emrick

Ruler & Capital: (No central government; one chieftain per tribe. Chieftains are Status 5.)

Symbol/Arms: (totem animal of tribe).

Culture Level: Nomad.

Currency: The Desert Men usually barter among themselves. Those who trade regularly with the Krithian Empire will often accept coins, but prefer goods.

Divisions: 8 tribes: Antelope (Kel-Kasahadin), Camel (Kel-Jama), Cat (Kel-Mubik), Eagle (Kel-Muzad), Horse (Kel-Dakaran), Jackal (Kel-Hustan), Lark (Kel-Heshik), Mantis (Kel-Kaghad).

Government Type: varies, usually Autocracy (tribal chieftain) and/or Theocracy (tribe's Duz).

Languages: Desert Tongue ("Malduzi," M/A, one dialect per tribe, default to each other at -2), Krithian (near empire, M/A), Kaggen Sign Language (mantis-men, M/A, -2 skill for humans), Lizard Man (Highmarch and Landrings, M/H, desert and mountain dialects default to each other at -2).

Population: About 60,000 (plus up to 4,000 living outside any tribe).

Racial Stock: Desert Men are brown-skinned race of medium height and lean build (-1" average height, -10 lbs. average weight), with dark (brown or black) hair and eyes. A few will have a strain of Krithian blood, which may give lighter skin, occasionally light brown hair (though rarely blond) and sometimes gray eyes.

Geography: The Sandmarch (Kelwasha) is a great desert which begins 60-80 miles south of the Westmarch coast of the Great Sea, and continues southward to the Landrings. At its broadest, it is about 300 miles east to west, and 120 miles north to south. This vast desert is divided into two principal parts: the Highmarch plateau extends from the Landrings into the center of the desert, while the Lowmarch dunes surround it on three sides. Oases exist in both parts of the desert, and form the centers of seasonal settlements by the nomad tribes. Several trade routes cross the desert; the greatest of these is the "Safemarch" (Tanwasa) which links the southern tribes.

Climate: Desert. (Hill or mountain areas may be warm with dry winters instead.)

Agriculture & Resources: Crops: In fertile oases areas, some wheat, barley, grapes, onions, peas. Animals: camels (bactrian), goats, horses (cavalry, racing), sheep. Gems (mostly in Highmarch, near mountains): azurite, malachite, obsidian, turquoise. Kuva is a popular luxury.

Trees are rare and held sacred in the desert. Felling a tree vis considered blasphemy, and punished by public flogging. Wood can be legally obtained from dead trees, or through importation. Planting a tree is considered pleasing to the gods, and is sometimes done to commemorate good fortune (birth, marriage, new rank, etc.).

Religions: All Desert Men follow the ways of Tanduzi, each tribe having its own cult.

Military: The Desert Men do not keep standing armies, but most adult men are trained for battle. (However, warbands occasionally gather for intertribal warfare or for raids on Krithian settlements.) The majority of Desert Men troops are Light Cavalry (LC), freqently including mounted archers. Elite troops are Medium Cavalry (MC). Unmounted warriors are usually Light or Irregular Infantry (LI, II).

Nonhumans: Sentient nonhumans in the desert include the Kaggen (mantis-men) of western Lowmarch [not available as PCs], the lizard-men of Highmarch and the werehorses of Horse Tribe. The neighboring regions hold more races: Dog-Men in the Karyan Steppes and another lizard-man subspecies in the Landrings.

Desert Men Cultural Skills: Tribal weapon skills include: Bow or Sling (one, by tribe), Broadsword (scimitar) or Shortsword (one, by tribe), Buckler or Shield (one, by tribe), Knife, Spear [not Lance], Whip. Other cultural skills include (* are required): Animal Handling*, Camouflage, Dancing, Musical Instrument (lute, sitar, nakers, spiked fiddle, rebec), Poetry, Riding (camel or horse)*, Stealth, Survival (desert)*, Tracking. Desert Men without some minimal skill in a music, dance, or storytelling are considered to be less than civilized. Armor is always very light, if worn at all; metal armor is very rare, and never heavier than chainmail.

The tribes prefer "desert" colors (brown, yellow, white) for everyday clothing, reserving bright colors for special festivals. (They avoid black, the color of assassins.) Most tribes favor modest clothing, with the standard allowing only the face, forearms and legs below the calf to show. Most women are expected to wear veils in the company of strangers.

The ideal Desert Man has the Arabian Code of Honor (p. AN53). The Dervish and Desert Nomad character types (pp. AN44-45) are stereotypical tribesmen types. Desert Men outside the Sandmarch have Social Stigma: minority [-10] in Krith, outsider/barbarian [-15] elsewhere.

Other Special Groups:

The Alasaz are a brotherhood of assassins who are often employed as bodyguards by important (and wealthy) tribesmen--i.e., some of the chieftains and more influential Duz. They are easily recognised by their all-black clothing and wavy-bladed knives. They seem to be based mainly in Highmarch, with a rumored stronghold hidden in the deep desert. The Alasaz are believed to have a unique combat style called Tan-Alasazi (similar to Hashishin, p. MA82).

Duz (desert sorcerors) are described in "Tanduzi".

Houris are specialists in dancing, storytelling and the seductive arts. They must have Attractive or better appearance, and the following skills: Bard, Bardic Lore, Dancing, Savoir-Faire, Sex Appeal, Singing and at least one Musical Instrument. Besides additional artistic and social skills, suggested skills include Acrobatics, Astrology, Fortune Telling, Languages, Theology (Tanduzi) and several thief/spy skills. They rarely have skill with large weapons; Knife and Holdout are far more useful. Many houris are the daughters of other houri slaves.

History: The Desert Men are probably descended from dark-skinned Tordel men from the south who migrated to the Yangar River valley before the southern Anidel men united under the Krithian crown. As Anidel men explored westward, the two races blended. Of the two races, the Krithians increased in numbers more quickly, and eventually the hybrid group was forced into the steppes and desert, where they became the Desert Men.

The Desert Men and the Krithian Empire have disputed the lands of Westmarch for the entire history of that duchy, following a cycle of bloody war alternating with uneasy peace. Some tribes (notably the Antelope) have tried to avoid conflict as much as possible, instead seeking peaceful trade with Krith, but other tribes (notably the Horse) are ever ready to strike out. The many long-standing inter-tribal conflicts are probably the best security Westmarch has against the nomads.

Names: See "Some Desert Tongue (Malduzi) Words." Desert Men personal names are pseudo-Arabic, and consist of a given name, a patronymic, and occasionally a placename or title. "Son of" is ib-, "daughter of" is lin-, and "from (a place)" is al-. Duz use the form duz-a-, followed by the tribe's root name.

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