The Kafervolk Caravan (CAF-er-volk keh-ruh-van)

Overview

The Kafervolk are traders,explorers, wanderers, and alchemists. Years ago, they embraced the road and the bounty it brings. They travel and live in the shadow of the Jatziri, a swarm of deadly, giant bugs like army ants that emerged after the Sundering. Their caravan follows the jatziri’s yearly migration and lives off of their bounty, trading with Settlevolk along the way to gain what they can’t from the bugs. Their way of life shackles them to the swarm; they cannot stop, they cannot slow, and getting left behind in the wrong place means certain death. The caravan itself is made up of caravels, wheeled vessels that look like boats complete with masts and sails. The caravels creep across the wilds at a slow pace, propelled by ritually-summoned winds.   The jatziri protect the Kafervolk from the other monsters in the dark, but only so long as they can fool them. The Kafervolk use alchemy to hide their presence from the colony. With the right mixture, a person can alter their scent so that they appear to be a jatziri, allowing them to lure the flow of the swarm away from permanent settlements. To outsiders, they are easy going and gregarious by necessity. The Kafervolk live in constant danger of becoming bug food; their harsh reality forges strong family bonds and fosters respect for the traditions that have helped them survive in a world full of new horrors.  

Culture

Outlook

The sky tore open, and the essence of another world spilled into ours. It rained down as ashes, and where it landed it mingled with the essence from our world. The mother world to which we were born and the father world who rained down upon us both perished in this act of new creation. So too did the old ways die. We were once many tribes who thought the land was ours to own. We lived in stone homes and ignored the call of the road. When the Sundering came, the destruction washed over the land like a wave. We believe The Golden Road offered us this new way of life. Our life, The Path, on the road.   The birth of the new world brought about the birth of the caravan. The many tribes became the many clusters. Many people became one people, we became Kafervolk. We left our old ways to the road behind and keep our eyes now trained to the horizon.   Those who refused to leave or who could not keep up died. We honor them and the lesson they died to teach us.

Mother Mele of the Chimalli cluster, explorers and gatherers.

  For the Kafervolk, survival is at the forefront of every mind. They live on the razor's edge of life and death and take every opportunity to celebrate life to its fullest. The Kafervolk work hard in the warmer months, scavenging what they can from the wilderness, working aboard their caravels, and guiding and gathering from the jatziri. They made their way in the world trading with the settled peoples, or Settlevolk, to gather the supplies needed to survive the winter when their insectoid hosts hibernate.   The caravan is made up of several hundred caravels subdivided into clusters with specific purposes. Garden cluster caravels are built to grow plants, while trade cluster caravels are built to collect materials for trade and distribute imports throughout the caravan. The caravels from clusters of explorers and gatherers have ways to deploy carts for scavenging the wilds. During the day, those who don’t work on a caravel directly walk alongside it or go off on short range expeditions to trade or explore. Each cluster takes pride in their ability to contribute to the whole.   To the Kafervolk, everyone on their caravel is family. Only women with children may own property or govern, as family secrets are passed through the maternal lineage and are intrinsically tied to the lifeblood of the caravan, its people. Each land-ship takes the name of its owner and leader, its Mother. When she dies or steps down, it is passed to the daughter of her choosing, usually the one with the most marriages or children. Given the dangers of the road and the nearly fixed number of caravels, most folks take to polyandry.   The need to stay on the move is integrated into almost every aspect of life. Weight matters: a heavy caravel is a slow one, and a slow caravel gets left behind. Taken to the absolute extreme, the Kafervolk don’t carry books. Instead, the people have a rich oral tradition, passing down knowledge through story and hands on learning. They even try to time pregnancy and birth to the swarm’s migration because infants can be a burden. People are valued according to their ability to keep up with the caravan, carry their weight, and remain useful to others, but this does not mean that all injuries or disabilities lead directly to death or abandonment. It is understood that folks can overcome, and when they do they deserve all the more respect for it.   The caravan only stops in winter, but it travels slowly enough to allow trade groups to leave, spend a night among Settlevolk, and catch up on foot. It is commonplace for the elderly or injured to retire to a settlement, or for the young to take a cycle to learn about the greater world and catch up with the caravan when it returns.  

Look and Feel

The population is largely humanoid, though all are welcome–so long as they can keep up.   The Kafervolk trade for most of their clothing, resulting in a hodge-podge of mismatched cultures and styles. The clothing they do make is typically armor or hats made from the jatziri’s iridescent chitinous plates. You can always tell a member of the Kafervolk tribe from the ball they wear prominently displayed on their person. The thurible is a small container made of metal (sometimes wood, chitin, or leather) which holds a special alchemical mixture. While its smell is undetectable to people, the jatziri can sense the vapors it gives off, marking the wearer as a member of the swarm. The mixture only lasts a few days and must be replenished regularly for safety. The thurible is often decorated to denote the cluster the wearer was born into. The caravan is made up of sail-driven wagons called caravels. Each one was originally a sailing ship found during the early chaos just after the Sundering. Outfitted with 4-10 rune fortified wheels, they can carry everything the Kafervolk need. In the early days, the Kafervolk mastered a form of ritual air magic to help propel the caravels. This ritual is still used today. They place ritualists aboard each vessel to knit the winds together and keep the caravels moving, sending a steady, directed breeze into the sails. The reach of the ritual is limited, but its effects are great: the mass of caravels are pushed along together. They move collectively and can’t function alone without great effort, meaning they can never safely leave the caravan.   Caravels are both prized possession and family heirloom.They have been lovingly and meticulously maintained in the many years since The Path began, so much so that most caravels have none of their original timbers.  

Religion

The Path

  The Kafervolk elders attribute their way of life, called The Path, to The Golden Road. From a distance, the jatziri colony resembles a living road and wandering is their way of life. Although worship of The Golden Road is prevalent, it is not exclusive, and religious practices of the places they go and the people they meet have worked their way into daily life.   The Kafervolk are mostly pragmatic people. While it's undeniable that the deities exist and are worshiped, the swarm drives their decisions more than the gods do.  

Holidays and Traditions

The Night of Blood Peace

 

In the midst of the coldest months we gather together to remember the casting of The Blood King’s Peace and the chance at new life it gave us. We tell stories from the year before and cast our written wishes for the year ahead into the bonfire so that their ashes may carry change into the world.

Mother Mele

On this night, Kafervolk meet around a campfire, tell stories of the past year, and write down wishes for the next year before burning them in the fire.  

The First Steps

The jatziri rise slowly as winter comes to a close. We gather to tell stories of how The Path came to be. We thank The Golden Road and prepare for another year of constant travel.

Sister Nenetl

As the jatziri awaken, the Kafervolk gather to share tales from their history, especially Sundering tales and accounts of the founding of The Path.  

Hayot

Translates literally as ‘Life’. This is a small celebration for an individual and those around them when they find themselves reminded of their own fragility and mortality. The Kafervolk remember to appreciate life while they still have it. Typically this takes the form of a toast and results in the formulation of a story to be retold. Oftentimes the people involved will cherish the experience as an inside joke, and nicknames may be earned in relation to the circumstances involved.

Archivist Chell

  The Kafervolk lead dangerous, deadly lives. Hayot is celebrated in the moments after they come close to death. It is a moment to reflect on how fragile life is and to celebrate that they’re still living it. After moments that should have killed them, the Kafervolk gather to bond with other survivors. They toast to life with a loud “HAYOT” to remind the universe that they’re still there.  

Traditions

Example Naming convention

Erandi Sister Nenetl Sugey

• Erandi is the current name of her cluster, taken from its leader.
• Sister is her title.
• Sugey is her Mother’s name.
Not her birth mother, but the Mother or owner and leader of her caravel.

 

Funeral rites

When someone dies on the road, their body is placed in a funeral sled with tokens to honor fond memories of them. The sled is then dragged behind the caravel by a rope while family and loved ones deliver a eulogy. In the end, the rope is ceremonially severed and the burden is left behind for the road. The body feeds the land and the cycle continues.  

Courtship and Marriage

The first days of winter are always abuzz with young Kafervolk looking to court potential partners. This is the time when it is easiest to meet with others outside of one’s own cluster. Additionally, getting pregnant around the time of The First Steps almost guarantees a winter birth, giving the infant time to grow and not become a burden on The Path.   Every married Kafervolk Mother carries a charm necklace or bracelet with a charm representing each of their partners. Partners wear the charm the mother chose to represent themselves; whether it's displayed on a necklace, bracelet, belt, or something else is a personal choice.  

“Leave it behind for the road”

A common turn of phrase and practice. Used to refer to both physical and mental burdens, it's a reminder that they shouldn’t waste energy carrying burdens they don’t have to.  

Superstitions and Taboos

The greatest taboo in Kafervolk society is to become a burden. Their superstitions and many of their laws stem from this idea.  

• Mistiming (being a mistimer). Mistimers fail to plan their lives in accordance with The Path. All things must be planned around The Path so as not to disrupt the cycle of the jatziri or the Kafervolk’s connection to it. Acting too early or acting too late brings bad luck that could get you or those around you killed. This includes planning pregnancy, marriage, retirement, moving from one caravel to another, and even things as small as bathroom or snack breaks.
• Bug Bothering (being a bug botherer). Anything that can agitate the swarm and turn its horrible violence upon the Kafervolk. This idea extends to bothering volk in the midst of their work. Distracting someone can lead to mistakes, and mistakes can lead to death for you and those around you.
• Grit on the axel. Skipping out on work or not putting enough effort into it. Not pulling your own weight. It's seen as being a burden and trying to hide it.
• Neither Touch nor Speak to a Skolvolk. The members of the Skolvolk cluster should be avoided entirely. Their lot in life is the result of their own actions and the Kafervolk do not wish to risk angering the jatziri with the presence of a Skolvolk or their lingering scent.
• Walking the line. When traveling long distances by foot it is bad luck to walk outside of the customary formation of a single file line.
• Being unshod. It's bad luck to be anywhere other than a caravel without shoes on.
• Numbers without a bottom. It’s bad luck to have any number that ends in 0. It is better to have 9 than 10, to sell for 4.99 than 5.00.

 

Geography

The Winterlands

  The Kafervolk call no land their own. Each year they walk The Path, returning each winter to the dens where the jatziri hibernate. In a rocky clearing mostly surrounded by dense woods with only one clear way in or out, the Kafervolk watch over the many tunnel entrances of the sleeping creatures’ dens.   Winter is a hard time for the caravan. While the jatziri are in their underground tunnels the Kafervolk are vulnerable, and attacks by predators in the snow are commonplace. This is the only time the caravan stops moving and the only chance they have to make repairs for the following year’s journey. Isolated and without the jatziri, they rely on supplies gathered up over the last year’s travels and push the caravels close together to keep them defensible and warm.  

Clusters

The caravan currently has some 30 clusters, but that number is not fixed. Caravan members are always free to move between caravels that will have them, including caravels outside their own cluster. A few example clusters are listed below.  

The Chimalli Cluster

Explorers and gatherers, their caravels have several ways to dock and deploy small hand carts and wagons. Members of this cluster often explore old world ruins unearthed by the jatziri and gather relics for trade. Otherwise, they spend their time foraging. Their thuribles are made from large, intricately carved tree nut shells.  

The Sugey Cluster

A garden cluster, these caravels have elaborate rigging which is used to support vine crops and other plants. This minimizes the amount of heavy soil they need and allows gardeners to tuck herbs and other medicinals at their roots, making the caravels look like wandering shrubs. Decaying logs are lashed to their sides to expand the harvest into various species of mushrooms, all of which supply precious food to the caravan. Their thuribles have a tiny vessel or vial of soil attached to symbolize the weight they carry for the good of the caravan.  

The Xochitl Cluster

An alchemy cluster, its caravels have canvas roofs with many chimneys and vents above the deck to house and protect the equipment they carry from the elements. Unlike most other clusters, much of the work to be done is inside the caravel. Strange colors and smells often follow in their wake. Their thuribles are all metal to prevent damage during the course of their work.  

The Skolvolk Cluster

Known for hawking mysterious wares and macabre pieces, this cluster follows behind the caravan at a safe distance. Superstitions and vicious rumors keep these people at the back, away from the rest of the caravan.   The members of this cluster are rotten, grotesque former shells of themselves. Flesh rots off their bones, revealing their aging skeletons to the elements. When other members of the caravan are asked about them, most recoil in visible disgust, often hissing a warning to stay away at all costs, repeating the rumors of a horrible ritual that the Skolvolk took part in.   Where the caravan goes, the Skolvolk are not far behind. While they are incredibly vulnerable at the back of the caravan, the vicious monsters the caravan encounters on their travels don't pay them any heed–almost as if they won't remove them from their suffering. The Skolvolk typically do not accompany the rest of the trading members of the caravan into settlements. Their thuribles look as discreet as possible, made out of simple wooden structures draped in black cloth.  

Government and Laws

The Kafervolk live under a matriarchal confederacy. The government is structured as follows:

• Grandmother - The elected leader of the entire caravan. Voted into their position by the leaders of each cluster
• Auntie - The elected leader of a cluster. She is the Mother of a caravel within the cluster voted into their position by the other Mothers of the cluster.
• Mother - The owner and leader of a caravel passed down to them by their mother. A position held only by an actual mother to many.
• Sister - A mother who is not a Mother. A candidate for a position in the hierarchy.

  Every caravel is owned and run by its Mother, her partners, and their children. The Mothers vote for the cluster’s Auntie, and the Aunties in turn gather to vote for the Grandmother of the caravan. An Auntie has the right to impose whatever rules she wishes on her cluster, and a Mother has the right to impose additional rules upon her caravel. Conflicts between clusters are brought to the Grandmother for judgment. Anyone can appeal laws or rules to the next authority figure higher up on the chain.   Most leaders follow tradition when it comes to punishment. If your Mother finds you have malice in your heart, you will be left behind. Whether you feed the swarm or get dropped off at a settlement depends on timing and the nature of your crime against the collective.  

Agriculture and Industry

The jatziri, so named by the people who follow them, are a species of army ant of enormous size. Workers are about the size of a Human, but only a third the weight. Soldiers either have oversized heads and mandibles or a hollow, horn-like projection which is used to shoot chemical weaponry. The jatziri do not build permanent nests like their smaller cousins, instead opting to move almost incessantly. In essence, the entire nest is constantly on the hunt for food, collecting and consuming everything in its path.   The Kafervolk have learned to harness the jatziri’s chemical communication system, fooling the ants into thinking they are part of the colony. The jatziri share food with the people in the caravan by regurgitating a sticky, sugary, protein-rich fluid from their mouths. From this fluid, craftsmen can make fine jelly and wine. Eggs–-and to a limited extent pupa–are also collected from the colony. Plates of chitin, a lightweight but highly durable material, are harvested and then crafted into useful items like hats, bowls, or armor. Their food supply is supplemented by garden caravels, specialized land boats that grow things like beans, mushrooms, and medicinal plants.   The Kafervolk’s greatest achievement is their knowledge of compounding alchemicals, as potions and tinctures are integral to their survival.  

History

Pre-Sundering

Before the sundering, the Kafervolk had a different name which has long since been left on the road behind them. They know they used to live like the Settlevolk in homes made of stone, but the knowledge of exactly who or where they were has been lost.  

Post-Sundering

The Time of Chaos

0AF-23AF. The Kafervolk are made up of many once-disparate tribes that were chased from their homes and grouped together by the tidal wave of destruction that was the Sundering. They wandered the land of Aldwa chased by the many horrors birthed by the event, refugees in a land that was once theirs. For the first few decades, the people tried many times to settle in one place and rebuild their lives only to be forced to flee once again.  

The Founding of The Path

23AF. There are many stories of this time and they all vary wildly. Some clusters spread the tale of a great hero of The Golden Road who led them to a settlement that was once a grand harbor. The sundering tore the ground and stole the sea, grounding all of its ships– ships that went on to become caravels.   It was then that, in the distance, people witnessed the living road that was the jatziri: a physical embodiment of The Golden Road. They watched in awe as it carved a path into the world, a path that they would learn to follow after much trial and error.  

The Return of the Settlevolk

62AF. The jatziri led the caravan to a great door in the side of a mountain thrumming with runic majesty. The people knocked, but there was no answer. It was only later as they sailed away that the door opened, and the people of Pelolia emerged for the first time in decades.   A group of explorers looped back to meet these Settlevolk. A new connection in the trade network was made that day, adding a new stop to the cycle of the road.  

Grandmother Zitembe is Elected

The current Grandmother of the caravan was elected ten years ago. Kafervolk Grandmother Zitembe Cimber was the Auntie of a prominent gathering and exploration cluster. She watched as many of her people went out into the world, never to return. Over the years she built up a repertoire of tales she used to teach her cluster how to survive on their missions into ruins and the wilderness. While she ran things, the death rate dropped as the success rate rose, and her cluster was able to keep the trade clusters stocked with valuable relics.   A level headed leader that always puts the safety of her people first, she was a natural choice for Grandmother. Now she brings her survival knowledge to the whole of the caravan.