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| Pagocynocephali |
Giovanni
dal Piano dei Carpini, the Pope’s emissary who travelled to the Mongol Empire
from 1245 to 1247, wrote a report of his journey which can be found online for
free (e.g. on Play Books). He not only told what he witnessed himself, but also
what he had been told. Among weird things, Piano dei Carpini mentions several
times strange creatures or people who he never met by himself. These are not
described in Wind on the Steppe, but a GM could use them if he wanted to bring
more fantasy to the game. They are mostly more or less humanoid and intelligent
and are dwelling in remote areas like deserts. Piano dei Carpini describes them
only very succinctly, in one or two sentences: I tried to imagine a bit more
about their culture and characteristics. These are of course suggestions.
The Pagocynocephali (or Ice-Dog-Headed-Men)
They are people whose women look like normal human beings but whose men have the head of
a dog. These half-dogs males have a special power: when they spring into a river in
Winter, they turn into a powder which, mixed with the water, turns in turn into
ice with their original shape. Thanks to this hard and solid constitution, they
are very tough and dangerous opponents which the Mongols had to fight once. You may
either allow a 6 pts body armour, or consider that only blows with at least
half of their hp hurt them (they break), or simply double their hp. Otherwise
use the stats of humans, with a bite attack and a smell skill like dogs.
Pagocynocephali are hunter-gatherers, with embryonic agriculture and stock breeding. They prefer to live
near to their ancestor-river where their dead are dissolved for a last time,
never getting back their form but becoming part of the river instead. Their
human intelligence combined with their doggy senses makes them unsurpassed
hunters and excellent scouts, almost never surprised. Their empathy to dogs
allows them to sneak into the Nomads camps without making the watch dogs
barking. They are envied and feared for this and, as a consequence, hated and
despised by humans. However, PCs who manage to go beyond their prejudices may
discover a rude but peaceful nature. If humans can gain their confidence, they
will be eager to trade furs, skins, amber or fish eggs against manufactured
items, silk or weapons and so on. If only they could cease this unpleasant
habit to smell the bottom of theirs visitors…
Their shamans
are mostly black with allegiances to Animism and Ancestors. They have a dog
spirit or a river spirit as ancestor, or both. They have the power of
adaptation [cold water]. When turned into ice, they can float and swim.
Pagocynocephali mate only with normal human females, giving birth only to males, which explains
why all their women are human: they must however be captured, which is after
all the traditional way in the Steppes, or sometimes traded for. Pagocynocephali grant however a strong respect to their women and developed a matriarchal social
order, which could explain why the women seem not all to be willing to go back
to their former human mates.
Piano
Carpini may have mixed up these creatures with the Kyrgyz, which, among other
versions, are said either to descend from dogs or from a piece of water, lake
or river.
Scenario
hints (which can be combined):
- The Ice-Dog-Headed-Men are seeking new women, but this has to be found out by the party which task is
to rescue the clan’s women and girls who strangely disappeared.
-
A
woman has been abducted by the scarying Ice-Dog-Headed-Men a few years ago. The party
is in charge of avenging the humiliated clan and rescuing the unfortunate woman
from these monsters, which could not be achieved before for some reasons left
to the GM (may be simply the Ice-Dog-Headed-Men –or the clan- left the country but are
now back). But the former young girl has now several husbands and children whom
she doesn’t want to leave, being quite happy with her new life.
-
Women
and girls are missing. Evidence of dog presence can be found (excrements, hairs
among human footprint…). Everything designs the Ice-Dog-Headed-Men as the
perpetrators. Actually, the women have been captured by another clan, tribe or
nation to be sold as slaves: the abductors are trying to lure pursuers with
false hints.
-
Same
as above, but instead only one young woman took flight with her lover for any
reason.
- Guides and
scouts are needed for an expedition in Siberia, and the Khan heard about the
Ice-Dog-Headed-Men: the Bek or the Khan puts the party in charge of finding them and
proposing to hire them as mercenaries.
- The Qaghan wants to subdue the Ice-Dog-Headed-Men as Tengrii orders and sends scouts to
find and spy them and make a report.
- Pagocynocephali can simply be an encounter during any travel through a remote country.
Other
strange humanoids:
The
Stiff-Limb-Men
In a desert
south of the Kara-Khitai Empire (may be the Kara-Korum?) live semi-bestial
human beings with no knees, so that they need help to stand up when they fall.
They don’t speak but only growl. Assume an intelligence of 2D6 and a movement
4. I guess they are as developed as early hominids.
The Cynotaurs
Near the Arctic
Ocean, close to the country of the Samoyeds, live humans with the head of a dog
and oxen hoofs instead of feet. They talk a little but most of the time yap. Culture:
similar to Inuits, with professions like hunter (adapt the Siberian hunter to
the tundra), shaman-ess, Fisher, dog breeder. Skills : Bite and
Smell as a dog and Kick 1D6 + db. They can call dog spirits and yack spirits as
ancestors and are able to communicate with dogs. They are basically Tengriists
and know a lot of local nature spirits.
The
Single-Limbs
In a desert close to Armenia dwell humans with a single arm
issuing from the belly and a single leg, so that they need to be two persons to
shoot with the bow.
