Pagocynocephali and Other Strange Creatures of Piano dei Carpini

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):

• Women are disappearing !

-         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.

Sleepy Hollow in the Steppe

Sleeping Tsaatan Girl. Photo Hamid Sardar-Afkhani, all rights reserved

I’ve read in the Siberian Times about the Kazakh village of Kalachi where people are suddenly falling asleep for a few hours or even for days. The village has been since given the nickname of Sleepy Hollow. Scientists keep trying to find the reason of this illness. But we know, of course, that spirits could cause such troubles!

In WotS, you may replace the village with a summer or winter camp, and the explanation of these phenomenon is clear: this is telluric magic. An üör, a demon from the underground like a Jelmoghouz, or more probably an Old-Copper-Woman (or any combination) is walking around causing these troubles. The reason is unknown. It could be simple wickedness, or the creature may be looking for somebody having a sign of recognition on his body (like a tattoo or an old scare) or holding something it wants to get back. Or it may want to scare the clan to have it leave the place for some reason, or collaborate with a nasty shaman of an enemy clan.

Any idea to exploit this scenario seed is welcome.

The picture is from the photograph Hamid Sardar-Afkhami, who made wonderful pictures of Mongolia -among others- and in particular of Reindeer People (Tsaatan).

Por-Bajin, the lost Uighur palace

Por-Bajin, the Por-Bajin Cultural Foundation

Despite their fundamentally nomadic way of life, most of the nomadic empires founded at least a capital city to strengthen the central imperial authority and sustain the necessary administration, as well as small forts to maintain a presence at the edges of the Empire or on strategic routes -and probably also to keep an eye on the turbulent local tribes. So the Uighurs, who assimilated many settled cultural traits from their neighbours, without becoming sinicized like their successors. It is said that they built up to 7 towns during their 100-year empire. But what archeologists excavated in central Siberia in the Tuva country (Russian Federation) in 2007 presents a few oddities and a number of mysteries, which could be exploited for a role playing game.

Extract from the Por-Bajin official site:

“Por-Bajin is an ancient fortress the ruins of which are preserved on an island in the middle of Tere-Khol Lake in a distant, almost not affected by civilization corner of the Republic of [Tuva], not far from the Mongolian border.

Por-Bajin is legally treated as one of the most mysterious archaeological monuments of Russia. Apparently, it was built at the period of the Uighur Khaganate (744-840). But it is not clear what did they build a fortress for in such a solitary place – far from big settlements and trade routes.

It is also unclear whether Por-Bajin was a defensive structure, a Buddhist or Manichaean temple or a summer residence of Khagan. There is even a version that there was an ancient observatory in it. The architecture of the fortress also produces many questions; it reminds a model of an ideal Chinese city-palace.

Finally, it has been unknown for long whether the structure was built on the island or the lake was formed later, around the already built fortress.”

the island (pic. found in 'The Siberian Times')

At the time Por-Bajin had been built, in the last 3rd of the 8th Century, it was located close to the Kyrgyz territory. Several small forts have been built in this region along the border, but Por-Bajin is the only one of this kind. Why and what for they built it in the middle of nowhere is still unknown. The typical Chinese building techniques involved in the construction suggest the employment of Chinese workers and engineers.

The palace has been very little in use. It has no heating systems, which suggests a seasonal occupation in the summer only. As the Empire eventually collapsed and the Uighur were driven away by the local tribes in the 9^th century, the place was abandoned.

The area had to suffer from two earthquakes, during the construction and shortly after the abandonment. GMs may imagine any supernatural or mystic explanation to this.

The Por-Bajin "palace" could be a good place for WotS games, possibly combined with The Celestial Empire:

-        -  PCs convoy Chinese workers sent there to build the palace and to guard the construction site. Or if you usually play with TCE, the PCs are the Chinese themselves, lost in this unknown hostile World.

-        -  The place is the sacred ground of a local Tuvan clan, of a Peri or of Almas living in the nearby mounts (or all together): they  try to prevent its desecration. Shamans summon ancestor spirits, evil üör or local nature spirits to discourage the foreigners to stay, while warriors sneak to abduct or kill workers and Uighur guards and officials. Could be played as Tuvan or Uighur, or even as Kyrgyz helping the Tuvans. Of course, Tuvan PCs have to remain anonymous, since the Uighur are supposed to be their masters. They may even be hired as guards of the site and engage in double dealing.

-       -   Earthquakes: An Alp dedicates himself to the local mountain Ezi spirit and starts a quest to acquire powers (e.g. rock slide) to destroy the palace before it is built. The goal of the quest may even be to have the mountain spirit, or Ätügen herself, shaking the earth. Tuvan PCs will help in the quest. Uighur or Chinese PCs will try to prevent it

-        -  The PCs may go there to prepare the coming of some manichaeist sages for the summer: what will they find in the palace, empty during winter time? Wild beasts, plundering Nomads, a griffin family?

 -      -   PCs escort a manichaeist priest through the clans to convert the local Nomads to Manichaeism, which is a way to strengthen their fidelity to the Qaghan

-        -  Many dangers lurk outside the walls: hostile clans, marauding Kyrgyz, wild animals, strange spirits, may be even demons or fantastic creatures (Pitsen, Shurale, Almas, Gwainu, Peri…). Nobody can go outside or escape without risking for one’s health or life, which may drive someone crazy. Who will dare looking for help, hunting for supply for men or take the horses to the nearby grazing?

-        -  PCs escort supply wagons to the palace: when they come closer to the palace, they notice the dozens of flying vultures and crows above it… Üör decimated the place, PCs have to seek the help of a powerful shaman.

-        -  Around the end of the Uighur Empire, warriors are sent to rescue the last sages and the small garrison holding the place and surrounded by Kyrgyz enemy tribes. They have first to reach the place and then to organize the escape. They may try to seek help among some rare allied Tuvan clans, most of them being probably on the Kyrgyz’ side.

Since the first mentions of this archeological site from westerners date from 1891, it could be used as a nice set for Chtuluh adventures.

Other nice photos (incl. the one illustrating this post) can be found on The Siberian Times web site or on this page of the Por-Bajin.com site.

The Hanging Garden (a new e-zine)

Gianni Vacca, author of The Celestial Empire and prolific contributor to RP Gaming, started an e-zine called The Hanging Garden, “a free electronic zine aimed at providing reading material to the rpg enthusiast.” It presents a selection of material from the innumerable internet sources and difficult to find.

One of the themes of this very first issue is Central Asia, with a small contribution I wrote about the genesis of WotS and a scenario by Gianni, taking place in the Silk Road area and involving Chinese prisoners and Karluk Nomads. This scenario allows to play either party, using The Celestial Empire or Wind on the Steppes (at best both of them!). If you intend to play it as PC, don’t even start reading it.

More info on Gianni’s blog. I may add some comments.

The e-zine is in EPUB format for smart phones or tablets and can be found here. You can of course download suitable software to read it on your computer.