THE
GHOSTLING
BROWNIES |
The Ghostlings are a savage
and very primitive Rat Brownie tribe that makes
their home in the Osthemangar
region of Northern Sarvonia.
Very little is known about these Brownies,
with the only factual study having been done by Rat
Brownie researcher Gratcha Swath over a period of one year, in 1668 a.S.
Gratcha, who herself is a Milken Brownie,
conducted her studies under the most unusual of circumstances. She was captured
alive by the Ghostlings during an expedition to
Osthemangar to find them.
Instead, they found her, killed her research team, and kept Gratcha captive.
She was unable to fit these cannibal
Brownies into the usual Rat Brownie
classifications due to their assortment of physical mutations brought upon them
by the magical effects of the
Mists of Osthemangar. The
Ghostlings are a pale skinned, white haired tribe who govern themselves with
primitive superstitious beliefs. In addition, these
Brownies are born physically blind, with
pale white eyes. This disability does not hinder them at all, as they possess
an uncanny ability to navigate the landscape efficiently. Likely this is due to
the mysterious effects of the
Mists. Ghostlings are not friendly to any race but their own, and behave on
an instinctual level like wild animals. The Ghostlings are hunter-gatherers
with no known means of trade or production. They believe the Mists are the home
of dark spirits to whom they perform sacrificing offerings by drowning victims
in ooze pools. Unfortunately, Gratcha's experience in the
Mists with the Ghostlings
proved terribly bad for her as she suffered permanent madness from the
Mist's malevolent effects.
[1]
Appearance.
Ghostling Brownies are so called because of their pale white appearance and of
their uncanny ability to use the mists to remain unseen and unheard during
their hunts. The name was first coined by Gratcha Swath who wrote that the
Ghostlings are “mystical little wraiths among the mists, shifting through the
air like ghosts”. The Ghostlings’ bodies are covered with a thick fur over
their backs, heads, and partially over their arms and legs. Only their chests,
their legs below the knees and their hands are bare skinned. Due to this furry
coating, the Ghostlings wear very little clothing, save for perhaps a ritual
headdress made of leather or bone worn by the spiritual leader. Underneath this
hair is their skin, which is the same pale color.
According to Gratha Swath, Ghostlings are of typical height for
Brownies. They stand perhaps 14 to 15
nailsbreadths tall,
although when stalking and hunting they walk hunched and crouched down on all
fours, like an uncil cat ready to
pounce. Their fingers are long and thin with each finger sprouting a sharp nail
resembling a claw. Their feet are bare as the Ghostlings wear no boots or other
footwear. The skin on the bottoms of their feet is thick, much like a canine's
paw, and each toenail also ends in a claw-like nail. Their feet and hands grip
the ground's surface and by using their muscular arms and legs, Ghostlings can
rapidly leap and scale stones, trees and other rough surfaces with ease.
The Ghostlings’ horrid little faces are always twisted in a perpetual cruel
sneer. They typically have small, button noses and wide mouths. Gratcha Swath
described a Ghostling smile as a "death grin". When a Ghostling smiles at a
victim, the prey has but a few
blinks to live before
they are torn apart piece by little piece. Their mouths are full of yellowed,
crooked teeth with breath that smells of rotted meat. Gratcha documented that
one of the Ghostlings’ rituals is the sharpening of their four upper and lower
teeth. They take a rough piece of bone and file the teeth to sharpened points.
This provides them the ability to tear flesh with their mouths, in addition to
rending with their clawed hands. Gratcha noted that a pack of Ghostlings
feeding was a truly stomach churning sight.
Each Ghostling is born with pale, white eyes, devoid of any colour. Gratcha at
first assumed that this was a unique trait among the tribe, but she soon
discovered that the Brownies have no use
for their eyes at all. Much like Faded Rat Brownies, the Ghostlings are
entirely blind. The eye orbs are constantly shifting within their skulls as if
searching for a object of focus, giving them an unsettling appearance.
Coat of Arms/Sign.
No known coat of arms exists for these Ghostling Brownies, although Gratcha
reported that the symbol of a triangle with branch-like arms protruding from
the sides can been seen around the caves and hovels of these creatures. Whether
this particular symbol is of Ghostling origin or comes from another past
culture is not entirely known. Gratcha insisted that the Ghostlings are too
primitive to have made such a crude symbol as she could never determine what it
meant to them. Some scholars have come to think that perhaps the symbol is an
ancient religious marking made by the dark elves who once inhabited the
Osthemangar region.
Territory.
Gratcha Swath's expedition was killed by the Ghostlings in the northern reaches
of the Cartashian Woods in the peninsula of Caael’heroth in
Northern Sarvonia. The exact
location of the Ghostlings' habitat is not certain, though, as Gratcha's report
was vague concerning where she was taken after her expedition members were
attacked and killed. The orcen clan of mist
hunters who inhabit the western edge of the Cartashian Woods say that
Ghostlings' home is indeed along the northern borders at the edges of the
Mists. This region reportedly contains a vast number of ruined watchtowers,
aqueducts and caves. The Darkfang Spire is also said to be nearby the
Ghostlings' home. Gratcha made mention of this tower in her research as she
described the structure as "a dark, evil sentinel amidst the fog". The region
is rife with all manner of twisted wildlife making it a suitable home and
hunting ground for the Ghostlings.
People.
The Ghostlings are a savage race. They are bred to survive in some of the most
dangerous regions in all of
Northern Sarvonia. They live on instinct and have a primal nature that
thrives on the hunt. Their debased culture is barbaric and bloodthirsty. It is
no wonder that many of the more intelligent races of Caaehl'heroth know well to
stay away from Ghostling territory. The little beasts seemingly have no
distinction between friends and enemies. They do not negotiate and make no
attempt to be merciful. Gratcha Swath's observations painted a very clear
picture of the Ghostlings, yet many scholars continue to believe that the clan
may yet be open to study.
Hunting is a major way of life for the tribe. Large groups of Ghostlings
regularly dispurse all over the northern borders of the Cartashian Woods in
their hunts. All males are taught to hunt and from an early age, Ghostlings
learn to use their extraordinary agility and strength to climb and leap upon
their prey. In order to survive the
Mists, the Ghostlings learn to
kill most anything that crosses their path. The size of their prey matters
little to these efficient hunters. Gratcha observed large Ghostling hunting
parties slay young spine wyrms, darkmist whelps and
spiders twice their size. Even the
large bat-like creature known as the
“Onktapii” gave little resistance to the Ghostlings’ whirlwind of death.
Probably one of the Ghostlings' most remarkable abilities is that despite being
totally blind, this disability does not hinder them at all in life. Gratcha
perhaps regretted not being able to study this trait more closely, but she did
observe how they coped with their blindness and how the
Mists in fact enable them to
"see". Ghostlings have a keen sense of smell and touch and can somehow navigate
the Mists with ease. She
suspected that the mystical nature of the
Mists itself, coupled with the
Ghostlings' seemingly natural ability to mentally "sense" their surroundings,
enabled them to move among the foggy landscape as if they had eyes with which
to see. The creatures smell and touch everything and their pale white eyes
never seem to focus on any one thing. Gratcha's experience when she was first
brought to the tribe was horrendous, as she wrote that every single Ghostling
came up to her to touch and smell her as their way of identifying her.
Gratcha believes that each Ghostling is identified from one another by a unique
smell and touch. Ghostling social gatherings are very physical, with each of
their noses sniffing about each other's fur as their hands scratch and poke one
another. Along with this behavior is their speech. Ghostlings speak in harsh,
gutteral tones and squeaks. Their language is nothing at all like the languages
of Southern Brownies. It is known that
many Rat Brownie tribes develop their own dialect
that is unique among them. Even similar clans living under the same city have
different languages. Ghostling language, however, was unlike any that Gratcha
had heard before. She described it as a mixture of sounds like a
human cough, a light rasp, a monkey howl
and the barking of a dog.
It would seem apparent at first that the Ghostlings have no organized culture.
They are wild and seemingly lawless in their lifestyle. However, there is a
clear hierarchy in how the Ghostlings rule each other. Males hold all power in
mating rituals. Hunters are typically male, as is the ruling chief and the clan
leaders. Females are of lower status with a few exceptions. Each dominant male
possesses a small harem of females which he owns and mates with as he pleases.
The females must obey him or risk death. Ghostlings male children are born and
raised by the harem of females with little involvement from the fathers until
they are old enough to venture out and hunt with the other males. Female
children are raised by the harem as well and when old enough to mate, they are
given to a leader male for his harem.
Gratcha Swath's notes indicated that she was abhorred by this treatment of the
females. They were nothing more than a means to please the males and reproduce.
However, the females are responsible for many other aspects of the tribe that
often go unnoticed by the males. Females find and build new homes for the
tribe. They are adept at carving and digging into the soil and trees. Females
also function as the clan's religious leaders, something that Gratcha found
fascinating in that when conducting ritualistic sacrifices and cannibalism, a
small group of priestesses direct and lead that aspect. In a sense, it would
almost seem as if the females hold much of the power while the males simply
hunt and mate.
The Ghostlings are a superstitious people. The
Mists' warping effects have no
doubt contributed to their twisted way of thinking, as their primitive beliefs
revolve around many odd behaviors. Gratcha noted that the Ghostlings hold their
environment as sacred and believe that the Mist itself is a god-like entity.
The ooze pools, gnarled trees, and the skulls of various beasts are important
to the tribe and represent many aspects of their beliefs. They also practice
ritual cannibalism and sacrifice members of the tribe to their dark spirits.
Usually, when a sacrifice occurs, half of the victims are killed and eaten
while the other half are dropped into an ooze pool to slowly drown. While this
is not unusual among Rat Brownies, Gratcha noted
that among the Ghostlings, this practice is taken to an even higher level as
dozens of victims are killed at any one time. Thankfully (or maybe not so
much), the tribe has a high reproduction rate and there is never a shortage of
victims, be it adults or young ones. Unfortunately, the old and infirm are most
likely to be sacrificed. Sometimes, there is no logic in choosing the victims.
The Mists sometimes demand a
sacrifice of two or a dozen random Ghostlings and it is up to the religious
leader to determine who is killed.
Housing.
The main Ghostling settlement was at the edge of the Cartashian Forest. There
were a great many trees, ruined watchtowers and aqueducts in their territory
and all were made of use of their housing structures. The settlement was quite
large in area and the tribe made natural use of the land. They did not build
structures but rather used what was already there with very little preparation.
As a result, an unwary traveler or beast could wander right into a Ghostling
settlement and never know it, until it was too late.
Most trees within the Mists of
Osthemangar are dead husks, blackened and twisted, with gnarled branches
twisting this way and that. The Ghostlings are able carvers and used their
claws to burrow within these dead trees and make a home. Because of their
talent at climbing, and due to the dangers of creatures that lurk on the
ground, tree holes were made high up, perhaps two peds from the ground. They
choose sturdy, wide trees with ample room in which to live.
The second kind of housing the Ghostlings inhabit are the ruined watchtowers
and aqueducts that litter the area. It is said that long ago, when the Deep
Winds Portal was built, that there was a series of towers that connected to the
Portal by bridges and aqueducts. The entire area was a massive throng of
imposing structures that guarded the Portal. No one know who built them,
whether the so-called Dark Dwarves or the orcs, but nowadays, most of the
structures are fallen in ruin. Half crumbling ruins still stand intimidating
and provide excellent housing for the Ghostlings among the many cracks and
crevasses.
Clothing.
Clothing is not something that is well known among the Ghostlings. The climate
within the Mists varies. Some
areas are freezing cold while some regions are mildly temperate. The
temperature can change at any given time within the
Mists. However, the
Ghostlings' habitat stays a constant mild climate at all times. The Brownies
have no use for clothing to keep them warm as most of their body surface is
covered in hair. The tribe has no sense of "nakedness" and thus go about their
life without any covering over themselves. There is no modesty among these
creatures, as opposed to their Southern cousins, as they live primitively and
naturally. Perhaps their only physical covering would be headdresses made of
tiny rodent or snake skulls used by the ruling shamaness and her consorts. Even
then, these head coverings are worn only during certain religious occasions
such as the Huur Ree sacrifices.
Diet.
Ghostlings are primarily meat eaters. They hunt and kill smaller animals, such
as lizards or rats, but are known to kill large ones such as the spine wyrm or
the onktapii bat creature. The meat is usually eaten raw, and rarely cooked
over a fire. During a hunt, a group will kill a beast and eat some of it where
it fell. Once fed, the hunters carve up portions of the carcass and carry back
the meat for the rest of the tribe. Or conversely, sometimes prey will wander
close to the Ghostling settlement and will be killed close by. This presents an
alternative to carrying meat back as the tribe simply travels a short distance
and feasts close to home.
Although plant life is rare in the Mists, as most flora is either dead or
corrupt in some strange way, there are certain kinds of roots and seeds eaten
by the Ghostlings. One kind of "vegetable" they eat is a smelly plant that the
tribe calls a "jha'liss". Gratcha reported that this plant is actually the root
of a bush that grows in the Cartashian Woods. The bush is a small, spiny plant
with deep reddish colored leaves that thrives along the forest borders. The
roots are dug up by hand and carved up. They appear gray in color and are a
mass of twisted vine-like appendages. The tribe's females typically prepare
these roots by cleaning the dirt off and breaking them up into bite sized
pieces. The roots smell terribly, at least they did to Gratcha, who described
the smell akin to animal dung, but the Ghostlings seemed unfazed by this odour.
She did taste the root and described it as being salty flavoured.
The bush also produces seeds from hardened pods that grow along the stems. When
harvesting, the tribe first plucks the seed casings from the plant and breaks
them on stones. The pods usually contain six to eight seeds that are about the
size of a Brownie's hand. The seeds are
soft and can be eaten raw. Gratcha reported that these seeds taste like warm,
bitter apples. She said that both the seeds and the root provided her with
sufficient nutrients in that she was never sick or had ill effects from eating
it. At least, none that she knew of, as poor Gratcha returned from Ghostling
captivity a changed person. Eating anything that grows in the
Mists is probably never a good
idea, but Gratcha had little choice in the matter.
Weapons.
The tribe is not known to use weapons
other than their own claws and teeth. These natural
weapons are quite effective and a group
of Ghostlings attacking a single animal has a very high chance of killing it
quickly. Also, using their own natural claws and bite requires very little in
the way of training. Simply stab, tear and bite. The hunters are skilled in
knowing where and when to strike their prey for the most effective kill.
Typical tactics are for the hunters to split up into groups. One group strikes
the throat and head of the prey while another group tries to render the legs
and/or arms immobile. Hunters strike and gouge eyes, nose and mouth making
their prey blind and confused. Their bites cause deep wounds and once a wound
is open, the hunter rips it further with their claws. They strike much like a
cat, quickly, silently and efficiently, with little ritual.
Occupations.
The Ghostlings are simple in their occupations and responsibilities. Young ones
are typically raised to either hunt or to care for domestic duties. Male
children are expected to be cunning, fearless hunters able to lead their harems
and provide food for the tribe. However, females are not uncommon in the hunter
profession as well. Typically, though, females hold a more varied role in the
tribe structure, despite their servitude to the males.
The difference between a subservient female in a harem and a female leader is
the family into which they are born. Powerful males hold more influence in the
tribe and often their daughters are permitted to move into more influential
roles. While male children are taught to hunt and expected to have strong
children, it is the females that manage the tribe's settlements and one female
alone holds the role of religious leader.
Government.
The tribe is divided into clans, with each one having a name undecipherable to
most known languages. Gratcha Swath was not able to determine the meaning
behind the clan names, so she made some educated assumptions. Each clan was
composed of mostly female Ghostlings ruled by a single male. Younger males,
often young children of the females, lived among the clan until old enough to
leave on their own.
Ruling over all of the clans was a single chief, called the "Uuss Kon Chee".
Gratcha had no idea what the term translated as, so she assumed it meant "Snake
Head Chief". From what Gratcha could gather, the word "chee" meant "chief"
while "Uuss kon" may have meant "serpent", "snake" or perhaps the spine wyrm.
The chief's headdress was a small snake skull, hence the name Gratcha assumed.
Nevertheless, this Snake Chief ruled the male hunters and harems and led most
of the hunts. This position of chief was not held for long by each ruler as
other males made constant attempts to usurp the chief's position by means of
physical challenges. The winner would assume the role of chief while the loser
would die in the ensuing battle.
The religious leader would always be a female, and this position held much
influence among the tribe. This leader was called the "Noo Naak Chee". Gratcha
determined that "Noo Naak" probably meant "Mist" or "Holy air". The tribe held
their misty home in reverence and no doubt were well aware of the
Mists' magical nature. The Noo
Naak chief wore feathers over her head fashioned in colorful strips of painted
leaves. A naturally occurring pit of red mud near the tribe home would provide
the color needed for the feathers. During religious ceremonies, the Noo Naak
would coat her body hair with the blood of a sacrificial victim and dance and
howl like a crazed beast to invoke the dark Mist Spirits, or the "Noo Naak
Suun". Such a display would last for several minutes before the rest of the
tribe would begin to dance and screech as well.
Gratcha was able to determine that both chiefs ruled independently of each
other, rarely coming together except for religious gatherings. The Hunter clans
were the most lawless of the groups, coming and going as they pleased and
providing food for the tribe. The Noo Naak would live alone with a few other
female consorts away from the tribe. She would sometimes emerge to make a
declaration or give a message of sorts before hiding away again. Her words were
heeded carefully, as she was believed to be able to speak to the Mist Spirits
and hear their dark omens.
Holidays,
Festivals and Observances.
Ghostling
Brownies are known to celebrate the following festivals
The
Celebration of the Nook Naak Suun
The Ghostlings believe that the Mists are spiritual. The Mists grant them
sight, power, life and sustenance. The tribe calls this Mist spirit the "Nook
Naak Suun" (lit. "Holy Dark Spirit"). The celebrations involving the Dark
Spirit are many. Gratcha seemed to indicate that many of the rituals performed
were in honor of the Dark Spirits in one way or another. She was never able to
properly determine specifics as her time within the
Mists slowly drove her mad.
Nevertheless, Nook Naak Suun celebrations involved plenty of bloodletting. For
every successful hunt, a blessing was performed over the animal carcass (or
sometimes, the corpse of a wayward orc who stumbled into a Ghostling hunting
party.) Sometimes, the shamaness and chief together would bless the meal before
the entire tribe took part. Other times, sacrifices of their own tribe would be
given in honour of the Dark Spirits. These victims were usually those who could
no longer benefit the tribe such as the very old, infirm or broken. Hunters who
would not hunt, males who could not breed or women who could not give birth.
Even the chiefs and shamaness would offer themselves as sacrifices when they
became too old to perform their duties. The Dark Spirits of the Mists are cold
and cruel masters who demand total strength and loyalty from their tiny
followers.
The Pool
of the Huur Ree
The Ghostlings fear and revere the very nature of the
Mists and hold every abberant
terror as a part of the Dark Spirit. How the tribe came to offer sacrifices to
the ooze pools is something that Gratcha was never able to determine. But as
witness to this event she was left shaken and horrified. Words cannot begin to
describe the very cruelty involved in sacrificing to the ooze pools. Suffice it
to say, the ritual was performed approximately every 30 days or so. Three young
Brownies, sometimes mere children, would
taken to a nearby ooze pool. The victims were bound by the female shamaness, or
Noo Naak Chee, while she sang and spoke to the gathered witnesses. Gratcha was
able to determine that the Ghostlings believed that the Dark Spirits of the
Mists demanded slow death sacrifices. Once the victims were cast into the ooze
pools, they could not escape. Their suffering came slowly over many hours and
days. Gratcha, when later recounting the ceremony, failed to properly describe
the specifics, and for the good of future readers it was probably for the best.
______________
Footnotes.
[1] The story of Gratcha's eventual escape from the
Ghostlings is one not yet told. She currently resides in
Milkengrad cared for by her two
children. Due to her Mist
induced madness, she grows more distant from the world with each passing day.
It is hoped that one day she can give a patient compendiumist some details as
to how she escaped the Ghostlings. Until then, the details of that event were
not recorded in this entry. [Back]
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