Skip to main content

Anttelius - Athiggnus

Here is another preview of a culture from Anttelis - A World of Warlocks and Barbarians.


Athiggnus



The people that follows the moon, the Athiggnus are the most widespread nomadic people of Attelius. Seen by many as vagabonds and criminals, the Athiggnus have a rich and vibrant culture and a deep connection the the strands of Fate that bind all the living beings of this world. Or, at least, that’s what they believe.


These men and women of short stature, deep dark hair and ebony eyes, are a superstitious folk. They carry on their traditions with a rich oral culture of songs, stories and poetry. Art is very important to them, as it’s their main form of experience, since they do not have a written language.


The children of this people live as servants of their clan until the reach the age of twelve, when they undergo the ritual of passage to become adults, having their destinies read in the stars by the clan’s oracle. Many do not accept their lot and leave their families to forge their own path, becoming pariah to them.


Athiggnu Characters



Athiggnu characters can roll on this table to generate random aspects of their characters to inspire their character’s Concept. Referees can also use these table to quickly come up with characteristics of random NPCs.


d20
Male Names
Female Names
Characteristic
Occupation
Curiosity
1
Allifayr
Aishe
Greasy hair
Storyteller
Lies compulsively
2
Babik
Begonya
Sunken eyes
Hunter
Looks for a legendary creature they are certain to exist
3
Corauny
Charan
Dwarf
Trader
Tricks others to gain advantage
4
Donani
Darena
Sepia eyes
Dancer
Believes everyone deserves a chance to prove their worth
5
Elopus
Everilda
Heavy makeup
Tattoo Artist
Pretends to be someone else
6
Fawny
Fifika
Tawny skin
Minstrel
Hides a birthmark that symbolizes a curse
7
Gillie
Gildia
Body paint
Courtesan
Has a dangerous affair
8
Hanzu
Haedji
Piercings
Oracle
Has promontory dreams of other people’s deaths
9
Jeta
Jaelle
Golden teeth
Vagabond
Terrified of settling in and getting old
10
Khulai
Khostana
Seductive
Weaver
Trying desperately to avoid their believed destiny
11
Leysho
Lillay
Silky voice
Leatherworker
Secretly practices witchcraft
12
Majaris
Morijana
Aloof
Fortune teller
Tells others what they want to hear for approval
13
Orchilio
Ostelinda
Friendly
Herbalist
Has a secret garden with flowers he believes can hear them
14
Patrino
Pobeya
Athletic
Apothecary
Has dead animals in small jars to stare at them
15
Ruslo
Rukeyla
Lazy
Astrologer
Has a star map showing constellations from another time
16
Stabelli
Shofranka
Mysterious
Priest
Secretly worship forbidden deities
17
Timbor
Tsura
Many-sided
Wainwright
Makes statues of monsters they seen in their dreams
18
Vano
Virya
Questioning
Scout
Has an imaginary friend
19
Yoskir
Yavila
Uninhibited
Horse trainer
Likes to run anywhere he goes to
20
Ziroli
Zujenka
Lustful
Assassin
Always looking out for possible escape routes


Athiggnu’s Cultural Traits



A character from this culture rolls a d6 to determine their initial Cultural Trait.


d6
Athiggnu’s Cultural Traits
1
My fate is in the stars
2
May the gods curse your soul
3
I see the path laid before you
4
Gods, show me the path
5
I know someone that might be of help
6
The darkness has its own brightness


What’s Happening with the Athiggnus?



In order to make the game more alive and real, the Referee can roll on the following table to determine recent events affecting members of this culture. This can lead to adventure hooks or can just be used as narrative scenery.


d12
What’s Happening with the Athiggnus?
1
The moon in Attelius assumes a greenish hue, and the Oracles of the Athiggnus claim thatbthis signifies the awakening of a great evil that will corrupt the soul of those in power. The position of the moon dictates the location of this vile entity.
2
A City-State declares all Athiggnus as pariah and enemies of their state. Soldier and bounty-hunters now prowl the region hunting down these men and women. Some are killed, some are sold as slaves. Some have a destiny unknown.
3
A great gathering of Athiggnus happens every 10 years in the longest night of said year. The night of the new gathering is approaching and the Great Oracle is promising a great revelation that will change the destiny of their people forever.
4
No Oracle seems to be able to predict anything about the future in the last couple of weeks. Something or someone is interference with it. The elder’s best guess is that a new falling star that has been in the skies for these same weeks has been interfering with the strands of fate.
5
A big group of Athiggnu children participating in the ritual of passage to become adults in the whispering glade disappears out of nowhere. Their footstool go towards a gigantic dead tree in the middle of the glade and simply disappear.
6
A great community of Athiggnus is forming around the free city of Esperas and many of them are quitting the nomadic lifestyle. This is making many of the elders of this people concerned with their traditions and with the will of their gods. Some of them are even thinking about a way to change this.
7
The Athiggnus speak of a legendary deck of cards that if laid out in the lights of certain stars can alter the destiny of any men or women. Now, a vagabond exiled from his family has returned after years in the east, bearing a deck of cards he claims to be the one the legends talk about.
8
A new drug developed by an apothecary of a distant family is becoming a sensation between young Athiggnus. Now, half of the clans are having difficulties to deal with these members, some of them are even becoming violent.
9
A series of murders are happening in the biggest Athiggnu caravan that roams Arthasia. The victims are always found with strange alien characters etched on their skin, but no visible wound or readily identifiable cause of death. Many are thinking about disbanding the caravan, but that would mean great financial losses to the caravan masters and the merchants that ride with them.
10
Many young Athiggnus are abandoning the ways of their people and settling in City-States, especially Esperas and Mezzanthia. They are being influenced by a trio of young brothers and sisters who insist that their old ways are uncivilized and will lead them to become the pariah of all men and women. The elders suspect they are under the influence of an supernatural entity they banned to the Abyss thousands of years ago.
11
Dark clouds are appearing over all the major camps, caravans and nomadic groups of Athiggnus all over Anttelius and they see this as a terrible omen. It’s believed they are now cursed by the Sisters of Fate and have to find a way to please them or untangle the strands of destiny that is causing this curse.
12
A large group of people from other cultures are trying to join the nomadic communities of Athiggnus. The elders and the young members of the culture are debating if they should allow it or not. Some fights occur and things are starting to get out of hand.

If you like what you've just read, check out my books over RPGNow and Lulu.

Popular posts from this blog

How to never describe a dungeon!

Artwork by Luigi Castellani I've heard it a thousand times. You probably heard it too. Some people , I don't know why, say that dungeons , especially large ones, are boring . The endless repetitions of rooms and corridors and having to choose to go left, right, north or south depresses them. I don't know why. Actually, I do know why. Because they don't really know how to run a dungeon in play. It seems easy, effortless. Just say what's in the room the PCs are in and where the passages going out of it go. But it's not. They get bored with the "you get to a intersection and there is a door to the north and two passages, one going east and one going west" because that's a terrible way of describing a dungeon environment and gives nothing really useful to the players to choose from. You never describe a dungeon like that . There's a lot more going on that we can initially see. A good referee will take all the context of what the dungeon w

My RPG Zine Trilogy is on Kickstarter!

 I can't believe I didn't post about it here! The Dead are Coming, Screams Amongst the Stars and Running Out of Time are on Kickstarter right now! These are 3 complete games, made using the system of Electric Bastionland and Mausritter as the basis (and with some modifications to fit my vision for each of them). As with my games, they all come filled with many tools and tables to generate gaming content, adventures, locations, NPCs and much more. They are compact, easy to use, and equipped to provide you with years of entertainment! Here's a brief description of each of the games. The Dead Are Coming The first of them is called The Dead Are Coming, a minimalist, OSR style RPG about survival in a post-apocalyptic world where the dead have risen and other survivors can be much worse than the undead. Characters in this game are common people who have been struggling to survive, find their loved ones, keep them safe and just trying to keep living. They all carry resources like

Download the final text and sheets of Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells

Hello space hobos! Layout is about to begin and I have a surprise for you guys: The (as of right now) final text PDF of the Solar Blades & Cosmic Spells , together with the Character Sheet and Vehicle’s Sheet! With those, you can begin your crazy adventures in the Known Universe and try your luck under the cruel gaze of the Galactic Overlords. Try to earn a good amount of credits transporting goods or refugees through the sectors. Or even try to awaken a sleeping Star God to repair some of the damage the wars have brought upon our reality. So grab your Solar Blade and ready your Cosmic Spells! We are about to go on an adventure! SB&CS - Complete Text SB&CS - Character Sheet SB&CS - Vehicle's Sheet If you like what you've just read, check out my books over  RPGNow  and  Lulu .