Kafervolk Caravan

Kafervolk Caravan

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

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. 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.

Appearance

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.

Territories

Superstitions & Taboos

• 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.