TTambroc

The TTambroc are lean humanoids who live by preference in the forests and jungles. Their bodies are covered with short white fur with green or brown stripes on the back and legs. They have a tail, sort of like a cat's and sort of like an opossum's. They tend to be close to nature; their culture divides up the world into four elements (similar to those of Western archaic physics). Each tribe and each individual has a totem element.

13.2 Language (an early sketch by Ynza - more details ....link....)

NAMES: All Names follow the format (Given Name)-(Clan Name). Male given names must start with LL, HH, KK, PP, FF, GG, MM, and XX. Female given names must start with NN, DD, JJ, SS, TT, CC, and ZZ. Clan names always end in -o, but when they are in a persons name they end in -a if male and -i if female. Ex: XXahndari-Destna (male of clan Destno), CClearami-Ghehbji (female of clan Ghehbjo). Some large Clans are Destno, Felsko, Ghehbjo, Tiarno, Jhuhbro, and Khezro.

AA (play) -- Suffix for very bad, EE (see) -- Suffix for bad, II (lie) -- Suffix for so-so, OO (book) Suffix for good, UU (loop) -- Suffix for very good

Sk -- Prefix for Health, Skorn -- Health, Skaa -- Crippled, Skee -- Sick, Skii -- fair health

Fe -- Prefix for Not

Pij -- Nature

Con -- Water, Lun -- Sky, Zyer -- Fire, Vroy -- Earth

Mlar -- Magic

Yze -- Sentient Being

FFarloc JJamela GGundrok SSamlei

The BBaelwoc -- Legendary weapon of the DDazxmol, a class of high powered warriors with no clan.

13.3 Song of PPartath (unfinished!!!)

The TTambroc's poetic tradition is strong on meter and short on rhyme. Here is a translation of one of their legends:

The Song of PPartath the Foolish

  Harken to my singing legends
As they brighten TTambroc daily,
Telling of grand deeds aforetime,
That our fathers did accomplish.
  Now 'tis time to speak of PPartath,
PPartath, merry youth incautious.
He was of the clan Tiarno,
Always brash and never cautious.
  On one dim and hazy morning,
When the sun was very lazy,
And some TTambroc also lazy,
Sleeping when they really shouldn't,
PPartath rose and took his gandrok,
Gandrok, bright and sharp for always,
For it had been once enchanted,
By his father's mother's father.
So he rose and looked about him,
And he saw that men were sleeping,
All about him men were sleeping,
Sleeping as the day was dawning,
Though 'twas dawning very feebly.
  PPartath walked forth, feeling merry,
Went he forth to Southern Forest,
Hunting for a speedy dalvar,
Confident that he could slay it,
With his sharp enchanted gandrok,
And his limbs that still were youthful,
Not like those of lazy TTambroc,
Sleeping when the day was dawning!
  So he went, and started singing,
Singing softly on the pathway.
But when he was in the forest,
Rather deeper in the forest,
Silent he, and ceased his singing.
  But an ulphrazz heard his singing,
Just before he ceased his music,
And he came to see the stranger,
Who was singing very badly.
  Then he stomped and thundered loudly,
Coming so that all would fear him,
Being large and very solid,
From his tail-tip to his skull-bone.
  PPartath, brash and under-cautious,
Met the ulphrazz with his gandrok,
Laying wildly all about him,
And by luck he slew the ulphrazz,
Cutting him to tiny ribbons.
  Then he stopped to clean his gandrok,
But he thought he heard some footsteps,
Footsteps coming through the forest,
And he came alert and listened.
  So he saw someone was coming,
And he watched and saw a hermit,
Saw a very aged hermit,
............

13.4 Religion

Khezro -- Clan of Gods

LLaru-Khezra -- 1st god, Embodiment of Nature

HHgessi-Khezra -- Son of LLaru, Embodiment of Fire

FFlandri-Khezra -- Son of HHgessi, the Sun
LLoforji-Khezra -- Son of HHgessi, the Moon
PPilinei-Khezra -- Son of HHgessi, Forest Fires
LLahrhee-Khezra -- Son of HHgessi, Magic Fires
KKhobyl-Khezra -- Son of HHgessi, Personal Fires
JJemee-Khezri -- Daughter of HHgessi, Cooking Fires
SSandri-Khezri -- Daughter of LLaru, Embodiment of Water

NNornasi-Khezri -- Daughter of SSandri, Rivers and Streams
JJaimi-Khezri -- Daughter of SSandri, Drinking Water
HHarru-Khezra -- Son of SSandri, Poisons and Alcohol
DDiepistri-Khezri -- Daughter of SSandri, Rains and Such
KKehbro-Khezra -- Son of LLaru, Embodiment of Earth

GGahnu-Khezra -- Son of KKehbro, Earthquakes
TTeskan-Khezri -- Daughter of KKehbro, Fertile Soil
XXescnu-Khezra -- Son of KKhebro, Rocky Soil
TTindri-Khezra -- Daughter of LLaru, Embodiment of Air

MMahltol-Khezra -- Son of TTindri, Bad Storms
NNeimi-Khezri -- Daughter of TTindri, Fair Winds
JJesintri-Khezri -- Daughter of TTindri, Night Sky
FFornia-Khezra -- Son of TTindri, Day Sky

The TTambroc have a number of different (quite contradictory) stories about how the world started. One Zun anthropologist catalogued seventy-two of them. Here is one of them:

There was a great ocean of water, covering all that is now land. FFlandri and LLoforji, the sons of HHgessi, were both very hot and bright. They danced about over the ocean of water every day for age after age. On day, LLoforji looked down on the great ocean, and said to his brother FFlandri,

"Shall we go down there and see what that is like?"
"You try it first," replied FFLandri.
So LLoforji dived into the ocean to see what it was like. It was very wet and cold, and as he boiled off a great lot of water, his flame was much diminished, and he jumped back into the sky as fast as he could.

"That was cold!" he said, "I'm never going near there again." After this he was never so bright as his brother, and neither of them came as close to the ocean as they had been wont to do.

Meanwhile the steam he had boiled was exploding violently and it pushed the water back in all directions many thousands of leagues. A lot of mostly dry land was left, surrounded by great clouds of mist, which cooled off after awhile. When FFlandri and LLoforji went home for the day, there was no use hiding their adventure from their father. He sent them to their mother, SSandri, to apologise for boiling off her water and exposing their uncle KKhebro's earth.

"This is a very great disaster," she said, "but perhaps LLaru can make shift to correct it." So she sent them to their grandfather LLaru.

"Hm, hm, well, you've boiled off the ocean and exposed the earth? I expect I'll have to make some creatures to live on earth without water all about them. Won't do to have that patch of ground barren. Here, LLoforji, you're cool enough now to carry them there without burning them." As he spoke he made several hundred pairs of animals and plants, some with souls, and gave them to LLoforji to carry down to the patch of dry ground. So the TTambroc and Slithu and Glaethryn and Pliv and Zun and Krinth and Yith, and the ulphrazz and the dalvar and the betapharr, and all the other creatures, came to live in that place, which their uncle KKhebro had decided to call Caligo Rectek.

Now it happened that LLaru had absent-mindedly made both of the TTambroc female, when he was making the male and female pairs of all the creatures, and after awhile they realised that he had made a mistake and called out to him, saying,

"LLaru, you haven't made husbands for us, as you did for the Slithu and Glaethryn and Pliv and Zun and Krinth and Yith, and the ulphrazz and the dalvar and the betapharr. Please make us husbands, or we can have no children and one of the races you made will not continue."

LLaru heard, but he was very busy, so he didn't have time to make entirely new creatures, and he decided to economise some by making one of them into a male TTambroc. The TTambroc were very surprised, and called out again and said, "That was not exactly what we meant."

"It will work, anyway, and it was what I meant to do at the beginning. Sorry I didn't get you right the first time; you were more complicated than the others, so it was more difficult."

13.7 Culture

The TTambroc believe that the dead must remain in the Caligoi until they have been forgotten by all the living. For this reason, they keep no histories, and are careful to expunge every trace of known fact from all their legends. Their funeral services are very simple, and though they vary somewhat from tribe to tribe, they never mention the dead person's name or speak of any of his deeds.

In Caligo Triyk this has led to war and feud with the Toaliralolo.

Humours

Many TTambroc have a humour () which allows them to perceive and communicate with elemental spirits. This allows them, indirectly, to "do magic" -- not simply by waving their hands, but by negotiating with the elemental spirits that have the power to do various things, and giving them what they want in return for some service.

Finding and Contacting Elementals

The easiest way to find an elemental is to find a place or situation where the element it is associated with is prevalent or dominant. It is nearly always *possible* to find any kind of elemental, because there are scarce any places where there is NO fire, NO water, NO earth or air. But, although you can theoretically find air elementals anywhere but in vacuum, its easiest to do so when they're awake and active -- when there is a wind blowing, for instance. You can make contact with a small one by hyperventilating and concentrating on the motion of air in and out of one's lungs, though. It's easier to find a water elemental at a riverside or during a rain than by a still lake or simply using the water in one's body; in a pinch, one can piss, or let some blood, and contact a minor elemental. Fire elementals are present wherever there is life, but more awake when there is overt fire; a spark or campfire will do, an electrical storm is perfect. Earth elementals are always around, but the strong ones are easier to contact during an earthquake, avalanche, cave-in, etc.

Negotiating with Elementals

The first question to ask is, What do I have that it wants? Fire always wants more fuel, of course; a little spark will do anything for you if you will give it a chance to become a major forest fire. Water and air want to circulate more freely, to cover more things and penetrate more places. Drowning a small animal will mollify a lake-spirit, destroying a dam will delight it. Opening up ventilation to a sealed place will always win you points with a wind-spirit. Earth likes to have things buried in it; bare earth usually wants badly to be tilled and planted with something.


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