TEXT: High Adventure 
  Role Playing
  TM
  Fantasy
  #GCP-HARP-1006
  TM
  Folkways
  GCP
  GCP
  Guild Companion
  Publications Ltd
  Guild Companion
  Publications Ltd
  TM
  Jonathan Cassie
  
  Folkways
  By Jonathan Cassie
  
  Author: Jonathan Cassie
  Editor: Nicholas HM Caldwell
  Cover Art: Raymond Gaustadnes
  Interior Art: Maria Duffield, Raymond Gaustadnes and 
  Rick Hansen
  Layout: Terry K Amthor
  Special Thanks: All of the fans who have played and/or 
  GM’ed HARP since its first publication and have participated 
  in discussions on the ICE forums, Guild Companion forums, 
  Silent Tower mailing lists and elsewhere on the Internet and 
  at conventions.
  Credits
  HARP Folkways Copyright © 2017 Iron Crown Enterprises 
  Ltd (formerly Guild Companion Publications Ltd).
  Produced, published and distributed by Iron Crown 
  Enterprises Ltd. All rights reserved. Purchasers of the pdf 
  version of this product are entitled to print one copy from 
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  and redistribution of this work are strictly and expressly 
  forbidden without written permission from Iron Crown 
  Enterprises Ltd.
  Iron Crown Enterprises, I.C.E., ICE, Rolemaster, HARP, 
  HARP SF and HARP Fantasy and all products related 
  thereto, are all trademark and copyright © properties of Iron 
  Crown Enterprises Ltd. All rights reserved. Shadow World® 
  is a registered trademark of Terry Kevin Amthor
  Iron Crown Enterprises Ltd (formerly Guild Companion Publications Ltd) is registered in England and Wales under No 
  7094505. Registered office: 37 Fulbourn Road, Cambridge CB1 9JL. Directors: Nicholas HM Caldwell & Thom Jones
  
  Table of Contents
  1 Author’s Notes ........................ 4
  2 Field Notes from 20th and 21st 
  Century Fantasy .......................7
  J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Middle Earth” ................................... 8
  Gene Wolfe’s “The Book of the New Sun” ................. 9
  Robin Hobb’s “Farseer Trilogies” .............................. 11
  Stephen R. Donaldson’s “Chronicles of Thomas 
  Covenant” ............................................................. 12
  George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” ....... 13
  World of Warcraft ....................................................... 15
  HARP ............................................................................. 16
  3 Twenty Folkways ...................18
  Environment Ways ............................................. 19
  Urban Ways ......................................................... 21
  Family Ways ........................................................ 22
  Marriage Ways .................................................... 24
  Lifespan Ways ..................................................... 25
  Gender and Sexuality Ways .............................. 27
  Association Ways................................................ 28
  Rank Ways ........................................................... 30
  Order Ways .......................................................... 31
  Authority Ways ................................................... 33
  Freedom Ways .....................................................34
  Wealth Ways ........................................................ 35
  Work Ways ........................................................... 36
  Leisure Ways ....................................................... 37
  Dress Ways ........................................................... 39
  Food and Drink Ways ........................................40
  Language Ways ................................................... 41
  Magic Ways ......................................................... 42
  Supernatural Ways .............................................44
  Self-reflection Ways ........................................... 45
  4 Two Case Studies .................. 46
  Gryx: The Commonwealth of Enyryx ............. 47
  A Brief History ............................................................. 47
  The Folkways of the Commonwealth of Enyryx .... 47
  Gnome: Elysion Mormoops .............................. 57
  A Brief History ............................................................. 57
  The Folkways of Elysion Mormoops ........................ 57
  5 New Races .............................. 65
  Racial Descriptions............................................. 66
  Amarvish .......................................................................66
  Bentaxa .......................................................................... 67
  Faleeka ........................................................................... 69
  Gordaz............................................................................ 70
  Hehn ............................................................................... 71
  Kenra .............................................................................. 72
  Menomonee .................................................................. 73
  Navrothor ...................................................................... 74
  Queequayth .................................................................. 75
  Tomalak ......................................................................... 76
  Vengha ...........................................................................77
  Racial Hybrids ..................................................... 77
  Height & Weight .................................................80
  Starting Age ......................................................... 81
  Cultures ................................................................ 81
  Aquatic ........................................................................... 81
  Aerial .............................................................................. 81
  Arctic .............................................................................. 82
  Borderlands ................................................................... 82
  Coastal ........................................................................... 82
  Deeping .......................................................................... 82
  6 New Professions .................... 84
  New Professions .................................................. 85
  Artisan ........................................................................... 85
  Athlete ...........................................................................86
  Hunter ............................................................................ 87
  Intellectual ....................................................................88
  Laborer ........................................................................... 89
  Sailor ..............................................................................90
  Scoundrel ...................................................................... 91
  Seeker ............................................................................. 92
  Trader ............................................................................. 93
  Valet ................................................................................94
  New Skills ............................................................ 95
  New Talents ......................................................... 95
  7 New Training Packages ......... 98
  8 Cultures of Cyradon & Shadow 
  World .................................... 110
  Cyradon: The Theocracy of Asut and the Orsai 
  Empire ............................................................ 111
  Shadow World: The Vasai Republic (Lydians 
  and Ochu) ...................................................... 118
  9 Appendix: 20 Charts ............. 125
  10 Index ...................................... 135
  
  1 Author’s Notes
  HARP  Folkways 
  Author's Notes 
  Page 4
  
  Toni Morrison said: “If there’s a book you want to read, but 
  it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” For me, 
  Folkways is that book. I have been role playing for more than 
  thirty years. In that time, I have enjoyed dozens and dozens 
  of games and systems, some of them big ticket games put out 
  by publishers with deep pockets, but others have been games 
  from small presses supported only by the love of the game 
  itself and the small community of its players. The games that 
  I have always loved best and returned to time and again are 
  those games that are more than just their mechanics. I think 
  anyone who has spent time in role playing can and does ap-
  preciate an elegant system of mechanics. Clever interactions 
  of skills and abilities used to overcome fiendish challenges 
  can make an otherwise mundane game session totally memo-
  rable. For me, though, mechanics are the least important part 
  of the role playing experience (not unimportant!—just least 
  important). What has always motivated me as a player and as 
  a gamemaster (GM) is character. How does a character come 
  to find herself in the circumstances being played out in the 
  game? What background and history does the character bring 
  to their present reality? Who are they and how did they get to 
  be that way? Characters don’t emerge ex nihilo fully formed 
  and ready to take on the world. They have a backstory…an 
  existence that predates and precedes the game you are about 
  to take them through. How can we know how a character is 
  going to react to certain people, problems, obstacles and op-
  portunities? In some games, the answer to this question is 
  simple: with a flail, short sword or spell. But that’s never been 
  satisfying to me. There’s more to it than that. Recounting the 
  great game experiences I’ve had with friends, we inevitably 
  tell stories about game sessions that had nothing to do with 
  rolling dice and combat resolution. Rather, the most interest-
  ing of sessions had to do with character and how that charac-
  ter was growing. Reflecting on all of these questions point me 
  inevitably to one notion: culture.
  And, frankly, that’s when things start to get a big squidgy. 
  Because in so many game designs, this aspect of the game 
  (to me the most important part) is clearly considered the 
  least important part. This shouldn’t be any great surprise, 
  considering that the role-playing hobby originated in the 
  wargaming hobby and that the first role-playing game rules 
  were almost entirely about the kind of game experiences that 
  wargamers were interested in. The idea of building a charac-
  ter with a background, history, family and values and then 
  getting to really comprehensively know that character and 
  live in that character’s skin for dozens of game sessions was 
  unimaginable. Leading inevitably to game systems in which 
  you find 400 pages of complex rules about such things as 
  how encumbering a standard adventurer’s pack is or how to 
  build a starship from scratch but, when you went to find the 
  process to understand how a flesh-and-blood person would 
  respond to anything that might happen during a game, you 
  found nothing. How many systems confront you with this? If 
  you’re like me, the answer is “most of them.” And even those 
  games that give you something, in my experience, give you 
  so little that you have nothing to go on anyway. It is the rare 
  game system, in other words, that spends sufficient time on 
  helping you as the player really understand your character. It 
  is the rare game system that give you as the GM the tools you 
  need to build believable, authentic cultures from which real, 
  richly-realized characters might emerge. Characters devoid 
  of a cultural framework are flat, uninteresting and incapable 
  of responding in a way that makes sense to everything they 
  interact with. These characters become what their game 
  systems make them: hammers. GMs are then left with little 
  choice but to give these characters nails to pound on. The re-
  sult is game experiences that are much flatter than they could 
  or should be.
  My goal in this book is to give you the reader a set of tools 
  that will help you overcome these challenges. Written for 
  HARP but usable to flesh out any game setting (high fantasy, 
  low fantasy, cyberpunk, sci-fi, furries, western, vampires…
  doesn’t matter), this book means to give you all of the tools 
  you would need to build complex cultures from which your 
  characters originate and in which your game can operate. The 
  framework for understanding culture works for both players 
  doing a deep dive into their own characters’ backgrounds or 
  for the GM who wants to ensure that the societies that dot her 
  game world have clarity and sufficient integrity to generate 
  real characters who have real problems.
  In chapter 2, I will describe what anthropologists who study 
  culture do and how they go about it so that you might have 
  a skill set to inform your reading of fantasy and science fic-
  tion literature. This will give you the ability to mine these set-
  tings, not for content, but to understand how great authors 
  go about the process of world building. Then I use the tools 
  of the anthropologist to analyze the cultures of Tolkien’s 
  “Middle Earth,” Gene Wolfe’s “Book of the New Sun,” Robin 
  Hobb’s “Farseer Trilogies,” George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice 
  and Fire,” Stephen R. Donaldson’s “Thomas Covenant” series, 
  Blizzard Entertainment’s “World of Warcraft” universe and 
  HARP itself.
  In chapter 3, I will unpack “twenty questions,” based on twenty 
  folkways or cultural traditions which, when answered, will 
  give you as a GM or a player the depth and richness you would 
  need in order to generate a living society that makes sense 
  and clearly articulates what people in that society value, dis-
  value and worry about. These questions are based on a variety 
  of “folkways” that the great historian David Hackett Fisher 
  uses in his classic of anthropological history Albion’s Seed. 
  That book analyses an assortment of folk traditions in colo-
  nial America to understand American culture. The folkways I 
  will discuss in this book are:
   
   Environment Ways: how does your culture respond to, 
  shape, get shaped by, understand, anthropomorphize and 
  live in the physical environment?
   
   Urban Ways: how does your culture build villages, towns 
  and cities? What does the built environment look like?
   
   Family Ways: how does your culture structure and sup-
  port families and households, and what is the difference 
  between the reality and the ideal?
  HARP   Folkways 
  Author's Notes 
  Page 5
  
   
   Marriage Ways: how does your culture define the court-
  ship ritual, the marriage-bond and divorce? 
   
   Lifespan Ways: how does your culture treat children, ado-
  lescents, adults and the aged? What does the culture say 
  about the birth process? Dying? Death and the dead?
   
   Gender and Sexuality Ways: how does your culture define 
  gender and maintain gender roles? How do men and women 
  relate to each other? What sexual practices are normative?
   
   Association Ways: how does your culture govern patterns 
  of friendship, kinship, clan, fraternal organization, affilia-
  tion and settlement?
   
   Rank Ways: how does your culture assign rank between 
  members of the society, what do the different roles enti-
  tle the holder to and what are the relationships between 
  the ranks?
   
   Order Ways: how does your culture define orderly and 
  disorderly? How does it maintain orderliness and punish 
  disorderliness? What are the ordering institutions within 
  that society?
   
   Authority Ways: how does your culture define power, au-
  thority and political participation?
   
   Freedom Ways: how does your culture define liberty, free-
  dom, restraint and libertarian customs and institutions.
   
   Wealth Ways: how does your culture feel about wealthy, the 
  wealthy and the poor and how does it distribute its wealth?
   
   Work Ways: what does your culture value about work and 
  its nature? What is its work ethic?
   
   Leisure Ways: how does your culture define leisure? Does 
  it value it? What do people do to kick back, provided they 
  have the means to? Do they like individual or group sports 
  or more learned pursuits?
   
   Dress Ways: how do members of your culture dress and 
  adorn themselves?
   
   Food Ways: what do members of your culture eat and how 
  do they cook?
   
   Language Ways: how does your culture use language 
  and naming?
   
   Magic Ways: How does your culture understand, shape, 
  control, teach and use magic? Does it have a positive or 
  negative relationship with magic?
   
   Supernatural Ways: How does your culture understand 
  the relationship between that which cannot be seen and 
  that which can? Does the culture engage in religious prac-
  tices? If so, how and what are they?
   
   Self-reflection Ways: about what does your culture refuse 
  to be honest with itself? What are its secrets? Shames?
  In chapter 4, I will use the twenty questions from chap-
  ter 3 and create two new HARP cultures, one Gryx and 
  one Gnome.
  In chapter 5, I will use the twenty questions to create a eleven 
  new HARP races and and six new culture packages.
  In chapters 6 and 7, I will present an assortment of new 
  professions, talents and training packages informed by the 
  twenty questions.
  In chapter 8, I will use the twenty questions to detail two 
  cultures within campaign settings associated with HARP: 
  Cyradon and Shadow World.
  I would take this opportunity to share my thanks to two peo-
  ple: First, to Nicholas Caldwell, for the hero’s work of bringing 
  HARP and Rolemaster (my favorite of all fantasy systems) into 
  the 21st century. I am looking forward to an ongoing partner-
  ship! And second to Ken Agress, my oldest friend, who joined 
  a game I was running while we were both students at PCC, 
  a summer program for high school age kids at Bridgewater 
  State College in Massachusetts and within minutes had 
  transformed that game into something extraordinary. Years 
  on, great gaming continues. Many thanks, my friend.
  HARP  Folkways 
  Author's Notes 
  Page 6
  
  2 Field Notes from 20th 
  and 21st Century Fantasy
  HARP   Folkways 
  Field Notes 
  Page 7
  
  Anthropology, quite literally the study of 
  humanity, is a field of inquiry that dates 
  from the great post-Enlightenment explo-
  sion of interest in the scientific study of the 
  human condition that emerged in the West 
  in the 19th century. A fertile mixture of 
  interest in prehistorical humanity, prehis-
  torical language, human social systems (like 
  marriage and kinship) and human cultural 
  practices (like gift-giving and music), the 
  field of Anthropology has used an assort-
  ment of scholarly tools to understand and 
  explain the world. For our purposes in this 
  book, I will be encouraging you to think 
  like an American cultural anthropologist. 
  American cultural anthropology has long 
  been interested in how cultures compose 
  themselves and how they differ from other 
  cultures. The American school uses the 
  tools of participant observation or fieldwork, 
  in which the scientist spends a great deal of 
  time embedded with the culture being ob-
  served in order to better understand it, as 
  the basis of its theoretical claims. It is this 
  tool, as you will see in the rest of this chapter 
  and in chapter 3, that is the most powerful 
  one for you as a world builder and culture 
  creator. One of the great practitioners of 
  20th century cultural anthropology was a 
  man named Clifford Geertz. He wrote: “Believing, with Max 
  Weber, that man is an animal suspended in webs of signifi-
  cance he himself has spun, I take culture to be those webs, and 
  the analysis of it to be therefore not an experimental science in 
  search of law but an interpretive one in search of meaning.” I 
  have come across no greater or more powerful notion of what 
  our shared human condition is than this idea. “Man is an ani-
  mal suspended in webs of significance he himself has spun….” 
  What will be the webs of significance that make your player’s 
  characters come fully to life? What are the details that will 
  make your world seem truly alive and breathing? In order to 
  understand how to do this in your own game, it seems pru-
  dent to me that we take our field notebook, pencil and keen 
  observational skills and have an anthropological look at some 
  of the most compelling examples of “webs of significance” 
  spun by the authors whose works defined and continue to de-
  fine the boundaries of our hobby.
  J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Middle Earth”
  It isn’t just because it was one of the first examples of 20th 
  century high fantasy that an analysis of Tolkien’s work de-
  serves pride of place in this book. As a world and culture 
  builder, Tolkien is peerless; even without the work of anthro-
  pologists and historians, one could use the world building 
  that Tolkien undertakes in bringing Middle Earth to life as a 
  model for one’s own work. For the purposes of this book, I ac-
  knowledge that one of the qualities that makes Tolkien’s work 
  extraordinary is its very deep and internally consistent his-
  tory. History is a valuable addition to the work you’ll be doing 
  as you engage in world building, but it is not the most impor-
  tant work. Rather, it is the lived reality of Tolkien’s characters 
  that concerns us. 
  Why do we identify so strongly with Frodo and Sam? Merry 
  and Pippin? Bilbo? Because the culture Tolkien constructs 
  in which the hobbits live is the most “human.” It is the cul-
  ture that we can most resonate with and understand. Think 
  of all the ways that Tolkien, in discussing the common, the 
  conventional, the around-the-house and the ordinary paints 
  a picture that is so believable, so real, that we are almost 
  immediately seduced by it. We can’t help but see it as “us.” 
  For example, hobbits live in villages in gently rolling hills 
  with small, freehold farms dotting the landscape. So do (or 
  did) many of us. And those of us who don’t can nevertheless 
  imagine it (and romanticize it). Some live in single-family 
  homes. Others live in holes in the ground. But Tolkien goes 
  to elaborate length, when describing Bag End, to normalize 
  it. It isn’t just a hole in the ground, “it was a hobbit-hole, and 
  that meant comfort.” And for pages, he goes on with detail 
  after detail to ensure that we do not confuse this hole with 
  other, nasty sorts. So, hobbits might live in holes, but, really, 
  they’re just homes like what you or I would live in. Hobbits eat 
  bread with jam and drink tea and smoke tobacco in pipes. All 
  conventional, comfortable things. Nothing outlandish there. 
  They have birthday parties and share them with families and 
  friends, with whom they sometimes don’t get along. They eat 
  HARP  Folkways 
  Field Notes 
  Page 8
  
  a lot and take enormous pleasure in meals. They spend time 
  with friends at pubs, drinking ale and telling stories. They are 
  not especially given to travel, preferring the comforts of home, 
  family, friends and food to the perils and otherwise disagree-
  able realities of being on the road or in another town. If the 
  author were to change any of these qualities, the fundamental 
  essence of “hobbit-ness” would be transformed. Change too 
  many of them, and you don’t have hobbits anymore—you’ve 
  got something else. At what point would this process of 
  change eliminate the feeling of connection we have as read-
  ers with that fundamental hobbit-ness? Tolkien’s hobbits are 
  deeply and richly described by their “urban ways,” their “food 
  ways” and especially by their “leisure ways.” If ever there was 
  a culture best described by their relationship with leisure, 
  it would be the hobbits. But seeing the hobbits as creatures 
  of leisure only or even mostly would miss an aspect of their 
  unique truth. It would miss the ways in which hobbit society 
  is structured by its “rank ways.”
  It is, arguably, the hobbit understanding of rank that gives 
  hobbit behavior so much of that ineffable quality that read-
  ers resonate with. The relationship between Frodo and Sam is 
  one based fundamentally, powerfully and from start-to-finish 
  on the notion of rank. Sam is Frodo’s gardener. He has an im-
  portant, but subordinate, place in hobbit society. This is, of 
  course, never explicitly named in any of Tolkien’s works, but it 
  is a core and abiding truth. Sam sees Frodo as his social supe-
  rior and acts that way throughout their adventures. Sam’s de-
  votion to Frodo, his addressing Frodo as “Mister Frodo,” and 
  the sacrifices he makes for Frodo’s benefit on their long jour-
  ney to Mordor all derive from this understanding of how rank 
  works between hobbits. If hobbit culture were governed by an 
  egalitarian spirit of social equality and classlessness, Sam’s 
  relationship to Frodo would either be totally different or, as 
  written, completely bewildering and unbelievable. It would 
  make no sense. As it is, it makes perfect sense. Anything else, 
  in fact, would be puzzling. Hobbit culture is at the center of 
  the reader’s ability to commit to and engage with Tolkien’s 
  universe because it is so accessible.
  If one thinks about the other races in Tolkien’s universe, 
  there’s an equivalent richness of development but without 
  the same ability for the reader to access these cultures on an 
  emotional level. In gaming terms, hobbits make the easiest to 
  understand player characters. Dwarves, Elves and Dunedain, 
  less so and all for reasons that, from the perspective of the 
  twenty questions, make that inaccessibility easier to fathom.
  When considering how dwarves answer questions related to 
  “environment ways,” for instance, the answers are internally 
  consistent (for dwarves), but don’t give us 21st century game 
  players much to hang onto. Dwarves live underground in 
  massive cities which have as their single-minded purpose the 
  extraction of wealth from mines that stretch deep into the 
  bowels of the Earth. Their “gender ways” are confusing to us, 
  as we don’t see dwarf women, and therefore can’t draw the 
  conclusions about dwarf life we draw easily about hobbit life. 
  I would argue that if hobbit life is governed most by its “leisure 
  ways,” dwarf life is controlled most by “wealth ways.”
  Elves in Tolkien’s universe are even harder for regular folks 
  like you and me to understand. First off, they have a unique 
  answer to the “lifespan ways” question. They are, after all, im-
  mortal. Their entire story in The Lord of the Rings is governed 
  by this single question. While the action of the story is being 
  undertaken by our viewpoint characters, the hobbits, they are 
  either leaving the site of the action, Middle Earth, for their 
  place of eternal habitation, the Undying Lands, or they are ob-
  sessively considering the question of their immortality. 
  Which brings us to the world of “men,” but in reality, not the 
  world of regular men (like Barliman Butterbur) but the world 
  of the Dunedain—humans whose story has been inexorably 
  linked with the story of the elves since they emerged as a sepa-
  rate race in Tolkien’s world. These men are not humans like 
  us. They are outsized… meant to be seen by us as the noble 
  personification of what the human race might be perfected 
  into. Or worse, what happens when our perfectibility is cor-
  rupted and laid low. There’s a reason why the Nazgul aren’t 
  the dwarves whose rings were perverted by the corruption of 
  Sauron. We are meant to see the race of men the way Elrond 
  sees them. Dangerous, weak and when corrupted capable of 
  world-scale menace. All of these races “make sense.” Why? 
  Because Tolkien’s work is sufficiently detailed and is well 
  thought out culturally. These races act the way their cultures 
  expect them to act. It is reductionist to say that Tolkien “an-
  swered the twenty questions.” Rather, it is illustrative for your 
  work as a world builder to note that as a reader, you can look 
  to Tolkien’s creation and see that its cultures give rise to liv-
  ing, breathing “people” whose cares you can see as yours and 
  whose concerns are legitimately worth living and dying for. 
  This is nowhere more true than with his cultural master-
  piece—the hobbits.
  Gene Wolfe’s “The Book of the 
  New Sun”
  A masterwork to some, an overwrought and confusing mess 
  to others, the four books that comprise Gene Wolfe’s now 
  thirty-five year old “The Book of the New Sun,” present the 
  world builder with mighty challenges that pay rich rewards. 
  For the purposes of this book, I have argued and will continue 
  to argue that culture is built by the people who live in it and 
  not by some omniscient writer making it up out of whole 
  cloth. If the story works, it is because the characters work. The 
  characters only work if they exist in a framework of culture 
  that is internally logical, making its own sense…even if we 
  might find it difficult at times to understand that sense. Surely 
  we have all had the experience of finding ourselves dropped 
  into a cultural milieu that was mystifying at first. Much the 
  same can be said for the reader first encountering Wolfe’s te-
  tralogy. But careful attention pays off. Using the twenty ques-
  tions, what might we discern about the world of Severian the 
  Torturer, Urth?
  HARP   Folkways 
  Field Notes 
  Page 9
  
  If we take the very first folkway “environment ways” we see 
  a great deal. Urth falls squarely in the sci-fi/fantasy corner 
  that is the “Dying Earth” genre. This Urth is our own Earth 
  but transformed to such a degree that it is scarcely recog-
  nizable. The moon is green and terraformed. The sun is an-
  cient, red and dying. Everything has been done and done 
  and done again. There’s a weariness that’s in everyone and 
  in everything. The culture of the Commonwealth, of which 
  Severian is a part, reflects this ennui and “it’s all been done” 
  quality. Everyone is shaped by this reality. I would argue that 
  Severian’s decision-making is deeply informed by the envi-
  ronment he grows up in. This is further seen if we consider 
  the “urban ways” of the story. Severian first encounters his 
  home city, Nessus, only after he’s been cast out of the one true 
  home he knows (which I will come to shortly). 
  Nessus is unimaginably old, enormous, cor-
  rupted and corrupting. It is a city on an un-
  knowable scale. This unknowability, along with 
  Severian’s backstory, leads him to be deeply 
  lost when engaging with it. It is simply beyond 
  his ability to make sense of. The realities of this 
  city shape Severian’s life and destiny.
  While I do believe that environment and ur-
  banity shape Severian and our understanding 
  of this milieu, it is Wolfe’s answers to “associa-
  tion ways,” “language ways” and “magic ways” 
  that, to me, give the series its merit to the 
  potential world builder (if you haven’t read it, 
  in other words, do so!). When we meet him, 
  Severian, our viewpoint character, is an ap-
  prentice in a guild called the Seekers for Truth 
  and Penitence. Fashioned like a medieval guild 
  (with ranks within it, rules by which the lower 
  ranked are to order their lives and objectives 
  it is uniquely permitted and required to un-
  dertake), the Seekers for Truth and Penitence 
  serve a critical role in the social and political 
  order of the Commonwealth. These Seekers, in 
  actuality, are the guild of torturers, entrusted 
  with using their unique position in society to 
  gather information from the most egregious 
  enemies of the state and to maintain disci-
  pline and terror throughout the land.  Equipped with lavish 
  swords, austere and frightening costumes and malevolent 
  machinery, they are to be taken very seriously. The structure 
  and nature of this guild gives the reader a thorough under-
  standing of how other guilds must work in their own ways. In 
  so doing, Wolfe gives us a window through which we might 
  understand the whole of society.  Severian’s crime against the 
  guild, showing mercy to a condemned aristocrat, further il-
  luminates how order works in the Commonwealth’s society. 
  When Severian is not put to death but rather dispatched to a 
  far-away city in need of an executioner, he is let out into the 
  world I described above.
  Wolfe’s characters speak in a language that feels both acces-
  sible and inaccessible at the same time. He uses words delib-
  erately, choosing Latinate words when more common words 
  are available, preferring to use language itself to shape the 
  reader’s engagement with the characters and the text. This 
  is something Tolkien does as well, but in his case through 
  the creation of entire fictional languages. Wolfe’s conceit is 
  that he is merely the narrator and translator of Severian’s 
  story and that he did his best to translate the story’s difficult 
  language by picking words that convey the sense, if not the 
  meaning, of what was in the original text. As a designer of 
  culture, I would suggest that the development of a specific 
  language for your characters to engage with can go a long way 
  towards reinforcing the cultural decisions you’ve made as you 
  create your world. Wolfe’s language certainly does this, rein-
  forcing the strange alienness of Nessus and the rest of Urth 
  and denying us the opportunity to merely see it as another 
  version of Earth.
  And that brings us to one of the most alien qualities of the 
  story, what I am grouping under magic ways, only because 
  Wolfe’s story conforms to Arthur C. Clarke’s third law: “any 
  sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from 
  magic.” “The Book of the New Sun” is chock full of hyper-ad-
  vanced technology…or is it magic? Could it be both? Certainly 
  it is possible to travel between the stars in “The Book of the 
  New Sun.” Tools exist that the characters in the book have 
  a hard time distinguishing as either technology or magic. It 
  is the juxtaposition of these outlandish tools alongside the 
  HARP  Folkways 
  Field Notes 
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  basest realities of daily life for regular people in disorientingly 
  massive cities like Nessus that give Wolfe’s work so much of 
  its resonance.
  Wolfe’s books are, moreover, a reminder that while I am giv-
  ing you twenty folkways to help you create your own cultures, 
  you don’t need to have answers to all twenty of them (or at 
  least not answers at the same level of depth) in order to create 
  a living and breathing culture. Wolfe doesn’t really delve into 
  “marriage ways,” for instance and gives very little attention 
  to “family ways.” By showing us a traveling team of actors, for 
  instance, we get a glimpse into the deeper answer to “leisure 
  ways.” Severian’s personal journey reveals, in the end, some 
  significant truths (at least as Severian understands them) 
  about how authority works in the Commonwealth.  And one 
  might argue that any society that creates an organization like 
  the Seekers for Truth and Penitence has given itself the only 
  answer it needs about ordering institutions. For the purposes 
  Wolfe has, his answers are more than sufficient. The same 
  would be true for you in your work if your answers are suf-
  ficient and sufficiently rich.
  Robin Hobb’s “Farseer Trilogies”
  From the potentially bewildering, I turn now to a series of 
  books that are much more accessible, but no less rich. Robin 
  Hobb’s “Farseer Trilogies” comprises six books detailing the 
  lives and adventures of FitzChivalry Farseer, a character 
  we meet in childhood and whose life we share through his 
  difficult adolescence and then a deeply complex adulthood. 
  The action of the story takes place in the “Six Duchies,” a re-
  gion of the larger world inhabited by a human culture with 
  strongly European and early modern characterizations and 
  tone. Hobb achieves a cultural coherence in her works by not 
  only reinforcing these early modern and European notes but 
  by making clear the differences between that cultural frame-
  work and that of the Six Duchies. One of the first embodi-
  ments of this difference can be seen in the main character’s 
  name: FitzChivalry—son of Chivalry. In the world of the 
  Six Duchies, royal and noble figures have names that reflect 
  something true about their character and personality. They 
  become embodiments of the qualities that their name evokes. 
  This is true both in the positive framing and in the negative 
  framing. A character embodying Chivalry is going to take a 
  particular approach to his relationships with family, friends, 
  romantic partners and with society as a whole. The same is 
  true for a character named Regal. Regality is not just a quality 
  of romanticized nobility in the Farseer books. Rather, it com-
  bines that noble quality with the most sublimely expressed 
  arrogance I have ever come across in fantasy literature. These 
  names give structure to a very particular appreciation for and 
  understanding of order ways and rank ways. The names are 
  emblematic of the deeper cultural work Hobb did in creat-
  ing the society of the Six Duchies. They give the character’s 
  who have these names a rigid, anguish-making framework in 
  which they have to live their lives. It is a reminder that very 
  straightforward decisions on your part as a gamemaster can 
  have dramatic and interesting ramifications within your 
  game world.
  Another example of Hobb doing intriguing cultural devel-
  opment and world building lies outside of the Six Duchies. 
  On the western frontier of the Six Duchies lies a loose con-
  federation of hill and mountain tribesmen who are called 
  the “Mountain Kingdom” by the people of the Six Duchies. 
  Where the Six Duchies (despite its name) actually has a king 
  and a queen and a royal court and all of those trappings of 
  the European and the early modern I alluded to above, the 
  Mountain Kingdom is much simpler, reflecting its lower 
  level of centralization (freedom ways and authority ways) 
  and its more tenuous ecosystem and wealth. Moreover, while 
  the Mountain Kingdom has a single leader, that leader isn’t 
  a conventional monarch. Rather, the monarch is called the 
  “Sacrifice.” The Sacrifice of the Mountain Kingdom functions 
  very much like a king or queen, but the Sacrifice’s life is essen-
  tially forfeit to the needs of the Mountain Kingdom’s people. 
  This is a way of understanding social order that profoundly 
  shapes the way the people of the Mountain Kingdom see their 
  leaders, understand what leadership is and understand how 
  each person in the Mountain Kingdom is bound to service in 
  a way that the people of the Six Duchies simply don’t under-
  stand themselves. It’s a simple quality, but a deeply meaning-
  ful one for both the Six Duchies and the Mountain Kingdom 
  when their royal families come together through marriage. 
  Again, this is a reminder that something seemingly small can 
  have a really dramatic impact on the narrative of your game 
  and the world in which your characters live.
  It is typical in fantasy settings for there to be some kind 
  of magic at work in the world and the world of the Farseer 
  Trilogies is no exception. Hobb’s answer to the question of 
  magic ways, though, is fascinating not only on its own terms, 
  but also for the ways in which it reinforces other aspects of 
  HARP   Folkways 
  Field Notes 
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  the broader culture of the Six Duchies. Her 
  magic system does more work, in other 
  words, than just explicating what magic is. 
  While it does that, it does so in ways that 
  bring profound richness to an already rich 
  culture. In the world of the Six Duchies 
  there are two kinds of magic. One is called 
  The Skill. The other is called The Wit. The 
  Skill functions as a kind of telepathic link-
  ing, generally between royals and always 
  between one human and another human. 
  The Wit, by contrast, is a telepathic link-
  ing joining a human, not always of noble 
  or royal blood, with an animal companion. 
  The profound connection established by 
  these bonds makes both challenging for 
  their wielders, but The Skill is prized and 
  given pride of place while The Wit is seen as 
  barbarous and dehumanizing. In fact, pos-
  sessors of The Wit are driven from society 
  and at times put to death. In my reading, I 
  have rarely encountered a magic system 
  that leaves the possessor so exposed to what 
  is essentially social death. That it is such a 
  deeply personal form of magic makes its 
  social and personal dimensions that much 
  more resonant. The nature of it, and the na-
  ture of The Skill serve not only to provide 
  a fascinating window into how the world 
  works in this narrative, but also reflects what this society 
  values. It’s a profoundly normative society with very little 
  tolerance for social difference. Judgmental and sharp-edged, 
  it creates disenfranchised, outcasts and criminals with ease 
  and reinforces that social status through all of the other tools 
  available to the culture. Family ways, authority ways, freedom 
  ways, language ways, magic ways and self-reflection ways are 
  all at work in Hobb’s novels. And this is a reminder of the 
  point I had made above when discussing the world of Tolkien’s 
  Middle Earth. Where Tolkien created his cultural framework 
  on the most sublime expression of environment ways, Hobb 
  explores that aspect of her world to a far lesser degree. Both 
  are fully-realized world systems in which characters can live 
  out lives of great interest and significance.
  Stephen R. Donaldson’s 
  “Chronicles of Thomas 
  Covenant”
  There are few places in fantasy literature as vivid as Stephen 
  R. Donaldson’s “The Land.” Vibrantly alive and pulsating with 
  life when we first encounter it, the Land and the people of 
  the Land undergo dramatic transformation over the course 
  of the many thousands of years between visits of the titular 
  character of the ten-novel sequence: Thomas Covenant. I will 
  break this section of the chapter down into three smaller sec-
  tions, each looking into the differences in the Land’s cultures 
  over the course of these thousands-year gaps in Thomas 
  Covenant’s re-emergence into the Land from our world.
  The Chronicles of Thomas 
  Covenant the Unbeliever
  In the first three books of Donaldson’s magnum opus we en-
  counter a Land imperiled by its ancient enemy, called Lord 
  Foul by the people of the land and by the Lords, the masters 
  of magic and mysticism who govern the Land from their 
  fortress, Revelstone. The most dramatic folkways we en-
  counter in these first three books are Environment, Urban, 
  Association, Authority and Magic Ways. Our viewpoint 
  character, Thomas Covenant, enters the Land as a leper but is 
  restored to his physical health by virtue of the Land’s inher-
  ent environmental healing powers, which are vast—indeed, 
  capable of restoring a leper to full physical health. He is over-
  awed by the physical powers of the Land itself. Arguably, the 
  Land is the most important character with which Thomas 
  Covenant regularly interacts. The physicality of the Land 
  stands at the center of Donaldson’s creation. Its vitality is 
  what the Land’s defenders are defending. They fight to retain 
  their role as those whose stewardship of the Land will pre-
  serve the Land for all generations to come. Some of the very 
  first places we encounter are examples of the built environ-
  ment that reflect this physicality and the ways in which that 
  physicality has shaped the people of the Land. 
  The Land’s people can be divided into two basic types: 
  stonedownors and woodhelvennin. The people of Mithil 
  HARP  Folkways 
  Field Notes 
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  Stonedown, who we encounter first, are masters of stone-lore. 
  They live in villages crafted of stone, with their single-family 
  stone houses facing a central meeting circle. The most pow-
  erful master of the stone-lore has special power and author-
  ity and might be considered the leader of the community. 
  Mastery of the stone-lore is passed from generation to gen-
  eration and mastery of which is considered in-and-of-itself to 
  be service to the Land. Mastery of the stone-lore means that 
  you can use all of the powers inherent in the rock of the Land 
  without destroying it or consuming it. The woodhelvennin are 
  masters of the wood-lore. They live in majestic communities 
  built from and amongst the living wood of enormous trees. 
  Their social structure is similar to that of the stonedownors 
  but centered on wood, rather than stone. Both peoples share a 
  commitment to the ongoing preservation of the vitality of the 
  land and a deep reverence for it.
  The Land’s rulers are called the Lords. The spiritual, temporal 
  and mystical Lords possess magical knowledge hidden away 
  by an ancient Lord who, despairing in his struggle against 
  Lord Foul, undertook a ritual that caused the physical vitality 
  of the Land to be undone, destroying on his own what Lord 
  Foul hoped to destroy. His goal—causing Lord Foul’s quest 
  to destroy the Land to fail—failed utterly. His preparation for 
  that failure gave the Lords that Thomas Covenant encoun-
  tered access to a limited set of skills and lore and denied them 
  access to other forms of lore until they had developed the 
  moral, ethical framework and skill to use it wisely. The Lords 
  have possession of magic and can do some surprisingly pow-
  erful things with their magic. But they know that their powers 
  are limited. More lore exists, but they do not have the wisdom 
  to use it. The Lords give us an example of an Authority Ways 
  based not on physical or magical power (though the Lords 
  possess both) but on the power of ideas and moral example. 
  The Lords are themselves protected by a race of beings from 
  a distant land who are called the Bloodguard. Undying, they 
  swore to protect the Lords and the Land millennia previously 
  and have stood watch ever since.
  The Second Chronicles of Thomas 
  Covenant
  Thousands of years pass in the Land between the first ap-
  pearance of Thomas Covenant and his second appearance. 
  In that time, everything I described above had been changed 
  and never for the better. The stonedownors and the woodhel-
  vennin still existed, but they had lost command of their lore, 
  forgetting everything that made them who they were. The 
  Lords no longer existed. The Land was now ruled by a cabal 
  in Revelstone called the Clave who used the literal blood of 
  the people of the Land to manipulate an environmentally 
  apocalyptic force called the Sunbane, inflicted on the Land 
  by Lord Foul, once again, in an attempt to destroy the Land. 
  Once again, the Land itself remains the most important char-
  acter in these stories and Donaldson’s Environment Ways 
  the most compelling of all of the folkways we encounter. 
  Knowing the Land as we do from “Unbeliever,” the torture 
  that Lord Foul and the Clave subject the Land to under the 
  Sunbane is both physically revolting and morally exhaust-
  ing. Every three to four days, at sunrise, the environmental 
  physicality of the Land is determined by the quality of the 
  sun. A desert sun strips the Land of its fecundity in minutes, 
  making everything a bone-dry, brutal desert. A sun of pesti-
  lence replaces vitality with illness and corruption. Swarming 
  insects, pus-like running sores infect the Land and its people. 
  And so forth. The “Second Chronicles” are a great example of 
  what happens when you invert what was previously known. 
  Inflection points in the history of the Land where the Lords 
  got it flatly and fundamentally wrong demonstrate the power 
  of in-story decision making and what happens when you get 
  the integrity of your narrative ecosystem correct. This mani-
  fests itself again in the conclusion of the series.
  The Final Chronicles of Thomas 
  Covenant
  Again, many thousands of years have passed since Thomas 
  Covenant returned to the Land. This time, again, everything 
  has changed. The Sunbane is gone, but in its place is another 
  environmental catastrophe, this one called Kevin’s Dirt (Kevin 
  being the name of the great ancient Lord who used the desecra-
  tion ritual). Kevin’s Dirt is a tool used by the Bloodguard, who 
  now rule the Land with the same inflexibility, stifling sense of 
  duty and autocratic indifference from Revelstone, to prevent 
  the people of the Land from learning any of the Land’s Lore 
  or history. From the perspective of the cultural anthropolo-
  gist the Bloodguard are fascinating because they have always 
  manifested the same level of bloody-minded rigidity, whether 
  in the service of their original vow to the Lords or the vow 
  they made to honor Thomas Covenant’s request at the end 
  of the Second Chronicles to govern the land and protect 
  its people.
  George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of 
  Ice and Fire”
  All consuming complexity is the order of the day when re-
  flecting on the world building George R.R. Martin has done 
  for his planned seven-volume series of novels “A Song of Ice 
  and Fire,” beginning in the late 1990s with the now legend-
  ary novel A Game of Thrones. Because Martin’s universe is so 
  complex, I will use all twenty of the folkways and go step-by-
  step to show how Martin has, in the telling of his story, also 
  given his characters the deepest possible universe in which to 
  reside. The depth of complexity in the narrative is staggering.
  •	 Environment	 Ways:	 one	 need	 only	 reflect	 on	 the	 differ-
  ences between the Wall, the Iron Islands, Dorne and the 
  Dothraki Sea to understand how Martin views the relation-
  ship between environment and culture. He’s nearly deter-
  ministic in this way, by which I mean, environment is not 
  just a factor in culture—it’s the one that makes the rest of 
  the culture make sense.
  HARP   Folkways 
  Field Notes 
  Page 13
  
  •	 Urban	 Ways:	 The	 built	 en-
  vironment likewise tells us 
  a story. The nature of the 
  Eyrie, essentially impregna-
  ble by land and featuring the 
  horrifying Moon Door, is a 
  good example of how story 
  is conveyed by architecture 
  and buildings.
  •	 Family	Ways:	One	could	write	
  an entire other book on the 
  way Martin constructs fami-
  lies. Family is probably the 
  most important social and 
  cultural construct in Martin’s 
  books. Hence the impor-
  tance of each House having 
  its own words reflecting their 
  values. House Stark’s words, 
  “Winter is Coming,” with all 
  of their foreboding, say all 
  that needs to be said about 
  the core of Stark-ness. The 
  words of House Greyjoy, “We 
  Do Not Sow,” gives us access 
  to that family’s austereness. 
  The complexity of family re-
  lations, both within families 
  and between families, inform 
  nearly everything about the 
  story. 
  •	 Marriage	 Ways:	 The	 impor-
  tance of the marriage bond is reflected in the culture’s 
  obsession with the royal bloodlines as that notion speaks 
  to succession. Who, exactly, is or should be heir to Robert 
  Baratheon after his death? Another way to understand the 
  way that these cultures put weight on the importance of 
  marriage is the complex ways in which Westeros’ families 
  treat bastards. That fact that each of the Great Houses give 
  specific surnames to their bastards speaks to this.
  •	Lifespan	Ways:	Careful	thought	is	given	to	ensure	that	we	
  understand how children are treated in Westeros. We see 
  the care given to Bran Stark after he is paralyzed. We wit-
  ness the ways in which Tommen Baratheon is babied. We 
  note that Robb Stark, in his teens, is entrusted not only 
  with the lordship of men but the command of armies. The 
  threat he presented despite his age suggests that the thresh-
  old between boyhood and manhood comes much earlier 
  in Westeros.
  •	Gender	and	Sexuality	Ways:	George	R.R.	Martin	is	certainly	
  not afraid of asserting his characters’ sexuality. The rela-
  tionship that helps us best understand how Westeros’ cul-
  ture creates and maintains sexual norms is the incestuous 
  relationship between Jaime and Cersei Lannister. It is the 
  source of the game of thrones itself.
  •	Association	Ways:	Each	of	the	Great	Houses	has	dozens	and	
  dozens of associate houses that support that Great House 
  in its struggle to assert itself. These houses are filled with 
  men sworn to that Great House. The “calling of the ban-
  ners,” is a powerful example of the role association plays in 
  the culture of Westeros.
  •	 Rank	Ways:	Any	society	with	a	king	and	a	royal	court	is	
  going to have strongly expressed Rank Ways. Certainly 
  true in Westeros’ society. What is perhaps more intriguing 
  is how Rank Ways work among the Dothraki. Rather than 
  positional rank, on the Dothraki Sea, rank is asserted by 
  your ability to defend it. Robert Baratheon is the alpha male 
  in Westeros because he wears a crown. Khal Drogo is the 
  alpha male among the Dothraki only so long as he remains 
  the baddest badass.
  •	 Order	Ways:	Orderliness	can	be	seen	in	the	ways	Martin	
  builds relationships between Houses and within families. 
  It can be seen particularly in the ways in which the Septas 
  and Septons (the religious figures in Westeros) bring shame 
  against powerful figures.
  HARP  Folkways 
  Field Notes 
  Page 14
  
  •	 Authority	Ways:	While	not	always	or	necessarily	the	case,	
  Authority Ways in Westeros and on the Dothraki Sea is 
  carried in the same vessel as Rank Ways are.
  •	 Freedom	Ways:	The	culture	of	the	Seven	Kingdoms	is	not	
  one that places high value on personal liberty and indi-
  vidual freedom. The way Houses work speaks to a form of 
  collective freedom. Moreover, the structure of the Night’s 
  Watch speaks to a different kind of collective freedom. 
  Individual freedom? This is the defining quality of the wild-
  lings—the folk who live beyond the wall. It isn’t a Westeros 
  tradition, but it is used strategically by Martin to draw a 
  contrast between collective and individual obligation.
  •	 Wealth	Ways:	A	Lannister	always	pays	his	debts.	Master	of	
  Coin Petyr Baelish. The corrupting role played in Westeros’ 
  society by the Iron Bank of Braavos. In this folkway, we 
  can see how intertwined wealth is with the other order-
  ing institutions.
  •	 Work	Ways:	Work	is	not	portrayed	as	the	most	important	
  of the cultural folkways, but it is important enough that 
  people’s work sometimes gives characters their names…
  like Hot Pie.
  •	 Leisure	Ways:	Leisure	Ways	is	perhaps	the	least	used	of	
  the twenty folkways in Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire.” 
  Activities that might seem like they have a leisure function, 
  like tournaments and jousting, really serve other tradi-
  tions, like Association, Rank or Order.
  •	 Dress	Ways:	The	Dress	Ways	in	“A Song of Ice and Fire” 
  seem to reflect the Environment Ways.
  •	 Food	Ways:	Extensive	description	throughout	“A Song of Ice 
  and Fire” of all sorts of foods help us as readers connect to 
  these characters who have lives that are quite frankly gov-
  erned by alien and oppressive social standards.
  •	 Language	Ways:	While	not	as	extensive	as	one	sometimes	
  sees in other world building efforts, Martin uses ancient 
  languages and phrases as well as snippets of Dothraki and 
  other languages to help create the flavor of Westeros and 
  Essos. Language can go a long way to create a tone or flavor 
  that can take your game to an entirely new level.
  •	 Magic	Ways:	Subtly	used	by	Martin,	perhaps	at	its	most	
  brutal in the ritual of blood that Mirri Maz Duur used to 
  slay Rhaego Targaryen, Daenerys’ son, in the womb.
  •	 Supernatural	 Ways:	 Religion	 is	 not	 a	 core	 obsession	 of	
  Martin’s work, but it is everywhere within it nonetheless. 
  The ways in which the Old Gods inform not just the Starks 
  but also all of the people of the North stand in intrigu-
  ing contrast to the rigid formalities of the worship of the 
  Seven Gods. Westeros’ cultures engage in meaningful re-
  ligious practices. Taken together with everything else that 
  gives meaning to the culture of the Seven Kingdoms, their 
  Supernatural Ways provide a deepening, a rich shading.
  •	 Self-reflection	Ways:	there	are	a	great	many	things	about	
  which the cultures of Westeros deceive themselves. The 
  simple fact of the coming of Winter and what that always 
  means. The value of loyalty and observance of old customs. 
  The importance of tradition. The meaning of kingship. 
  What order itself means when the principle ordering insti-
  tution, the monarchy, lies in ruins.
  World of Warcraft
  Moving now from the world of fiction, where the author is 
  fully and completely in control of narrative, character and in-
  tention, into the world of gaming, where authorship is shared 
  between the gamemaster and the player, I turn to the most 
  subscribed to massively-multiplayer online role-playing game 
  in history: World of Warcraft (WOW). First released in 2004, 
  WOW is based on more than a decade’s development of the 
  pre-existing Warcraft universe which features at its core a 
  struggle between two cultures, Human and Orc, in conflict 
  with each other over dominance of the world of Azeroth. This 
  conflict manifests itself in WOW as a fundamental worldview 
  conflict (and hence a cultural conflict) between two factions: 
  the Human-led Alliance and the Orc-led Horde.
  The Alliance faction is composed of races that are human or 
  human-like and share what might be called “western values.” 
  The core races in the Alliance, the humans, dwarves and night 
  elves (forest-dwelling elves), manifest all of the traditions that 
  we would expect of them from a reading of our own culture. 
  Humans live in agreeable small towns and cities, all neatly 
  laid-out and maintained in an orderly fashion. The architec-
  ture is what you might expect in rural England. Hewn white 
  stone, clapboard, pastoral farmland…that sort of thing. The 
  dwarves, no surprise, live within a mountain and are deeply 
  concerned with mining, wealth and drinking. Night elves are 
  the sort of elves who live in-and-amongst the trees. Tall and 
  graceful, they have the overweening confidence one comes 
  to expect from elves in fantasy settings. Three other races, 
  two of them essentially human-like, round out the Alliance. 
  Gnomes, essentially miniature dwarves, are obsessed with 
  gadgets and tinkering. Worgen, lycanthropic humans from a 
  border region previously cut off from the rest of human soci-
  ety, are the most “monstrous” of all of the Alliance members 
  (a factor which, within the storyline of the game, made many 
  members of the Alliance anxious about welcoming the Worgen 
  to the fold). The last Alliance race, the Draenei, are not from 
  Azeroth. Driven from their own planet (the planet they 
  shared contentiously with the Orcs) by a galaxy-spanning war 
  they were losing, the Draenei evacuation ship crash landed 
  on Azeroth. In short order, they joined the Alliance. Why? 
  Because despite their only vaguely human physical appear-
  ance, their cultural values were more closely aligned with the 
  humans than with the orcs. There is a quasi-religious force 
  sacred to the Alliance called “the Light” that is also sacred to 
  the Draenei. Draenei notions of kingship, orderliness, service, 
  the relationship of the individual to the collective, justice and 
  so forth closely match those of the other Alliance races. These 
  cultural values form the core of the Alliance and manifest 
  themselves in the ways NPCs speak to PCs in game and in 
  HARP   Folkways 
  Field Notes 
  Page 15
  
  the ways in which players engage with WOW as a role-playing 
  game (many don’t, as the game gives players lots of differing 
  ways to play).
  The Horde, by contrast, is comprised of races that do not have 
  western values or whose mythologies are derived from non-
  western sources. These races are all monstrous in some way 
  and, with one exception, are not human-like in appearance. 
  The three core races of the Horde, the orcs, the tauren and 
  the trolls, all share these traits. The orcs, the equivalent of 
  the human race in the Alliance, created the Horde to resist 
  humans and the Alliance and to assert the rights of the races 
  of the Horde to control the lands they dominated. Formerly 
  from the same planet as the Alliance-aligned Draenei, the 
  orcs were enslaved for a portion of their history by humans. 
  This shapes the relationships between the two races (and the 
  two factions) to this day. The orcs are proud, fearsome war-
  riors who are prone to overreach and bluster. They take in-
  sults to their honor very seriously and respond to such insults 
  with great determination. Their settlements and cities are 
  instantly recognizable for their spikiness, iron and harsh ge-
  ometries. The tauren, sentient minotaurs whose settlements 
  are instantly recognizable for their totem poles, are a people 
  of peaceful engagement with the natural world. The trolls, 
  who in the distant history of Azeroth possessed continent-
  spanning empires, are now uncertain of their future and 
  direction, riven between different empires and factions. The 
  faction aligned with the Horde, the Darkspear, are consid-
  ered by other trolls to be almost pathetically irrelevant. All of 
  these races derive their fundamental qualities from cultures 
  that are alien to the West. The orcs are a kind 
  of Mongolian terror from the steppes. The 
  tauren, wise and proud nature-loving Native 
  Americans. The trolls speak in a Caribbean 
  patois and dance hip-hop style. These three 
  races taken together manifest the clearest 
  expression of the non-Western values core 
  to the Horde. Three other races join them 
  in the Horde. The undead Forsaken are a 
  race of once-dead humans who were raised 
  from death into the service of the Lich King 
  (a potentially world-annihilating dark lord) 
  but who broke the mental conditioning that 
  rendered them zombies. While seeing them-
  selves as essentially human, because they are 
  undead and were formerly under the thrall 
  of the Lich King, human society shuns and 
  fears them. The goblins, a race of industrial-
  ists, capitalists and merchants, can be found 
  across Azeroth in their own cities. A faction 
  of goblins joined the Horde some years ago. 
  The last Horde race, the Blood Elves, are 
  lithe and beautiful in the tradition of elves. 
  Possessed of a dependency on certain kinds 
  of magics and willing to delve more deeply 
  into magics viewed as evil than other elves (or 
  indeed most other races), they nevertheless 
  live in cities that, with their wild, mystical architecture, speak 
  mostly to the distance between their values and the values of 
  the rest of the Horde. This distance manifests itself in game-
  play over and over as the Blood Elves, who before the game’s 
  debut had actually been allied to the Alliance, seek to rejoin it 
  or are enticed to rejoin. 
  The races in World of Warcraft all give the player a different 
  aesthetic, a “look” that is completely appropriate for a video 
  game. These aesthetic qualities help an interested player un-
  derstand the tone of their character’s culture. Because the 
  gameplay of WOW and other games like it is based on achiev-
  ing objectives within the game, the game developers have the 
  ability to embed culturally significant information within the 
  objectives themselves. The actions characters take in game, 
  therefore, can help the player better understand what their 
  culture is like and what is expected of them. While a tabletop 
  role-playing game does not have the same capacity to gener-
  ate a visual aesthetic, using the tools outlined in this book, 
  it does have the ability to provide the rich storytelling that 
  brings a character to life. That’s our goal for HARP, which we 
  turn to now.
  HARP
  Like World of Warcraft, many other role-playing video games 
  and many tabletop role-playing games, in character crea-
  tion, HARP uses a “matrix” that intersects a player’s deci-
  sion about race with a player’s decision about a very broad 
  cultural framing. This intersection gives the player and the 
  HARP  Folkways 
  Field Notes 
  Page 16
  
  gamemaster the basic tools needed in order to begin fleshing 
  out a character’s background. What happens at that point is 
  up to the players and the gamemaster. Giving each of them 
  more detail to work with is the goal of this book, in fact!
  HARP uses six races: Humans, Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, 
  Halflings and Gryx. Each of these races (with the exception of 
  the Gryx) have qualities that connect them with our cultural 
  inventory. For instance, the Dwarves are described as “lov-
  ers of precious stones, metals and gems.” Elves, long-lived, are 
  thought to be “aloof” and “haughty.” Gnomes adore “unrave-
  ling puzzles and solving enigmas,” and so forth. These ideas 
  are recognizable in dozens of other movies and books in our 
  culture. They’re tropes, practically. These archetypes give 
  players and gamemasters a place to start from that’s comfort-
  able and not too intimidating.
  Where HARP gets more interesting (and goes to places that 
  many other fantasy RPGs don’t go) is that it requires players to 
  not select only a race but also a “culture that best suits their 
  character’s background.” HARP features seven cultures: Deep 
  Warrens, Shallow Warrens, Sylvan, Underhill, Nomadic, 
  Rural and Urban. Like with the six races, these cultures are 
  written broadly, serving as archetypes for players. There are, 
  of course, natural meldings. Dwarves meld with the Deep 
  Warrens in a way that reinforces the qualities of both race and 
  culture. Elves are traditionally drawn to the Sylvan culture. 
  Humans tend towards the Rural and the Urban, but like their 
  racial descriptor indicates, they are the most adaptable of all 
  of the HARP races and can be found in any of these seven 
  cultures. In chapter 4, I will use these principles of HARPs 
  rules, along with the twenty cultural folkways, to create two 
  entirely new cultures for players in HARP.
  Moreover, HARP uses the seven cultural frameworks to pro-
  vide newly created characters with an assortment of skills 
  based on the adolescence they would have experienced as 
  members of this culture. This gives players and gamemasters 
  an ingenious window into the values and expectations, the 
  challenges and advantages of each culture. The Deep Warrens 
  culture, for example, places great value on Endurance, grant-
  ing 3 skill ranks in it. This is not at all surprising, given the 
  environmental demands placed on a character who comes 
  from such a place. Its valuation of Crafts might speak to why 
  Dwarves are described as being craft-oriented. It’s the effect 
  of the culture, not the effect of the race that causes it. The 
  Shallow Warrens culture gives its maximum skill ranks in 
  Stalking & Hiding, a highly valuable skill when the culture 
  values being unseen and undisturbed. The reasons for which 
  Stalking & Hiding is important to Sylvan and Underhill cul-
  tures speaks to the ways that they are similar to the Shallow 
  Warrens culture. Having said this, in your own world build-
  ing efforts, it is critical that you know why these three cul-
  tures value Stalking & Hiding differently that matters the 
  most. Because they definitely do. When investigating these 
  adolescent skills more deeply, it isn’t that great a surprise 
  that the two cultures valued most by Humans—Rural and 
  Urban—present a particularly broad range of skills. This 
  would be expected from and for Humans. Perhaps the great-
  est strength of HARP is its flexibility. We will make use of 
  that flexibility in the rest of this book.
  The most important takeaway from this chapter should be 
  a reminder that as you build a world for the players of your 
  game (and for your own imagination!) you do not need to 
  know everything there is to know about your world in order 
  for your place to feel authentic, real, richly detailed and com-
  plete. Players who want the richest possible role-playing envi-
  ronment will be grateful for the detail you have provided and 
  will no doubt partner with you on the development of those 
  details that matter to them that you did not already give them 
  answers to. If the level of development Tolkien, Donaldson 
  and Blizzard Entertainment did was sufficient to develop 
  their work, it is likely to be sufficient for you and me!
  HARP   Folkways 
  Field Notes 
  Page 17
  
  3 Twenty Folkways
  HARP  Folkways 
  Twenty Folkways 
  Page 18
  
  The task of building a living, breathing culture for your play-
  ers to enjoy starts here—with twenty key questions that 
  emerge from twenty folkways that I believe will best help the 
  game developer do the cultural work that deep role-playing 
  requires. As I indicated in chapter 1, I did not invent these 
  folkways or come up with them out of whole cloth. A deep 
  intellectual debt is owed by me to the historian David Hackett 
  Fischer, whose book Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in 
  Colonial America is not only the most important book of his-
  tory I have ever read, but a seminal work, richly deserving the 
  accolades that it has earned. 
  Each of the twenty folkways begins with the essential ques-
  tion that folkway raises about your culture. I will go on to un-
  pack that folkway, investigating it in as many different ways 
  I can think of before alighting on some real world examples 
  of cultures and how their cultures reveal their answers to 
  this particular question/folkway. Each section will end with 
  a checklist of additional questions you might want to con-
  sider as you reflect on your world from the lens of this specific 
  question/folkway.
  Environment Ways
  This chapter begins with consideration of environment be-
  cause, in my judgment, it is often the single greatest deter-
  mining factor in the a culture’s internal organization. The 
  environment is the one thing about which most cultures 
  can do nothing about (except move or, in a high-tech context, 
  shape the environment to suit the culture rather than the other 
  way around). The environment is an ever-present reality, 
  oppressive or nurturing, swarming with insects and teem-
  ing with millions of examples of life or a barren waste. The 
  importance of environment to understanding culture is the 
  reason why HARP (and many other game systems) more or 
  less equate cultural questions with environmental ones. This 
  is why HARP’s cultures read as environment tropes first and 
  cultural frameworks second. This is not a critique! Rather, it is 
  a reminder of the importance of the environment to culture. 
  When considering the essential question, give careful consid-
  eration to: topography, water, ecosystem and weather.
   X Essential Question: How do your cultures 
  respond to, shape, get shaped by, understand, 
  anthropomorphize and live in their physi-
  cal environment?
  Topography: Under this rubric, I include all of the physical 
  qualities of the shape, dimensions, altitude, latitude of the 
  land itself that has a bearing on how the culture inhabits 
  the land. This is the critical first step in understanding the 
  broadest, most intense shaping forces at work on your cul-
  ture. Think about all of the different factors that might be in 
  play just considering this one notion. How might a culture 
  develop differently if the land they inhabit is mountainous as 
  opposed to just hilly? A mountainous terrain is much more 
  difficult to traverse. Mountains might (but might not) be less 
  fertile than a hilly terrain. They afford an entirely different 
  kind of protection than hills do. If the mountain is volcanic, 
  it presents a serious threat to a culture that depends on or 
  lives in vicinity of that mountain. Is the mountain part of a 
  chain? How long does that chain stretch? What heights does 
  it achieve? And if it separates different topographies, what 
  are they? Hilly terrain might afford more natural protection 
  against enemies than flatlands but at what cost? Is the ter-
  rain gently hilly—rolling and easy? Or might it be foothills—a 
  mountainous terrain in all but altitude? If not a mountainous 
  terrain, perhaps an expansive grassland or a deciduous forest 
  with plenty of fertile land for settled agriculture. Simply mak-
  ing this decision, in short, dramatically shapes part of your 
  culture’s reality.
  Water: What access to water does your culture have? All 
  ancient human civilizations began their existence in river 
  valleys that were astoundingly productive and fertile. Egypt 
  formed along the Nile. The Mesopotamian cultures sprang 
  up between the Tigris and Euphrates. Mohenjo-Daro and 
  Harappa emerged in the Indus Valley. When considering 
  your own culture, keep this in mind—everything upon which 
  your civilization relies depends itself on access to water. What 
  is the nature of your culture’s access to water? Does it draw 
  its wellspring from calm, orderly and dependable rivers, like 
  Egypt and the Indus Valley did? If so, society and social or-
  ganization will reflect this dependable ordinariness. Perhaps 
  it draws water from productive, but regularly disorderly and 
  violent rivers, like the Tigris and Euphrates (whose destructive 
  capacity was so high it could lay waste to entire civilizations). 
  Rivers are about transportation too—they connect peoples 
  along them. If your culture draws its water from regularly re-
  newed inland ponds and lakes, how outward-looking might 
  it be? If your culture develops in a place that is dependent 
  on glacial runoff from towering mountains, what happens if 
  there’s a very warm winter? Cultures might develop near a 
  water source that dries up or becomes unproductive, requir-
  ing them to bring water in day-by-day or give up their life-
  style. Settled cultures depend on their water source. Nomadic 
  cultures don’t. They, rather, travel from place to place mov-
  ing from one water source to another in a pattern that is well 
  known to the culture’s leaders.
  Ecosystem: In addition to your culture, what other life ex-
  ists in their territory? How fertile is the land they occupy? 
  In essence, everyone in your culture needs to eat—where are 
  those calories coming from? Consider this question from 
  equatorial through temperate and then into arctic contexts 
  and you’ll see what I mean. Equatorial cultures might have 
  access to a bewildering array of food sources. Why? Because 
  these ecosystems generally support the most complex webs of 
  life. There’s a reason why insectivorous food traditions don’t 
  develop generally in temperate or arctic contexts—there’s 
  just not enough insects to make it worth it. Equatorial cul-
  tures that emerge in well-watered places are going to be liv-
  ing in rain forests and thick jungle, making most kinds of 
  agriculture difficult.  These same cultures in water-scarce 
  HARP   Folkways 
  Twenty Folkways 
  Page 19
  
  environments are going to naturally be nomadic, perhaps 
  even scavenging. Think very carefully about what flora and 
  fauna your culture shares its environment with. This will po-
  tentially point to sacred totems, tribally-oriented animals and 
  magical fetishes and to obsessive tendencies in your culture. 
  Temperate ecosystems are where many examples of mega-
  fauna might be found. Mastodons and lions and bears and 
  dinosaurs—all findable within different temperate contexts. 
  What are the hunting traditions of your culture? Do they 
  hunt? If so, what do they hunt? Temperate climate systems 
  afford ease of access to farming techniques. If your culture is 
  settled and farm-oriented, how wealthy does this make them? 
  Consider now the difficulties facing residents of an arctic 
  ecosystem. Not devoid of life by any stretch, but certainly not 
  amenable to farming or settled life. Arctic ecosystems do not 
  have much place for pastoral vegetarians. Rather, the work of 
  hunting is likely to shape the culture profoundly.
  Weather: Weather isn’t really about the ecosystem but is em-
  bedded within it. Weather speaks to the patterns of warmth 
  and rain and wind that governs many of the decisions a cul-
  ture makes that shape their success in inhabiting the land. 
  Cultures living in a place where the weather is completely de-
  pendable and scarcely changing will have a very different out-
  look on life than those cultures whose existence is tenuous 
  and weather-dependent. How does it change a culture if it re-
  ceives its rainfall for a year in nearly-equal day-by-day gentle 
  showers versus a culture that gets all of its rainfall in a pound-
  ing month-long monsoon? Does your culture have any expe-
  rience with violent weather? Tornadoes? Hurricanes? These 
  dramatically shape a culture’s sense of confidence and anxi-
  ety. Do its water sources sometimes cause catastrophe? Does 
  your culture have to cope with regular El Nino events? Have 
  they ever experienced an earthquake or a volcanic eruption? 
  How near to the ocean does your culture live? Proximity to 
  the ocean tends to moderate weather extremes, for instance.
  In Our World
  Human history is replete with examples of environmental 
  factors shaping cultures. The regularity of the Nile’s flood 
  shaped the way Ancient Egyptians viewed the world and pro-
  foundly influenced their commitment to strong government 
  and the relationship between that government and the forces 
  of the cosmos. The failures of the flood inevitably synchro-
  nize with the collapse of Egyptian dynasties. The fertility of 
  the Indus River gave rise to multicultural, peaceful sophis-
  ticated cities with so much surplus that their granaries are 
  the most salient features of their cities. The profoundly fickle 
  Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which flooded once a generation 
  in catastrophic fashion, gave rise to a much more anxious and 
  mistrustful assortment of cultures with gods who were much 
  less nurturing than Egypt’s. Consider the question of ecosys-
  tem for a moment and how it shaped the relationship between 
  Europe and Africa. I mentioned above the role insects might 
  play in cultural development. Insects are an important vec-
  tor for infectious disease. This reality dictated those parts of 
  Africa where Europeans might directly colonize and those 
  that wouldn’t be suitable because of the insect-borne illnesses 
  that Europeans had limited or no resistance to. Look at a map 
  of where endemic malaria existed or where the tsetse fly ex-
  isted in large numbers and you’ll see where Europeans did 
  not have a strong colonial presence until they had developed 
  medicines sufficient to overcome the natural disadvantage. 
  Europeans and their interactions with the Americas shows 
  the opposite of this, but again, still from the perspective of 
  ecosystem. North and South Americans had very limited im-
  munological resistance to the diseases (like smallpox) that 
  were endemic in Europe. When Europeans arrived in the 
  Americas, it set off centuries of disease-mediated popula-
  tion collapse which, when coupled with Europeans’ warfare 
  against the native cultures, amounts to a genocide. Give the 
  peoples of the Americas resistance to smallpox and every-
  thing changes. Think about this when you are building your 
  environments. Particularly consider the borderlands between 
  cultures—why is a borderland a borderland? Is it because of 
  its height? The nature of its water? Because of some other eco-
  system factor?
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 What	 are	 your	 culture’s	 topographical	 realities?	 Do	
  they live high in the mountains? In hills? Grasslands? 
  Temperate forests? A polar climate? On a continent? An 
  island? What forces have shaped their land?
  •	 Where’s	the	water?	If	you	situate	a	culture	far	from	a	
  source of water, you should have a good explanation for 
  how that culture sustains itself. Be mindful also that 
  many human conflicts center on access to water. This 
  is going to be true no matter how fantastical your cul-
  ture is.
  •	 How	complex	is	its	ecosystem?	What	animals	and	plants	
  exist in easy access to your culture? What do they think 
  about these animals and plants? Do they manifest them-
  selves in religious or social practices? What do your 
  people eat? What’s plentiful? What’s scarce? Scarcity 
  can lead to equating objects with transportable wealth. 
  Is there anything in your culture’s ecosystem that might 
  function as a medium of exchange?
  •	 What’s	 the	 weather	 like?	 A	 simple	 question	 like	 “how 
  humid is it generally” would help you understand 
  whether the local tavern is going to serve a hearty stout, 
  a crisp lager or an ice wine, for instance. Cultures accus-
  tomed to wildly unpredictable weather will not tolerate 
  people who are rigid and inflexible. Cultures accustomed 
  to regular flooding are going to build their homes on 
  stilts. Those that have tornados will have storm cellars. 
  And so forth.
  HARP  Folkways 
  Twenty Folkways 
  Page 20
  
  Urban Ways
  From the earliest days of human history until today, one of 
  the defining characteristics of civilization has been the settle-
  ments we build. Temporary villages made from materials that 
  are easy to move are the response of some civilizations to the 
  demands imposed on them from their environments. Small 
  towns clustered near the banks of rivers feature in the origins 
  of many national stories. The emergence of large cities and 
  even larger urban areas is a quality not just of our industrial 
  and post-industrial present but also something that the an-
  cients achieved, with Rome as a particularly fitting example of 
  city building on a grand scale two thousand years ago. When 
  considering this essential question, give careful consideration 
  to: permanence, configuration, aesthetics and stratification.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  build villages, towns and cities? What does the 
  built environment look like? How do people move 
  through it?
  Permanence: Building from your understanding of a cul-
  ture’s Environment Ways, you have to decide whether the 
  people of your culture resides in fixed villages and towns that, 
  by design, are not meant to be moved or whether your cul-
  ture’s villages are partially movable or fully movable. Any of 
  these choices is reasonable in any potential environment. The 
  important thing for you is to be sure you have an answer to 
  this basic question, because it impacts many other realities 
  that your people will deal with. A civilization with fully mov-
  able settlements is going to be accustomed to regular migra-
  tion (following water or food sources) and will expect to move 
  with the seasons. Attempts to not migrate would be seen as 
  troubling deviations from the norm. Think about the kind of 
  work people who have to pack up with limited notice might 
  have to do. Think about the way they might think about the 
  lifecycle. These are likely to be rather different from people 
  living in settled communities. When your society is confi-
  dent enough in its access to water and food, it might choose 
  to build permanent settlements. The environment in which 
  these settlements are built doesn’t much matter—any might 
  do. Cities on alluvial plains or vast settlements like bee hives 
  carved into immense glaciers are really looking for the same 
  things—security, access to water and access to food. And 
  don’t neglect those civilizations that build semi-permanent 
  settlements. These have settlements that are meant to endure 
  year-to-year, but are inhabited only part-time or by only part 
  of the culture. Elements of these societies live in temporary 
  structures they carry with them while away from the settle-
  ments and return to home when their business is concluded. 
  Permanence also speaks to roadways, rivers and other forms 
  of transportation. How do people get around in your city? Are 
  there roads? Alleyways? Does everyone use the water to move 
  about? Is there some kind of primitive (or indeed, sophisti-
  cated) railroad system, perhaps? The degree of permanence 
  suggests the degree of care given to transportation. Last of 
  all, notions of permanence speak to defensibility. Does your 
  culture have enemies who covet what your civilization owns 
  or makes? If so, that will have an impact on how your culture 
  views its safety and the wisdom of building settlements. A 
  mobile culture under threat can simply move. A settled com-
  munity is going to need defenses, however. Walls or the like. 
  Or indeed geography, as in the Acoma Pueblo Sky City, can 
  provide much by way of defensibility.
  Configuration: This is the simple question of “what goes 
  where?” How did your culture organize the residential, com-
  mercial and industrial sectors of the city? Are these sepa-
  rated in some way? Do they overlap? How much land does 
  your settlement take up? Settlements can be spread out over 
  a wide area or clustered together very tightly, whether they 
  have a lot of population or really not so much. It all depends 
  on how the culture sees fit to organize the work of a city. So, 
  again, where’s the water? If your culture doesn’t have access 
  to post-industrial technology, it is very likely that what passes 
  for an industrial sector in your civilization’s cities is going to 
  be built where the water is…because that’s where the energy 
  of the water is. What your culture’s industry is making will 
  certainly shape how the commercial sector is configured. 
  Does your culture’s industry make objects that are sold in the 
  city to the civilization’s residents? That would tend to a com-
  mercial sector near the industrial sector. If your city is cos-
  mopolitan in nature and there are foreigners, the commercial 
  sector might be near the city’s gates (if it has walls) or indeed 
  outside of those walls. It could be partially up the river with 
  barges carrying goods in from the city, if your city’s residents 
  wanted strangers’ money without having to deal with the 
  strangers themselves. Last of all is the consideration you need 
  to give to where people live. Is your culture’s social order the 
  sort that creates demand for single-family dwellings or multi-
  family dwellings? How many people who consider themselves 
  linked are going to be sheltered in one dwelling? What is your 
  HARP   Folkways 
  Twenty Folkways 
  Page 21
  
  culture’s tolerance of single people? Do you have apartments 
  for that kind of household?
  Aesthetics: Architecture is a subject that divides people. 
  Where one might find the English country cottage or quaint 
  Provencal village charming and beautiful, another might find 
  it cloying and old-fashioned, preferring the stark concrete and 
  glass of a modern city. This question is asking you to think 
  about building materials and beauty. What do your culture’s 
  people find charming and beautiful? From a role-playing per-
  spective, there’s nothing quite like being able to describe a 
  new place in vivid enough detail that it resonates with your 
  players’ characters’ sense of the sublime. There is much that 
  a civilized people’s ingenuity can do with wood, stone and 
  brick. Indeed even with adobe, concrete and other composite 
  materials. And this is to say nothing of civilizations that build 
  their settlements inside of ice or hills or mountains. In these 
  places, architecture becomes more akin to sculpture, the de-
  liberate and careful manipulation of the environment, rather 
  than the fabrication of it.
  Stratification: The last point for your consideration in Urban 
  Ways is how the settlement is divided socially. How do peo-
  ple use the village’s places on a daily basis? What parts of the 
  city are reserved for the upper classes? Is there a middle class? 
  What makes it so and where does it live as a result of what 
  made it middle class? Is there a sector for the lower classes? 
  Well-reasoned answers to questions here will help you down 
  the road when you are considering social factors at play in 
  your society. Keep in mind that it is entirely customary to set 
  aside very large portions of a settlement for the private use 
  of members of a royal class or a priestly class. Take a careful 
  look at the footprint of the Forbidden City in Beijing or the 
  Imperial Palace in Tokyo to get a sense of what I mean here. 
  Do upper class people get a special aesthetic that they reserve 
  for their buildings? Do they reside near the royal/priestly 
  quarter or separately? This probably depends on their rela-
  tionship with the royal than anything else. Do they care for 
  or want access to the countryside? Every settlement has some 
  degree of social stratification, no matter how small. Give seri-
  ous thought to how it is divided.
  In Our World
  The built environment goes back in a viewable form in our 
  world many millennia. The walls of the city of Jericho in the 
  Middle East date to 6800 BCE, for example. Modern cities 
  like London were founded nearly two thousand years ago. 
  Even more modern cities like Los Angeles have within them 
  small neighborhoods that are centuries old. All of these cit-
  ies answer the questions that I outlined above and would be 
  worthy of deeper study on your part. Thinking about our spe-
  cies’ Urban Ways is a reminder of our staggering ingenuity. 
  Our modern cities are marvels of efficiency and order while 
  also exerting a rapacious demand on the produce of their 
  surroundings. Think for a moment about what is required 
  to keep New York running. The electricity, the daily food re-
  quirements for the people, the social order required to keep 
  everything running. And then consider that, by world stand-
  ards in the early 21st century, New York’s kind of small. It’s 
  less than half as populous as Sao Paolo, for instance. Then 
  think about the pueblo dwellers in the North American 
  Southwest and the ways that their dwellings, built atop one 
  another and often accessible through the roof, reflect their 
  social values. Now consider the cleverness of the Anasazi 
  peoples, who built cliff dwellings in what is now southwestern 
  Colorado or the Tellem, who did likewise in Mali. And this is 
  merely to discuss those who chose to settle! Nomadism, while 
  in the decline in the 21st century, remains an active way of life 
  for hundreds of millions of people and was a dominant way of 
  relating to the land for the majority of North Americans until 
  the coming of Europeans.
  Family Ways
  There are no human cultures without some concept of family. 
  I would elaborate by saying that any of the pre-existing races 
  in HARP will also have some form of family concept. You 
  are certainly not obligated to have one, but be mindful that 
  if you answer this question by saying “there are no families,” 
  you have many other root questions you’ll have to untangle 
  that are probably beyond the scope of this book! Having said 
  that, one culture’s definition of what constitutes family might 
  be so radically different from another’s that these separate 
  cultures might have a difficult time recognizing each other’s 
  definitions. For my purposes in this section, I am going to 
  speak about affiliation by means of blood ties. For all of those 
  very important connections that people make that aren’t 
  mediated by a blood relationship, I will wait until discussing 
  Association Ways to elaborate on. When considering this 
  essential question, give careful consideration to: reach, rela-
  tionship, authority and idealization.
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 Does	my	culture	live	a	settled,	semi-nomadic	or	nomadic	
  existence? What are the forces at work to sustain those 
  values? To challenge them?
  •	 What	would	a	member	of	my	culture	consider	to	be	a	
  beautiful building and why?
  •	 How	does	my	culture	think	about	transportation?	What	
  are their methods of movement, and how do they organ-
  ize their settlements to suit these needs?
  •	 How	 would	 my	 culture	 defend	 its	 holdings	 from	 an	
  enemy? Would it move on? Has it built walls? Moats? 
  Can it “pull up the ladders?”
  •	 What	do	the	people	in	my	culture	do	for	a	living?	How	
  does that shape the way they design their settlements?
  •	 Is	there	a	lot	of	social	stratification	in	my	culture	or	a	lit-
  tle? How does that social order get reflected in the cities 
  and settlements built?
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   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  structure and support families and households, 
  and what is the difference between the reality and 
  the ideal?
  Reach: A conventional understanding of family in the 20th 
  and 21st century West would center on two notions: the 
  nuclear family and the extended family. Neither of these is 
  normative across the great span of human history; don’t feel 
  bound by our narrow experiences! Likewise, don’t feel a need 
  to turn away from them. Consider them in the larger perspec-
  tive of your culture’s values. Each individual in a society draws 
  circles around himself to understand how to relate to others. 
  At what point does the circle “family” end? (I am mindful 
  here that there are many contexts in which someone might de-
  scribe a non-blood relative as family, and I am not denigrating 
  that relationship by discussing it in Association Ways.) What 
  is the “reach” of the idea of family? It could certainly end at 
  the nuclear family—placing grandparents, uncles, aunts and 
  cousins at a distance. If the definition included the extended 
  family, that would bring grandparents, uncles, aunts and 
  cousins closer and bring them into “relationship” with the 
  individual (I’ll discuss relationship next). But it doesn’t need 
  to end there. Perhaps certain kinds of nuclear families in your 
  culture band together into larger units? In human society, 
  this is where the notion of clan might emerge—a collection 
  of like-minded families acting together to defend and as-
  sert their interests. It could extend even further than that, of 
  course. If everyone in a particular area believes themselves 
  to be of the same blood, tribal connections and obligations 
  might emerge. Once we have a sense of how far the boundary 
  of family lies from the individual…
  Relationship: …we have to consider what that boundary 
  circumscribes. That’s relationship. It describes who you, as a 
  member of what you’ve described to yourself as family (and 
  what you feel deeply in your heart is family) feel obligated to 
  in some way. In sociology, this might be called kinship, but I 
  mean this from a role-playing perspective to be a reminder 
  that you have to know who you are bound to because your 
  culture defines them as family. These obligations aren’t just 
  personal or affective. They are economic as well. These are 
  the people who you believe you can turn to in your darkest 
  hour and get help. These are the people who you expect to 
  turn to you in their times of troubles. You owe something to 
  them and they owe something back to you. You are bound 
  by obligations to them that are defined by how your culture 
  understands the family tie. These obligations might change 
  based on how old, young, wealthy, poor, powerful, weak, well-
  educated or connected you are. Consider how differently 
  you relate to the members of your family now as compared 
  to ten years ago or twenty and you’ll see what these shifting 
  sands mean. The broader the boundary, the more complex 
  the systems of obligation and duty imposed upon the indi-
  vidual. Remember that families have as a core duty the rais-
  ing of children. Who carries the burden of that responsibility 
  within the reach of the family? Who takes that burden over in 
  the event the primary caregiver is dead or incapacitated?
  Authority: This notion speaks to the fact that in any family 
  context, no matter how broadly conceived, there are power 
  dynamics at play. How do they work? Whence does the power 
  to compel action in your family systems lie? Here’s where the 
  complexity of family becomes difficult to map. Some families 
  center authority and power in the old. Others with men. But 
  it doesn’t have to be this way. Some families give more power 
  to whomever is physically strongest. Others give authority to 
  women. Perhaps it is a combination of some kind. Suffice it to 
  say that somewhere amongst these people bound by the same 
  stories and history resides the power to compel, to act, to co-
  erce or to destroy. In short, there’s some form of hierarchy in 
  all families. Be mindful that you need to know this going into 
  role-playing, because your players need to know it as well.
  Idealization: Almost every culture is aware of the ways in 
  which their definitions of family just don’t work in some 
  contexts or for some people. Families are messy, evolving, 
  organic things. It’s not for nothing that Leo Tolstoy wrote in 
  Anna Karenina that “all happy families are alike; each un-
  happy family is unhappy in its own way.” When your culture 
  idealizes family, what are the qualities it prizes? Order? Joy? 
  Obligation? Love? Imagine the same group of people mo-
  tivated by a sense of duty as opposed to a sense of joy and 
  you can see what I mean here. What happens to your family 
  when it isn’t working as it wants to or when certain mem-
  bers use their energy to pull the family away from someone 
  else’s ideal? What would a family work towards if it wasn’t 
  dysfunctional? These can be powerful motivating factors for 
  a character and adds a rich complexity to stories that involve 
  the character’s obligations.
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  In Our World
  In our world, family is the defining social construct that gives 
  shape to our culture. Its meaning is fiercely defended and 
  sometimes contested. New definitions of family infuriate and 
  frighten elements of society that want family to mean either 
  what it has conventionally meant or to what it meant when 
  they were young. Violence is not uncommon against those 
  whose behavior violates an aspect of what family is defined to 
  mean. There’s a reason why Hillary Clinton’s book It Takes A 
  Village struck such a nerve in the United States of the 1990s…
  it posits that the raising of children might be an obligation of 
  people outside of the family (and not occupying the teacher/
  elder role). Remember that family isn’t a Western concept—
  it’s a human concept that asserts control over all of those no-
  tions I detailed above.
  Marriage Ways
  Marriage Ways and Family Ways go together like hand-
  and-glove. They reify one another. Each has the capacity to 
  strengthen the other’s claims or to weaken the other’s claims 
  to organizing the culture and society. Historically speaking, 
  the marriage-bond has been the principal means by which 
  distinct (and blood-separate) families have transformed each 
  other into relatives (binding them, therefore, according to 
  the rules of a culture’s Family Ways) and kinsmen. It is also 
  the primary economic partnership in society, depending on 
  the division of labor in your culture. When considering this 
  question, give careful attention to authority, inheritance, le-
  gitimacy and love.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  define and understand the courtship ritual, the 
  marriage-bond and divorce?
  Authority: As marriages create households and expand the 
  definition of family, they become the smallest locus of au-
  thority in your culture.There are four inflections of power 
  that can define marital traditions in your culture. First, mar-
  riage authority can be invested in the husband. This gives him 
  power over his wife and his children. The degree of this power 
  depends on the culture itself. Sometimes it is little more than 
  nominal; other times it is absolute. Second, marriage author-
  ity can be invested in the wife. This gives her power over her 
  husband and her children. Much less common in historical 
  human cultures, it nevertheless does exist in some forms in 
  which the wife’s authority is partially dependent on her male 
  relatives. Still, there are examples. Third, power in marriage 
  might be shared between the two parties equally. Fourth, in 
  marriages that are not one woman, one man, power may be 
  wielded by a single individual over all others with whom that 
  individual is joined through the marriage bond. Once you 
  have determined what the marriage bond is and what func-
  tion it plays, this is the next question you have to answer.
  Inheritance: When a parent dies, who inherits the wealth? 
  Who is a legitimate heir? These questions matter a great deal! 
  There are four patterns here as well. It might be that descent 
  is patrilineal, which is to say, wealth passes from father to son 
  and heirs are legitimate in the male line but not the female. 
  Descent might be matrilineal, in which case wealth passes 
  from mother to daughter and heirs are legitimate only in the 
  female line. Descent might be bilateral. In bilateral descent, 
  wealth would pass from parent to child along a path and ac-
  cording to legal procedure that was customary in that cul-
  ture. The rules would be clearly spelled out. Heirs would be 
  legitimate in both lines, again, requiring that some authority 
  outside the family has made clear what the patterns that are 
  legal are. Fourth, in a marriage composed of multiple indi-
  viduals, the rules of descent would be more complicated still. 
  It is even possible that in these kinds of corporate marriages, 
  there would be no rules of descent that passed wealth from 
  individual to individual. Rather, it would pass into the hands 
  of the collective.
  Legitimacy: The questions of legitimacy center on three 
  questions. Who are you allowed to marry? How many spouses 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 What	is	the	limit	of	the	definition	of	family	in	my	culture?
  •	 To	what	purposes	do	families	direct	themselves?	What	is	
  the family’s job? What isn’t?
  •	 Does	your	culture	have	a	working	or	useful	definition	of	
  clan, tribe or nation?
  •	 What	are	the	norms	in	your	culture’s	definition	of	fam-
  ily? Who in your culture is pushing at the boundaries of 
  these norms?
  •	 What	is	the	role	hierarchy	plays	in	the	maintenance	of	
  family structures? 
  HARP  Folkways 
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  are you allowed to have? Under what conditions are you al-
  lowed to terminate a marriage? These questions are culturally 
  complicated even in human society. The question of who are 
  you allowed to marry refracts along two lines. First, are you 
  allowed to marry a person of either your own gender or the 
  opposite gender or not? If so, what are the forces at work in 
  society sustaining this? If not, why not? Second, are you obli-
  gated to marry someone with whom you share a cultural tie 
  (like a religion, caste or race) or are you allowed to choose a 
  partner outside of such constraints? The question of number 
  has three answers. In monogamist cultures, one is never al-
  lowed more than one spouse at a time. Death or divorce would 
  be the only ways by which you might take a new spouse. There 
  is also the concept of serial monogamy, in which marriage is 
  a contractual relationship that has both a beginning and an 
  end. When it ends, the partners are free to move on from it 
  and into another marriage, if they are so inclined. Last of all is 
  the concept of plural marriages in which a person might have 
  more than one spouse at a time. The culture might stipulate 
  that only men or only women are allowed to have multiple 
  spouses or it might not stipulate this, only allowing anyone 
  to have as many partners as they want or as many as they 
  might like up to a specified number. The question of divorce 
  figures prominently in the legitimacy or illegitimacy of noble 
  and royal couples and children throughout history as well as 
  for regular people. Cultures might forbid divorce. Cultures 
  might allow it, but under certain conditions that would be ad-
  judicated by an authority of some kind like a church, judge or 
  clan leader. Cultures might allow it, but only when initiated 
  by one member of the partnership. Some cultures allow only 
  men to initiate divorce. Some allow only women. Some allow 
  either. It is possible that a culture would allow divorce at will 
  and at the whim of either partner. How property and other 
  economic realities of the divorced couple, to say nothing of 
  the obligations and responsibilities of children produced by 
  the marriage, sort out would likewise be determined by the 
  culture and its ordering institutions.
  Love: An eighteenth-century reader would probably be sur-
  prised to see love in this list at all. A twenty-first century 
  reader has been wondering why it’s taken me so long to get 
  here! The simple point is that marriage based on one indi-
  vidual’s love for another is a modern construct, largely but 
  not entirely absent from the marriage bond in the past. It isn’t 
  that marriages were unloving in the past. Rather, the love 
  that formed between spouses formed in marriage, not before 
  marriage. An important distinction. From a gamemaster’s 
  perspective, a critical one. Characters can easily find them-
  selves in love with characters who are promised to others. Or 
  indeed, they might themselves be obligated to a spouse-to-be 
  at home, when at last they return from their adventures.
  In Our World
  All of the marriage protocols described above have been 
  practiced at one time or another in human history. While 
  patriarchal marriage is quite common, matriarchal marriage 
  is not unheard of. Marriage based first and foremost on love 
  is commonly practiced. Same-sex marriages are solemnized 
  in dozens of countries. The Oneida Community practiced 
  a complex form of group marriage for decades in the 1800s. 
  With regard to marriage, then, it is fair to say that all societies 
  have their rules, but these rules can change over time. But 
  there are rules. It is important that you know what they are in 
  your own culture.
  Lifespan Ways
  We are all born. In fantasy roleplaying settings, there are 
  races that are immortal, of course. But everyone is, at some 
  point, born. What does that mean? Once born, what does it 
  mean to grow up? To be an adult? To be old? Every culture 
  assigns different rules and responsibilities within society to 
  people at different points along their life journey. Some give 
  pride of place to young people; others to elders. To whom 
  your culture assigns these roles matters a great deal in under-
  standing your culture’s core values. As important is knowing 
  when your culture transitions individuals from one status 
  to another. When considering this essential question, give 
  careful consideration to: infancy and childhood, adolescence, 
  adulthood, elderhood and transitions.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  treat children, adolescents, adults and the aged? 
  What does it say about birth, dying, death and 
  the dead?
  Infancy and Childhood: Despite the natural parental in-
  stinct, there are cultural factors in play that determine how 
  parents relate to their newborn child in the earliest days of its 
  life and going on through its childhood. Some cultures tend 
  to pamper and “baby” the infant, giving the child almost indi-
  rect control of how the family operates. Other cultures do no 
  such thing, recognizing the importance of proper care, but in 
  no way organizing the family around the needs of the young-
  est member of the family. To what extent are other relatives 
  allowed to care for the infant? Is that a job reserved exclu-
  sively to the parents or to one parent? Does your culture view 
  the infant child as a precocious bundle of love and promise 
  or a dangerously empty vessel into which much malevolence 
  might enter? How much education does the child require to 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 What	is	the	relationship	between	marriage	and	family?
  •	 What	rules	are	fixed	and	inviolate?
  •	 What	rules	are	in	the	process	of	being	rethought?
  •	 How	 do	 marriage	 rules	 give	 power	 to	 men	 or	 women	
  or both?
  •	 To	what	extent	do	the	rules	about	divorce	speak	more	
  about the economic role of marriage or the nature of a 
  loving partnership?
  HARP   Folkways 
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  become a productive member of your culture? What sort of 
  education? Is the education process for boys and girls simi-
  lar or different? What are children allowed to do? What does 
  play look like? At what age might children be put to work and 
  in what contexts do they do this work? When does child-
  hood end?
  Adolescence: The exact moment when the child transitions 
  into adolescence varies culture by culture, but it certainly 
  coincides with puberty. The adolescent transition speaks 
  not to the physical changes that are the hallmark of puberty. 
  Rather, it speaks to the cultural changes that transform the 
  young person from whatever their culture said childhood 
  was into what adulthood is. The complexity of adolescence 
  gives a world builder a lot of room to work. Many cultures 
  have ritual practices to admit the child into adulthood, like 
  the bar mitzvah process for Jewish boys. Does yours? Does 
  it have one for all children or one for girls and one for boys? 
  What sort of behavior is tolerated in the adolescent that 
  would not be tolerated in the adult? To what extent is the 
  sexuality of your culture’s adolescents controlled and regu-
  lated? Do adolescents continue to receive a formal education 
  and if so under what circumstances and to what end? At what 
  age might an adolescent marry? Own property? Command 
  others? Participate in warfare? Adolescence is to a very large 
  extent about challenging limits and pushing at the social and 
  cultural boundaries established by your society. How far will 
  your culture allow an adolescent to push and how does it push 
  back against the unruly? What marks the end of adolescence? 
  Becoming a parent? Is there a ritual that ends it and trans-
  forms the individual into a full adult?
  Adulthood: Once the transition is achieved, what are the ex-
  pectations imposed by your culture on adults? What does it 
  mean to work, parent, educate, lead and guide in your culture? 
  Where adolescents are often allowed to act in outlandish 
  ways and push the envelope, adults are often disallowed 
  from this kind of behavior. Is this so in your culture? How 
  strictly does your culture regulate the behavior of adults? Are 
  adults allowed to live by themselves or must they be attached 
  in some way to other people? Are adults allowed to travel as 
  they desire or are there restrictions? Does your culture regu-
  late the sexuality of adults the same way it regulates that of 
  adolescents? Most importantly, what responsibilities are ex-
  pected of adults and why? Are adults ever allowed a sabbatical 
  or time off from their responsibilities?
  Elderhood: At some point in life, one transitions from “rank-
  and-file” adulthood into elderhood. Perhaps it is at that time 
  when the individual becomes a grandparent, or at some fixed 
  point defined by the culture. It might simply be that a per-
  son becomes an elder when all of the other people around 
  her decide that she’s an elder. There’s hardly a culture that 
  doesn’t assign some kind of value, either positive or negative, 
  to being old. Is the culture aligned so that older people are 
  accorded magical powers and greater wisdom? Does the cul-
  ture value the elderly or scorn them? Does it allow them the 
  same rights as adults or does it re-assign them the status of 
  children in some way?  Could it be that your culture assigns 
  the rearing and educating of young people exclusively to old 
  people? Or indeed does it give them an even more powerful 
  status than adults? Does it give them some kind of access to 
  a mystical or magical other? Think carefully about your cul-
  ture’s Supernatural Ways. A culture that places a high value 
  on ancestor worship is going to think about the elderly in a 
  very careful way—certainly differently than a culture that 
  doesn’t care about ancestor worship.
  Transitions: For those who die, the end of life has many 
  meanings. How does your culture mark the transition from 
  living to not? What are your culture’s death rituals? How is 
  the transition marked? Is it a cause for celebration of the life 
  of the now deceased person? Are there prescribed expecta-
  tions for the closest relatives of the deceased to show grief in 
  a particular way? Does your culture have a tradition of grief? 
  What are the mechanical practices associated with the re-
  mains? Does your culture believe in cremation of remains or 
  stigmatize this practice? Is your culture one that engages in 
  burial? If so, is the dead person’s wealth buried with them? 
  What are your culture’s thoughts on grave robbing? There 
  are cultures that expose the dead to be consumed by carrion 
  animals—does that speak to your culture’s values? Once dis-
  posed of, do the remains become inviolate? Might a burial site 
  be moved? What happens if it is disturbed in some way? Last 
  of all, and this intersects with Supernatural Ways, what does 
  your culture think happens to the person after their body 
  dies? Do they go on to another life—a supernatural reward? 
  Does life end at that moment and that’s that?
  In Our World
  The study of lifespan development is so expansive that there 
  is simply no way to do it any kind of justice in a book like this. 
  Suffice it to say that this is a critical topic for a world builder, 
  HARP  Folkways 
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  because if you get the details here rich and right, you’ll give 
  your players extraordinary opportunity to develop their 
  backstory. Moreover, you’ll give yourself deep storytelling 
  possibilities with that character’s family. Don’t feel proscribed 
  when thinking about these questions! If you can think it, I bet 
  that there’s a culture somewhere on Earth that practices what 
  you just thought. Puritan New Englanders, for instance, used 
  to rap the heads of disorderly children with thimbles to en-
  courage proper behavior…and that was just the start of their 
  coercive practices. Adolescents in the Trobriand Islands are 
  not only encouraged but expected to engage in sexual prac-
  tices once adolescence begins. Adulthood responsibilities 
  can begin as early as the mid-teens or be delayed a very long 
  time indeed. The cultural obsessions with youth and age in 
  the West places cultural power in the hands of young people 
  rather than elders. In many cultures, that is reversed. Do el-
  ders connect the generations to ancestors now long deceased? 
  Does the lifespan of the individual end at their death or does 
  it endure? Among the Ancient Romans, the family cult would 
  not explicitly recognize the death of the individual as their 
  permanent disconnection from the world of the family.
  Gender and Sexuality Ways
  The most important consideration in this section is to keep 
  the distinction between biological sex, sexuality and socially-
  constructed gender clear at all times. By biological sex, I am 
  referring to the anatomical morphology of the body, in es-
  sence, what role has your genetics assigned you in the pro-
  cess of reproduction? Sexuality refers not to reproduction but 
  rather to your affectional orientation—with whom do you 
  want to form loving relationships? Gender is neither of these 
  things. Rather, it is the complex collection of rules, norms and 
  practices that define what society expects of its members that 
  appear to have the characteristics of a particular biological 
  sex. This is complicated enough when dealing with races that 
  have only two biological sexes. It is a well-established trope 
  in science fiction and fantasy to have races with more than 
  one biological sex—the gender complication in such socie-
  ties would be fascinating to consider. When considering this 
  essential question, give careful consideration to: definitions, 
  norms, non-normative patterns and relations.
  Definitions: It may seem obvious, but you should know 
  going into the creation of your culture if the beings who 
  build it have two or more biological sexes. When you think 
  about how powerfully influential the human binary is, it isn’t 
  too difficult to realize that the absence of that binary would 
  also have a powerful influence. If you have a race with three 
  genders, that’s totally fine, but you do need to know this as 
  it might dramatically shape your answers to the other ques-
  tions at hand.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  define gender and maintain gender roles? How 
  do women and men relate to each other? What 
  sexual practices are normative?
  Norms: This refers to all of those qualities of biological sex, 
  sexuality and gender that are considered socially acceptable 
  by your culture. The ordering institutions in your society 
  would bend themselves towards supporting or reinforcing 
  whatever your culture decides is a norm. The corollary here 
  is that they would also take vigorous effort to suppress 
  non-normative patterns and practices (discussed below). 
  Considering each notion in turn, it may be that your cul-
  ture is expecting individuals’ bodies to look a certain way at 
  birth or during their lives. These ways reinforce the society’s 
  foundational understanding of these questions. “If you look 
  like a girl, you’re a girl. If you look like a boy, you’re a boy,” in 
  other words. But what happens if you don’t quite look like a 
  girl or a boy? This happens much more frequently than one 
  might realize. What will your society do with the individual 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 What	transitionary	celebrations	or	experiences	does	a	
  person have as they move from childhood through ado-
  lescence and into adulthood?
  •	 How	do	these	transitions	shape	the	next	phase	of	life?
  •	 What	behaviors	are	allowed	and	what	are	restricted	by	
  culture depending on age?
  •	 What	is	the	age	of	majority	in	your	culture?
  •	 What	does	it	mean	to	be	an	orderly	or	disorderly	child?	
  Adolescent? Adult? Elder?
  HARP   Folkways 
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  who doesn’t quite have all the characteristics one associates 
  with a particular biological sex? Will it take some kind of cor-
  rective action? Will it condemn that child to death? Will it 
  bring shame of some kind onto the family? Moreover, what if 
  your society’s sex/gender rules are so rigid that losing or not 
  having some characteristic of the adult biological sex means 
  that the person is not thought to have that biological sex 
  anymore? Is a biological male without the capacity to grow 
  a beard still male in your culture? What about a woman who 
  loses a breast for some reason? In a highly rigid society, these 
  are problematic questions. In a less rigid society, they aren’t. 
  Cultures that are less rigid are just not going to establish 
  these norms with the same vigor.  Norms are also established 
  about sexuality. To whom is one allowed to direct their affec-
  tions and under what contexts and in what circumstances? Is 
  sexuality allowed outside of marriage? Only within marriage? 
  Who is allowed to be married? Answers to all of these ques-
  tions shape fundamental practices of your culture because 
  they give weight to deeply held identity-shaping qualities of 
  the individual. If the individual has a sexuality that is sup-
  pressed in his/her society, that profoundly shapes the way he/
  she relates to the culture and to him/her self. The question of 
  gender is also one that cultures pay significant attention to. 
  Societies almost invariably have created a set of rules about 
  what is expected of one biological sex or the other—these 
  rules create the socially-normed notion of gender. The critical 
  thing to keep in mind here is that the norms of the liberal, 
  industrialized West are not the only norms there are. Indeed, 
  your culture might have many categories of acceptable gen-
  der behaviors that would have no analogue in the West (or 
  indeed in human culture). The hijra in the subcontinent, the 
  fa’afafine in Samoan culture and the burrnesha in Albania 
  are examples of culturally-normed third genders in human 
  society. In the first two cases, a person born biologically male 
  carries out roles in society that are conventionally assigned 
  to women. The hijra and fa’afafine are allowed to act within 
  the framework assigned to women without punishment. The 
  burrnesha  or “sworn virgins” are women who have taken an 
  oath of celibacy which allows them to act as though they were 
  men in their society.
  Non-Normative Patterns: After you’ve considered the norms 
  of your culture, you have to give thought to how people who 
  are non-normative live in your culture and what your culture 
  does to suppress, eliminate or punish these non-normative 
  individuals. Do non-normative people find themselves exiled? 
  Do they exile themselves into small ghettos in the cities or do 
  they reside in small villages where the ordering institutions of 
  society tolerate them? Consider the history of gay and lesbian 
  Americans in the 20th century. When gays and lesbians were 
  actively and violently suppressed by society, they built insti-
  tutions within the culture that were secret hideaways and 
  congregating places, sometimes with passwords, to gather. A 
  half-dozen resort areas in the United States became associ-
  ated with gays and lesbians (like Provincetown, Massachusetts 
  or Fire Island, New York). In time, whole neighborhoods in 
  large cities became gay-associated (like the Castro in San 
  Francisco or West Hollywood in Los Angeles). These are all ex-
  amples of how a non-normative subculture operates within 
  a repressing majority culture. Likewise, it is critical to think 
  about how the majority works to limit the influence, power 
  and spread of the non-normative pattern. Does the majority 
  use violence? If so, what kind? Physical? Magical? Spiritual?
  Relations: Last of all is consideration given to the ways in 
  which the sexes, sexualities and genders in your culture in-
  teract with each other. Are there specific rules by which they 
  relate? Is there an enshrined order or “super-norm” that de-
  termines how they get along? Once you’ve sorted out the rules 
  and norms of the society, consider the ways in which these 
  norms act on the individual. What is it like to be in a normed 
  relationship in all respects except for one?
  In Our World
  In human society, gender and sexuality roles are among the 
  most heavily policed of all roles. Many societies have ex-
  tremely rigid expectations of men and women and maintain 
  these roles with both the threat and practice of violence. Even 
  in cultures that are moving in the direction of relaxing some 
  of this rigidity (like the United States), hundreds of people 
  each year are murdered for appearing to not conform to one 
  or another norm of gender expression or sexual expression. 
  Ordering institutions in human society, like schools, govern-
  ment and churches, all have something to say about this ques-
  tion, in one direction or another, and apply all of the tools at 
  their disposal to accomplish their goals and reinforce their 
  expectations. For a skilled role-player, clarity about these 
  questions might make all the difference.
  Association Ways
  Other than family, there are no bonds stronger than friend-
  ship. Different societies place different weights on different 
  kinds of association, but friendship, fraternal engagement, 
  clan commitment or other forms of non-familial engagement 
  exist in every culture in some form. The critical idea when 
  considering association is this—what are the ways that are 
  different from family relationships that people in your society 
  form socially-recognized bonds that bring meaning to their 
  lives? This connects in some important ways to the notion of 
  distance I discussed above in Family Ways. At some point, 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 Do	I	understand	the	differences	between	biological	sex,	
  sexuality and gender expression in my culture?
  •	 Have	I	been	clear	about	what	my	society	will	enthusi-
  astically embrace as a norm, what it will tolerate as an 
  emerging norm and what it will suppress?
  •	 One	of	the	key	factors	in	gender	is	how	the	roles	that	exist	
  relate to each other—do I have clarity about the relations 
  between the genders?
  HARP  Folkways 
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  the connection between individuals becomes so far removed 
  from a family context that it isn’t mediated by the rules of 
  family—these are associations. When considering this essen-
  tial question, give careful consideration to: distance, frater-
  nity, guild and obligation.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  govern patterns of friendship, kinship, clan, fra-
  ternal organization, affiliation and settlement?
  Distance: This is the corollary to family distance, but now 
  in two different frameworks. First, is the association you are 
  building constructed in any way along a family tie? At some 
  point, it might be that a clan of clans would be an example 
  of a culture’s Association Ways rather than Family Ways be-
  cause there’s so much distance between individuals. Having 
  said that, there will still be people further removed than 
  those in the clan of clans. This might matter to individuals 
  in conflict. How distant can a tie be before it doesn’t function 
  anymore? Second is the 
  idea of social distance. 
  There are many kinds 
  of 
  social 
  association 
  that place two individu-
  als with nothing else in 
  common closer to each 
  other than to any others 
  in a social context. Two 
  holders of a noble title 
  in a room full of com-
  moners, for instance, are 
  going to gravitate to one 
  another, even if there are 
  realities that might oth-
  erwise push them apart. 
  Two professors in a tavern full of the unlettered will want to 
  spend time with each other in that setting. Two members of 
  a foreign society at a royal wedding will find each other with-
  out question. The ways in which social distance plays with 
  cultural cohesion or cultural dissonance are really fun role-
  playing contexts. It speaks not only to familial distance but 
  also distance from a society’s norms. What do the criminal 
  elements in your society look like and how do they relate to 
  each other? Every society has organizations that are both 
  criminal from a social perspective and life-shaping from a 
  personal perspective. How does that work?
  Fraternity: By which I mean, what do people who become 
  friends do together? What makes them friends? And once 
  they are friends, do they develop special subcultural behav-
  iors that make them obviously different from others? Do they 
  acquire a tendency to wear particular kinds of clothes or jew-
  elry? Speak in a particular way? These answers show that the 
  intersection here is powerful with Leisure Ways (discussed 
  below). If your culture has weak Leisure Ways, it will likely 
  have poor fraternity. People who have an Association, in other 
  words, are less likely to have it in regard to something fun and 
  are more likely to have it with something related to profession 
  or other socially-mediated way (like education or rank).
  Guild: How tightly does your society bind those in associa-
  tion together? The notion of guild speaks to this. In societies 
  with strong binding forces, the tendency of people is to form 
  organizations that allow them to pursue their interests col-
  lectively. This is intended to bring their power and commit-
  ment together, allowing them to speak and act with one voice 
  and enhance their influence in society. Not all societies have 
  strong guild-like forces and not all associations are subject to 
  them even if they are strong. Again, the question of what is at 
  stake factors here. Economic guilds that regulate the behav-
  iors of workers in a particular industry are an example of as-
  sociations that are going to exert (or are going to at least try to 
  assert) power and control over that sector or industry. A char-
  acter crossing the interests of a powerful guild is fodder for 
  ongoing interesting role-playing. Notions of guild also speak 
  to notions of Rank Ways (discussed below) as certain guilds 
  might be accorded a greater status than others by those at the 
  top of the pecking order.
  Obligation: So, you’re a member of an association…what 
  does that mean, exactly? What does your membership obli-
  gate you to do? Is your association public or private? Do you 
  wear insignia that identifies you as a member of your associa-
  tion? Would anyone outside of your association realize your 
  affiliation? Does your association require that you speak up 
  on behalf of your fellow traveler in a criminal trial? Perhaps it 
  requires that you stand with your associate when they are in a 
  duel during an honor challenge? Does it obligate you to com-
  mit violence on behalf of an associate under certain circum-
  stances? Would anything require you to kill on behalf of the 
  association? Do you have to kill to become a member of the 
  association? What is required of a member to sustain mem-
  bership in the association? Are there dues of some kind? An 
  obligation to work or act in some way for the organization? 
  One rarely gets anything for free in this life—this is particu-
  larly true in this regard.
  In Our World
  Different human societies really do place dramatically dif-
  ferent weight on friendship and association. Americans form 
  associations at the drop of a hat and are willing to bring peo-
  ple at greater distance into association with one another than 
  most other cultures. How like your own society is the society 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 About	what	do	members	of	my	society	gather	together	
  for purposes of fellowship, friendship, safety and collec-
  tive action?
  •	 What	is	the	line	between	family	and	friendship?	
  •	 What	makes	an	association	legitimate	in	my	culture?
  •	 What	makes	an	association	criminal?
  HARP   Folkways 
  Twenty Folkways 
  Page 29
  
  you’re building? Americans make friends with ease and have 
  an informality that beggars belief from members of other cul-
  tures. From an American perspective, the formality of other 
  cultures is equally perplexing, as are the rules of engagement 
  between people who, at least “on paper” appear to be friends or 
  equals. The relationship between Association Ways and Rank 
  Ways is interesting for this very reason. A member of a trade 
  guild or union is going to feel especially bound to other mem-
  bers of his guild, certainly, but would that extend to members 
  of all guilds? Hard to say (and doubtful in many cases). Would 
  it extend to people who were problematic in some other way 
  but also members of their guild? Labor unions have a long 
  history of the most virulent racism against members of their 
  own trade, for example. And what about associations that are 
  criminal in nature? These “non-normative” guilds have ex-
  traordinary power and control over their members. Criminal 
  associations like gangs or organized crime might be the most 
  powerful of all associations in a culture. 
  Rank Ways
  No matter how stridently a culture asserts that it is classless, 
  there is simply no such thing as a classless society in human 
  culture. They don’t exist. It is certainly true that different so-
  cieties place different weights on the classes they allow and 
  perpetuate through their education, religion and other forms 
  of ordering. But if your goal is to build a truly egalitarian so-
  ciety for your characters to operate in, be mindful that you 
  have no human analogues to base your society upon. Rank 
  is simply this writ large. How do different groups in society 
  come to understand their role in the culture and how do those 
  roles get maintained? How does culture work on all ranks in 
  society to ensure that subordination is effective? When con-
  sidering this essential question, give careful consideration to: 
  nobility, mobility, exclusivity and coercion.
  Nobility: This notion refers to the myriad ways in which your 
  society might define and police its ranks. Ancient sociologies 
  frequently saw cultures divided in broadly similar, tripar-
  tite ways. At the top of the social pecking order was a noble 
  class, born to that status and reinforcing it through marriage, 
  wealth and other forms of power sharing. Below it was a class 
  of priests or bureaucrats who supported the highest class in 
  exchange for a better-than-average standard of living. Below 
  them were the 98% of the society that had limited wealth or 
  influence. These commons, of course, stood above foreigners 
  and slaves in the social pecking order. But for all practical 
  purposes, they had limited wealth and negligible influence on 
  the direction of society. Modern societies are often organized 
  along similar lines, regardless of how they choose to govern 
  themselves. Post-Enlightenment liberal democracies, which 
  have either eliminated their hereditary classes and monarchs 
  or so neutered them as to render them powerless, neverthe-
  less have a class structure that reflects this ancient notion of 
  nobility. These societies base access to the levers of power on 
  accidents of wealth, rather than accidents of birth. What “ac-
  cidents” give rise to your society’s Rank Ways? Birth? Wealth? 
  Education? Skin Color?
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  assign rank between members of the society? 
  What do the different roles entitle the holder to 
  and what are the relationships between the ranks?
  Mobility: Every culture, no matter how rigid in its nobility, 
  has mechanisms for special talent in the lower classes to find 
  a way to be promoted to the higher classes. This is also uni-
  versal. Especially precocious members of the commons might 
  find themselves recruited to positions of leadership in the 
  secondary class. Perhaps a system of education exists whose 
  purpose is to give clever commoners a shot at rising above 
  their station. In systems where a religious class occupies that 
  support role, that religious class will have its own way of re-
  plenishing itself. It is not at all unheard of for that class to 
  find its next generation in the commons. It is even possible 
  that a society might find special, honored places in its soci-
  ety for slaves, former slaves or foreigners. Furthermore, while 
  upward mobility is important to understand, so is downward. 
  Are there any procedures by which a member of an upper 
  class might find himself stripped of that power?
  Exclusivity: This speaks to the special privileges and sta-
  tuses of the different ranks in your society. It might be that 
  in your society, marriages are only allowed between people 
  who hold a particular status. Perhaps certain kinds of work 
  are reserved for those at a certain rank (be that a high-ranked 
  or low-ranked reality). It also might speak to the limits to 
  the members of a certain rank. Perhaps in an Imperial court 
  there might only be three jesters at any given time and each 
  of them has a specific function. In a monarchy with widely-
  distributed land holding and a feudal tradition, perhaps there 
  are never more than 5 dukes, 20 counts and 100 barons at any 
  HARP  Folkways 
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  given time and the distribution of these ranks is determined 
  not by the king, but by some other entity? Perhaps your soci-
  ety makes claims to being egalitarian, but in fact has “unwrit-
  ten rules” about status that make membership in a particular 
  class easy to see for members of that class (by virtue of their 
  clothing, for example) but not for others. 
  Coercion: What are the mechanisms by which the society 
  compels holders of a particular rank to act a particular way? 
  Do these elements of coercion act via Family Ways? Marriage 
  Ways? How do they manifest in Lifespan Ways? Are there 
  ways in which rank might be lost? What would someone in 
  your society have to do in order to be struck from an honor’s 
  list or driven from their land? What qualities of your culture 
  are expected to be enforced by holders of a high rank? Are 
  they related to class solidarity? Marriage customs? Dress 
  Ways or Food Ways? Do certain members of your culture 
  wield magic but others don’t? Under what circumstances will 
  a higher rank violently enforce its will on a lower rank?
  In Our World
  Human societies are always, in some way, hierarchical. This 
  quality ranges from exceptionally rigid hierarchies like the 
  caste system in effect in India until independence in 1947 (but 
  which still exerts tremendous influence) through moderately 
  rigid ones like the United Kingdom’s still very powerful class 
  system onward to those that have weak hierarchies (and place 
  more value on social cohesion as a result). Sociologists and 
  anthropologists have looked to hunter-gatherer societies as 
  particularly notable examples of weakly hierarchical socie-
  ties. Societies are often founded on a narrative of egalitar-
  ian classlessness. The United States is an excellent example. 
  Social rank in the United States is mediated by the accident of 
  wealth and not birth. Despite this, and the manifest evidence 
  of the trappings and consequences of class, the culture main-
  tains that it is class free or nearly so in its internal discus-
  sion. Moreover, keep also in mind that human societies have 
  regularly divided themselves along economic, ethnic, racial 
  and other lines as well as economic ones. Rank is not just an 
  economic consideration. Rather, it is all encompassing.
  Order Ways
  Every culture has unwritten (but clearly understood to its 
  members) rules that determine the limits of outlandishness. 
  Furthermore, every culture will have members who push at 
  those limits in every imaginable way. Think about the way 
  Madonna pushed the boundaries in the 1980s. Or the way 
  Lady Gaga carries on that tradition of boundary expansion in 
  the 2010s. Both are at work in a similar part of the culture…
  encouraging it to expand its notions of what womanhood 
  looks like and what the definitions of equality must include. 
  These boundaries, like physical boundaries between nations, 
  are always policed by someone or something. This makes po-
  tentially interesting connections between Order Ways and 
  Rank Ways, Association Ways, Family Ways and Authority 
  Ways, among others. When considering this essential ques-
  tion, give careful consideration to: sphere, joining, tenacity 
  and presence.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  define orderly and disorderly? How does it main-
  tain orderliness and punish disorderliness? What 
  are the ordering institutions within that society?
  Sphere: Sphere refers to those behaviors of the members of 
  the culture over which the culture exerts social control. It 
  speaks to those qualities of the society that are given the most 
  weight or that seem to mean, for those in control of the soci-
  ety, the most in terms of defining the culture. If, for example, 
  arranged marriage were defined by the culture as a hallmark 
  quality of the culture, then anyone resisting arranged mar-
  riage would be subjected to what I would call an “ordering 
  penalty.” It might be that they would be disallowed from at-
  tending school or holding a particular job. It might mean that 
  they are subjected to violence. It might also mean that they 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 How	would	a	member	of	my	culture	know	her	position	in	
  the pecking order?
  •	 What	mechanisms	does	the	society	use	in	order	to	rein-
  force the Rank Ways that the society uses?
  •	 To	what	extent	is	there	mobility	in	your	society?	What	
  might allow someone to move from one Rank to another?
  •	 What	privileges	are	afforded	to	those	at	a	certain	rank	
  and how does that rank maintain these privileges against 
  other ranks?
  HARP   Folkways 
  Twenty Folkways 
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  are given an opportunity to bring themselves back into right 
  relation to the society or they would be exiled or put to death. 
  It depends on the weight the society places in that particular 
  notion. Keep in mind that there are many examples of socie-
  ties with very extensive spheres that are exceptionally repres-
  sive and others that have very limited or weak spheres.
  Joining: The notion of joining speaks to the rules by which 
  the ordering institutions in society enforce the rules. About 
  what and to what degree will an ordering institution enforce 
  its will? This is a measure used within society for its mem-
  bers to determine how close they are to the edge. It’s a read-
  ing of history and the current state of society. What might 
  have been allowed to pass last year might not be tolerated this 
  year for reasons that no foreigner could discern, but that the 
  society’s members would be able to figure out or guess at. It 
  marks the boundary between the match, the spark and the 
  flame. It speaks to what is liminal. One year’s protest might 
  be ignored. The same people protesting the next year in the 
  same place might be met with life-ending violence. Why? 
  What caused the enforcer to change practice?
  Tenacity: Once committed to maintaining order, who can 
  bring an ordering institution to heel? What causes that insti-
  tution to start its work and continue at that work? How deter-
  mined is that institution in maintaining order and who does 
  it take its orders from? The same questions, of course, apply 
  to those organizations that sow disorder or push against the 
  social rules. How hard are they willing to work to accomplish 
  their goals? Do they have the ability to influence other or-
  ganizations in society to do their work? Will they engage in 
  violence, for example, to accomplish their goals? Do they have 
  the capacity to shame a member of society so strongly that 
  they can enforce their will on them? And what happens when 
  an ordering institution loses its nerve or its will to continue? 
  What “gets through” when such an organization’s capacity to 
  perform its role in society weakens?
  Presence:  What forces and organizations are at work in your 
  society that do the day-to-day business of keeping every-
  thing working as it should? And what is the nature of these 
  organizations? Whence do they draw their authority? At their 
  simplest, these organizations are militias and police forces 
  that draw their powers from who they represent, either the 
  monarchy or the people or a specific group of people who 
  share common traits. At their most basic, they might control 
  travel, trade or association within their domain. More com-
  plex ordering institutions focus their attention on cultural 
  expressions that are meant to encourage conformity to the 
  dominant paradigm in society. These might coerce particu-
  lar dress practices or spiritual practices. They might regu-
  late education, marriage, parent-child relationships or even 
  language use. They might engage themselves with enforcing 
  an entire system of moral laws handed to them by a greater 
  authority or which they themselves came up with. It could be 
  that the organizations at work restrict themselves to a par-
  ticular kind of person (like an organization that enforces spe-
  cific kinds of male behaviors, but ignores women) or particular 
  contexts (like an organiza-
  tion that enforces the ob-
  servance of civil holidays 
  on specific calendar days, 
  but doesn’t care about re-
  ligious holidays). There are 
  no anarchies in human 
  experience; every society 
  has some form of order-
  ing institution.
  In Our World
  Human history is replete 
  with ordering institutions 
  and those who would claim the right to determine what 
  someone else’s behavior should be. Priesthoods in ancient 
  times were all about ensuring that people gave obeisance to 
  the gods and by extension the kings who ruled on Earth on 
  their behalf. The Sanhedrin in ancient Judaism is an example 
  of an ancient court making rulings on religious and Jewish 
  civic matters. The early modern Catholic Inquisition struck 
  terror in the hearts of Europeans for more than a century. The 
  obsession in Puritan Massachusetts gave disproportionate 
  power to witch hunting ordering institutions for a brief time. 
  But even given its brevity, it still resulted in a score of mur-
  dered people and dozens with ruined reputations. Schools 
  often serve as ordering institutions in societies complex 
  enough to educate many of its people. Guilds and the armed 
  forces do the same thing in economic or military contexts, 
  though generally only to their own members. In contempo-
  rary human culture, there are societies that have moral po-
  lice (Iran) or that use complex ideological tools to control all 
  public expressions of its people (North Korea). Many regimes 
  have used physical and/or mental torture in order to enforce 
  their will on their people or a part of their people. The limits 
  of these coercive behaviors speaks to the limits of the soci-
  ety’s values. What will they tolerate?
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 What	 parts	 of	 your	 culture	 are	 so	 important,	 so	 in-
  tegral, that your culture would kill to ensure they 
  weren’t violated?
  •	 What	cultural	practices	does	your	culture’s	most	power-
  ful forces ignore or miss? What venues are available for 
  disorder or protest?
  •	 Who	has	the	power	to	give	an	ordering	institution	au-
  thority to enforce its will?
  •	 What	 happens	 when	 ordering	 institutions	 within	 one	
  society are at cross purposes?
  HARP  Folkways 
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  Page 32
  
  Authority Ways
  Tied intimately with notions of order and rank, but different 
  from each, Authority Ways speak to the strategies your cul-
  ture uses to legitimize the use of power to accomplish social 
  goals. Moreover, it reveals the limits of power as your society 
  understands those limits. Authority Ways covers all of the 
  different kinds of authority that might exist in a culture. It 
  suggests how far an ordering institution might go to enforce 
  its will and who might be in a position to rein it in if it gets 
  out of control. It intimates what the different ranks in your 
  society might be permitted to do or not to do and in what 
  contexts they might act. When considering this essential 
  question, give careful consideration to: legitimacy, power, au-
  thority and participation.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  define power, authority and political participation?
  Legitimacy: In every society without exception there are re-
  lationships between the different elements of the culture that 
  are based on authority and power. How those relationships 
  play out…how tenuous the authority of the more powerful el-
  ement is…what happens when two people or institutions be-
  lieve themselves to be equally powerful…all of these speak to 
  legitimacy. Legitimacy is not just what the individual thinks 
  about his or her own power, it is what others think of that 
  person wielding power and how likely they are to support it. 
  Legitimacy gives the legitimate the power and capacity to act, 
  broadly and fully within the scope of society’s mandate, to ex-
  ecute its will. Whence does a powerful person or institution 
  derive its legitimacy? A king might derive his legitimacy from 
  a mandate from a god. Another king, receiving his mandate 
  from a different god, will certainly not view his legitimacy 
  as less than his counterpart’s. An emperor might derive his 
  legitimacy from the will of the nobles who placed him in of-
  fice or from the army that supported him when he conquered 
  the capital. The collective legitimacy of a corporate entity 
  to act might be conferred by age, a royal mandate or by the 
  simple fact that as it acted previously, no one put a stop to it. 
  Legitimacy might also be conferred by an electoral mandate 
  or indeed by simple physical force.
  Power: What does the wielding of power look like in your 
  culture? No society wields only physical power, though that 
  is sometimes the most dramatic example of power in use. 
  In addition to its military forces (which are commanded by 
  someone who has the legitimacy to wield it, per above), what 
  else does your society possess that gives it power? Does it 
  have highly skilled diplomats whose powerful words direct 
  the actions of others? That is a form of power. Perhaps it has 
  commercial power that allows it to act because it can make 
  other nations poor with a single decision. Some cultures exert 
  their power through their majestic cultures, demonstrating 
  an ability to strike awe into the minds of lesser cultures. On 
  a personal level, all of these notions work as well. Sometimes 
  the most powerful person in the room is the oldest or wisest 
  or best educated, not just the one possessing the most brawn. 
  Does your culture respect wisdom or fisticuffs? Might it re-
  spect a wise voice in certain contexts but only the physical 
  force of a powerful figure at other times? Perhaps your cul-
  ture balances these forces against each other in some compel-
  ling way?
  Authority: Where power speaks to the raw application of 
  physical or mental force, authority encompasses all of those 
  areas where a legitimate wielder of power might wield that 
  power. Over what does a king have the right to “say so?” The 
  use of the military, certainly. The levying of taxes? In many 
  cases, yes, but not in all cases. Who appoints religious lead-
  ers? It might be that the king does—that would be considered 
  in his legitimate authority. But if the religion itself believes it 
  should appoint its leaders, and the king disagrees, you have a 
  classic example of authority in conflict with each other. Who 
  is legitimate? That will tell you how the society might break 
  down in its support for one over the other. What are the limits 
  that are imposed on the legitimate? Authority is your answer.
  Participation: How broadly conceived is authority in your 
  society? Does the metaphor of a “home is a castle” work with 
  your people? Does a father or mother in their home have the 
  power of a king or queen in a monarchy? When does a young 
  person acquire the capacity to participate? At a particular 
  age? Once married? Upon owning a certain amount of land? 
  Having undergone a ritual of maturity? Does your society 
  have any form of electoral process? Are the people consulted 
  about anything in your culture, or does a single or collective 
  authority act without regard to their concerns? Do people 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 Who	wields	power	in	my	culture	and	where	does	that	
  person’s mandate derive?
  •	 Who	exists	in	my	culture	that	challenges	the	most	pow-
  erful? What are the competing forces at work?
  •	 About	what	do	the	members	of	my	culture	care	about	
  when it comes to power and authority? Where do they 
  feel compelled to use their own authority?
  HARP   Folkways 
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  Page 33
  
  in your society feel claimed by anything particular in their 
  political process? For what would they willingly lay down 
  their life?
  In Our World
  In human history we have so many great examples of legiti-
  macy and power and authority in conflict with each other. 
  These conflicts have given rise to behavior that is among the 
  most cautionary we have in our collective memories. The 
  collapse of any regularized form of legitimacy in the Roman 
  Empire in the third century CE led to the army replacing 
  emperors almost at their whim. Magna Carta is at its heart a 
  document meant to rein in the authority of a legitimate ruler 
  who believed his authority stretched beyond where its actual 
  limits were. The orgiastic violence of the French Revolution 
  reveals the degree to which legitimacy, having been compre-
  hensively lost, gives way to widespread disorder and mayhem. 
  Society looks towards its legitimate leaders for stability. Once 
  that is lost, all bets are off. Liberal democracies use their 
  election rules and procedures to regularly re-infuse its lead-
  ers with legitimacy precisely for this reason. The radically 
  different ways one might constitute a liberal democracy is a 
  reminder that it is political participation itself that matters, 
  not the exact mode of how the democracy functions. If it is 
  perceived by its participants to be legitimate, it is.
  Freedom Ways
  This complex folkway takes into itself notions of limits, 
  boundaries, capacities and deeply personal beliefs about the 
  individual and self. The most difficult part of understanding 
  this folkway, from a Westerner’s perspective, is the idea that 
  liberty, freedom and restraint might work not just on the in-
  dividual, or on behalf of the individual, but also to serve the 
  interests of powerful or meaningful collectives in your soci-
  ety. What are the limits of the rights of the individual? Does 
  your society even care about the individual? The collective? It 
  might be that your society makes no particular claims or sets 
  no particular guidance here. Nevertheless, when considering 
  this essential question, give careful consideration to: free-
  dom, liberty, binding and directionality.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  define liberty, freedom, restraint and libertarian 
  customs and institutions?
  Freedom: I am using freedom here to speak to all of those 
  qualities in your society that allow an individual person to 
  act, believe, speak, associate and feel as she wishes without 
  coercion from any outsiders. Freedom in many societies is in-
  timately bound up with notions that derive from Rank Ways 
  and Authority Ways. In some societies, they are bound to 
  Lifespan Ways or to Marriage Ways. It’s important that you 
  give thought not just to how free people are in your society, 
  but what the limits of those freedoms might be (or where the 
  limits of their capacity is). It might be that women have a great 
  deal of social freedom in the broader society, for instance, 
  but have more constrained freedom within the context of 
  marriage and family. In that case, what marriage means for a 
  woman would be quite different than in a culture where the 
  custom was reversed and the woman in marriage has great 
  freedom at home but is limited outside of home. This is the 
  personal sphere.
  Liberty: With liberty, I am speaking not to the personal, but 
  rather to collective obligations and limits. Again, this notion 
  is completely bound up with ideas of Rank and Authority, 
  Marriage, Family and Lifespan. The ways these ideas inter-
  act with each other create this perspective. It might be, for 
  instance, that your society would never allow an individual 
  to make a sacrifice to the gods, but that individual, in a group 
  of worshippers at a temple, would be totally at their liberty to 
  make sacrifice. Your society might give individuals almost no 
  freedoms as we would understand them, but the individual 
  would have enormous liberty within a family setting. The 
  critical notion to keep in mind here is that individual free-
  doms are not the only freedoms; collectives have (or are de-
  nied) freedoms as well.
  Binding: The idea of binding is tied metaphysically with 
  Order Ways. How does your culture enforce its limits onto in-
  dividuals and groups that are compliant as compared to those 
  entities that are disorderly? How tightly does your society re-
  strain the disorderly? What will your society tolerate (or even 
  quietly embrace) and what will prompt a significant response? 
  When thinking about this idea, it’s useful to think about the 
  ordering institutions in your society and then give them some 
  teeth. When would they act? About what would they be re-
  flective? What would they let go? What are the acknowledged 
  limits of these organizations and people? At what point, if 
  they acted, would they generate a backlash from society? The 
  idea of binding asks you to reflect on these boundaries.
  Directionality: One person wants the freedom to do some-
  thing. Someone else wants the freedom to not do the same 
  thing. This is what directionality means. Does your society 
  give people the same freedoms to do or not do? A person who 
  wants the freedom to worship as their conscience dictates 
  might also want the society to deny that freedom to someone 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 What	is	the	relationship	between	individualism	and	col-
  lectivism in my society?
  •	 About	what	is	the	individual	both	entitled	and	encour-
  aged to act on?
  •	 Where	 do	 expectations	 about	 the	 broader	 society	 im-
  pinge on the rights of the individual?
  •	 What	are	the	correctives	that	your	society	uses	against	
  individuals that do not behave themselves?
  •	 What	are	the	correctives	that	your	culture	uses	to	limit	
  the power of collectives to act?
  HARP  Folkways 
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  whose faith tradition is radically at odds with theirs. Does 
  your society give each person in society equal freedom? Or 
  does freedom only work in one direction? Liberty is much the 
  same. Consider now the concept of binding. What is bound? 
  There’s a significant to/from dichotomy here. How does your 
  society manage what it allows, disallows or doesn’t speak 
  to? For example, in the United States Constitution, the First 
  Amendment denies the government the ability to interfere 
  with an individual’s freedom to practice whatever religion 
  they are inclined to practice while the Fourth Amendment 
  gives the individual freedom from warrantless searches of 
  their person and property. It is possible to make these rights 
  or restrictions work in either direction. Moreover, it is pos-
  sible to envision a society where the people want the freedom 
  from having to make choices about big picture questions or 
  policy. It is possible to frame all of the conventional freedoms 
  offered in a liberal democracy “on their heads” such that the 
  people have the freedom to be free from warrantless searches, 
  for example.
  In Our World
  To my way of thinking, Freedom Ways speaks to the great 
  conflict in our 21st century human society between individu-
  alism and collectivism. Writing from my vantage point in the 
  United States, I cannot help but be aware that I live in one of 
  the most individualistic societies ever formed by the imagina-
  tion of human beings. The founders of many of the Thirteen 
  Colonies were to greater or lesser extent informed by a de-
  sire for freedom from something and a desire for a freedom 
  to do something. The founders of the Pennsylvania colony 
  were fleeing anti-Quaker religious persecution. The found-
  ers of Massachusetts Bay were Puritans seeking relief from a 
  Church of England that had little patience for their stridency. 
  These Puritans wanted to create a colony without religious 
  liberty—a place to build a City on a Hill. The capacity of 
  Americans to act in their collective potential through their 
  government is much weaker than in nearly any other form of 
  liberal democracy precisely because Americans have always 
  placed more value on the individual actor than a collective 
  actor. American institutions are meant to slow down the 
  collective, to weaken its resolve, to prevent dramatic change. 
  By contrast, highly collective cultures, like China’s culture, 
  are barely understandable from an American vantage point. 
  The limits that Chinese people seem to enthusiastically ac-
  cept over a wide range of behavior that an American would 
  be aghast about baffles people in the United States. But these 
  are not viewed as restrictive so much as fundamental to the 
  maintenance of society as it has been and will always be. The 
  value is placed on social order and conformity and disci-
  pline…and that is both completely legitimate and defensible.
  Wealth Ways
  One person’s treasure is another person’s trash. Or perhaps 
  it’s more accurate to say that what one culture values another 
  might not even recognize as having value. How your society 
  understands wealth and wealthiness will have a lot to say 
  about how it manages social relationships. Moreover, what it 
  decides is treasure is a useful way of understanding its deep-
  est values and perspectives. When considering this essential 
  question, give careful consideration to: objectification, status, 
  gift-giving and reciprocity.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  feel about wealth, wealthiness, the wealthy them-
  selves and the impoverished? How does your so-
  ciety distribute its wealth?
  Objectification: Every culture assigns trade value to objects 
  of some kind. The Trobriand Islanders mentioned above use 
  banana leaves as a medium of exchange. In our industrial-
  ized world we use pieces of base metal and slips of specially 
  printed paper as our mode of exchange. What is rare in your 
  culture? What is recognized, by its scarcity, as having value? 
  Oftentimes, but not always, media of exchange are things 
  that don’t otherwise have value. I discussed in my book Loot 
  for HARP (published in 2005) the case of the Yap Islanders in 
  Polynesia, who use gigantic donut-shaped stones as currency. 
  These stones are generally so large that they are impossible 
  to move. Nevertheless, everyone on the island knows who 
  owns what and the recognized value of the currency comes 
  from the fact that everyone assigns it currency value and that 
  everyone knows who owns what. To what does your culture 
  assign wealth value, provided it uses a medium of exchange at 
  all? Perhaps your culture engages only in barter? Using only 
  trade goods as currency is likely to make your culture quite 
  inward looking. It’s hard to engage in trade when you don’t 
  have some kind of medium of exchange. Not impossible—
  just harder.
  Status: To what extent does having a lot of money (or a lot 
  of whatever your culture considers to be money) confer a par-
  ticular status? Does being wealthy make you powerful or not? 
  Does it give someone access to the levers of power in any way? 
  Does wealth shape the Order Ways, Authority Ways or Rank 
  Ways in your culture? Plenty of cultures exist where wealth 
  grants these powers. In fact, in some cultures, wealth is the 
  HARP   Folkways 
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  primary means by which status is established. In others, sta-
  tus derives not from wealth but from Rank Ways, Association 
  Ways, Family Ways or from some even rarer place. Let this 
  serve as a reminder that Rank does not equal wealth and 
  wealth does not equal Authority, unless you construct your 
  society to work along those lines. Be mindful, it is not at all 
  uncommon for the wealthy to be recognized as wealthy with-
  out it conferring any additional benefit, power or standing. In 
  some cultures, showing one’s wealth might even be regarded 
  as vulgar and inappropriate. Does your culture give special 
  consideration to the wealthy or to the poor? Does it regard 
  the status “wealthy” or the status “poor” as meaning any-
  thing more than its most basic definition? Does being wealthy 
  make one “noble?” Does being poor mean you’re “ungodly?” 
  Important definitions to be clear about!
  Gift-Giving: What does it mean to have anything in your 
  culture? Provided the concept of private property exists in 
  your society (it might not—plenty of societies have no notion 
  of privately-held land or buildings), what obligations are im-
  posed on the person who owns something when someone 
  else visits? Societies are full of mutual obligations imposed by 
  the culture’s values on the wealthy, the semi-wealthy and the 
  poor. These traditions are especially powerful when it comes 
  to greeting guests and gift-giving. Another way to think 
  about this is to examine the 
  guest-host relationship, one 
  of the most salient of all re-
  lationships in society. Does 
  your society obligate a guest 
  to behave in a certain way or 
  a host? What are the social 
  factors in play that punish 
  a disorderly guest or host? 
  A misbehaver?
  Reciprocity: At the limits 
  of the definitions of wealth 
  in a society comes the no-
  tion of reciprocity or obligation. Does having or not having 
  wealth impose on a person any expectations? Is the wealthy 
  person expected to give alms to the poor? Does a wealthy 
  person have the obligation to take poor relations under his 
  wing and give them an education and protection? Do the poor 
  in your society cluster (a la Association Ways) into clan-like 
  societies that serve rich individuals in whatever ways that 
  individual needs? What is the back-and-forth here? Do the 
  poor in your culture accept their lot? Is there opportunity? A 
  potential for acquiring more wealth? Is there a culture of rich 
  patronage of the poor? Does wealth engender jealously from 
  any segment of society? Does wealth create a separate rank or 
  series of ranks within an already stratified society? How does 
  that shape the society?
  In Our World
  In human society we have an unbelievably wide range of be-
  liefs, behaviors and practices regarding this folkway. The first 
  inflection point might be regarding the question of private 
  property. If your culture doesn’t believe in private property, 
  why not? And how is land held, used and managed? Who is 
  responsible for improvements? Perhaps your culture only rec-
  ognizes one person as a land holder or one class of people as 
  being able to own land. This would in all likelihood impose 
  a lot on that class from the perspective of reciprocity. Or it 
  would allow and reinforce a culture of exploitation. If your 
  culture allows private property, why does it? This is no more 
  a natural state than not allowing ownership of property—so 
  it needs to be explained. Who is allowed to own land? How 
  does titling work? How is land transferred from one person to 
  another? Are men allowed to own land? Women? Children? 
  What are the circumstances under which an authority might 
  take away your private land? Another inflection point in 
  understanding wealth is understanding the relationship be-
  tween government and currency. In order for currency to 
  work, for it to have and to hold its value, the government (or 
  other entity) issuing it must be trusted to not be in the busi-
  ness of skimming. Anything that entity does that suggests the 
  coin they’ve issued isn’t as pure as they say it is induces mis-
  trust and inflation. At a certain level of inflation, the currency 
  becomes worthless. Humans are quite ingenious about find-
  ing things to represent wealth. Precious metals, of course, but 
  also shells, beads and all manner of other objects. Anything’s 
  money if the person you’re trying to buy something from will 
  take what you’re offering! The last inflection point I would 
  mention here is that some cultures use wealth as a marker 
  for something other than itself. There has been a centuries-
  long tendency in the United States for instance to blame the 
  poor for their own poverty. Our Calvinist religious heritage 
  from the Puritans writ large means that in this country, the 
  poor regularly hear the monied classes complaining about 
  how difficult they have it while also reminding the poor that 
  the reason they’re poor is because they’re lazy, or shiftless or 
  indolent. Unique among the liberal democracies, the middle-
  classes in the United States never find common cause with 
  the lower classes or the poor—always they look towards the 
  rich for class solidarity. The consequence is the absence of 
  any kind of communitarian party, be in socialistic or com-
  munist, having the soil to successfully put down roots in the 
  United States.
  Work Ways
  Work Ways, and the Leisure Ways discussion which come 
  next, are to me a bit problematic on their face. Why? Because 
  they presuppose an industrial age (or near industrial age at 
  least) social order that has developed an economy that al-
  lows some people to escape from the reality of work from the 
  dawn of human civilization until industrialization. For more 
  than half of the people on Earth, work isn’t something that 
  happens when one isn’t playing croquet. It is the backbreak-
  ing, day-on-day labor required to keep one’s self and one’s 
  family alive. Subsistence agriculture, husbandry and hunt-
  ing sustain many billions of people, but if one tries to assign 
  it to the category “work” the way that it is understood in an 
  HARP  Folkways 
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  industrialized world, confusion is going to set in. Still, once 
  we’ve acknowledged this reality, there is a world of work that 
  we can explore, an attitude or orientation to labor that speaks 
  to how some societies organize themselves. These notions are 
  useful for you as you go about building your cultures. When 
  considering this essential question, give careful considera-
  tion to: subsistence, feudality, ethic and slavery.
   X Essential Question: What does your culture 
  value about work? What is its work ethic? 
  Subsistence: Picking up my argument above, to what extent 
  do workers in your society work merely to stave off starva-
  tion? Is there any slack in your culture’s economy that allows 
  for the accumulation of any sort of wealth? Moreover, what 
  in your culture’s work economy is regarded as generating the 
  most wealth? Is it an agricultural product like a grain or fruit? 
  A product of husbandry like eggs? Perhaps the animals them-
  selves are the source of wealth? What might help a subsist-
  ence farmer in your society alter his station and put a bit of 
  distance between the Grim Reaper and his family? How many 
  of a farmer’s children have to work to keep everyone alive? 
  And at what age do they have to start earning their keep? The 
  more people a single farm might feed, the greater complexity 
  there will be in the world of work in your society. How many 
  cities does your civilization have and what is their produce? 
  This will no doubt interact with your society’s Association 
  Ways and Wealth Ways and probably with its Freedom and 
  Authority Ways. Is work activity in your cities controlled by 
  powerful guilds or weak ones? Can anyone do anything they 
  want, or are certain industries and trades self-policed and 
  restricted? What does your culture specialize in? Is there 
  manufacturing and is their craftsmanship any good?
  Feudality: In feudal societies, those peasants who worked 
  the land were bound to service to a local lord who offered 
  protection and safety in return for taxes based (ostensibly at 
  least) on the agricultural output of the land worked by the 
  peasant. This is a reminder that work is quite often a social 
  construct that takes place in relationship to other people and 
  other needs. In essence, feudality is reminding you that you 
  need to situate people in an economic context of obligation 
  to people more powerful, wealthier or better connected than 
  they are. Or not—but that has to be decided. What does it 
  mean to have people who owe you taxes? What does it mean 
  to pay them? This notion applies also to industrial or near-
  industrial settings as well. Do you labor in order to pay off a 
  master or journeyman for a certain amount of time? In addi-
  tion to acting in ways that support your lord or trade’s master, 
  what do you do in your work to support your community? Is 
  there such a thing as volunteering and in what context would 
  it be appropriate? Does your society have a culture, like the 
  Amish, of collaborative barn raising? Or would taking that 
  sort of help be viewed as demeaning and unseemly?
  Ethic: What value do individual persons doing their daily 
  work assign to that work? Do they enjoy it or not? Do they 
  view their work as serving an individual purpose? A group 
  purpose? Just family or perhaps as broad as society? How hard 
  do they work? Different societies value the meaning of work 
  in and of itself differently than others. The value assigned to 
  an individual’s identity based on the work they do will have 
  an effect on the way that individual (and hence, the broader 
  culture) values and understands not just themselves and oth-
  ers, but notions of leisure. Keep in mind that work ethic is a 
  problematic concept if your society has members whose live-
  lihood doesn’t require that they work at all!
  Slavery: Does your society keep slaves as a general practice, 
  only a practice in certain lines of work or not at all? Leaving 
  aside the moral arguments against slavery temporarily (we’ll 
  return to them in Self-reflection Ways), slave-owning and sus-
  taining societies have valued labor differently than those that 
  do not keep slaves. What does it mean to be a free laborer 
  doing work that is otherwise done by slaves? That has to be 
  ascertained if your society keeps slaves. Additional questions 
  include: where does your society get these slaves? Can they 
  ever earn manumission? In what industries do they work?
  In Our World
  As I alluded to above, in our world in the early 21st century 
  we have three different fundamental social organizations in 
  operation at the same time. These, which I will call pre-indus-
  trial, industrial and post-industrial, shape our understanding 
  of what work means on the deepest level. Pre-industrial work 
  contexts are the subsistence farming realities that are the lot 
  of billions of our fellow men, women and children on this 
  planet. They divide their labor as well between the biologi-
  cal sexes and sometimes between children as well. The trans-
  formation of society into an industrial framework changes 
  everything (and I mean everything), but it also changes the 
  meaning of work. Now one works for pay. By working for pay, 
  the worker is enmeshed in a market that dictates much of 
  what will constitute the worker’s standard of living. Market 
  forces over which the worker has no control will shape his life 
  much like the weather might for the pre-industrial worker. 
  The post-industrial society, like the industrial one before it, 
  changes everything again. Workers who make their living 
  on what they know, rather than what they can manufacture 
  or what they can harvest are a new phenomenon. “Services-
  based” economies require there to be people requiring ser-
  vices after all.
  Leisure Ways
  Like Work Ways, a culture’s Leisure Ways is partly shaped 
  by its economic and social sophistication. However, unlike 
  Work Ways, even in cultures where work is a subsistence 
  phenomenon, there have always been games, sports and other 
  diversions during those times when work isn’t required, al-
  lowed or possible. During those times, a culture’s notions of 
  fun and diversion emerge. Every society has some form of play 
  or fun. Every society has invented sporting activities; games 
  have been found in burials dating back ten millennia. When 
  HARP   Folkways 
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  considering this essential question, give careful consideration 
  to: leisureliness, competitiveness, athletics and diversions.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  define leisure? Does it value it? What do people 
  do to kick back, provided they have the means 
  to? Do they like individual sports? Team sports? 
  Learned pursuits?
  Leisureliness: Under this rubric, I am asking you to con-
  sider just how important leisure is to your culture. While all 
  cultures have sports, games and diversions of all sorts, how 
  tolerated these diversions are is always contested in society. 
  Who is “allowed” to play? Just children? Just infants, perhaps? 
  Is everyone allowed to engage in play behavior? What if your 
  society allowed only the very old and the very young, but no 
  one else to play? Moreover, what kinds of leisure are toler-
  ated, embraced or enjoyed? Is your culture an active, sporty 
  culture…possessing the sort of people who might invent 
  kite-surfing or cliff diving as run of the mill activities? Or is 
  your society more laid back—just some light croquet for us, 
  thank you very much. Think about how much your people 
  value their leisure time. Do they work for the sake of work 
  or do they love to work? Contrast this relationship to work 
  with their relationship to leisure. There are lots of ways that 
  this might play out. It speaks to the intensity level at which 
  your culture’s identity burns. An important point here is not 
  to confuse something that might look like a game or sport-
  ing event done for leisure with the same kind of event done 
  for another cultural purpose. A simulated war fought on an 
  athletic field that ends with one side being ritually shamed 
  and having to give up their marital partners for a year to the 
  other side is a very different phenomenon than a high-spirited 
  contest between musicians in a tavern one evening with a 
  gold piece as the reward. The first is a feature of a culture’s 
  Marriage Ways. The second is leisure.
  Competitiveness: Often running hand-in-hand with the 
  notions that follow (athletics and games) is the idea of com-
  petitiveness. Do people in your culture engaging in leisure do 
  it for fun or for its own sake, or do they do it because there 
  is a competitive framework they’re engaging in or with? It is 
  possible to play almost any kind of sporting game for its own 
  sake. Likewise, it is easy to take any kind of athletic contest or 
  other game or contest and make it competitive. Mindful that 
  these competitions could be for bragging rights, don’t forget 
  that they could also be for much higher stakes, including life 
  itself. The higher the stakes, the less likely the activity is lei-
  sure, remember. What other folkways are being engaged by 
  the supposedly leisure contest?
  Athletics: Some cultures are much more physically minded 
  than others. What kind of sports would a physically-oriented 
  culture develop and why? When being creative here, start with 
  something simple—like a ball or puck or racquet or stick—
  and then riff from there. I will give two examples of sports 
  in Chapter IV developed by two radically different cultures…
  one sporty, the other not so much. One of the most impor-
  tant considerations you need to reflect on here is whether 
  your culture values individual sports or team sports. Cultures 
  valuing the individual over the collective would seem to be 
  likely to value the individual sportsman’s achievements over 
  team achievements. Or do they? This is something you need 
  to sort out. What do team sports look like? What does loy-
  alty to teams look like? Is there such a thing as fandom in 
  your culture?
  Diversions: This is a broad rubric for all of those leisure ac-
  tivities that aren’t sports. This includes all of the board, dice 
  and card games one might imagine as well as anything that 
  might just be called an activity, like quilting, playing a musi-
  cal instrument, flower gardening or reading. Even “visiting,” 
  the practice of moving from home to home on a circuit to 
  chit-chat and share gossip might be classified as a diversion. 
  Diversions are individual and group as well. To those not in-
  clined to sports there will always be a draw of some kind to 
  some sort of diversion.
  In Our World
  In human cultures, there are so many different kinds of 
  sports, athletics and games that it is probably impossible to 
  count all of them. Balls of a thousand sorts meet as many 
  sticks on countless different courts and fields. Some of these 
  sports, be they individual or team take on the quality of ritual 
  warfare. Surely sumo has this quality as much as American 
  Football does! And this is to say nothing of the full range of 
  the martial arts that are learned and mastered by individu-
  als but can be practiced collectively as well. Think about ca-
  poeira, for instance. It develops as a dance form for repressed 
  people and evolves into a complex martial art over time. In 
  all human cultures, the engagement of a team’s fans with the 
  team can reach almost toxic levels. This engagement is capa-
  ble of stimulating murderous violence and mayhem. Clearly 
  I think it’s important that you give deep thought to your 
  culture’s sporting traditions. It’s such an important part of 
  human tradition! But it isn’t the only part. Just think about 
  our own hobby for a moment. There are literally thousands of 
  role-playing systems in existence, nearly all of which are sup-
  ported by a small community of passionate followers. Every 
  other hobby, be it painting or needlework or orchid breeding 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 About	what	do	members	of	your	culture	feel	competi-
  tive? How do they manage these feelings?
  •	 Is	your	culture	vigorous	or	more	languid?
  •	 What	would	a	typical	member	of	your	culture	prefer	to	
  do—engage in mixed martial arts or gardening?
  •	 Are	 men	 and	 women	 allowed	 to	 engage	 in	 lei-
  sure together?
  •	 Are	there	leisure	activities	reserved	for	those	who	hold	
  particular rank?
  HARP  Folkways 
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  has similar internal divisions and even smaller communities 
  dedicated to the particulars of that field of interest. The depth 
  you bring to this folkway will add a lot of color and texture to 
  your people.
  Dress Ways
  In his book Love, Sex and Tragedy: How The Ancient World 
  Shapes Our Lives, its author Simon Goldhill writes: “nudity is 
  often thought to be the natural condition where we are most 
  simply ourselves, but it is also the state when we can least well 
  tell the social, intellectual and moral condition of the per-
  son in front of us. Roman culture, even more than modern 
  society, was obsessed with visible signs of status, honor and 
  position, strongly and clearly marked out. Nudity hides the 
  clothes, jewels and other badges of office which let the world 
  know who this citizen is. A shared space where nakedness in 
  fact concealed a man’s status might well have produced anxi-
  ety. Clothes do make the man.”  This is the thrust of this sec-
  tion. It isn’t just a matter of deciding whether your culture 
  prefers popped collars, stripes or togas. Rather, the way the 
  people of your culture choose to dress, or choose to modify 
  their bodies, can tell other members of the culture a great deal 
  and can serve as a way of differentiating status, class or other 
  valuable qualities. When considering this essential question, 
  give careful consideration to: practicality, status, jewelry and 
  body modification.
   X Essential Question: How do members of 
  your culture dress and adorn themselves?
  Practicality: As you begin to reflect on this folkway, give 
  pride of place always to questions of reality and practical-
  ity. What a person is doing with their day, first and foremost, 
  is going to have a dramatic effect on what he or she wears. 
  A person engaged in mining is unlikely to have much need 
  for chiffon. An agricultural labor will not be dressed in taf-
  feta. Similarly, a member of a royal or noble house attempt-
  ing to impress will not be dressed in the same clothing that 
  a fisherman might wear. Questions of practicality speak very 
  strongly to a culture’s Environment Ways. You can not ignore 
  simple reality. If your culture exists in a polar environment 
  without agriculture or significant plant life, the people who 
  live there aren’t going to be dressed in cotton or jute. They’re 
  going to be clothed in animal skins or some other artificial 
  material. Keep your culture’s realities firmly in your mind as 
  they are going to be powerfully shaping here.
  Status: How does your culture determine social status? You 
  have already thought about this in Rank Ways. Those ranks 
  might be marked in social settings by different clothing or 
  other adornments. Perhaps head coverings have different 
  heights based on one’s status, with high ranked people wear-
  ing exceptionally tall hats like top hats but the poor wear-
  ing simple head coverings without height at all? Are certain 
  fabrics, materials or patterns reserved for certain mem-
  bers of society? What about other statuses like childhood/
  adulthood, married/unmarried/widowed, male/female? It is 
  not a stretch to think about gendered clothing or adornment 
  being a quality of your culture. Keeping in mind the Simon 
  Goldhill quote above, be acutely aware that clothing is a pow-
  erful marker of many different kinds of statuses and socie-
  ties work hard to develop these markers and when they exist, 
  they are reinforced with vigor. Also, do not lose sight of the 
  potential interaction of Association Ways with Dress Ways. 
  Do members of a trade guild all dress a certain way or have a 
  particular accessory that would indicate to others member-
  ship in a guild? Perhaps members of a religious order all cut 
  their hair in a particular way or shave their heads? Are certain 
  men required to wear mustaches?
  Jewelry: Every culture takes a different perspective on the 
  question of jewelry, yours will be no exception. What is pre-
  cious in your society that isn’t money? Is it particular, beauti-
  ful stones, perhaps? Pieces of specially-made glass? The baby 
  teeth of one’s children? Preserved bodily trophies carved 
  from one’s enemies? Any of these things might represent a 
  culture’s sense of jewelry. It might be that jewelry is simply 
  worn for the sake of its beauty. More likely, it is being worn to 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 What	are	the	materials	that	your	culture	uses	to	clothe	
  its members?
  •	 What	about	the	accessories,	like	hats,	shoes,	gloves	and	
  the like? How are they used?
  •	 Does	your	culture	engage	in	body	modification	of	any	
  kind?
  HARP   Folkways 
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  reinforce the social messaging of other parts of the clothing 
  being worn.
  Body Modification: The customs of body modification vary 
  widely between cultures in our world and would be just as 
  varied in yours. Provided your society tolerates body modi-
  fication (many don’t), three kinds of modification come to 
  mind for your consideration. The first, piercing, intersects 
  with the notion of jewelry above. Is there a tradition of body 
  piercing in your society? If so, what body parts are generally 
  adorned with jewelry and what message does that jewelry 
  send to others in the culture? Remember that dress is about 
  status; this is true for body modification as well. It is meant 
  to say something; it is meant to be “read’ by others in the cul-
  ture in a particular way. Cryptic-piercings, those that your 
  culture places under typically clothed parts of the body, serve 
  the same purpose, but in a private rather than public sphere. 
  The second modification is tattooing, the practice of using a 
  stylus or needle to draw patterns and pictures on skin with 
  ink inserted deep into the dermis. It serves the same purposes 
  as clothing or jewelry—to claim a social status or identity. 
  The third form of modification is scarification or branding, 
  in which the skin is irritated to make a scar more rather than 
  less prominent, again, for the same purposes for which one 
  might wear jewelry or be tattooed.
  In Our World
  Just think of the hundreds of different fabrics in use in our 
  contemporary world and you will have a sense of how expan-
  sive this one expression of culture is. Desire for certain kinds 
  of fabrics, like silk, drove the foreign policies of nations and 
  caused wars. Likewise, that desire stimulated trade in other 
  goods and generated energy for exploration of our world. 
  And that’s just interest in silk! Cultures throughout the world 
  assign social values to different materials, akin to my chif-
  fon and taffeta example above. What one wears tells people 
  who know something a great deal. This is why cultures make 
  certain fabrics very expensive (even if they aren’t all that 
  expensive to make) and restrict the wearing of these fabrics 
  to certain kinds of people. As clothing is something people 
  read and judge very quickly, allowing a commoner to look 
  like a swell can disrupt the social order. For the same reason, 
  an upper-class person dressed as a commoner can use that 
  dress, sometimes, as though it were a disguise. Think about 
  the way Rank Ways and Work Ways inform Dress Ways. In 
  the United States, for instance, our Rank Ways are compara-
  tively flattened. This means that it isn’t at all unusual to see 
  the President of the United States dressed in blue-dyed denim 
  jeans, a garment designed for hard, manual labor. Were the 
  Emperor of Japan to be seen in public dressed in such a way 
  would cause an incident. And this is to say nothing about 
  those cultures that have created garments that completely 
  cover the physical body and mandate their wear for certain 
  members of society or at certain times. Ritual clothing is 
  prominent in many world religions. Don’t ignore notions of 
  body modification when you do this work. It might seem to be 
  a relatively new phenomenon, but it is ancient in origin. The 
  only thing that is different now is its ubiquity.
  Food and Drink Ways
  There’s nothing like food and drink traditions to bring peo-
  ple together or to drive them apart. It seems like something 
  so simple, so straightforward. But one person’s tasty treats 
  is another person’s horror. When thinking about the sheer 
  role-playing fuel that Food and Drink Ways generates, I can 
  think of nothing more likely to generate fun game play oppor-
  tunities than conflicts over food and beverages. When con-
  sidering this essential question, give careful consideration to: 
  locavore, status, embellishment and technique.
   X Essential Question: What do members of 
  your culture eat and drink? How do they cook?
  Locavore: This term, in current use in the United States to 
  describe the practice of eating whatever is typically found lo-
  cally, is a great idea to shape your thinking about your cul-
  ture’s Food Ways. At the core of its traditions are going to be 
  those animals, plants and aquaculture that happen to be well 
  adapted to the territory occupied by your culture. This con-
  nects Environment Ways to Food Ways very powerfully. It 
  also asks you to keep attention on Work Ways. A culture with-
  out agriculture is likely to get less of its calories from plant 
  sources than a culture that has a farming tradition. So, what’s 
  local? And if your society lives in an environment with great 
  seasonal differences, how does it hold over calories from the 
  harvest through the winter? What are its preservation tech-
  niques? Does it engage in preservation? Perhaps its hunting 
  traditions can sustain the community over the winter? Does 
  it have the capacity to grow things indoors or underground? 
  Locavore traditions are what causes people in Canada to 
  make rich and varied use of maple syrup but cause that in-
  gredient to be entirely absent from other traditions. What 
  is your culture’s thinking on veganism? Vegetarianism? Are 
  there cultural factors at work against the eating of a particu-
  lar thing? What does your culture consider disgusting (even if 
  what it thinks is disgusting is edible)? What would someone in 
  your culture struggle to eat? What are its delicacies? Does it 
  eat insects? Shellfish? Animals? And that’s before even think-
  ing about its beverage culture. What is a culture without 
  access to grain going 
  to brew? Is it capable 
  of making wine? Not 
  without grapes! Every 
  culture has some kind 
  of fermented beverage 
  that has the advantage 
  of being inhospitable 
  to the growth of harm-
  ful 
  bacteria. 
  Don’t 
  forget that reliable ac-
  cess to clean drinking 
  water is a 20th century 
  HARP  Folkways 
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  phenomenon. The reason pre-industrial people drank a lot 
  of alcohol isn’t because they were lushes…it’s because they 
  wanted to avoid a painful death.
  Status: Are some beverages, foods or preparation techniques 
  reserved for certain classes? It would be entirely typical for 
  a class at the height of a society’s Rank Ways to reserve cer-
  tain beverages, livestock or game for its exclusive use. Do only 
  the rich have access to wine or mead? Or do the rich alone 
  have access to beer? Moreover, there is a long and rich tradi-
  tion of certain foods being considered so base that they are 
  considered only fit for those occupying the lowest rungs of a 
  culture’s ranks. For the longest time, lobster was considered 
  a food only fit for consumption by the basest members of so-
  ciety; now it is a delicacy. Samuel Johnson described oats, a 
  healthy grain, as “a grain, which in England is generally given 
  to horses, but in Scotland appears to support the people.” Let 
  it never be said that food is beyond the grasp of racism. Don’t 
  forget this as you do your work.
  Embellishment: Under this rubric, I am encouraging you 
  to think not so much about the ingredients themselves, but 
  rather the complexity of preparation and the use of spices, 
  herbs and other flavoring ingredients. Cultures vary widely 
  on their use of such ingredients. This is partly a function of 
  access to the ingredients themselves, but is also based on 
  other cultural factors that have nothing to do with accessi-
  bility. Of course a culture without access to sugar cane isn’t 
  going to use it. But what might it use to enhance sweetness? 
  Beets? Honey? Or perhaps there is a cultural injunction from 
  some other place in the culture against sweetness?
  Technique: A great source of role-playing conflict might be 
  centered right here in cooking technique. Different cultures 
  have a tendency to gravitate to one or another method that 
  becomes a standard associated with that culture. These meth-
  ods generate all sorts of realities as a result. Different layouts 
  for kitchens, different tools, different needs for embellishing 
  spices and so forth. Some techniques to think about include: 
  baking, boiling, frying, grilling, poaching, roasting and 
  stewing. Another factor to think about is what additional or 
  specialized ingredients your culture might have access to. A 
  culture with access to citrus would be able to marinate foods 
  with the citrus juice, like ceviche.
  In Our World
  Food and drink is one of the markers of cultural difference in 
  our world. If you want to have a fully fleshed out game world, 
  don’t stint here! It might seem frivolous, but it isn’t. Just think 
  for a moment about the differences in the food traditions 
  between the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy. 
  There are some pretty big gaps between these countries and 
  cultures represented in the ingredients they select, the way 
  they prepare those ingredients and the embellishments they 
  use with those ingredients. These differences matter a great 
  deal to the members of those cultures. Be mindful that local 
  traditions have a great deal to do with Environment Ways 
  (there’s a reason why Icelanders have so many uses for fish) and 
  local history and experience with plenty and scarcity (there’s 
  a reason why Icelanders, who have experience with famine, 
  use parts of animals others discard). Moreover, don’t neglect 
  the fact that one culture will view the staples of another as 
  disgusting. I am an American and eat peanut butter prob-
  ably five times a week. I love it! But so many of my friends 
  who aren’t Americans recoil in horror at the thought of it. As 
  an American, insect-eating traditions are traditions I have a 
  hard time with. Chacun a son gout.
  Language Ways
  Every culture has traditions related to the use of language 
  that help give it shape and context and to give it distance 
  from other cultures. Like Food Ways, Language Ways help 
  give subtle shading within a culture and to mark the bound-
  ary line between one nation and another. In a very real way, 
  language helps give the individual a capacity for thinking. 
  Language shapes how and in what ways a person thinks…
  consider for a moment how you are supposed to form the 
  thought “snow” without the word “snow.” In a fantasy role-
  playing context, Language Ways are often given a place as one 
  of the carriers of “flavor,” which is to say, difference that isn’t 
  necessarily all that different. It doesn’t have to be this way! In 
  fact, careful attention to language, naming and the relation-
  ships between language groups can bring a lot of diversity to 
  your player’s role-playing experiences. When considering this 
  essential question, give careful consideration to: dialect, ma-
  jority, pidgins and naming.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  use language and naming?
  Dialect: By dialect, I mean for you to consider all of the dif-
  ferent ways that speakers of a mutually-intelligible language 
  use that language differently within their own daily lives and 
  contexts. Does your language have words, phrases or man-
  nerisms that are reserved only for people with high rank or 
  status? Is there a way of speaking or a closed vocabulary that 
  people would describe as “snooty” or “affected?” What words 
  are associated only with particular places in your culture and 
  are rarely used anywhere else? How do these words serve as 
  markers for people who use them? Are there grammatical 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 What	do	members	of	your	culture	eat	routinely?	Would	
  eat in a pinch? Would eat only under famine conditions?
  •	 What	brewing	techniques	have	emerged	in	your	culture?	
  What do they like to drink? Is there a culture of drinking 
  to excess?
  •	 What	techniques	are	customary	in	your	culture’s	practices?
  •	 How	far	would	a	member	of	your	culture	go	to	get	access	
  to a delicacy?
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  patterns that reflect an ancient conquest or the presence of 
  another language’s deepest syntax or grammar somewhere in 
  your language? Do your people have sign languages?
  Majority: The tendency of an ethnic or linguistic majority 
  in a country to want to suppress the languages of ethnic or 
  linguistic minorities is a commonplace. It happens on every 
  inhabited continent and was unquestioned practice in many 
  places even into the 2000s. It is critical, therefore, to consider 
  the question of linguistic minority status when thinking 
  about your people. Cultures that speak a minority language 
  are either going to occupy a position of power and authority 
  or will be assigned to the lowest ranks in a culture. It is very 
  rare indeed for them to be seen as “just like everyone else.” 
  How rigorously do minority cultures defend their language 
  traditions? How do members of these minority cultures in-
  teract with the majority culture? What do these languages 
  uniquely preserve in their way of thinking? The March-lands 
  between one language and another are likely to be places 
  of great cultural and perhaps even physical conflict. What 
  languages, and by extension cultures, is your culture trying 
  to eliminate?
  Pidgins: Guild chat. Trade languages. Thieves’ Cants. These 
  are all examples of pidgin languages, languages that develop 
  between two peoples who have a relationship but who don’t 
  share a common language. The classic example of pidgins are 
  trade languages, simplified versions of both languages that 
  are used to facilitate commerce. The degree to which these 
  pidgins develop in your culture is up to you. It might be that 
  your culture has such a powerful influence on the rest of the 
  world that it doesn’t need a pidgin to get along. Everyone 
  just speaks your language. While trade languages are the 
  most common form of pidgin, don’t devalue their use in con-
  junction with Association Ways or Rank Ways. I have even 
  created languages for games that have only a written form 
  just to make things harder on my players.
  Naming: To my way of thinking, nothing imparts a sense of 
  character more than a name does. What your culture’s nam-
  ing traditions look like, therefore, matters a lot in helping 
  your players inhabit the minds and spirits of their characters. 
  There are lots of different ways one might go in this area. 
  Perhaps, like in the Robin Hobb “Farseer” books I discussed 
  in chapter 2, people are given names that describe personality 
  traits and these personality traits shade the way the individual 
  is raised and praised. It is a very common naming convention 
  to use the names of parents or grandparents when naming 
  a newborn. If not using the name, certainly references to it 
  in patronymic or matronymic fashion is well known. Think 
  about the conventions your culture would use and why they 
  would use them—it will go a long way towards establishing 
  the right tone and spirit for your game.
  In Our World
  There are thousands of languages, but only a few dozen that 
  are spoken by tens or hundreds of millions. Many, many 
  human languages are in decline or nearing extinction. These 
  languages represent a huge part of the human cultural pat-
  rimony. Moreover, their decline represents a decline in the 
  very capacity of our species to think. Language diversity 
  has long been a hallmark of the human experience, hence 
  our ability to form pidgin languages as we need. While lan-
  guage diversity has been a commonplace, the suppression of 
  minority languages has been a factor in cultural dialogue in 
  nearly every country. English has driven Gaelic, Scots Gaelic 
  and Welsh towards extinction. French has done the same 
  to Breton. American policy towards Native Americans has 
  done exceptional cultural violence to hundreds of Indian lan-
  guages, even when one of them, Navajo, arguably, was a major 
  factor in the winning of World War II.
  Magic Ways
  Magic is a staple of fantasy role-playing of all sorts and this is 
  certainly true for HARP as well. Whether your culture has 
  a strong or weak magic tradition doesn’t ultimately matter. 
  Every culture has a sense of the conventional and the outland-
  ish. Every culture has elements that worry about the work of 
  witches, sorcerers and warlocks. Even if witches and conjurers 
  don’t really exist (or don’t really have any powers), the belief 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 What	words	or	expressions	demarcate	different	speakers	
  of the same language in your culture?
  •	 Do	these	different	words	and	expressions	impart	a	class	
  or rank tone to them? Would only the rich or the poor 
  use these words?
  •	 What	are	your	culture’s	naming	conventions?	Do	your	
  characters conform to these conventions?
  HARP  Folkways 
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  that they exist is something most cultures have endorsed or 
  struggled with. Magic Ways, therefore, overlaps in many cul-
  tures with Supernatural Ways (discussed below). Magic Ways 
  are not the systemic methods by which your culture manipu-
  lates the natural world. It isn’t HARP’s magic system. Rather, 
  it is how your culture responds to and understands the value 
  of the practice of magic and magic itself. Provided magic ex-
  ists, when considering this essential question, give careful 
  consideration to: value, occasion, constraint and instruction. 
  If you are running a game world where magic does not really 
  exist, it is still important to answer these questions and give 
  consideration to them, at least so that you have some sense of 
  how they relate to Supernatural Ways.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  understand, shape, control, teach and use magic? 
  Does it have a positive or negative relationship 
  with magic? 
  Value: Do the non-magical members of your culture consider 
  magic to have positive, neutral or negative value? Is the ma-
  nipulation of the natural world acceptable, acceptable under 
  certain circumstances but not others or unacceptable? What 
  are the magicians in your culture doing to generate these 
  values? Magic used primarily to facilitate the curing of dis-
  ease and the maintenance of health is going to be viewed dif-
  ferently than magic meant to baffle, break up relationships or 
  cause livestock to sicken. How much contact does a regular 
  member of your society have with practitioners of magic? Is 
  magic a routine, daily occurrence or is it something that de-
  mands astonishingly complicated rituals involving dozens of 
  people? Is magic an innate quality? If so, is it viewed as some-
  thing to be proud of or ashamed of? What would a person who 
  learned they had magical talent do with that information?
  Occasion: When would a typical member of your society see 
  magic being practiced? When would a magician feel com-
  pelled to act magically? In what spheres of life would that 
  magician feel empowered to act? Is magic under the control 
  of a guild? Are different kinds of magic under the control of 
  different guilds? Can magic be used by anyone because its in-
  tuitive rather than learned? Occasion speaks to all of these 
  questions. Under what circumstances would magic be ac-
  ceptably practiced? What are the ordering institutions that 
  allow it or forbid it? How powerful are they? Who controls 
  them? What people in your society have access to permission 
  to act magically? Anyone? Does it connect in some manner 
  to Association Ways or Rank Ways? Is there a connection be-
  tween magic practice and some other part of your culture? 
  For example, a magic practice that required certain plants, 
  animals or minerals would surely generate a greater trade in 
  those items than if it weren’t the case. If magic is discouraged, 
  it would stimulate a black market rather than a legitimate one. 
  Are there items that are necessary for magic practice but that 
  are contraband? How would a magician get a hold of them?
  Constraint: Outside of the formal systems described above, 
  are there qualities that are part of how magic users in the cul-
  ture think about themselves that would cause them to restrict 
  the way they use magic? How would a sorcerer in your culture 
  restrain himself? Why would he do so? What are the personal 
  limits that an individual would impose on herself?
  Instruction: Does your culture have any method for the for-
  mal training of magic users? Is education in magic handed 
  down from parent to child or are there institutions? Do these 
  institutions have official sanction or do they work outside of 
  the limits of the rest of the culture? Differences in the train-
  ing of magicians could have dramatic effects on how your cul-
  ture understands the practice of magic. Magic handed down 
  from parent to child has the capacity to be unruly and disor-
  derly. Difficult to manage as it isn’t part of a broader system 
  of control. Institutional magic, by contrast, can be brought to 
  heel in some ways by other ordering institutions. It has some 
  kind of sanction.
  In Our World
  Clearly, Earth is not a place of high magic where archmages 
  are flinging around lightning bolts from the tips of their fin-
  gers. Magic is a fiction for those of us who live in the West—
  it is part of our stories. But for others with whom we share 
  this planet, magic isn’t a fantasy—it is a reality of daily life. 
  HARP   Folkways 
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  Granted, its function would be more appropriately described 
  under Supernatural Ways, but that is perhaps little more than 
  an academic distinction. They believe what they are doing is 
  magic and they have evolved social and cultural definitions 
  that fit what they’re doing. To them, their behavior isn’t a 
  reflection of Supernatural Ways. In ancient cultures, there 
  was a rich and lively tradition of spell casting attempting to 
  influence all manner of behaviors. Hellenistic Greeks were 
  especially vigorous in their uses of magic against enemies, to 
  encourage romantic partnerships and to get rich. This is to 
  say nothing of other forms of “common magic” like magical 
  thinking or astrology that are a commonplace in 21st cen-
  tury society.
  Supernatural Ways
  If your culture has gods and goddesses that do their work in 
  the world and can be seen at all times, Supernatural Ways is 
  not the correct place to reflect on that. Rather, the gods be-
  come active players in the day-by-day social life of your civili-
  zation. In this case, it’s more appropriate to think about them 
  in the perspective of Rank Ways or Authority Ways, rather 
  than supernaturally. However, if the gods of your society do 
  not show themselves, act in ways that might be described as 
  fickle or self-serving or if they encourage through their agents 
  certain kinds of behavior and discourage other kinds, then 
  Supernatural Ways is probably the right place to consider 
  these ideas. If you can understand what a culture thinks about 
  what can not be understood through the tools of science or 
  reason, you can get tremendous insight into that culture’s 
  core values. How much weight does your culture place on rea-
  son and science? How much weight does it give to supernatu-
  ral explanations? What causes earthquakes? An angry god 
  or goddess or geologic phenomena? Can relations between 
  people be understood scientifically or are they only under-
  standable on a different, more intuitive level? The spiritual di-
  mensions of cultures are among the most complex factors we 
  have to consider in world building. Even in their absence, they 
  deeply shape the way a culture understands itself, its people 
  and its relationship with the wider world. When considering 
  this essential question, give careful consideration to: reason, 
  reflection, ritual and soul.
   X Essential Question: How does your culture 
  understand the relationship between that which 
  cannot be seen and that which can? Does the cul-
  ture engage in religious practices? If so, how and 
  what are they?
  Reason: Every society will have elements in it that respond 
  more enthusiastically to answers to fundamental questions 
  based on reason, scientific method or sensory evidence. To 
  what extent is this true in your society? Does your society 
  even have gods? If so, are they gods that support the society’s 
  orientation towards reason? How does your society organ-
  ize the way that it tries to understand the world. Are there 
  academies? Universities? Does everyone get an education? If 
  not, who does and why? When a person rejects a supernatural 
  answer to a question about natural phenomena, is there an 
  ordering institution in society that supports that rejection 
  and protects the individual? Or could there be an ordering 
  institution that would use its resources to suppress that point 
  of view? Do these organizations oppose each other forcefully 
  or not?
  Reflection: The difficulties in understanding natural phe-
  nomena pale in comparison to understanding human-scale 
  forces like love, friendship, grief, birth, death and the “Seven 
  Deadly Sins.” Everyone in society is going to need some help 
  in understanding their relationship to these fundamental 
  Ask Yourself…
  •	 How	hostile	is	the	majority	of	your	culture’s	population	
  to users of magic?
  •	 Does	your	culture	view	magic	as	something	part	of	the	
  natural world or the supernatural one?
  •	 	Would	the	practice	of	magic	frighten	a	child	in	your	cul-
  ture, or delight her?
  •	 Does	the	practice	of	magic	have	any	influence	on	other	
  sectors of your culture?
  HARP  Folkways 
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  characteristics of society. And these are really hard to under-
  stand and work through! What are the forces at work here in 
  your culture? What is it really good at? What does it squash 
  down or suppress? Is your culture one that simply doesn’t talk 
  about death? Perhaps it is obsessive about guilt or about glut-
  tony. Think about all of the factors in play that support per-
  sonal relationships and how complex they are—that’s what 
  reflection is about.
  Ritual: In some respects, this is the opposite of reflection. 
  Where that is looking at right relations between people in 
  society, this notion is looking at a person’s right relationship 
  with the gods or with what can’t be seen or understood. How 
  do your people worship? Do they build structures, permanent 
  or temporary? Do they use natural phenomena to support 
  their worship? Is there an institutional presence that builds 
  and maintains suitable buildings and support? What is the 
  structure and complexity of the liturgical practices? Does the 
  religion of your society impose certain performance expecta-
  tions on its members or just let people do as they will? What 
  is the relationship between different religions in your society? 
  Is your society tolerant of this? Polytheistic or Monotheistic?
  Soul: Where ritual asks you to think about practice, soul 
  is asking you to consider the internal experience of a prac-
  titioner of your society’s religion. Is your religion one that 
  generates a rich interior life or is is really about the external 
  practice of liturgical forms? About what would practitioners 
  of your religion worry about or obsess about? To what extent 
  does your culture’s religious systems encourage the forma-
  tion of “personal relationships” with its god or gods? What 
  behaviors, beliefs or practices are shunned in the tradition 
  and how do characters feel about this?
  In Our World
  In human cultures, religion is spectacularly complex. Two of 
  the three largest religious traditions, Christianity and Islam, 
  are monotheistic, for example. But Hinduism is polytheis-
  tic. How these religions understand the human condition, 
  human relationships and human obligations to each other 
  are surprisingly similar. But they are not the same traditions 
  and their differences are salient in understanding fundamen-
  tally different views of the religious obligations of the faithful 
  person. When looking at these three traditions from the per-
  spectives I outline above, it is easy to see the ways they con-
  struct radically different understandings of spiritual practice, 
  social obligation and what happens upon death. To the degree 
  that you can make your own religious traditions in your game 
  cultures sing like this, the better.
  Self-reflection Ways
  Unlike the other nineteen questions, for this question there is 
  really only one thing to reflect on. Every society lies to itself, 
  hiding aspects of itself from itself and, it hopes, from others. 
  Each of the other nineteen folkways might give you an inter-
  esting seed to develop here at the end of the culture creation 
  process. Keep in mind that what your culture feels shame 
  about isn’t necessarily what you might feel shameful about. 
  A culture that keeps slaves doesn’t necessarily have the moral 
  framework that we have in the 21st century, so that culture 
  may not feel any tension about that, may not feel it is some-
  thing shameful. In fact, it might be proud of its slave-keeping. 
  Indeed, one doesn’t need to dig very deeply in the literature of 
  the American South before the Civil War to find all manner of 
  literature in support of slavery as a Christian, humane prac-
  tice. Self-reflection ways is looking for emergent attitudes and 
  patterns of thought on the margins of your culture’s other 
  folkways. For example, perhaps your culture builds cities in 
  such a way that a certain class of people are restricted to ghet-
  tos. Perhaps your society believes that when a marriage ends 
  in divorce, both parties bring shame to society and so the rep-
  utation of both the couple’s parents and children is damaged. 
  Every culture has something that it keeps under wraps. What 
  is it, and how might that shape your characters?
   X Essential Question: About what does your 
  culture refuse to be honest with itself? What are 
  its secrets? Tensions? Shames?
  HARP   Folkways 
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  4 Two Case Studies
  HARP  Folkways 
  Two Case Studies 
  Page 46
  
  In chapter 3, I detailed twenty different folkways that you 
  can and should use to create nuanced cultures in your role-
  playing setting. As I discussed in chapter 2, great fantasy 
  literature doesn’t necessarily make use of all twenty of the 
  folkways. The best examples of these created worlds, how-
  ever, go very deep in some of the folkways and skim the sur-
  face of others. None are consciously ignored. In order to help 
  you see how they might be used, in this chapter, I will create 
  two cultures into which you might place characters of any 
  HARP race, though in the first instance, I will be creating a 
  Gryx culture and in the second, a Gnome culture.
  Gryx: The Commonwealth of 
  Enyryx
  In HARP Fantasy, the Gryx are described as being an “un-
  sightly race” with a “fearsome appearance.” This conflicts with 
  their inner lives, which are by nature “peaceful.” The Gryx, 
  who “provide a generic semi-bestial race that easily replaces 
  the Half-Orc that is present in many systems,” are so oriented 
  to peaceful pursuits that HARP Fantasy describes them as 
  “preferring to tend to their gardens and crafts.” So…a nation 
  of semi-bestial florists and whittlers who would prefer an af-
  ternoon of kite-flying to one spent in martial arts training or 
  archery. They’d be happy to fletch the arrows…just not shoot 
  them. Let’s see what we can do with this.
  A Brief History
  The Commonwealth of Enyryx, a confederation of two dozen 
  majority-Gryx settlements, was consolidated four genera-
  tions ago through the creative leadership of Coursing River 
  Ice, a Gryx who led his people after they were exiled from 
  the Landover Imperium during one of the Empire’s periodic 
  anti-Gryx (and indeed, anti-anyone-who-isn’t-human) racial 
  pogroms. Rather than accept his people’s fate (which was to 
  be enslaved and put to work mining silver), he led more than 
  five thousand Gryx over the Cloudsplitter Mountains (an 
  endeavor previously thought impossible, due to the heights 
  and generally treacherous nature of the Cloudsplitters), along 
  pathways that have never since been mapped. Once on the 
  other side, Coursing River Ice and his people discovered an 
  assortment of settlements, predominantly Gryx (but with 
  substantial halfling and human populations as well), on the 
  other side of the Cloudsplitters. Coursing River Ice led his 
  people to the mouth of a river which he named the Placid 
  for its gentleness and they built there on both sides of the 
  river the town they called Expansive Freedom. Ten years 
  after Expansive was founded, it was attacked and sacked by 
  a previously unknown race of piratical marauders who the 
  Enyryx named the Shadows of the Sea. From that moment 
  until the end of his life, Coursing River Ice worked to band 
  the Enyryx together to resist the Shadows of the Sea. By the 
  end of Coursing River Ice’s life, they had successfully created 
  a shared sense of purpose and built up their will to resist. 
  The Enyryx defeated the Shadows of the Sea once and for all 
  when the marauders attempted to sack the rebuilt Expansive 
  Freedom as they had done the old settlement. The Shadows 
  were defeated by the clever ingenuity and bravery of the 
  Gryx, led by Coursing River Ice. A year later, he was dead. The 
  Commonwealth which his efforts forged, however, remains 
  as strong as it ever was while he was alive.
  The Folkways of the 
  Commonwealth of Enyryx
  Self-reflection Ways
  The Enyryx have three things about which they lie to them-
  selves. First, they struggle mightily with the legacy of Coursing 
  River Ice because his pre-flight identity doesn’t reconcile with 
  that of a triumphant founding father. Reflecting on this as the 
  elders would, they should consider the role his own commu-
  nity played in is upbringing, but they haven’t done so, because 
  to reflect on these elders might challenge their own self-as-
  sessment. Second, they take great cultural shame in having 
  been (at least in part) enslaved by the Landover Imperium. 
  This is something they don’t talk about but drives their self-
  determination in ways that are both positive and negative. 
  The last and most important is their practice of expelling 
  Gryx from the Commonwealth if they hold unpopular opin-
  ions or want to act in ways that might be disruptive of the so-
  cial order. The Enyryx elders will sometimes speak with each 
  other about this practice and how it might be weakening the 
  Commonwealth, but there’s no inclination to stop it.
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  Environment Ways Enyryx
  Topography
  The territory of the Commonwealth is narrow, no more than 75 miles wide from the shores of the 
  ocean to the foothills of the Cloudsplitters, mountains whose peaks are pushing 20,000 feet. The land 
  of the Commonwealth is divided by two rivers (the Golden and the Placid) into three parcels. The 
  northernmost parcel, roughly triangular in shape, is home to 7 of the Commonwealth’s settlements. 
  It is bounded on the north and east by the Cloudsplitters. The central parcel, which encompasses the 
  widest part of the Enyryx’s civilization, stretches from the sea to Cloudsplitters. It is host to 12 of the 
  Commonwealth’s settlements, including its capital, Expansive Freedom. The southernmost parcel is 
  the smallest, home to just 5 settlements. Generally poorer than the north or center, the hilliest ter-
  rain is in the south. The elevation change between the Cloudsplitters in the north and the fertile land 
  of the Commonwealth is dramatic, with sheer mountain faces sometimes dropping thousands of feet 
  at near right angles to the plains.
  Water
  The Commonwealth’s territory is exceptionally well watered. The Golden River and the Placid River 
  are regularly refreshed from the snowcap of the Cloudsplitters each spring. Their flow is rarely ener-
  getic—in the eighty years of the Commonwealth, there has been only one flood on the Golden (but it 
  was quite damaging). The Placid has never flooded in the history of the Commonwealth. The ocean 
  along the Commonwealth’s shore is also tame. There has never been a tidal wave in the memory of 
  the Commonwealth.
  Ecosystem
  The Commonwealth is blessed with an exceptionally forgiving and temperate climate. The fertility 
  of their land is significant and throughout the country, with the far north and the inland areas of of 
  the south being the only real exceptions. The central portion of the Enyryx’s lands are most fertile 
  near the shore, becoming marshier inland. There are no endemic diseases. The Commonwealth’s 
  farmers are among the most skilled anywhere. The southern parts of the Commonwealth are famous 
  for their excellent wines. Hunting land animals is uncommon, except during certain ritual seasons. 
  Great herds of dimetrodon roam the central region of the Commonwealth. The hunting of seals, sea 
  lions and whales is common, especially in the waters off the northern triangle. Fishing is extensive 
  throughout the Commonwealth.
  Weather
  Temperatures in the Commonwealth rarely rise above 80 degrees in the summer. Precipitation is 
  common throughout the Commonwealth, with consecutive days of full sunlight being rare. The 
  south gets the least rain. Precipitation comes throughout the year, rather than in a monsoon. Snow is 
  possible in winter, but precipitation might just as easily be rain, with the likelihood of snow rising as 
  one moves north. The northern triangle sometimes gets significant snowfall. 
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  Urban Ways Enyryx
  Permanence
  As settled farmers, the Enyryx build permanent settlements. There are no migrating settlements in the 
  Commonwealth. All but six of communities of the Enyryx are located on the Golden or Placid rivers. 
  Of these other six, four are in the south and cluster around Moon Lake (so named for the beauty of its 
  waters under the light of the full moon). The other two are in the north and are fishing villages near the 
  northernmost border of the Commonwealth.
  Configuration
  Enyryx communities are built around a common hearth. In or near the center of each settlement is an 
  enormous oven for the baking of bread. This oven is owned by the community and is next door (usually) 
  to the community owned water mill, which processes grain into flour. Each settlement on a river or at 
  the shore maintains docks for visiting boats and ships. Commercial districts are generally set up near 
  these docks; Enyryx do not trade commercially in staple foods within their own settlement (but they will 
  with other settlements).
  Aesthetics
  Enyryx settlements partially reflect an aesthetic brought to the Commonwealth by Coursing Water Ice, 
  who was raised in the Landover Imperium. Modern settlements reflect this by using much more wood 
  in their building than the oldest settlements, which were primarily built in rough-hewn stone. There is 
  no brickwork, other than for the ovens, in the Commonwealth. The contrast between these older and 
  newer communities is a matter of continual, spirited debate between the Gryx of the Commonwealth. 
  No surprise that the small number of humans who make the Commonwealth home choose to live in the 
  more modern settlements.
  Stratification
  There is little social stratification within Gryx settlements as the accumulation of material wealth is 
  a low priority for the Gryx. Nevertheless, there are some markers and qualities that one could look 
  for to differentiate status. First, families that have resided in the community longer have their homes 
  nearer to the mill and the oven, making their lives just that much easier. Once a home has been built, 
  it is named and once named, that name never changes, no matter who moves into it later. Second is in 
  the nature of the settlements themselves. There is only one settlement large enough to be called a city 
  in the Commonwealth—Expansive Freedom—and even that’s little more than a big town by the stand-
  ards of the Landover Imperium. But its status as a capital gives it an assortment of special buildings. 
  Commonwealth Hall, where the Grandmother’s Council and other communal decision making bodies 
  meet, is found here. The Shrine of Coursing River Ice is here. Expansive Freedom has three community 
  hearths (but still only one mill). Its docks are more extensive than all of the rest of the Commonwealth’s 
  combined.
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  Family Ways Enyryx 
  Reach
  An Enyryx looks back two generations in his or her family to determine the boundary of who is con-
  sidered family and who isn’t. All of the offspring of an Enyryx’s grandparents (the grandparents, their 
  siblings, children of that grandparent and that grandparent’s siblings and all of their issue) are consid-
  ered family by an Enyryx. 
  Relationship
  The relationships between the three generations of Enyryx are (at least as far as they are concerned) 
  easily mapped. The obligation of the youngest generation is to honor the elder generations through 
  their crafting (be it wood-working, weaving or kite-making) and to work hard at whatever their parents 
  have made their work, be it learning the alphabet or how to rotate crops. The middle generation is 
  responsible for the economic well-being of the entire unit. They do the productive work of farming and 
  baking and fishing. The elder generation provides guidance and wisdom to the whole. They manage the 
  family’s ritual calendar and regulate social friction. They venerate the dead and carry on the spiritual 
  work of the family.
  Authority
  If the family needs to make a collective decision, it is made by the elders. On a very practical level, the 
  entire Commonwealth, to a limited degree, views itself as one big family. Hence, the highest decision 
  making body in the Commonwealth is the Grandmother’s Council, which meets yearly in Expansive 
  Freedom to deliberate on the state of the Commonwealth. The eldest grandmother in each settlement 
  travels to Expansive Freedom each year (with a retinue of young people) to take part in this work.
  Idealization
  The Enyryx highly value their families and have very little patience or tolerance of unruliness. Their 
  families are not based on love and joy. They are based on obligation and discipline. Unruly young peo-
  ple are vigorously re-educated by their elders. At maturity, when a young person would be assigned 
  their marriage partner, if that young adult is seen as too unruly, he or she would not be given a marriage 
  partner and would instead be expelled from the community. This is why there are still Gryx in the 
  Landover Imperium and elsewhere. Gryx who leave their communities willingly are rare, but driven by 
  a spirit that the Gryx nevertheless understand and respect.
  Marriage Ways Enyryx 
  Authority
  Due to the nature of the Enyryx family, marital authority is divided more or less equally in the nuclear 
  family. This particular nexus of power is less important in the Commonwealth, because this society 
  places more authority in the elder generation. An important consideration here is that even though the 
  grandmothers are the most powerful force in the culture, when marriages take place, women become 
  a part of their husband’s family. Mirroring Coursing River Ice’s family in this regard, this means that 
  ultimately families will be governed by women who joined the family in marriage, not who were born 
  into it. This, to the Enyryx, maintains the strongest bonds at the community level, rather than the fam-
  ily level.
  Inheritance
  Bilateral inheritance is the norm among the Enyryx. All children of a marriage are entitled to inherit. 
  What is inherited and by whom is determined by the elders of that family. As all of the elders were at 
  one point in charge of the economic vitality of the family, they are acutely aware of how important 
  maintaining the economic potential of the land is. They make decisions based on this.
  Legitimacy
  The only legitimate marriages in Enyryx society are those which have been sanctioned by the elders of 
  a family. Because the Enyryx are not innovative, they follow the practices of previous generations very 
  closely. This means that Enyryx marriages are between one man and one woman always and without 
  exception. Marriage is for life. Gryx for whom this isn’t going to be a good option often leave their com-
  munity to become travelers and adventurers. In high-functioning families an elder will encourage a 
  young person to take up the traveling life. In authoritarian ones, the youngster will be expelled. Divorce 
  is the decision of an elder, not a member of the married couple. It is vanishingly rare.
  Love
  Love is formed in marriage, not before marriage. Emotional compatibility is assessed by elders before 
  they match couples (this is what grandmothers spend a great deal of time doing), but it is the least 
  weighty consideration. Because Coursing River Ice’s marriage was one of obligation and mutual ser-
  vice, rather than love, love is seen as less important among the Gryx.
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  Lifespan Ways Enyryx 
  Infancy and 
  Childhood
  The Enyryx absolutely love infants and children and shower them with affection and indulgence. This is the 
  time of life when all manner of irregular behavior is encouraged and tolerated. Enyryx in their childhood 
  are watched very, very closely by their parents and elders who look for evidence of talent in one of the many 
  crafts that are so important to the Gryx. If talent is seen, it is assiduously developed. Childhood ends at the 
  child’s fifteenth birthday, at which point they become eligible to be matched in marriage.
  Adulthood
  Adulthood doesn’t begin until marriage. Unmarried adults (generally fifteen, sixteen and seventeen year 
  olds) are encouraged to travel and seek out wisdom about their crafts and talents. They are heavily relied 
  upon by their families for hard work in farming or fishing. They often run the mills. Once married, the Gryx 
  of Enyryx are expected to adopt a sober and thoughtful attitude in alignment with their family and com-
  munity standards, taking direction from elders and parenting their children in the manner of the people. 
  Adults have the least flexibility in their behavior. Adults do not live alone. In the event of a death in mar-
  riage, the surviving partner would be quickly rematched in marriage with another widow or widower. If 
  that was not possible, adults would move back into their parents’ (or another elders’) home.
  Elderhood
  One becomes an elder in Enyryx culture the moment he or she becomes a grandparent. There is a short 
  transition away from the life of toil and work (generally about as long as the transition into adulthood, about 
  2 years). New grandfathers learn about trade between settlements and bigger economic questions. New 
  grandmothers are in charge of the community oven and helping to rear children. They begin to form the 
  relationships with other families that will be the basis of their power going forward.
  Transitions
  Among the Enyryx, death is viewed as an inevitable outcome of life. Rituals are celebratory and meant to 
  reflect and honor how the dead person helped shape and grow the community. At death, the body of the 
  deceased is buried in the settlement’s graveyard. No markers are used. Two days after death, the deceased’s 
  family gathers for a day-long funeral in which stories are told about the deceased and the deceased’s favorite 
  foods are eaten. These traditions are meant to cement the deceased’s uniqueness into the ongoing narrative 
  of the family. Elders regularly cite the behaviors, attitudes and thoughts of the long dead in making deci-
  sions and giving advice.
  Rank Ways Enyryx 
  Nobility
  The Enyryx’s Family Ways profoundly shapes its Rank Ways. Elders come first in all things. Elders in 
  different families would be deferred to by adults in other families if there were cause. This comes from 
  adhering to the teachings and practices of Coursing River Ice, who believed very strongly in the place of 
  family in society (because he was deprived of his own). Status is all about age and wisdom and nothing 
  else among the Enyryx. Their social norms are strongly collectivist and leveling.
  Mobiity
  There is very slow “turn-over” in Enyryx society because of the pride of place given to elders. But there is 
  generational transition, even if it is slow. Eventually, elders will die and give way to new elders who were 
  raised by different parents in different contexts. Keep in mind that the status of women is strongest 
  when they are elders as they form the governing council of the entire Commonwealth and grandmoth-
  ers have more power than grandfathers in family life (grandfathers have more power in cultural life).
  Exclusivity
  Exclusive access to social and cultural power is held by the elders. Adults have very little real power over 
  their own lives as they can be directed to do nearly anything by an elder. Children have more freedom 
  but no power.
  Coercion
  The elders hold an extraordinary coercive rein over Enyryx society. With the power to decide marriages, 
  grant divorces, shape family life and social life and, ultimately, expel someone from the Commonwealth, 
  they are capable, if they wish, of inspiring awe and fear.
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  Association Ways Enyryx
  Distance
  At their core, most Enyryx experience associations in their culture as extensions of family and within 
  a family context first. As I’ve described, the Enyryx place a high value on crafts. All of the weavers 
  in a family would know each other and each others skills, strengths and weaknesses. But they would 
  also know of the other Enyryx in other families, other settlements or indeed beyond the border of the 
  Commonwealth and their skills. The finest craftsperson in each discipline is known to other practition-
  ers of that discipline. That person is routinely sought out for wisdom. Travel in the Commonwealth is 
  largely driven by these craft-centered associations.
  Fraternity
  The Gryx are not especially competitive in anything except their crafting. Each craft has, in essence, 
  its own elders who can evaluate and judge the work of other practitioners. They can teach and shape a 
  person’s skills and attitudes. There would be no particular way to tell if a Gryx is a brewer, a toymaker 
  or a chandler other than watching them practice. Friendship is a notion tied to childhood. Adults are 
  expected to focus their energies on their families. Having said that, friendships formed in childhood 
  often endure into elderhood and sometimes shape the relations elders have with each other.
  Guild
  Guild-like forces among the Enyryx are quite weak except in crafting. Each craft has a widely-acknowl-
  edged expert who others would defer to as they would defer to any other elder.
  Obligation
  There are no formal obligations one has by virtue of having a crafting association. Informally, if one is 
  recognized as being especially skillful, society expects that person to give of herself to others interested 
  in the practice of that craft.
  Gender and Sexuality Ways Enyryx 
  Definitions
  The Gryx have two biological sexes.
  Norms
  An elder midwife Enyryx attends all births and makes pronouncements about the nature of the 
  child at birth, including assigning that child to a biological sex. An Enyryx is expected to conform 
  to  the social norms of that sex throughout his or her life. Sexuality is allowed only within marriage, 
  as children born outside of marriage are not embedded in a family context. Children born thus are 
  sent to Expansive Freedom and “adopted” by travelers and traders form other cultures. An Enyryx 
  responsible for creating such a child is expelled from the community. Crafting traditions are among 
  the most important to a Gryx; among the Enyryx, there is no relationship between certain crafts and 
  sex. Men are as likely to find meaning in needlepoint as in woodworking, for example. There are no 
  examples of third genders in the Enyryx.
  Non-Normative 
  Patterns
  The biggest non-normative patterns are those that disrupt the rigidity of family relations. These in-
  clude unwillingness to marry, unsuitability for marriage (as discerned by elders), engaging in sexual 
  practices outside of marriage or with non-Gryx. Behavior that is non-normative in a child will result 
  in familial correction or correction by an elder. If the behavior continues, at the transition to adult-
  hood, the child would be expelled.
  Relations
  The individual Gryx in the Commonwealth is under the management of elders from birth until such 
  time as he or she becomes an elder. There is very little tolerance for deviance from the norms estab-
  lished by elders. A Gryx born in Expansive Freedom would have the most. Northern communities 
  are quite conservative.
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  Order Ways Enyryx 
  Sphere
  There are three areas of paramount concern to the elders of the Commonwealth: social harmony, suc-
  cessful families and peace. Social harmony is critical to the maintenance of order because the Enyryx 
  are intolerant of innovation. Children are carefully educated and punished if they deviate from expec-
  tation. Children who won’t come to heel are expelled. Successful families are the basis of the entire 
  Commonwealth. The making of successful marriages is of critical importance to the long-term success 
  of family and society. The Grandmother’s Council in Expansive Freedom regulates the relationship of 
  the Commonwealth to outsiders and takes a jaundiced view of most of these relationships.
  Joining
  Expulsion is seen by all as a terrible failure and is exercised with caution. It is exercised only by elders. 
  They don’t consult adults or children. They consult only other elders. Elders will try a great many strate-
  gies before believing there’s no way forward with a recalcitrant child. Unruly adults are shown the door 
  almost instantly, under the notion that they should know better. Elders who take their disagreements 
  with other elders into the public arena are put to death. It has happened this way only twice in the his-
  tory of the Commonwealth.
  Tenacity
  No one can bring an elder in a family to heel except another elder, and only then through persuasion. 
  No one has ever appealed to the Grandmother’s Council to adjudicate a family matter in the history of 
  the Commonwealth.
  Presence
  Shaming is a powerful force in Enyryx society. Everyone knows that whatever you do that is contrary 
  to the will of family and Commonwealth will be quickly known to everyone in your settlement. No one 
  wants to be a pariah in this culture. Conforming to family expectations is of critical importance to most 
  Gryx. Those for whom it isn’t have been expelled or left on their own. There is no militia. There are no 
  police. If the Commonwealth goes to war, it summons all unmarried adults and all sons who are third 
  or later in birth order and places that army under the command of grandfathers selected by the Council.
  Authority Ways Enyryx
  Legitimacy
  Power in the Commonwealth is held nominally by the Grandmothers’ Council, but in reality, the family 
  is such a powerful institution that that’s where legitimacy really lies. A parent has primary responsibility 
  for the raising of his children. A child’s unruliness reflects badly on the parent. Elders serve to guide and 
  advise until things start to get out of hand, at which point they might act more coercively. Legitimacy 
  within the Enyryx comes largely from one’s status in one’s family. Being an elder, by itself, confers great 
  legitimacy.
  Power
  The wielding of power in Enyryx society is at nearly all times subtle and nuanced. It is not a violent 
  culture. Rather, elders know precisely how much pressure to put on someone whose behavior needs 
  correcting. Elders who overpressure or insufficiently pressure someone are taught how to do it properly 
  by other elders. Disagreements between elders are sorted out by the elders, who have no power over one 
  another except the power of reason and shame, learned in childhood, refined in adulthood and given a 
  razor’s edge in elderhood.
  Authority
  The Grandmothers’ Council speaks on behalf of the entire Commonwealth by virtue of being “elder of 
  elders.” It is the only entity that can raise an army, for instance. It sets the yearly tithe, which determines 
  how much wealth will be collected by each elder when she returns to her town or village. Otherwise, au-
  thority rests in the village or family. Elders in a family who can’t resolve their differences do great harm 
  to their family because there is no mechanism to make them behave and settle their problems.
  Participation
  Authority in Enyryx society is focused exclusively through the mechanism of elders. This is true in 
  families, the village, the entire Enyryx polity and in the Enyryx crafting traditions.
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  Wealth Ways Enyryx
  Objectification
  Owing from the fact that the Commonwealth was founded, in part, by enslaved Gryx fleeing the Landover 
  Imperium, the Commonwealth uses coined metal as a medium of exchange. Mines in the east of the 
  Commonwealth generate significant amounts of copper and silver which are used to make coins for for-
  eign trade and exchange primarily. Commonwealth coinage is highly valued outside the Commonwealth 
  as its value is deeply trusted. Commonwealth coinage is instantly recognizable as it is diamond shaped. 
  Copper coins feature a stylized kingfisher on the obverse. Silver coins are half the size of a copper and 
  feature a stylized dimetrodon. Copper trades for silver at 50:1.
  Status
  Having a lot of wealth in Enyryx society conveys no social benefit. Elders from poor families have as much 
  influence as those from wealth ones.
  Gift-giving
  Enyryx society is communitarian in nature. It is c  onsidered normal to give gifts when visiting others. 
  Failure to do so would be viewed as a major breach of good order and would generate a visit from an elder. 
  It is not appropriate in Gryx circles to give excessively. It is the notion of the gift that matters.
  Reciprocity
  As wealth is not a marker of great import in Enyryx society, the sharing of it is expected. The Enyryx are 
  not interested in creating ever more and ever more. They are conservative and appreciate what they have.
  Work Ways Enyryx
  Subsistence
  The Commonwealth’s lands are quite fertile, as are its mines and its waters. It is this fertility that allows the 
  Enyryx to spend the time they do on their crafting traditions, a core habit of the culture. Settlements are suf-
  ficient, but there is robust trade between them as they tend to specialize (coastal cities in fish, southern cities 
  in wine and so forth). There are subsistence farmers, but they are few in number.
  Feudality
  Feudal relationships are entirely unknown in the Commonwealth. “From each according to his ability, to each 
  according to his need” more closely approximates the beliefs of the Enyryx.
  Ethic
  Work is extraordinarily important to adults in Enyryx society. As they provide economic support for every-
  one in their family, it is a deeply consuming task to which everyone in society assigns great value. It is consid-
  ered a mark of great honor to work hard and with discipline. Laziness is harmful not only to the self but also 
  to the family and is corrected by elders.
  Slavery
  The Commonwealth was founded by escaped slaves and as such takes a very dim view indeed to slavery. It 
  is absolutely forbidden in the Commonwealth. It is perhaps the only thing that the Commonwealth would 
  undertake an offensive war to undo in another society. It is the bedrock upon which relationships with the 
  Landover Imperium are founded.
  Freedom Ways Enyryx
  Freedom
  Enyryx have broad freedom of conscience. Their spiritual traditions are ancestor-based and it will always 
  be the case that one ancestor as opposed to another might be seen as a spiritual guide. No coercion is of-
  fered here by elders. Moreover, the choice of crafting traditions is not under the control of the elders or 
  parents. Indeed, it is the purview of the child to make these choices, even if their elders and parents have 
  pushed them in a particular direction. Freedom to speak is not an Enyryx notion. Only elders have this 
  freedom.
  Liberty
  Families (under the direction of their elders) and villages (likewise) are at their liberty to do so without being 
  coerced or directed by any other institutions in Enyryx society, with one exception. Elders in families in 
  conflict (the same applies to villages) are expected to work together and make a decision preventing the 
  conflict from becoming a problem for someone other than an elder. Elders who are unable to resolve these 
  kinds of problems are not going to last long as elders. A family that decided to explore a new kind of fishing 
  would be at their liberty to do so. A family that decided to take up mineral trading with merchants from 
  over the sea would be at their liberty.
  Binding
  Enyryx society has very little tolerance for or patience with the disorderly. Many examples in the family 
  setting have been cited above. Elders make decisions each according to his or her sense of the workings 
  of the world and what strikes them as good judgment. Behaviors that undermine family, child-rearing, 
  marriage and the meaning of these institutions is swiftly corrected or the offender expelled. Other, lesser 
  irregular behaviors might be shunned or shamed without provoking expulsion.
  Directionality
  There is very little freedom for the individual Gryx to enact within the sphere of family. There is great 
  freedom for that same person within the sphere of craft. Elders set the rules and guidelines in all things 
  and some towns are governed more loosely than others (looseness within the context of the Gryx, of course).
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  Leisure Ways Enyryx
  Leisureliness
  Leisureliness is something that elders pay close attention to in Enyryx culture, both as a positive and as 
  a negative. They expect to see infants and children “hard at work at their play.” They expect parents to 
  be training children to be successful in their adulthood, but not only this. It is essential that the child is 
  given the opportunity to find things he or she likes to do in order to give richer meaning to their lives. 
  Adults who do not do this will be visited by an elder. “Play” on the part of adults is sharply discouraged, 
  except in the context of crafting, in which case it is encouraged. Elders have broad freedom to do as they 
  will—and if they want to play a bit in the manner of children, who is going to criticize?
  Competitiveness
  The Enyryx are not especially competitive with people outside of their crafting disciplines and quite com-
  petitive with people who share their craft interests. A kite-maker who can make a kite that flies in poor 
  wind will be sought out and emulated throughout the land. Each of the crafts has their own yearly “games” 
  or display of talents to encourage learning and help establish hierarchy within the crafting tradition.
  Athletics
  The Enyryx are not very athletically minded (while being quite physically fit). At the beginning of harvest, how-
  ever, there is a game, called villaging, that marks the beginning of that season. Villaging involves each family 
  in a particular town or village attempting to move a set of colored balls by any means necessary from a desig-
  nated part of town to another. Villaging always takes a full day to play and is outside the regulation of elders.
  Diversions
  The Enyryx are the masters of diversions. In some respects, their entire culture participates and rein-
  forces this notion. The Enyryx are master craftsmen in nearly every field of craft. They love spending 
  time doing these crafts. They are second only to the elders in terms of organizing society. The ten most 
  popular Enyryx diversions are (in no particular order): poetry writing and reciting, flower gardening, 
  beekeeping and honey making, kite-making, woodworking, brewing, dog breeding, fly making (for fish-
  ing), flower arranging and candle-making.
  Dress Ways Enyryx
  Practicality
  The Enyryx are a deeply practical, conservative people. Their dress manifests this reality in daily life. 
  Children are dressed to facilitate play. Adults to make their work easy. Elders dress plainly to reinforce the 
  soberness of their responsibilities.
  Status
  Despite their practicality, every craft tradition has a dress tradition that is unique to it. Crafters will always 
  wear their craft garb when engaging in their craft (this is a function of practicality as well). These clothes are 
  very expensive and cherished. They help demarcate status among different crafters.
  Jewelry
  Jewelry is not worn by the Gryx. Non-Gryx members of the Commonwealth might choose to adorn them-
  selves but it is uncommon.
  Body 
  Modification
  As Coursing River Ice was himself tattooed, tattooing is considered an appropriate body modification 
  among the Enyryx. It isn’t especially common, but isn’t frowned on. Tattooing is one of the recognized crafts 
  and is taught to the very young if they show an interest and talent.
  Food and Drink Ways Enyryx
  Locavore
  As there is little hunting, there is little meat eating. The rich bounty of the land and the seas, though, gives 
  the Enyryx a highly varied assortment of fruits and vegetables to draw from. Barley is the staple grain, 
  consumed at most meals. Shellfish are especially prized as a delicacy. Lobster from the north even more 
  so. Beer and wine is commonly served at meals, even to the very young. There is no citrus.
  Status
  The Enyryx do not have a tradition of reserving certain foods for certain people, except the first meal 
  served at the meeting of the Grandmothers’ Council is always oysters.
  Embellishment
  Enyryx meals are richly and heavily spiced. Riotously flavored, in fact, in dynamic contrast to their dress 
  ways. They make extensive use of honey, pepper and other spices. Cinnamon is especially prized.
  Technique
  Enyryx cooks make extensive use of hot oil frying and stewing. They boil rarely. They do not have an 
  extensive baking tradition.
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  Magic Ways Enyryx
  Value
  Magic is not practiced universally among the Enyryx, but it elicits no cries of alarm when it is practiced. It 
  is viewed as a skill, like any other skill. Perhaps more esoteric but no different from anything else. It is rela-
  tively rare in the Commonwealth because “higher education” is unheard of. It is practiced in certain families 
  because there’s a pre-existing tradition of its practice. There is no Divine Magic among the Enyryx, only 
  personal.
  Occasion
  Magic is used in the Commonwealth to enhance the land’s fertility, to predict the weather and other such 
  things. It is not used in the management of family or relationships. This is viewed as abomination. An elder 
  who used magic instead of her intuition to make a marriage match, for example, would be put to death. 
  Magic generates about 50% of the trade in candles in the Commonwealth.
  Constraint
  A magic-user in the Commonwealth would not use magic to interfere with the social order.
  Instruction
  Magic is practiced in certain families more than others by virtue of their ancestors. Wisdom, therefore, is 
  bound up with families and history. Marriages are often made to reinforce magical talent or to ensure that 
  a very talented marriage partner finds a suitable partner. Enyryx Gryx have no biological impediment to 
  becoming deeply skilled magicians. Their culture just doesn’t encourage it.
  Supernatural Ways Enyryx
  Reason
  The Enyryx Gryx of the Commonwealth do not have gods in the way that the Landover Imperium or other 
  societies might. The nearest thing they have are their ancestors. The Enyryx do not believe that these ances-
  tors influence the day-to-day world directly. They do not believe that they continue to take part in family life. 
  Rather, they turn to them and their memory to help solve problems in the contemporary world. How an hon-
  ored grandmother who died 60 years ago successfully dealt with a recalcitrant child is deep wisdom. Spiritual 
  wisdom, among the Enyryx. But they do not worship that grandmother.
  Reflection
  Enyryx society is fixated on honor, discipline and hierarchy. It is fixated on these things in the context of 
  being highly collectivist. Enyryx culture has very little tolerance for disruptiveness in personal and family 
  relations. It expels those who would push the culture in ways it can’t cope with.
  Ritual 
  As the Enyryx do not have gods, they also do not have religious architecture. They keep the hearth as the 
  symbol of their family and their ancestors, but that’s it.
  Soul
  Religious practice is nearly alien to the Enyryx. Elders speaking to each other will regularly reference their 
  elders in conversation when trying to sort out problems. That would be about it.
  Language Ways Enyryx
  Dialect
  There is one language spoken in the Commonwealth, Enyrysh. There are two dialects of the language. The 
  oldest, spoken in the north, predates the Commonwealth. It is viewed by the rest of the Commonwealth as 
  especially conservative. The other dialect was brought in with Coursing River Ice and is centered on Expansive 
  Freedom. It is considered the “best” way to speak.
  Majority
  Humans and halflings who share the Commonwealth with the Enyryx (but do not govern it, because they have 
  no members on the Grandmothers’ Council) are allowed to speak their own languages at home, but all public 
  business is conducted in Enyrysh.
  Pidgins
  Pidgins are not in use among the Enyryx Gryx.
  Naming
  Gryx naming conventions are based on two elements. I will use Coursing River Ice as an example. The first ele-
  ment of an Enyryx Gryx’s name is a natural land or sea feature (River, Reef, Meadow…you get the picture) with 
  a modifying adjective that in some way describes the person. The first element, the natural feature, is given at 
  birth. The second element, the adjective, is given at attainment of adulthood. The third element, “Ice” is a family 
  descriptor. There are about 300 of these in Enyryx culture. “Ice” is the youngest of these descriptors, brought 
  with Coursing River Ice when he led his people over the Cloudsplitters.
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  Gnome: Elysion Mormoops
  HARP Fantasy describes Gnomes as “insatiably curious” 
  creatures who “adore unravelling puzzles and solving enig-
  mas.” These masters of the arcane “consider magic to be the 
  pinnacle of all mysteries.” As much as they love magic, they 
  prize secrecy, according to HARP Fantasy. In fact “they con-
  ceal entrances to their underground cities with such cunning 
  that if a location is discovered, it is only because the Gnomes 
  wished it so!” In HARP Fantasy, the Gnomes are described 
  as preferring the Shallow Warrens culture, reflecting rugged, 
  hilly environments that make it easier to hide their cities and 
  gives natural protection. So…prankish arcanists who can’t 
  help but be attracted to shiny things. They should know bet-
  ter, but can’t help themselves. They couldn’t bear to not be in 
  on the joke, but want to be the ones telling it. I see…
  A Brief History
  In a past so long distant that even the Gnomes don’t remem-
  ber all of the details, they built two great (at least great on 
  the scale of Gnomes) cities (Elysion: city in Hraj, the Gnomish 
  language) named Elysion Mormoops and Elysion Kamloops. 
  Connected by an arcane subterranean railway usable only by 
  the Gnomes, the cities traded the arcane magic items they 
  crafted, knowledge, priceless gems, jewelry, stories and spells. 
  And they relished their lives and civilizations, carved from 
  broad, rolling hills that were just perfect and far from eve-
  ryone else. One day, however, a party of humans arrived in 
  the vicinity of Elysion Mormoops. Carrying all of the imple-
  ments and tools they would need to settle down, if they chose 
  to, they were initially ignored by the Gnomes of Mormoops. 
  Their biggest mistake…as the humans who were noodling 
  around topside did, in fact, decide to settle down right next 
  to the Elysion. A campaign of prankish terror for decades did 
  nothing to dissuade these humans from their decision and 
  in a human generation, a town of nearly 5,000 had emerged, 
  disastrously, as far as Elysion Mormoops was concerned. 
  Unwilling to move and unable to drive the humans away, 
  they settled into a cagey co-existence with the town, which 
  the humans named Oberon. Two hundred years ago, for rea-
  sons that the Mormoops Gnomes still don’t understand, all 
  contact between them and Kamloops ended and the arcane 
  railway failed. Fifty years after that, another settlement wave 
  began in Oberon, driving its population closer to 40,000 and 
  completely surrounding the Elysion inside the borders of the 
  human city. Because of the ongoing campaign of psychic ter-
  ror waged by the Mormoops Gnomes against Oberon, they 
  have been able to continue their Gnomish lives undisturbed. 
  Mastered by their fears but also unwilling to move, the human 
  community of Oberon built a huge wall around the Gnomes’ 
  ancient hills. They call this wall the Wardlock and guard its 
  towers assiduously. The stories of the Oberonians are filled 
  with fairytales of wicked, gnarled creatures stealing food, 
  goods or even children. Oberonians rarely if ever breach the 
  Wardlock and stay clear of these hills. The Gnomes of Elysion 
  Mormoops, however, have a secret entrance into practically 
  every home in Oberon and make extensive use of them. No 
  official contact, of course, but there are a handful of humans 
  in the city who have met the Gnomes. They keep this knowl-
  edge a secret. Revealing that you have contact with the “little 
  terror demons” generally relegates one to the sort of company 
  one might encounter in an asylum. Elysion Mormoops has 
  figured out how to coexist with the humans and, at least to 
  an extent, vice versa. The Gnomes’ biggest question is a sim-
  ple one: what happened to their fellow Gnomes two centuries 
  ago? 
  The Folkways of Elysion Mormoops
  Environment Ways Mormoops
  Topography
  Elysion Mormoops has three distinct topographical features, which they call “topside,” “Amthesta” and “The 
  Under Reach.” Topside describes all of those areas that are actually on the surface of the earth: the rolling 
  hills surrounded by the Wardlock, which they only visit while wearing invisibility cloaks or other cloak-
  ing gear. The Gnomes also use this term to describe the complex system of tunnels and infiltrations they 
  have made into the homes and public buildings of Oberon. Amthesta is the Gnomish word for a fireplace 
  or hearth. It describes the built, underground environment that stretches more than six miles underneath 
  Oberon and the surrounding countryside. The former location of the Kamloops Railway and all of the exca-
  vations they are doing deeper than Amthesta is described by the term The Under Reach. Nearly all Gnomes 
  spend time Topside or in Amthesta. Only certain Gnomes have an interest in The Under Reach.
  Water
  Water is plentiful in Elysion Mormoops. A half-dozen springs provide water for the entire city and could 
  comfortably support a population five times larger.
  Ecosystem
  Because the Gnomes live almost entirely underground, the ecosystem is more cavern-like than they would, 
  strictly speaking, prefer. The climate is mild. The rock is easily mined and tunnelled. But it does not allow 
  for the kind of foodways that the first settlers preferred. They have had to adapt their diets to the realities of 
  living underground. Delicacies like cakes and vegetables are “harvested” from the homes of Oberon.
  Weather
  Nothing to speak of. Topside’s weather features four seasons with a comparatively long summer, brief 
  springs and autumns and a relatively short but ferociously unpleasant winter.
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  Family Ways Mormoops
  Reach
  Because Gnomes live so long (in the three hundred year range, or about 12 human generations), family ties 
  are not considered very important. Because Elysion Mormoops is relatively small (both in size and popula-
  tion), everyone knows their own family relationships as well as those of every other Gnome. Because of 
  their Marriage, Lifespan and Sexuality Ways, family is even more marginal. The only real reason Gnomes 
  pay any attention to family is to avoid the incest taboo. Otherwise, they wouldn’t care at all.
  Relationship
  Gnomish family life makes no distinction between close family and distant family. It’s all the same—not 
  especially important. Gnomes interested in bringing children into the world would avoid anyone closer 
  than a second cousin. Gnomes do not expect any help or assistance from anyone in their family. There is no 
  warfare or socially disruptive violence between Gnomes in Elysion Mormoops so there is no need for one 
  to seek out clans or tribes. Competition is entirely based on cleverness.
  Authority
  Elders have no power to compel anything in Elysion Mormoops. In fact, the older a Gnome is, generally 
  speaking, the less authority they have over other Gnomes who are looking to enhance their own prestige.
  Idealization
  The ideal family for a Gnome is one that doesn’t make itself known in any way and makes no claims on the 
  individual Gnome.
  Urban Ways Mormoops
  Permanence
  The Gnomes are a people who favor long-term dwellings and a settled lifestyle. The closer a home is to the 
  center of the Amthesta, the more desirable it is. The Mormoopians are inveterate collectors who throw 
  nothing away. Permanence is the least of their problems. Near crushing clutter, however, is.
  Configuration
  Elysion Mormoops isn’t hierarchical in any way and this is reflected in the layout and design of their city. 
  Hodgepodge is a word that comes to mind. Disorderly fits the bill as well. There are streets, at least after a 
  fashion, and eight “squares” that serve as gathering places. Two of these squares abut each other in the old-
  est part of the Elysion. The other six occur about once every mile or thereabouts.
  Aesthetics
  While disorderly, a Gnome’s residence is clean and very well appointed. There’s an affinity for secret doors 
  and hidden chambers that is at the heart of every Gnomes’ personality…and present in just about every 
  Gnomes’ home. There’s plenty of room for laboratory space, research rooms, libraries and storage in every 
  home.
  Stratification
  Elysion Mormoops doesn’t reflect any kind of social stratification that would be understandable to a non-
  Gnome. At its most basic, the longer one has been in the community, the more prestige one has earned. 
  Gnomes with higher prestige get access to the homes nearest to the center of the Amthesta. These homes 
  are large, well-appointed and, in and of themselves, have prestige. Prestige is a social status that is earned 
  by a Gnome as he or she conducts his or her business.
  Marriage Ways Mormoops 
  Authority
  The Gnomes of Elysion Mormoops do not marry and never have. There are no conventions of marriage; 
  long-term relationships, while not unheard of, are rare in Mormoopian society. Even the longest-term re-
  lationships impose no responsibilities, divide no authority and have no bearing on the way the individual 
  Gnome is regarded.
  Inheritance
  As there is no marriage, there are no inheritance practices based on marriage. Gnomish law and practice 
  recognizes last wills and testaments that have been sworn before a Censor. The property of a Gnome who 
  dies intestate is auctioned by a Censor ninety days after the Gnome’s death (allowing sufficient time for the 
  preparation of a property catalog). Proceeds from this sort of auction is the only way, other than a levy, that 
  Elysion Mormoops generates revenue.
  Legitimacy
  Best understood not as Marriage Ways but as Sexuality Ways, it would be considered unseemly for a Gnome 
  to have children with anyone closer than a second cousin. Having said that, there are no laws forbidding it.
  Love
  Irrelevant.
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  Rank Ways Mormoops 
  Nobility
  Among the Mormoops Gnomes, nothing provides more cachet than what they call “prestige.” This 
  ineffable characteristic is based on what the individual Gnome has achieved in their life based on 
  unwritten standards truly knowable only to other Gnomes. These standards derive in part from a 
  Gnome’s Custom, but also from the achievements of other Gnomes of similar age, temperament and 
  skills. “An endless scale of gray” would be the best way to describe prestige. It’s easy to discern who is 
  a hundred steps ahead of you or behind you, but impossible to get greater clarity. Every Gnome knows 
  who is “nearby” and competition between these individuals is fierce. No one wants to be passed by 
  “lowers.”
  Mobiity
  Social mobility is the central defining characteristic of Elysion Mormoops. There is nothing that 
  would keep an exceptionally clever and lucky ten-year-old from having more prestige than a Gnome 
  twenty times his age.
  Exclusivity
  Prestige matters to Gnomes because it confers all manner of social status and wealth. It gives one 
  access to better property, more money, more access and more envy. All of these things can be par-
  layed by the clever Gnome into even greater prestige. A low prestige Gnome is going to live in a small 
  home far from the center of town and the best labs and libraries. A high prestige Gnome will live 
  on the main square in a mansion with the best equipment and a host of low-prestige Gnomes who, 
  as hangers-on, toadies and lackeys, will attempt to use their superior’s status to achieve their own 
  objectives.
  Coercion
  There are no coercive, official forces at work reinforcing Rank Ways in Mormoops society. Rather, the 
  Gnomes’ own habits and culture serve to endlessly clarify and reify the social pecking order.
  Lifespan Ways Mormoops 
  Infancy and 
  Childhood
  The act of bringing a child into the world is never an accident among the Gnomes. Gnomes have a very 
  short childhood (particularly considering their long lifespan) and almost no period of infancy, at least 
  as it would be understood by other races. Gnomes attain adulthood at the chronological age of seven. 
  During infancy and childhood, Gnome children are taught Gnome traditions and history and are 
  exposed to the “Five Customs”—the five traditional ways in which Gnome adults make their way in the 
  world. The Five Customs are: Seeker, Tinker, Reacher, Caviller and Plasticus. Traditionally a Gnome 
  infant (newborn to age 2) lives with its mother. From ages 3-4, the child lives with its father. The five-
  year old Gnome moves back and forth between its mother’s and father’s residence until the child is an 
  adult, at which point the new adult is given resources sufficient to establish a small holding in the most 
  distant “suburb” far from the Amthesta and sent forth.
  Adulthood
  Gnome adults devote their lives to their interests as established at their transition to adulthood. The 
  most closely formed relationships are generally with Gnomes who follow a similar Custom. Sometimes 
  these relationships last centuries. Gnomes have the capacity to form deep, sustaining relationships 
  but don’t always do so as they are almost always fundamentally more interested in objects and things 
  than in people.
  Elderhood
  Elderhood isn’t a concept that translates easily into the Gnome experience. Adulthood is prolonged 
  almost until the very end of life without noticeable change in look, mood or affect. At end of life, a 
  Gnome will discern a marked decrease in energy and vitality. This lets the Gnome know that it is time 
  to get one’s affairs in order. A Gnome is capable of inducing their own death. If he or she doesn’t, how-
  ever, they will pass away within weeks of the beginning of their decline.
  Transitions
  Gnomes are not remotely moved to emotion at the death of another Gnome. Upon death, the Censor 
  will ensure that the dead Gnome has, in fact, died. The Censor will consult the records and, in the 
  event of a valid last will and testament, will distribute the decedent’s property in accordance with 
  the will. An intestate Gnome’s property is auctioned. The bodies of the dead are fed into The Rotary, 
  a great spinning clockwork device in the center of the Amthesta whose purpose is known only to the 
  Censor.
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  Gender and Sexuality Ways Mormoops 
  Definitions
  The Mormoops Gnomes have physical, biological sexes only when they have made the decision to 
  procreate and parent. Upon deciding to procreate, one partner undergoes transition to take on female 
  characteristics and the other partner becomes male. These partners retain their femaleness and male-
  ness during their child’s childhood. Upon their child’s accession to adulthood, both parents rapidly 
  reacquire their genderless characteristics, usually within days. This is not biological in nature, rather, 
  it is a conscious decision by the Gnome.
  Norms
  The Gnomes are not ones to establish or obey social norms, nor are they especially sexual beings. 
  Having said that, the majority of Gnomes have at least two children in their three centuries of life and 
  experience being both female and male at least once. To the extent that there is a norm, this would be 
  it.
  Non-Normative 
  Patterns
  Gnomes are more interested in objects, learning, fiddling, storytelling and pranking than they are in 
  raising children or making families. Gnomes that enjoy raising children or who have a strong sexual 
  identity are quite rare and, while they are no laws that condemn them, they are regarded as surpass-
  ingly weird by their fellow Gnomes. Gnomes with more than four children are vanishingly rare (less 
  than 2% of the population). Gnomes that maintain the same sexual role as a parent are likewise nearly 
  unheard of. Gnomes that choose to acquire biological gender outside of a decision to procreate and 
  parent or who do not reacquire their neutral gender are viewed as exceptionally odd by their fellow 
  Gnomes.
  Relations
  As nearly all Gnomes have no gender, there are no special ways in which they relate to each other. 
  Sometimes, Gnomes who are parenting will seek advice from another Gnome or from their own par-
  ent, but generally not.
  Association Ways Mormoops
  Distance
  Gnomes favor individual pursuits over group ones. Having said that, when they want to be together 
  with other Gnomes, they gravitate at once to other Gnomes who share their Custom. Gnomish 
  “adventuring parties” are almost always a half-dozen Gnomes who have the same Custom who are 
  working together to achieve some kind of goal that drives each individual but which can’t easily 
  be accomplished alone. Jealousy, envy, rivalry and past history complicates these relationships in 
  all cases and sometimes to a fatal degree. Gnomes never feel like they owe anything to any other 
  Gnome. In this way they’re mercenaries.
  Fraternity
  Each Custom might be best understood as a kind of loosely-bound association. Seekers are Gnomes 
  most interested in Oberon and human culture. They are the ones most likely to be Topside. They 
  love exploring human homes and bringing human goodies back to the Elysion. The Tinkers make 
  things and fix things. They are the pranksters, fireworks-makers, toymakers and mayhem-causers in 
  the Elysion. Reachers used to be the ones who traveled the Kamloops Railway and engaged in trade. 
  Now, the Reachers are attracted to developing deeper arcane knowledge. They are the most capable 
  magicians of all of the Gnomes. The Caviller Custom embraces Gnomes who value storytelling, 
  wisdom and knowledge for its own sake. Cavillers love to assemble massive libraries and will go to 
  any end to acquire a book or scroll of interest to them. They would be magicians of the same skill 
  as the Reachers if only they weren’t endlessly distracted by some new book or tome. The Plasticus 
  Custom is for those young Gnomes who don’t really fit into one of the other Customs. These are the 
  ones who might be encountered far from home on a long journey. They are the ones who would be 
  in an adventuring party with non-Gnomes. Their motivations are sometimes hard or impossible for 
  other Gnomes to understand.
  Guild
  All tendencies towards sociality, mutual obligation or communalism are weak or non-existent 
  among Gnomes. This is true of Customs as well. A Gnome would feel no more obligation to assist 
  their own child than they would to help a fellow Seeker. If there’s something that both advances a 
  Gnome’s individual goals or agenda and helps someone else, that would be different.
  Obligation
  Being part of a Custom doesn’t obligate the Gnome to any particular behavior, clothing or what have 
  you. Rather, the way that Gnome gravitates to particular interests will be crystal clear to all other 
  Gnomes because their behavior so clearly mirrors their Custom. It would take a Gnome between 10 
  seconds and two minutes to determine another Gnome’s Custom. 95 times out of 100, that determi-
  nation would be right.
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  Order Ways Mormoops 
  Sphere
  There is very little social control exerted officially in Mormoops society. Rather, the operation of 
  ever-shifting prestige has the greatest influence over Gnomes and their behavior. Making decisions 
  that decrease one’s prestige are only taken advisedly by Gnomes. These decisions would include over-
  parenting, having too many children, giving away secrets, traveling far from home for no clear reason 
  and so forth.
  Joining
  There are no ordering institutions sufficiently powerful in Elysion Mormoops to do any sort of enforc-
  ing. Having said that, the desire to have prestige is very powerful and acts as a kind of ordering system 
  in and of itself.
  Tenacity
  Prestige is eternal and deeply influential. But there is no one person or office in society keeping a 
  leaderboard. Everyone keeps their own and, almost without exception, each person knows, more or 
  less, where they rank.
  Presence
  The only offices of Elysion Mormoops are the Magister and the Censor. Neither one is particularly 
  powerful except under very particular or peculiar circumstances. What keeps the society of the 
  Elysion on steady, level footing is that most individuals don’t expect much from the society, society 
  doesn’t need to provide much in way of defense because there’s very little social strife and prestige is 
  damaged by being a pain in the ass.
  Authority Ways Mormoops
  Legitimacy
  Power, such as it is, is wielded by two individuals—the Magister and the Censor. These two individuals 
  are selected by the Meeting—the annual gathering of all Gnomes (or at least all interested Gnomes) to 
  conduct their collective business. The Magister is elected yearly. The Censor, every ten years.
  Power
  There is no real tradition in Elysion Mormoops for a Magister to wield power. They are administrators 
  with access to the treasury who might sometimes be asked by the Meeting to carry out a particular task 
  or manage a process. The Censor, by contrast, has a great deal of power. He validates last wills and thus 
  ensures the redistribution of property, wealth and materiel. He conducts the auctions of the dead. A suc-
  cessful term as Censor is highly advantageous to prestige.
  Authority
  The Magister is, nominally, the leader of Elysion Mormoops. The only formal responsibility the Magister 
  has is to convene the Meeting at the end of his term. The Meeting is the yearly opportunity for the Gnomes 
  of Elysion Mormoops to meet together to discuss their collective business and to decide to take a collec-
  tive action. If there’s a need for money for some common purpose, a levy could be voted at the Meeting. 
  Money in the collective treasury is spent by order of the Meeting. The Magister is only allowed to spend 
  2% of the treasury under his own authority. Failure to conform brings loss of prestige. The Magister might 
  be tasked with other duties, but their only formal responsibility is convening the Meeting and presiding 
  over the election of his successor. There is no formal obstacle to a Magister serving more than one term. 
  No Gnome has wanted to do so in more than a century. The Censor wields his authority through subter-
  fuge and guile. Overseeing legal contracts and legal precedents and being empowered to arbitrate gives 
  the Censor legitimate power.
  Participation
  Authority is a notion that most Gnomes view as alien to the fundamental nature of Gnomes. It’s a human 
  concept that rightly has very little impact on the day-to-day lives of Gnomes. The fact that their own 
  system of prestige influences every single decision a Gnome takes is entirely lost on them, as prestige is 
  enforced by each Gnome against himself, rather than by the collective.
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  Freedom Ways Mormoops
  Freedom
  Gnomes who live in Elysion Mormoops have every conceivable personal freedom and are welcome to act, 
  speak, behave and think as they please. They can pursue their research, their magic training, their passions 
  and any other interests to their heart’s content. All of this aligns with their desire for prestige, of course. 
  Being caught acting against another Gnome’s interests brings loss of prestige and potentially a claim be-
  fore a Censor for arbitration. Violent action against another Gnome automatically triggers arbitration.
  Liberty
  Collective responsibility is an almost alien concept to the Mormoops Gnomes. Most Gnomes want to be 
  left alone to do what interests them. They want to spend time with their small group of friends and associ-
  ates planning, tinkering, puzzle-solving, researching and the like. Their society exemplifies the Golden 
  Rule—do to others as you would have them do to you. In this case, the expectation is “I’ll leave you be if 
  you leave me be.”
  Binding
  Because there is so little upon which the Gnomes enforce collective decision making, a Gnome who failed 
  to comply with the decision of a Censor is essentially a pariah or outcast. It happens so rarely that society 
  has no formal process for dealing with it. Because so many people depend on a Censor for truly life-critical 
  decisions, a Censor whose order was ignored would be able to bring hundreds of Gnomes onto his side 
  for assistance (each of these Gnomes gaining prestige for their assistance). The cost of ignoring a Censor, 
  therefore, is so high that no sensible Gnome would ignore it.
  Directionality
  Individuals are allowed, more or less, to do anything. The Magister and the Censor, by contrast, are only 
  allowed to perform the very limited duties assigned to them. There is no mechanism in society by which 
  a renegade Magister could suddenly acquire radical new powers. The Meeting would have to authorize it 
  and that would mean, essentially, that the society had decided to evolve into something else.
  Wealth Ways Mormoops
  Objectification
  Metal itself has little value to the Gnomes of Elysion Mormoops. Rather, their economy is founded 
  on two media of exchange—emeralds, which are mined in the Under Reach and processed by skilled 
  Tinkers and information, whose value depends on the beliefs of the buyers and sellers. A new spell 
  formulation, a way of constructing a gear, machines that make other machines, a calculating tool…all 
  of these could be very valuable to the right Gnome. The Gnomes of Elysion Mormoops engaged in trade 
  until the Kamloops Railway failed but no longer do.
  Status
  Wealth doesn’t confer status in this society. Rather, prestige does. Prestige is sometimes influenced by 
  wealth, but generally isn’t. Wealth for a Plasticus is particularly important as it allows for travel far from 
  home, but it doesn’t confer any higher prestige by itself.
  Gift-giving
  Barbarism.
  Reciprocity
  No notions of reciprocity exist; wealth is one of the weakest shapers of the culture of Elysion Mormoops.
  Work Ways Mormoops
  Subsistence
  Food and water are easily attainable and essentially limitless throughout Elysion Mormoops. For this 
  reason, work is always directed towards one’s Custom and interests. There is no subsistence farming (or 
  indeed farming or husbandry of any kind) in the Elysion.
  Feudality
  This concept has no purchase among the Gnomes.
  Ethic
  Gnomes are fanatical in their work, provided it is work that interests them. They can drill down into the 
  most obscure levels of detail if they care enough. They could devote years of study to a single spell, obscure 
  historical figure, engineering technique or Oberonian family if they were thus called. Plasticus Custom 
  Gnomes have been known to travel for over a century questing for a particular plant or story and to return 
  home as if a week had passed. Gnomes are always, always working and if they aren’t, they wish they were.
  Slavery
  Not practiced.
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  Food and Drink Ways Mormoops
  Locavore
  The food traditions of Elysion Moormoops reflect a disinterest in social life combined with plenty along 
  with a persistent strand of vulgar excess. The mainstays of Gnomish cuisine are an assortment of fungi 
  that grow without cultivation throughout the Elysion. They are combined with ample and abundant 
  stores of fish that live in the underground rivers and ponds that are found throughout the city. Many 
  Gnomes enjoy human delicacies that are only available if purloined from Oberon. There’s a rich trade in 
  cakes, cookies, casseroles and bread from the surface to the Elysion.
  Status
  There is no relationship between foods and status in Elysion Mormoops.
  Embellishment
  Gnomes love, love, love sugary foods and they put honey in everything. They regularly raid Oberon’s 
  beet fields (usually taking more than half of the yearly crop) and boil them down for their sugars as well. 
  The Gnomes don’t realize that the different fungi that they harvest would fetch an unbelievable price in 
  Oberon or anywhere else in the Landover Imperium.
  Technique
  The Gnomes boil and poach nearly everything—the better to infuse their foods with the sugar they 
  love.
  Language Ways Mormoops
  Dialect
  There is one language in use in Elysion Mormoops—Hraj—the Gnomish language. The people of Elysion 
  Kamloops also speak, or at least spoke, Hraj. Frightfully complex, Hraj has thirteen cases for nouns, four 
  grammatical genders, seventeen different tenses and six verbal moods.
  Majority
  All Gnomes speak Hraj.
  Pidgins
  There are no pidgins in use in Elysion Mormoops. Some Gnomes have learned how to speak the human 
  language in use in Oberon and most Gnomes can read at least three languages, owing to their interest in 
  research and text study.
  Naming
  All Gnomes have three names. The first name is taken by the Gnome himself when he becomes an adult 
  at age 7. The second name is the name of an ancestor who the Gnome’s parents think might inform their 
  child’s path in life. The third name is a combination of the Gnome’s mother’s and father’s names.
  Dress Ways Mormoops
  Practicality
  Practical isn’t really the right word to describe the dress practices of the Mormoops Gnomes. Erratic 
  would be better. Impractical isn’t incorrect. Unusual would also do. Gnomes of Elysion Mormoops do 
  not care all that much about fashion and dress. As a result, they rarely have socks or even shoes that 
  match. It wouldn’t occur to them that herringbone, paisley and check generally don’t work together. A 
  Mormoopian Gnome at a fancy dress party would be impossible to miss.
  Status
  Dress confers no status.
  Jewelry
  Jewelry is popular among an older generation of Mormoops Gnomes, but less so among those under 
  100 years of age. Bracelets in particular seem to fascinate the older generation. Sometimes they wear 
  so many bracelets that they run almost to the elbow.
  Body Modification
  An occasional body piercing here or there isn’t unheard of, but this isn’t really a Gnomish practice.
  Leisure Ways Mormoops
  Leisureliness
  It isn’t much of a stretch to say that Mormoops society is all about leisure. As there is no need to work 
  to live, all of the work effort of the society is, essentially, leisurely. It is, at least, in the service of interests 
  and Customs rather than need. Hence, what one Gnome might see as tedious (exploring a neighborhood 
  in Oberon) another would see as a fascinating game.
  Competitiveness
  If they tried to deny their competitiveness, a knowledgeable outsider would laugh. This is the core of the 
  entire culture! Prestige is little more than a leaderboard for a society-spanning game that has no value 
  except the intrinsic value of being better than everyone else.
  Athletics
  Seekers and Plasticus are the most athletic of the gnomes. None of the Customs, though, are especially 
  athletic. There are no sporting traditions among the Mormoops.
  Diversions
  By contrast, there isn’t a Gnome in the entire city who doesn’t love games or other clever, intelligent di-
  versions. Gnomes of a certain ilk are capable of spending lavish amounts of time and attention on their 
  crafts, interests and games. It isn’t unheard of for Caviller Gnomes to spend more than half their time 
  on these kinds of pursuits.
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  Magic Ways Mormoops
  Value
  Magic is highly praised and valued among the Gnomes. In fact, there is probably nothing else that has a 
  higher value. New spells fetch a premium price on the information markets. Of all of the lines of research 
  being conducted by the Gnomes, none are more popular or enduring than those related to the Kamloops 
  Railway. Nothing the Gnomes have done, however, has revealed the cause of the failure of the railway or 
  given any information about the Railway. No one knows whether the people of Elysion Kamloops are still 
  alive.
  Occasion
  Gnomes use all forms of magic as part of their daily lives. They use it to speed up cooking, to find valuable ore, 
  to move about Topside without being discovered, to learn new things, to translate texts they can’t otherwise 
  read, to purify water and so forth. There’s nothing that can be done that a Gnome hasn’t found some way to 
  use magic to make easier. Gnomes have sophisticated engineering skills that they meld with magic to make 
  automata that perform many simple duties. Only the youngest or least prestigious of Gnomes doesn’t have at 
  least one automaton in their homes doing the cleaning and the cooking.
  Constraint
  Little constrains the Gnome from using magic. They don’t use it against each other as that would trigger 
  an arbitration hearing. They try to avoid flashy magic in the presence of humans in order to maintain their 
  invisibility.
  Instruction
  Gnomes interested in learning particular kinds of magic will often find willing teachers amongst their 
  kinfolk. As magic is so highly praised, it is considered prestigious to help train younger Gnomes. The 
  successes of one’s students enhance the prestige of the Gnome who was the teacher. Having said that, there 
  are no “schools of magic” in Elysion Mormoops.
  Supernatural Ways Mormoops
  Reason
  The Gnomes of Elysion Mormoops are governed almost entirely by reason. They worship nothing 
  and have no gods. It wouldn’t be too far off the mark to say that they worship information and 
  knowledge, but worship isn’t the right word. They are a passionate people when they are discussing 
  their interests and value the search for knowledge.
  Reflection
  The operation of the forces of chance and randomness are of keen interest to the Mormoops 
  Gnomes. They’ve never been able to figure out how these forces work no matter their level of study.  
  They do not assign religious value to luck and chance, but they have a healthy respect for the way 
  these irrational forces work in their society. As a result, the Gnomes have a particular love for dice, 
  cards and games of chance. They are inveterate gamblers.
  Ritual 
  These practices are outside the experience of a typical Gnome.
  Soul
  As Gnomes do not have a religion, the “inner spiritual lives” of Gnomes are, essentially, 
  non-existent.
  Self-reflection Ways
  Individual Gnomes are occasionally self-reflective, but 
  their society is almost pathologically unable to engage in 
  self-reflection. There are simply no institutions in Elysion 
  Mormoops to encourage self-reflection. The Meeting isn’t 
  designed for these purposes either. Anyone who brought 
  a motion of this kind before the Meeting would be laughed 
  out of the city. Having said that, there is a big, black cloud 
  that hangs over the whole city—Elysion Kamloops and the 
  failure of the Railway. Many, many Gnomes in Mormoops 
  believe that long ago they did something…something…that 
  destroyed the Railway and perhaps Elysion Kamloops itself. If 
  there were institutions that encouraged them to think about 
  their past behavior they might get closer to an answer. As it is, 
  hundreds of Gnomes are at work individually on this effort.
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  5 New Races
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  Table 5.1 Racial Characteristics
   
  Racial Stat Modifiers 
  Endurance 
  Power Pts 
  Resistance Bonuses
  Race 
  St 
  Co 
  Ag 
  Qu 
  SD 
  Re 
  In 
  Pr 
   
   
  Stamina 
  Will 
  Magic
  Amarvish 
  +3 
  +4 
  +0 
  +3 
  +0 
  +0 
  +0 
  +1 
  35 
  25 
  +20 
  +5 
  +5
  Bentaxa 
  +1 
  +2 
  +2 
  +0 
  +2 
  +1 
  +0 
  +3 
  25 
  35 
  +5 
  +15 
  +10
  Faleeka 
  +0 
  +0 
  +3 
  +3 
  +1 
  +0 
  +3 
  +1 
  20 
  40 
  +5 
  +10 
  +15
  Gordaz 
  +1 
  +2 
  +4 
  +4 
  +0 
  +0 
  +0 
  +0 
  35 
  25 
  +15 
  +5 
  +10
  Hehn 
  +4 
  +4 
  +1 
  +2 
  +0 
  +0 
  +0 
  +0 
  40 
  20 
  +15 
  +10 
  +5
  Kenra 
  +2 
  +0 
  +3 
  +3 
  +0 
  +0 
  +2 
  +1 
  35 
  25 
  +10 
  +10 
  +10
  Menomonee 
  +0 
  +2 
  +2 
  +2 
  +0 
  +1 
  +2 
  +2 
  25 
  35 
  +10 
  +5 
  +15
  Navrothor 
  +4 
  +4 
  +0 
  +0 
  +0 
  +0 
  +0 
  +1 
  45 
  15 
  +20 
  +5 
  +5
  Queequayth 
  +* 
  +* 
  +* 
  +* 
  +* 
  +* 
  +* 
  +* 
  30 
  30 
  +10 
  +10 
  +10
  Tomalak 
  +0 
  +0 
  +2 
  +3 
  +0 
  +0 
  +3 
  +3 
  30 
  30 
  +5 
  +15 
  +10
  Vengha 
  +2 
  +4 
  +0 
  +0 
  +4 
  +1 
  +0 
  +0 
  40 
  20 
  +10 
  +15 
  +5
  * Queequayth, like humans, do not have fixed racial bonuses. Players of a Queequayth character have 8 points to divide any 
  way they like between the 8 racial stat bonuses. No stat may have a bonus greater than +3.
  HARP Fantasy offers the player six playable races: Humans, 
  Dwarves, Elves, Gnomes, Halflings and Gryx. The core rules 
  also provide ways to create a character who is of mixed blood. 
  In this chapter you will have an opportunity to explore and 
  encounter eleven races entirely new to HARP Fantasy.
  Racial Descriptions
  All racial descriptions include the following information:
  Demeanor: Noting only the general outlook of the majority 
  of the race, it is important to realize that not every individual 
  will conform. For instance, those who stray from the norm 
  generally end up becoming adventurers!
  Appearance: Offers a mental sketch of what a typical mem-
  ber of the race looks like. All races have individuals that span 
  the ranges of hair, eye and skin color.
  Lifespan: The average lifespan for members of the race.
  Culture: Although a character may hail from any culture, 
  each race also lists one or more default cultures. These listed 
  cultures represent only the most common backgrounds of 
  the race.
  “Twenty Questions:” Offers an illustrative answer to one of 
  the twenty questions to illuminate something unique or pe-
  culiar to the way that race considers itself or others or how it 
  structures its society.
  Special Abilities: Any particular abilities of note that differ-
  entiate the race from other races.
  Amarvish
  Demeanor: The Amarvish are an open-minded but clannish, 
  proud, spiritual race whose racial mindset, mood and out-
  look is largely governed by the seasons of the year. In Spring, 
  Amarvish are optimistic, frolicsome, interested in meeting 
  new people, prone to exploration and discovery and least 
  interested in making war. In Summer, Amarvish are more 
  family and home oriented. They desire to wander with their 
  kinfolk, learning new skills, practicing old ones and engaging 
  in trade with other cultures. As the Amarvish do not farm, 
  this is the season when they do their most vigorous trade. In 
  Autumn, the Amarvish become more reflective, less prone 
  to discovery and meeting new people and more interested in 
  spiritual pursuits. The Amarvish believe that they were cre-
  ated on the High Plains on the day of the Autumnal Equinox, 
  which is their greatest holiday, calling for a week of celebra-
  tion and dancing. If there is to be war, the Amarvish are most 
  likely to begin it and sustain it in Winter. 
  Because of the influence of the seasons, Amarvish clans do 
  not have a single leader throughout the year. Rather, there 
  are four leaders, one for each season. Generally, the Spring 
  seasonal leader is going to be a Harper or Rogue. The Summer 
  leader a Monk or Cleric. The Autumn leader is a Cleric, 
  Mage or Ranger. The Winter leader is a Fighter, Monk or 
  Warrior Mage.
  Once an Amarvish has befriended you, there is very lit-
  tle short of open betrayal on your part that will break that 
  friendship. They are deeply committed to their friends, have 
  little to no racial animosity or jealousy and are inclined to 
  respect everyone they meet at first pass. They are a curious 
  people (particularly in Spring), but not especially effusive. 
  They are usually not the first to speak around a campfire and 
  they prefer to reserve their counsel unless asked. To others, 
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  they seem to be more governed by reason than faith, but no 
  Amarvish would agree with that formulation. They see the 
  cycle of life in each season and in each year and honor it in the 
  way they live.
  The Amarvish do not write. Rather, there are specialized 
  Ah’lehandabar (Amarvish: speakers of stories) who ride with 
  each kin group and have access to that group’s longterm 
  memory. The ah’lehandabar all speak the Amarvish language, 
  but when they speak to each other (at the Moot, a meeting of 
  the Amarvish clans every three years), they speak in their own 
  language, sharing their stories with the other ah’lehandabar 
  and preserving the integrity of the culture.
  Appearance: Amarvish resemble the Minotaur of Greek leg-
  end, which is to say, they have a bovine, horned head atop the 
  same sort of body plan of the other HARP races. While all 
  body shapes are possible, the Amarvish tend to be well-mus-
  cled but very lean (more like a long-distance runner’s build). 
  Amarvish males stand between 6’ and 8’ in height with fe-
  males much more likely to be 7’ or below than the males. Most 
  Amarvish take great pride in their horns. Some cultures will 
  tattoo them, others might carve elaborate patterns in them. 
  Still others leave them completely natural, but will decorate 
  them with banners or streamers to mark the seasons. 
  Lifespan: Amarvish live a natural lifespan of between 80 and 
  100 years and come to maturity between ages 12 and 14.
  Culture: Amarvish are the very definition of a people drawn 
  to the Nomadic culture. They are also comfortable in the 
  Borderlands and Coastal cultures. It is the rare Amarvish in-
  deed who would want anything to do with the Deep Warrens. 
  Redistribute own language written ranks to own language 
  spoken ranks and other language ranks.
  “Twenty Questions:” Family Ways (Idealization): The 
  Amarvish are deeply governed by the seasons, and this is 
  no different with the way they experience their families and 
  family life. In Spring, Amarvish families are joyous and curi-
  ous places of laughter and fun. In Summer, there’s a sense of 
  common purpose and intention. Joyousness is still a feature, 
  but that pleasure is bent towards the family goals. Autumn 
  becomes more about honoring the brave and the elderly and 
  Winter is about service.
  Special Abilities
  Blazing Speed: The Amarvish are an exceptionally fast race, 
  affording them a bonus of +5 to their Base Movement Rate.
  Hardiness: Because of their endurance, use the following 
  Pace chart for Amarvish characters:
  Natural Weapon: In extremis, the Amarvish will use its 
  horns in close quarters combat and can make Small Puncture 
  attacks using a learned Martial Arts skill.
  Bentaxa
  Demeanor: Befitting the fact that the Bentaxa are one of the 
  oldest sentient races known to exist (and their own storytell-
  ers reinforce this racial history), the Bentaxa are exceptionally 
  proud and possess a great deal of cultural self-confidence. To 
  non-Bentaxa, this pride frequently reads as aloof arrogance 
  or worse as condescension. Unfortunately for Bentaxan po-
  litical history, while the Bentaxa generally consider them-
  selves superior to “inferior” races, they take even more pride 
  in showing that they’re better (in whatever way that matters) 
  than other Bentaxa. As a result, the Bentaxa have never been 
  able to form a polity that holds sway over greater territory 
  than a city-state at any point in their history. Even when their 
  belief system might have led them to want to form empires, 
  the capacity to come together and carry out that agenda was 
  Pace
  Time Increment
  Walk
  Indefinite, provided a CON above 25. The 
  Amarvish endurance record is 5 days 
  continuous walking without sleep. Amarvish 
  with a CON below 25 have a 1 hour per point 
  of Con Bonus pace.
  Run
  30 minutes per point of Con Bonus
  Fast Run
  5 minutes per point of Con Bonus
  Sprint
  2 minutes per point of Con Bonus
  Dash
  1 minute per point of Con Bonus
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  simply beyond them. These city-states are in a nearly constant 
  state of squabbling disagreement. All-out war is regrettably 
  common. Despite this tendency to endless, petty disputation 
  at home, when in foreign cities and cultures, Bentaxa can 
  sometimes come across as clannish as Bentaxa will gravitate 
  to other Bentaxa. They are arrogantly self confident, some-
  times unbearably so. They sometimes don’t get along well 
  with others. While these qualities are widespread among the 
  Bentaxa, there are plenty of Bentaxa for whom this attitude 
  is sometimes subtle enough to be read merely as confidence. 
  It helps that Bentaxa are deeply committed to their field of 
  interest and study. Their confidence or arrogance is based 
  on something—a strong commitment to personal train-
  ing. They are ferociously disciplined and have little patience 
  for frivolousness.
  The Bentaxa have a complex spirituality with more than 
  65 different gods. These gods influence different days and 
  weeks within the Bentaxa spiritual calendar. Each day has 
  four different gods in relationship with each other. Each of 
  the gods is said to be either “in superior,” “in inferior,” “in 
  ascending” or “in reaching” with respect to the other gods. 
  This relationship of superiority/inferiority/ascendingness/
  reachingness gives meaning and context to all of the days of 
  a Bentaxa life. These relationships are almost entirely beyond 
  the scope of anyone other than a Bentaxa to figure out. For 
  the Bentaxa, they are simple.
  Appearance: The Bentaxa are a bipedal race resembling 
  dragonkind. Their scales come in six color schemes: red, 
  gold, green, blue, silver and black. All of these color schemes 
  can be mixed with other colors. It’s not at all uncommon for 
  a primarily silver Bentaxa to have black and gold scales, for 
  instance. Perfectly normal. The Bentaxa do not make any dis-
  tinction between these color schemes. As far as the Bentaxa 
  are concerned, the differences in philosophy, language, taste 
  and city are far more important than any apparent color dif-
  ference. They stand between 6 and 7 feet tall generally, with 
  female Bentaxa standing 2-3 inches taller than the men gen-
  erally. They are wide-shouldered and well-built. They are en-
  tirely hairless.
  Lifespan: Bentaxa generally live about 250 years, coming into 
  their maturity around the age of 20. Rarely, a member of the 
  species might live to 400 years.
  Culture: Bentaxa city-states can be found in Shallow 
  Warrens, Underhill, Borderlands and Coastal cultures, but 
  they have a strong preference for the Sylvan culture (60% of 
  Bentaxa cities exist in the Sylvan culture).
  “Twenty Questions:” Authority Ways (Legitimacy): Because 
  the Bentaxa so deeply value skillfulness in themselves, they 
  can’t remotely stomach the idea of being led by someone who 
  isn’t at least as skillful as they see themselves. This leads to 
  occasionally wild fluctuations in leadership in each of the 
  Bentaxan city-states. The Bentaxa city-states are almost al-
  ways ruled by a strongman who, by virtue of some particular 
  skill (public speaking, arms, magic, whatever, really) has con-
  vinced others that he or she should rule. In the ancient his-
  tory of the Bentaxa, there has never been an emperor. Never 
  a king. The longest recorded rule by a Bentaxa over their city-
  state is twelve years. Legitimacy derives entirely and com-
  pletely from skillfulness and from what the other Bentaxa in 
  the city value. Once that changes, legitimacy changes.
  Special Abilities
  Bonus Skill Ranks: Bentaxa value learning and drive their 
  children to learn at an early age. This training affords Bentaxa 
  characters a one time bonus of 5 skill ranks, which may 
  be spent on skills found in any of the character’s Favored 
  Categories (see HARP: Fantasy, chapter 3 for details on 
  Favored Categories).
  Imbued with Element: Bentaxa have elemental affinities 
  based on the color of their scales. Red and gold Bentaxa are 
  Imbued with Fire. Blue and green Bentaxa are Imbued with 
  Water. Silver Bentaxa are Imbued with Air and Black Bentaxa 
  are Imbued with Earth. Bentaxa receive a +20 bonus to DB 
  and all RRs against magic of their affinity and a +10 bonus to 
  the casting rolls of elemental spells in their affinity.
  Tough Hide (Lesser): Because the Bentaxa have scales, they 
  gain a +10 DB.
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  Faleeka
  Demeanor: The Faleeka are among the most social and 
  gregarious of races. More playful than the Amarvish, more 
  convivial than halflings and more generous than almost any 
  other race, once a Faleeka has decided that you are friendly (or 
  at least not overtly hostile), they would give you the feathers 
  off their back. Faleeka detest spending time alone, much pre-
  ferring the company of family and friends. They are devoted 
  to friends; their commitment to family is enduring. The typi-
  cal social group size for a Faleeka to feel really comfortable is 
  six to nine. More is just fine! It is the rare Faleeka who wants 
  to spend time alone. Faleeka do not consider this a problem 
  or an illness. Rather, they just don’t understand why someone 
  would want this! Faleeka are confident and enthusiastic ad-
  venturers, as this gives them the opportunity to meet lots of 
  new people. Moreover, curiosity is a core quality of all Faleeka. 
  They want to know everything and will do almost any kind of 
  work to get to the bottom of a question that they care about. 
  If they think you know something, they will badger you like 
  nobody’s business until you tell them. Famously inventive, in-
  dividual Faleeka have been known to devise all sorts of strate-
  gies for escaping the traps, props and snares that are the great 
  bane of most adventurers.
  Faleeka are keen collectors and are skilled assessors of value, 
  many developing specialist skills and talents in appraisal. 
  Their sense of beauty is singular. They are particularly keen 
  on crafting and collecting jewelry and glass. Faleeka glass is 
  often times sufficiently valuable that it replaces currency or 
  other gems in trade.
  Appearance: Faleeka are bipedal descendants of a race of in-
  telligent parrots that filled an ecological niche encouraging 
  the growth of intelligence. They stand 4 feet tall and continue 
  to resemble their ancestors. They have richly colored feath-
  ers, favoring blue and green. When in flight, their underwing 
  feathers can be seen and they are orange, yellow or red, de-
  pending on the age and gender of the Faleeka in question. 
  There is little to distinguish male and female. Faleeka beaks 
  can do significant damage, as can their talons.
  Lifespan: Faleeka live between 60 and 80 years. Faleeka at-
  tain maturity at age 8.
  Culture: Faleeka strongly favor the Aerial culture, but 
  their settlements are sometimes found in Coastal or 
  Underhill contexts.
  “Twenty Questions:” Wealth (Gift Giving): Nothing is quite 
  as important in cementing the complex relationships that 
  mean so much to a Faleeka as gift giving. The culture of gift 
  giving follows laws established by the legendary founders of 
  the Faleeka people (Arixa and Jaro—the first couple), whose 
  1000-day courtship teaches all Faleeka how to live produc-
  tive, rich and meaningful lives. Each of the thousand days is 
  associated with a particular gift or series of gifts. As a result, 
  friends, colleagues, lovers, newlyweds and others have excel-
  lent examples of meaningful gifts to mark almost any occa-
  sion. Faleeka will spend significant time to select meaningful 
  gifts for those they value. A Faleeka always remembers the 
  gifts they’ve given and been given.
  Special Abilities
  Flight: As the Faleeka descend from avian stock, they have 
  the capacity for flight. Their Base Flight Rate (BFR) is twice 
  their Base Movement Rate and Pace Modifiers apply normally. 
  Flight is extremely tiring, so Faleeka may only stay aloft a 
  maximum number of hours equal to their total Constitution 
  bonus. For each encumbrance level above Light, their BFR is 
  reduced by half, and so is the amount of time they may stay 
  aloft (i.e. Medium encumbrance = one-half normal BFR and 
  time aloft. Heavy encumbrance = one-quarter BFR and time 
  aloft). Faleeka gain a bonus of +50 to the Flying/Gliding skill.
  Multiple/Peripheral Eyes [Lesser]: A Faleeka’s eyes are 
  spread far to the sides. Foes do not receive any flank bo-
  nuses when attacking the character (unless the character is 
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  surprised). The bonus for Rear attacks is reduced from +20 to 
  +10. All Faleeka make Perception rolls at +10.
  Natural Weapons (beak): A Faleeka can use its beak as a 
  natural weapon and can make Small Puncture attacks using a 
  learned Martial Arts skill.
  Natural Weapons (talon): A Faleeka can use its talons as a 
  natural weapon and can make Small Slash attacks using a 
  learned Martial Arts skill.
  Racial Limitation: 
  Hollow Bones: Faleeka are able to fly because they have “hol-
  low” bones. Unfortunately these are more fragile than normal 
  bones. All Crush and Impact criticals against Faleeka have 
  their attack size increased by 10 and any penalties relating to 
  injuries associated with bones are doubled.
  Gordaz
  Demeanor: Every sentient race that comes into contact with 
  the Gordaz has a word to describe them…and none of these 
  words could be described as positive. The halflings (who often 
  compete with them for land and resources) call them Ontourfa 
  (rat people). Dwarves know them as Sheenv (nuisance caus-
  ers). The Gryx language describes them as Binbegrix (roughly 
  translatable as smelly urchins). Humans use a variety of terms 
  to describe them with most using the halfling word Ontourfa 
  or just cutting to the chase and calling them Ratmen. The 
  name fits.
  The Gordaz, one of the least long-lived of all sentient races, 
  seem ever young. And as people who, even in adulthood, 
  have an adolescent view of the world, they are considered a 
  terrible menace by the other races. They just don’t seem to 
  have much impulse control. Or indeed, any. They want what 
  they want and they aren’t afraid to go for it. This makes them 
  fun (sometimes) to be around, but also equally exhausting, 
  particularly to those races that are more prone to reflection 
  and thoughtfulness. The Gordaz are not a people who write 
  stirring literature, think deep thoughts or have a philosophy 
  of life. To the degree that they do have a racial philosophy, it 
  might be something like “live now, for tomorrow we all might 
  die.” Or perhaps “if you have something, and I want it, what 
  should prevent me from taking it?” They are a chaotic people 
  prone to lying, cheating and stealing. Which is to say nothing 
  for their predilections for drink, mind-altering substances 
  and sexual appetites that, to other races, are well past per-
  versions. They live in the moment and take great pleasure in 
  what life has to offer. They are numerous and spread rapidly 
  wherever they are. They do not live alongside others particu-
  larly well, as they have a poor sense of “personal space.” They 
  have driven at least one city (or province) of every other race 
  into ruin after encountering it. It wouldn’t be fair to describe 
  this as conquest, strictly speaking. Rather, the other race in 
  question has selected to abandon its city or territory in the 
  hopes of building more effective walls against the Gordaz in 
  some other, more naturally defensible, place.
  Appearance: The Gordaz are short (about the same height as 
  halflings) and have mottled skin in a variety of colors. Male 
  Gordaz and female Gordaz are about the same height, but 
  the males are more thickly muscled and generally have some 
  sort of facial hair (Gordaz prefer mustaches, the more extrava-
  gantly waxed, the better).
  Lifespan: Gordaz live for about 40 years, reaching their ma-
  turity at age 7. The oldest Gordaz ever lived to 46.
  Culture: Underhill, Shallow Warrens, Rural or Urban, 
  roughly preferred in that order. When they live in an urban 
  environment, their almost total incapacity to look forward 
  into the future means that their cities are ramshackle at best.
  Twenty Questions: Marriage (Legitimacy): Gordaz are prac-
  titioners of plural marriage. All marriages are sanctioned 
  by clan elders who ascertain if the married couple is capa-
  ble of sustaining (financially and otherwise) any children 
  who might be born from the union. Gordaz have no inter-
  est in social welfare; children are the sole responsibility of 
  parents. Gordaz women and Gordaz men might have any 
  number of married partners. All marriages sanctioned by 
  clan elders are valid for five years, after which the marriage is 
  dissolved. While there are no rules preventing or encourag-
  ing remarriage, only about 20% of Gordaz ever renew a mar-
  riage contract.
  Special Abilities
  Superior Blazing Speed: The Gordaz are the fastest of the 
  known races, receiving a +10 to their Base Movement Rate.
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  Wildly Nimble: Tricksters to a person, the Gordaz receive 
  a special bonus of +15 to any Stalking and/or Acrobatic/
  Tumbling maneuvers.
  Dark Vision (Lesser): Gordaz can clearly see up to 50’ on a 
  starlit night and by the light of the full moon they can see up 
  to 250’ as though it were daylight.
  Hehn
  Demeanor: The best way to describe the Hehn is “even-tem-
  pered.” Strongly favoring wide open plains, grasslands and 
  country that would best be described as “Big Sky” country, 
  the Hehn are among the most ancient of races. They walked 
  the plains of the world ages before the major races emerged 
  from the depths of time. This ancient racial history gives the 
  Hehn a perspective on problems, life and continuity that 
  other races simply don’t have. It takes a great deal of effort to 
  arouse a Hehn to passion. They respond to most things with 
  wise, reflective rumination. They don’t get angry very easily. 
  They don’t get carried away with passion. They form deep rela-
  tionships with other Hehn, but these relationships take a long 
  time to develop—sometimes decades of what another race 
  might term courtship. Hehn have no problem forming these 
  kinds of relationships with other races. They are a friendly, if 
  not especially gregarious, people. What the Hehn value most 
  in their relationships with others is that easy camaraderie 
  that comes from knowing someone a long time.
  The Hehn are a deeply spiritual people with a complex reli-
  gious system centered on the “Great Mother,” the first of her 
  kind, the founder of the Hehn people. Six religious festivals 
  (two at the equinoxes, two at the solstices and two at New 
  Year’s, which occurs at first frost) mark out the yearly calendar 
  for the Hehn. Their religion is relatively easy for outsiders to 
  understand, but the Hehn have no interest in admitting out-
  siders to the faith. The Great Mother is known for her for-
  giveness and kindness. This translates into a similar tendency 
  to forgive amongst the Hehn. They reject violence unless no 
  other resolution to a problem is available. They even reject 
  it when they are offered it, preferring other solutions if they 
  can be arranged. Having said that, the Hehn are physically 
  powerful, capable warriors who will not accept violence in-
  definitely. They will respond. When they do, count on their 
  response to be fierce and sufficient to eliminate the problem.
  Appearance: The Hehn look like centaurs. Hehn females are 
  physically larger than Hehn males, though both are physi-
  cally imposing presences. 
  Lifespan: Hehn live many hundreds of years, rivaling elves in 
  longevity. Half a millennium is not unheard of.
  Culture: Nomadic or Borderlands. Hehn do not build cities, 
  preferring to move across the plains with the ebb and flow of 
  the seasons.
  Twenty Questions: Food and Beverage Ways (Locavore): The 
  Hehn are consummate pastoralists. They are exceptionally 
  skilled at finding food but do not farm. Their diet is primar-
  ily but not exclusively vegetarian. They will eat fish and small 
  animals, but reject the consumption of larger animals and 
  ungulates on the basis that they constitute a kind of cannibal-
  ism. About the largest animal that a Hehn would eat would 
  be a rabbit.
  Special Abilities
  Dense Musculature: With a sturdy bone structure and mus-
  culature, all Hehn receive a +5 bonus to both OB and DB. The 
  weight alteration brought about by this natural heftiness has 
  already been calculated into the Base Weight.
  Enhanced Senses: Hehn have very acute senses, and gains a 
  special bonus of +10 to all Perception rolls.
  Portage Skills: Hehn are able to carry triple the normal 
  weight allowed for each Encumbrance level.
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  Kenra
  Demeanor: Befitting their origins, the ocelot-derived Kenra 
  are prone to solitariness. To what extent do the Kenra have 
  a society? Their tendency to solitude has a direct impact on 
  the answer to the question about society. Certainly the Kenra 
  share the same language, spiritual traditions and generalized 
  hostility to others. What they don’t share are those other 
  qualities that make a society what it is. They don’t build cities, 
  preferring settlements with just a few dozen individuals with 
  lots and lots of space between them. They don’t build roads 
  or public works. They don’t have governments or taxes. They 
  don’t really cooperate with each other, have racial goals or ob-
  jectives or even see themselves as being related to each other, 
  despite the fact that they clearly are. Kenra who are wired dif-
  ferently than the rest of their species can be found in the cities 
  and settlements of every race. These Kenra get along very well 
  with humans, Gryx and Amarvish. They sometimes struggle 
  to build relationships with Bentaxa and Dwarves. Gnomes 
  don’t make much sense to them. They have a long history 
  of very poor relations with Elves (too similar in personality 
  and arrogance) and Hehn (fundamentally different values). 
  Though having said that, Kenra that like being far from home 
  are among the most resilient and adaptable of all of the races. 
  It isn’t unheard of for a Kenra and a Hehn to work together if 
  both are willing to set aside their deeper prejudices.
  On first encountering a Kenra, what usually comes across 
  is supreme confidence—arrogance, even. Kenra have no 
  problem telling others how great they are at whatever they 
  do. They make exceptional martial artists, sublime assassins 
  and thieves and shrewd diplomats. In fact, many civilizations 
  have come to depend on Kenra diplomats to sort out their 
  most difficult disagreements. A Kenra opposite you at the ne-
  gotiating table is a special kind of chess game. Fun to play if 
  you’re up for it…but beware!
  Appearance: As stated above, the Kenra are derived from 
  ocelot stock. That means they are feline in appearance, but 
  graceful in its expression. There’s no such thing as a fat Kenra. 
  They stand about 5 feet tall, with the males being sometimes 
  6 inches or more taller than the females. Both have luxuri-
  ous coats.
  Lifespan: Most Kenra live to about age 100. They reach their 
  maturity at 16.
  Culture: Sylvan or Borderlands for settled Kenra. Rural, 
  Urban, Sylvan, Borderlands, Coastal, Shallow Warrens or 
  Underhill for those who seek the company of others.
  Twenty Questions: Magic Ways (Instruction): As stated, the 
  Kenra do not build institutions or cities, with one exception. 
  The Kenra are not an especially magical race, but when they 
  observe the tendency in their young, they will bring that 
  young person into contact with a roving investigator from the 
  Lycaeum, the Kenra School of Magic. The Lycaeum has never 
  been found by a non-Kenra. Even Kenra have only rarely 
  stumbled upon it accidentally. Kenra magicians are trained in 
  illusion, charms and magic related to mental discipline.
  Special Abilities
  Natural Weapons: Kenra claws are serious business. Kenra 
  may make Small Slash attacks using their Claws using a 
  learned Martial Arts skill. 
  Night Vision: Kenra can easily see up to 100’ on a starlit night 
  and up to 500’ by the light of a full moon. In total darkness, 
  they get no special advantage.
  Shrewdness: Kenra are exceptional diplomats and evaluators 
  of the hearts and minds of others – they have a racial flair 
  for social perception and receive a +5 to all Influence-based 
  skill maneuvers
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  Menomonee
  Demeanor: Wise, slow to act, thoughtful, private and 
  yet deeply interested in travel—all of these describe the 
  Menomonee, who demonstrate that not all elves choose to 
  live in a Sylvan culture. Clearly derived from the elves, the 
  Menomonee are likewise clearly the source of the mermaid 
  and mermen legends that abound in human lands. The 
  Menomonee in millennia past lived in the woods with their 
  fellow elves, but something drove them from the forests to 
  the coasts and then onto the islands that dot the tropical re-
  gions of the world. Over a long period of time, they even gave 
  up largely on the islands and lived increasingly in villages 
  and cities under the sea. In time, the Menomonee developed 
  the capacity to live both under the sea and on land. Most 
  Menomonee prefer living in their deep sea communities in 
  the company of other Menomonee. The other 25% or so of 
  the Menomonee enjoy spending some or indeed a great deal 
  of time on land. These are the Menomonee that most people 
  would encounter as part of an adventuring party. 
  The Menomonee have a long and deeply held love of travel. 
  Capable of swimming astounding distances, they often find 
  themselves with their fellow Menomonee a quarter of the way 
  across the world exploring some new underwater feature or 
  meeting a race of sentient dolphins who maintain total iso-
  lation from all other sentient races. The Menomonee love of 
  travel also makes them inveterate adventurers. Mind you, 
  most Menomonee adventure with others of their kind (and 
  are sometimes away from home for decades at a time). Those 
  Menomonee who like to meet other non-Menomonee can be 
  counted on to be steadfast supporters of their fellow adven-
  turers, despite the fact that their natural tendency to privacy 
  might mean that they always feel a bit hard to get to know.
  Of all the races of the world, the Menomonee make the most 
  sublime and complex music. They have invented dozens of in-
  struments that sound fantastic both above and below the sea 
  (but particularly below). Bards and lovers of music have been 
  known to travel (at great personal risk) to Menomonee cities 
  to hear orchestras and quartets play. Menomonee vocalists 
  in the service of surface-dweller courts are likely the richest 
  people in the room, short of the king or emperor.
  Appearance: Elves, but with a decidedly mermaid flavor. 
  Having said that, they have legs, not flippers! They have 
  limited hair—generally just a Mohawk-like stripe down the 
  center of their heads. They retain the elegance and majesty of 
  other elves. They have gill slits along their necks. It is gener-
  ally impossible for a non-Menomonee to discern the differ-
  ence between male and female Menomonee.
  Lifespan: Menomonee live between 700 and 800 years. 
  Menomonee males live closer to 800; the women, closer to 
  700. They attain their majority at 35.
  Culture: Aquatic or Coastal.
  Twenty 
  Questions: 
  Environment 
  (Ecosystem): 
  The 
  Menomonee are far more dependent on their environment 
  than they realize. As that ecosystem is the tropical ocean, 
  they don’t have all that much to worry about barring a massive 
  ecological catastrophe. There are hardly any Menomonee cit-
  ies or indeed towns in temperate oceans and none whatsoever 
  in arctic oceans. The ecosystems they favor are full beyond 
  description with foodstuffs and life sustaining resources. The 
  Menomonee could have a civilization ten times the size of the 
  one they have built and they wouldn’t even scratch the sur-
  face of what their environment offers them.
  Special Abilities
  Amphibious Action: All Menomonee can move and act 
  underwater without penalty, e.g. they may swim at base 
  movement rate without requiring any maneuver and suffer 
  no penalties to movement, initiative, DB, Dodge or Sudden 
  Dodge when underwater.
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  Enhanced Amphibious Senses: All Menomonee have ex-
  ceptionally acute senses, earning them a special bonus of +10 
  to all General Perception checks. They can see as easily un-
  derwater as they can in air.
  Gills: All Menomonee can breathe underwater using their 
  gills as easily as they breathe on land.
  Navrothor
  Demeanor: The tallest, bulkiest, most muscled and physically 
  hardiest of all of the known sentient races, the Navrothor 
  have adapted themselves to lives in environments too harsh 
  for most of the others. Their great civilizations all exist above 
  the Arctic Circle. Despite the fact that they live in these sorts 
  of environments, it would be inappropriate to describe their 
  cultures as harsh or forbidding. The Navrothor cultures have 
  a long history of creating inspiring poetry, ballads, songs and 
  visual arts in rock, ice and precious stones that attract the 
  interested in significant numbers. The Navrothor are deeply 
  proud of their accomplishments. Navrothor display a strong 
  commitment to personal improvement. If one’s path in life 
  is to be a warrior, then most Navrothor would prefer to be 
  regarded as the best of his or her generation. The same is 
  true for farmers, scholars or sorcerers. The Navrothor have 
  no gods, but they do have emblematic heroes. These heroes 
  represent the very best of what the Navrothor have to offer, 
  regardless of what it is. They function the same way that gods 
  do in other civilizations, but the Navrothor do not worship 
  them. Rather, they honor these exemplars for being what 
  they were—the singular examples of everything that makes a 
  Navrothor proud to be Navrothor. 
  Because of their height and bulk, Navrothor cities are tow-
  ering places. They build their cities into ancient volcanoes, 
  mountains, hills and rock faces. The permanent ice north 
  of 80 degrees latitude has also been carved and shaped into 
  Navrothor dwellings. Humans and elves are dwarfed by these 
  buildings. Halflings and gnomes struggle to make any pro-
  gress (and are more or less incapable of using tools made for 
  Navrothor). Despite this, the Navrothor are welcoming and 
  friendly. They are the best hosts one might imagine and have 
  the capacity to cook foods from most of the sentient races and 
  are known for the quality of their cooking. Navrothor are not 
  the most curious of races. They have no particular drive to 
  travel or explore. They value the comforts of home and family 
  and friendships.
  Appearance: The Navrothor are giants. They resemble a cross 
  between humans and dwarves, with Navrothor men having 
  a dwarfish mien and Navrothor women resembling human 
  women to a certain degree. The shortest adult Navrothor 
  stand north of 8 feet tall. Typical Navrothor men are between 
  9 and ten feet tall. Navrothor women are just a few inches 
  shorter than their men. Navrothor have extravagant hair-
  styles and beards and love fashionable jewelry. Their clothing 
  is well tailored. Their armor made to the highest quality.
  Lifespan: Navrothor live between 80 and 100 years. They 
  reach maturity at age 14.
  Culture: Arctic, Urban, Borderlands.
  Twenty Questions: Work Ways (Slavery): Navrothor value 
  self-improvement and self-direction. They view the practice 
  of slave owning as antithetical to the capacity of the slave 
  owner to improve himself and destructive not just to the 
  life of slave but to the slave’s soul. They hold the slave owner 
  as being twice damned, however, for undermining his own 
  self-improvement and for denying the slave his own story 
  and development. In the history of the Navrothor there have 
  been at least three occasions where they embarked on a sys-
  temic attack on a neighboring slave owning culture to free 
  those slaves.
  Special Abilities
  Cold Resistance (minor): Because the Navrothor are people 
  of the Arctic, they are inured to the cold. The temperatures at 
  which Navrothor have to make Stamina RRs is lowered by 20 
  degrees Celsius and 35 degrees Fahrenheit.
  Exceptionally Dense Musculature: The Navrothor are mas-
  sive in all respects. They receive a +10 to OB and DB, but suf-
  fer a -50 penalty to Swimming. The weight alteration brought 
  on by this natural massiveness has already been calculated 
  into the Base Weight.
  Tough Hide (Lesser): Navrothor’s skin is sufficiently tough 
  that it grants them an additional +10 to DB.
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  Queequayth
  Demeanor: Hunted. Hounded. Hated. The Queequayth have 
  hundreds of years of experience of being the scapegoat when-
  ever they have lived near human societies. Many aspects of 
  Queequayth society reflect this history. Their gods are all 
  two-faced. One aspect of their gods speaks to suffering; the 
  other, to resilience. This is true regardless of what a particular 
  god’s “portfolio” might be. In his positive aspect, K’rmanath 
  the God of War encourages soldiers to endure through 
  the slaughter and civilians to sacrifice for the cause of all 
  Queequayth. In his negative aspect, K’rmanath is all about 
  anguish, the pestilence of warfare and the devastation that 
  warfare brings not only to the soldiers fighting the war but 
  also to the civilians on both sides whose lives are lain waste 
  by that war. The stories Queequayth tell their children are 
  about endurance in the face of adversity and the perpetual 
  struggles of a people who are never allowed to live alongside 
  others without being forced into subservience or slavery.
  Their history and privations have made the Queequayth an 
  astonishingly resilient people. Capable of living in nearly any 
  environment, they have the skills to make barren land fer-
  tile. They can find nourishment in waters that others would 
  not even bother to fish. If forced underground, they make do. 
  When left to their own devices, Queequayth prefer to live in 
  environments that reflect the fact that at one point in their 
  history, they were little different from humans. Of all the races 
  that walk the world, it is with humans that the Queequayth 
  get along with least well. Halflings and Amarvish have no 
  problem with them. Other races remain standoffish for rea-
  sons that have little to do with the Queequayth and more to 
  do with these other races’ history with humans.
  Appearance: The Queequayth are related to humans, but 
  an unusual genetic mutation caused them to diverge from 
  the main pathway of human evolution millennia ago. Their 
  appearance is now bestial. They are completely covered 
  with hair and barely resemble their distant human cousins. 
  Wolflike (but not descendent from wolves) or apelike best de-
  scribe them. They are just as intelligent as humans but per-
  haps craftier and more creative. Queequayth men stand a bit 
  more than 5 feet in height with the women averaging 5 feet 
  on the nose.
  Lifespan: Queequayth live about 80 years and reach their 
  maturity at age 15.
  Culture: Queequayth can manage in any environment, but 
  prefer Rural, Urban and Borderlands when left alone.
  Twenty Questions: Supernatural Ways (Reason): The 
  Queequayth are not a people who place much stock in rea-
  son. Their long history of suffering has instead made them a 
  people with a richly diverse supply of gods who give answers 
  that make sense and explain why the Queequayth have been 
  forced to suffer as long as they have. The Queequayth under-
  stand science and respect its implications for understanding 
  the physical world, but reject it entirely for all other purposes.
  Special Abilities
  Bonus Skill Ranks: Queequayth value learning and encour-
  age their children to learn at an early age. This training affords 
  Queequayth characters a one time bonus of 5 skill ranks, 
  which may be spent on skills found in any of the character’s 
  Favored Categories (see HARP: Fantasy, chapter 3 for details 
  on Favored Categories).
  Danger Sense: Queequayth have become accustomed to 
  peril. They make Combat Perception maneuvers at a -20 
  modifier rather than the normal -50 modifier. 
  Skill Specialization—Because the Queequayth encourage 
  learning they may select a skill during character generation 
  to receive a +10 bonus.
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  Tomalak
  Demeanor: Chatty and gregarious, what a Tomalak wants 
  least in this world is to be left alone. Always born in litters 
  of between three and six, Tomalak children are accustomed 
  to the presence of others from the moment of birth and love 
  being with others throughout their lives. The rarest bonds 
  are formed between Tomalak born as twins—something that 
  happens once every twenty years at most among the Tomalak. 
  Twins are accorded a nearly mythic quality and are always 
  seen as portents of some fantastic or devastating change in 
  the society which sees their birth. Tomalak build cities and 
  settlements that are very tightly packed in no matter what 
  sort of environment they choose. They always build around 
  communal spaces and sometimes their villages are mostly 
  communal. There are plenty of examples of Tomalak towns 
  where the private space is large enough only for a bed and a 
  small table while all other activities are undertaken in public. 
  To the Tomalak, that is perfectly normal. This makes dealing 
  with Tomalak difficult for everyone who isn’t Tomalak. Elves 
  find them overbearingly social. Humans find them a nuisance 
  verging on the Gordaz. Dwarves do not like them, period. 
  Even the Queequayth find them a bit much to be around. 
  Tomalak take all of this in stride. If someone else doesn’t like 
  them much that doesn’t really matter, as they always have 
  one of their kind nearby to socialize with. The expression 
  “six Tomalak walk into a bar” in every language other than 
  Tomalak does not signal the beginning of a joke, but rather 
  the start of a a dark morality tale.
  Tomalak are perhaps the least reflective of all of the sentient 
  races. Their poetry is about having fun, drinking, love and 
  sex. Their songs are about, well, having fun, drinking, love 
  and sex. The same is true about their gods. And they love 
  adventuring!  But never alone. If they are found in a mixed 
  group, Tomalak are never alone.
  Appearance: Imagine weasels that stand about 4 feet in 
  height and you’ll get the picture. Tomalak males are signifi-
  cantly taller than Tomalak females.
  Lifespan: Tomalak live between 65 and 85 years, with the 
  women frequently living as long as age 100. They attain their 
  majority at age 10. Tomalak who for whatever reason are 
  forced to live alone, generally die very young.
  Culture: Borderlands and Rural are the preferred cultures for 
  Tomalak, but they can make do in Urban settings as well.
  Twenty Questions: Leisure Ways (Competitiveness): For all 
  of their vaunted unity and love of spending time with oth-
  ers, the Tomalak have an insanely fierce competitive streak 
  within their culture. What isn’t fully appreciated by outsiders 
  is that they have the strongest connection to family and clan 
  (while preserving a connection to other Tomalak who are more 
  distantly related). In Tomalak cities, many sports and games 
  are organized in complex leagues whose leaderboard results 
  are known to any who care for such things. Gambling is both 
  legal and encouraged.
  Special Abilities
  Blazing Speed: Their small stature gives the Tomalak a +5 
  bonus to their Base Movement Rate.
  Enhanced Scent:  Tomalak have an extremely sensitive sense 
  of smell. They can smell odors up to 100’ upwind, 2000’ down-
  wind, and up to 500’ in still air, depending upon the strength 
  of the odor. If a Tomalak can pick up the scent of a specific 
  target, the Tomalak can gain a +50 bonus to the track-
  ing attempt.
  Gregariousness: The social nature of the Tomalak means 
  that they find it naturally easy to cooperate on tasks with 
  other Tomalak (and over time with friends of other races). This 
  equates to a +10 bonus when a Tomalak makes a supporting 
  maneuver to assist another individual. 
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  Vengha
  Demeanor: Cool, deliberate, slow to speak, slower to react, 
  essentially impossible to provoke, the Vengha are in many 
  ways one of the purest expressions of the Deeping way of life. 
  They take little joy from the presence of travelers and have 
  scant interest in the affairs of other people or nations. They 
  are not, however, entirely disinterested. They are endlessly 
  fascinated by stone in all of its forms, and not just the kind 
  of stones that make less sophisticated races slobber with de-
  sire. Sure, the Vengha like diamonds and emeralds as much 
  as the garden-variety dwarf, but all stone is interesting and 
  that is what gets the Vengha out and about exploring other 
  lands and interacting with other cultures. A rumored violet 
  marble located in a Deeping quarry a thousand miles distant 
  would certainly trigger a search, for example. The social re-
  lations of the Vengha are unusual in that they don’t have a 
  few things other cultures routinely do: there are only 5 males 
  in any given Vengha settlement and their sole purpose is re-
  productive; they have no religion and no gods and they live 
  communally in homes of between 6 and 10. The Vengha get 
  along reasonably well with Dwarves. They find Gnomes too 
  frivolous. Monstrous creatures like goblins are loathed with 
  a particular fury.
  Appearance: The Vengha stand between 4 and 5 feet in 
  height. Their skin is a stony gray with mottling of pink, 
  green, orange, amber or violet depending on their ancestry. 
  Mottling is purely decorative, it has no social function. Their 
  eyes are a bit larger proportionally than would be expected 
  given the size of their head and face. They have no body hair 
  of any kind and have a body type that would be best described 
  as “sturdy.” Outsiders who have encountered them without 
  knowing who they are have described them as looking like 
  gargoyles. While that is apt, it isn’t quite fair. The Vengha are 
  not nearly as monstrous.
  Lifespan: Vengha live 150 years, give or take a year or two.
  Culture: Deeping only, but it would not be impossible to en-
  counter a Vengha in other Cultures. There are no Vengha cit-
  ies anywhere but the Deeping.
  Twenty Questions: Supernatural Ways (Ritual): The Vengha 
  have no gods and have never seen the point of having them. 
  They engage in no religious rituals, have no religious archi-
  tecture or places in their homes that are set aside for spiritual 
  purposes. When they encounter the spiritual practices of 
  other peoples they are at best bewildered and at worst hostile 
  and dismissive.
  Special Abilities
  Dark Vision (Greater): Vengha can clearly see up to 100’ on a 
  starlit night and by the light of the full moon can easily see up 
  to 500’ as if it were daylight out. Vengha have the additional 
  quasi-magical ability to see up to 50’ in total darkness. With 
  at least some illumination like a candle, lantern or torch, 
  they are able to see three times the distance provided by the 
  light source.
  Enhanced Senses: All Vengha have particularly acute senses 
  and gain a +10 to all Perception rolls.
  Tough Hide (Minor): Vengha gain a +10 DB because of their 
  stone-like skin.
  Racial Hybrids
  Many players prefer to customise their characters by creat-
  ing a character with a mixed racial heritage. To do so, the 
  player should select one race to be the primary influence for 
  the character. Players may then use their DPs to purchase one 
  Greater or two Lesser Blood Talents to become either the hy-
  brid of two races (such as the Half-Elf) or to have the heritage 
  of several races. Many of the races presented are unusual and 
  the GM is at liberty to rule that certain or all hybrid combina-
  tions are not permitted.
  The original race selected becomes a character’s Base Race, 
  determining the character’s traits and abilities. Blood Talents 
  (whether Lesser or Greater) modify or add to a character’s ra-
  cial abilities or natural affinities. Blood talents may only be 
  chosen at the time of character creation
  DP Cost  
  Talent
  5 
   
  Amarvish Blood (Lesser)
  10 
   
  Amarvish Blood (Greater)
  5 
   
  Bentaxa Blood (Lesser)
  10 
   
  Bentaxa Blood (Greater)
  5 
   
  Faleeka Blood (Lesser)
  10 
   
  Faleeka Blood (Greater)
  5 
   
  Gordaz Blood (Lesser)
  10 
   
  Gordaz Blood (Greater)
  5 
   
  Hehn Blood (Lesser)
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  10 
   
  Hehn Blood (Greater)
  5 
   
  Kenra Blood (Lesser)
  10 
   
  Kenra Blood (Greater)
  5 
   
  Menomonee Blood (Lesser)
  10 
   
  Menomonee Blood (Greater)
  5 
   
  Navrothor Blood (Lesser)
  10 
   
  Navrothor Blood (Greater)
  5 
   
  Queequayth Blood (Lesser)
  10 
   
  Queequayth Blood (Greater)
  5 
   
  Tomalak Blood (Lesser)
  10 
   
  Tomalak Blood (Greater)
  5 
   
  Vengha Blood (Lesser)
  10 
   
  Vengha Blood (Greater)
  Amarvish Blood (Lesser)
  The character has a bit of Amarvish blood in his ancestry, 
  marking him with slightly Amarvish features. The player may 
  also select one of the following Special Abilities to replace any 
  one of the character’s normal racial Special Abilities. Once 
  selected, it cannot be altered.
  •	Blazing	Speed
  •	Hardiness
  •	Natural	Weapon
  Cost: 5 points
  Amarvish Blood (Greater)
  One of the character’s parents is an Amarvish, making him 
  half-Amarvish. His features are heavily marked, denoting his 
  Amarvish heritage. The players may also select two of the fol-
  lowing Special Abilities to replace any two of the character’s 
  normal racial Special Abilities. Once selected, they cannot 
  be altered.
  •	Blazing	Speed
  •	Hardiness
  •	Natural	Weapon
  •	The	character’s	Amarvish	blood	has	a	strong	influence	on	
  his strength, physique and lifespan
   
  o Constitution Bonus +2
   
  o Strength Bonus +2
   
  o Average the lifespan of both your races
  Cost: 10 points
  Bentaxa Blood (Lesser)
  The character has a bit of Bentaxa blood in his ancestry, 
  marking him with slightly Bentaxan features. The player may 
  also select one of the following Special Abilities to replace any 
  one of the character’s normal racial Special Abilities. Once 
  selected, it cannot be altered.
  •	Bonus	Skill	Ranks
  •	Imbued	with	Element
  •	Tough	Hide	(Lesser)
  Cost: 5 points
  Bentaxa Blood (Greater)
  One of the character’s parents is a Bentaxa, making him 
  half-Bentaxan. His features are heavily marked, denoting his 
  Bentaxan heritage. The players may also select two of the fol-
  lowing Special Abilities to replace any two of the character’s 
  normal racial Special Abilities. Once selected, they cannot 
  be altered.
  •	Bonus	Skill	Ranks
  •	Imbued	with	Element
  •	Tough	Hide	(Lesser)
  •	The	character’s	Bentaxa	blood	has	a	strong	influence	on	his	
  grace, bearing and lifespan
   
  o Agility Bonus +2
   
  o Presence Bonus +2
   
  o Average the lifespan of both your races
  Cost: 10 points
  Faleeka Blood (Lesser)
  The character has a bit of Faleekan blood in his ancestry, 
  marking him with slightly Faleekan features. The player may 
  also select one of the following Special Abilities to replace any 
  one of the character’s normal racial Special Abilities. Once 
  selected, it cannot be altered.
  •	Flight	and	Hollow	Bones
  •	Multiple/Peripheral	Eyes	(Lesser)
  •	Natural	Weapon	(beak)
  •	Natural	Weapon	(talon)
  Cost: 5 points
  Faleeka Blood (Greater)
  One of the character’s parents is a Faleeka, making him 
  half-Faleekan. His features are heavily marked, denoting his 
  Faleekan heritage. The players may also select two of the fol-
  lowing Special Abilities to replace any two of the character’s 
  normal racial Special Abilities. Once selected, they cannot 
  be altered.
  •	Flight	and	Hollow	Bones
  •	Multiple/Peripheral	Eyes	(Lesser)
  •	Natural	Weapon	(beak)
  •	Natural	Weapon	(talon)
  •	The	character’s	Faleeka	blood	has	a	strong	influence	on	his	
  speed, dexterity and lifespan
   
  o Agility Bonus +2
   
  o Quickness Bonus +2
   
  o Average the lifespan of both your races
  Cost: 10 points
  Gordaz Blood (Lesser)
  The character has a bit of Gordaz blood in his ancestry, mark-
  ing him with slightly Gordaz features. The player may also se-
  lect one of the following Special Abilities to replace any one of 
  the character’s normal racial Special Abilities. Once selected, 
  it cannot be altered.
  •	Superior	Blazing	Speed
  •	Wildly	Nimble
  •	Dark	Vision	(Lesser)
  Cost: 5 points
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  Gordaz Blood (Greater)
  One of the character’s parents is a Gordaz, making him half-
  Gordaz. His features are heavily marked, denoting his Gordaz 
  heritage. The players may also select two of the following 
  Special Abilities to replace any two of the character’s normal 
  racial Special Abilities. Once selected, they cannot be altered.
  •	Superior	Blazing	Speed
  •	Wildly	Nimble
  •	Dark	Vision	(Lesser)
  •	The	character’s	Gordaz	blood	has	a	strong	influence	on	his	
  dexterity, speed and lifespan
   
  o Agility Bonus +2
   
  o Quickness Bonus +2
   
  o Average the lifespan of both your races
  Cost: 10 points
  Hehn Blood (Lesser)
  The character has a bit of Hehn blood in his ancestry, mark-
  ing him with slightly Hehn features. The player may also se-
  lect one of the following Special Abilities to replace any one of 
  the character’s normal racial Special Abilities. Once selected, 
  it cannot be altered.
  •	Dense	Musculature
  •	Enhanced	Senses
  •	Portage	Skills
  Cost: 5 points
  Hehn Blood (Greater)
  One of the character’s parents is a Hehn, making him half-
  Hehn. His features are heavily marked, denoting his Hehn 
  heritage. The players may also select two of the following 
  Special Abilities to replace any two of the character’s normal 
  racial Special Abilities. Once selected, they cannot be altered.
  •	Dense	Musculature
  •	Enhanced	Senses
  •	Portage	Skills
  •	The	character’s	Hehn	blood	has	a	strong	influence	on	his	
  strength, physique and lifespan
   
  o Constitution Bonus +2
   
  o Strength Bonus
   
  o Average the lifespan of both your races
  Cost: 10 points
  Kenra Blood (Lesser)
  The character has a bit of Kenra blood in his ancestry, mark-
  ing him with slightly Kenra features. The player may also se-
  lect one of the following Special Abilities to replace any one of 
  the character’s normal racial Special Abilities. Once selected, 
  it cannot be altered.
  •	Natural	Weapons
  •	Night	Vision
  •	Shrewdness
  Cost: 5 points
  Kenra Blood (Greater)
  One of the character’s parents is a Kenra, making him half-
  Kenran. His features are heavily marked, denoting his Kenra 
  heritage. The players may also select two of the following 
  Special Abilities to replace any two of the character’s normal 
  racial Special Abilities. Once selected, they cannot be altered.
  •	Natural	Weapons
  •	Night	Vision
  •	Shrewdness
  •	The	character’s	Kenra	blood	has	a	strong	influence	on	his	
  speed, dexterity and lifespan
   
  o Agility Bonus +2
   
  o Quickness Bonus +2
   
  o Average the lifespan of both your races
  Cost: 10 points
  Menomonee Blood (Lesser)
  The character has a bit of Menomonee blood in his ances-
  try, marking him with slightly Menomonee features. The 
  player may also select one of the following Special Abilities 
  to replace any one of the character’s normal racial Special 
  Abilities. Once selected, it cannot be altered.
  •	Amphibious	Action
  •	Enhanced	Amphibious	Senses
  •	Gills
  Cost: 5 points
  Menomonee Blood (Greater)
  One of the character’s parents is a Menomonee, making him 
  half- Menomonee. His features are heavily marked, denoting 
  his Menomonee heritage. The players may also select two of 
  the following Special Abilities to replace any two of the char-
  acter’s normal racial Special Abilities. Once selected, they 
  cannot be altered.
  •	Amphibious	Action
  •	Enhanced	Amphibious	Senses
  •	Gills
  •	The	character’s	Menomonee	blood	has	a	strong	influence	on	
  his bearing, intuition and lifespan
   
  o Insight Bonus +2
   
  o Presence Bonus +2
   
  o Average the lifespan of both your races
  Cost: 10 points
  Navrothor Blood (Lesser)
  The character has a bit of Navrothor blood in his ancestry, 
  marking him with slightly Navrothor features. The player may 
  also select one of the following Special Abilities to replace any 
  one of the character’s normal racial Special Abilities. Once 
  selected, it cannot be altered.
  •	Cold	Resistance	(minor)
  •	Exceptionally	Dense	Musculature
  •	Tough	Hide	(Lesser)
  Cost: 5 points
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  Navrothor Blood (Greater)
  One of the character’s parents is a Navrothor, making him 
  half-Navrothor. His features are heavily marked, denoting his 
  Navrothor heritage. The players may also select two of the fol-
  lowing Special Abilities to replace any two of the character’s 
  normal racial Special Abilities. Once selected, they cannot 
  be altered.
  •	Cold	Resistance	(minor)
  •	Exceptionally	Dense	Musculature
  •	Tough	Hide	(Lesser)
  •	The	character’s	Navrothor	blood	has	a	strong	influence	on	
  build, brawn, physique and lifespan
   
  o Constitution Bonus +2
   
  o Strength Bonus +2
   
  o Average the lifespan of both your races
  Cost: 10 points
  Queequayth Blood (Lesser)
  The character has a bit of Queequayth blood in his ances-
  try, marking him with slightly Queequayth features. The 
  player may also select one of the following Special Abilities 
  to replace any one of the character’s normal racial Special 
  Abilities. Once selected, it cannot be altered.
  •	Bonus	Skill	Ranks
  •	Danger	Sense
  •	Skill	Specialization
  Cost: 5 points
  Queequayth Blood (Greater)
  One of the character’s parents is a Queequayth, making him 
  half-Queequayth. His features are heavily marked, denoting 
  his Queequayth heritage. The players may also select two of 
  the following Special Abilities to replace any two of the char-
  acter’s normal racial Special Abilities. Once selected, they 
  cannot be altered.
  •	Bonus	Skill	Ranks
  •	Danger	Sense
  •	Skill	Specialization
  •	The	character’s	Queequayth	blood	has	a	strong	influence	on	
  his ability to learn and lifespan
   
  o The character has 3 points to divide between a mini-
  mum of two stats
   
  o Average the lifespan of both your races
  Cost: 10 points
  Tomalak Blood (Lesser)
  The character has a bit of Tomalak blood in his ancestry, 
  marking him with slightly Tomalak features. The player may 
  also select one of the following Special Abilities to replace any 
  one of the character’s normal racial Special Abilities. Once 
  selected, it cannot be altered.
  •	Blazing	Speed
  •	Enhanced	Scent
  •	Gregariousness
  Cost: 5 points
  Tomalak Blood (Greater)
  One of the character’s parents is a Tomalak, making him 
  half-Tomalak. His features are heavily marked, denoting his 
  Tomalak heritage. The players may also select two of the fol-
  lowing Special Abilities to replace any two of the character’s 
  normal racial Special Abilities. Once selected, they cannot 
  be altered.
  •	Blazing	Speed
  •	Enhanced	Scent
  •	Gregariousness
  •	The	character’s	Tomalak	blood	has	a	strong	influence	on	his	
  social interactions, intuition and lifespan
   
  o Insight Bonus +2
   
  o Presence Bonus
   
  o Average the lifespan of both your races
  Cost: 10 points
  Vengha Blood (Lesser)
  The character has a bit of Vengha blood in his ancestry, mark-
  ing him with slightly Venghan features. The player may also 
  select one of the following Special Abilities to replace any 
  one of the character’s normal racial Special Abilities. Once 
  selected, it cannot be altered.
  •	Dark	Vision	(Greater)
  •	Enhanced	Senses
  •	Tough	Hide	(Lesser)
  Cost: 5 points
  Vengha Blood (Greater)
  One of the character’s parents is a Vengha, making him 
  half-Venghan. His features are heavily marked, denoting his 
  Venghan heritage. The players may also select two of the fol-
  lowing Special Abilities to replace any two of the character’s 
  normal racial Special Abilities. Once selected, they cannot 
  be altered.
  •	Dark	Vision	(Greater)
  •	Enhanced	Senses
  •	Tough	Hide	(Lesser)
  •	The	character’s	blood	has	a	strong	influence	on	his	physique,	
  self-control and lifespan
   
  o Constitution Bonus +2
   
  o Self Discipline Bonus +2
   
  o Average the lifespan of both your races
  Cost: 10 points
  Height & Weight
  The following table details the base Height and Weight for 
  each race. For any race, height may vary ten inches in ei-
  ther direction, which can also modify a character’s weight. 
  Players should feel free to adjust their height and weight to 
  their liking.
  The following guidelines are presented only to introduce 
  a quasi-random element into determining the height and 
  weight of a character. Simple adjustments may be made 
  by rolling 1d10 twice. For determining random Height 
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  adjustments, subtract if the first roll is odd, and add if the roll 
  is even. The second die roll determines how many inches are 
  added or subtracted (as per the first roll) from the base Height.
  Simple adjustments may also be made for beginning weight 
  values. Follow the same rules above, but multiply the second 
  die roll’s result by the weight Modifier found on the table 
  below to determine the final adjustment
  Starting Age
  Each of the races ages at varying rates. The following table 
  indicates the age at which members of a given race are con-
  sidered to have reached adulthood, and thus able to strike out 
  on their own.
  Race: This is base race of the character. If the character’s 
  lifespan has been modified due to the purchase of Blood 
  Talents, adjust the columns according to the normal lifespan 
  of the character.
  Adulthood: This is the age that characters of a given race are 
  considered to have reached adulthood. It is also generally the 
  starting age for a 1st level character.
  Lifespan: This is the average lifespan for a character of 
  this race.
  Increment: Should a character ever begin the game above 
  first level, this value represents the recommended number of 
  years to be added to the starting age of the character for each 
  level he has obtained beyond the first.
  Cultures
  Aquatic
  Befitting the presence of water in all aspects of this culture’s 
  identity, it is little surprise that most people who live in this 
  culture take things in their stride. The ocean is massive be-
  yond describing. Even lakes can be so large as to seem like 
  oceans. What is one drop of water to an ocean? Much the 
  same can be ascribed to those who live in an Aquatic culture. 
  “It’s not worth getting worked up about,” is a common litany in 
  an Aquatic culture. 
  Preferred Locations: Underwater always, but may interact 
  with the Coastal cultures in some circumstances.
  Clothing & Decoration: Those who live in the Aquatic cul-
  ture tend to favor gauzy, translucent garments that are not 
  really designed for warmth or cooling. In this regard, their 
  clothing amounts to decoration.
  Demeanor: Slow to warm to others, but equally slow to take 
  offense, individuals from an Aquatic culture don’t go out of 
  their way to make friends. If they do befriend you, however, 
  you’ll be a friend for life.
  Starting Languages: Racial Tongue (S 6/W 5), Common (S 
  4/W 3).
  Aerial
  The Aerial culture lives wherever they can command the 
  greatest view of the world around them. Whether that’s in the 
  treetops, atop towering mountains or in cloud-scraping cities 
  built on enormous pillars, Aerial culture members like to get 
  a sense of what’s going on. They don’t like to be surprised. 
  Race Height and Weight Table
  Race
  Base  
  Height
  Base  
  Weight
  Weight 
  Modifier
  Amarvish, Male
  7’
  300
  6
  Amarvish, Female
  6’ 6”
  275
  5
  Bentaxa, Male
  6’ 6”
  275
  5
  Bentaxa, Female
  6’ 9”
  300
  6
  Faleeka, Male
  4’ (8’ 
  wingspan)
  70
  2
  Faleeka, Female
  4’ (8’ 
  wingspan)
  70
  2
  Gordaz, Male
  3’
  45
  1
  Gordaz, Female
  3’
  40
  1
  Hehn, Male
  6’ 10”
  850
  40
  Hehn, Female
  7’
  900
  40
  Kenra, Male
  5’
  90
  2
  Kenra, Female
  4’ 6”
  70
  2
  Menomonee, Male
  5’ 6”
  120
  2
  Menomonee, Female
  5’ 3”
  100
  2
  Navrothor, Male
  9’ 3”
  450
  50
  Navrothor, Female
  9’
  400
  50
  Queequayth, Male
  5’ 2”
  120
  5
  Queequayth, Female
  5’
  100
  5
  Tomalak, Male
  4’
  75
  2
  Tomalak, Female
  3’ 6”
  50
  2
  Vengha, Male
  4’ 6”
  90
  2
  Vengha, Female
  4’ 5”
  80
  2
  Table: Starting Ages
  Race
  Adulthood
  Lifespan
  Increment
  Amarvish
  12
  100
  2
  Bentaxa
  20
  250
  4
  Faleeka
  8
  80
  2
  Gordaz
  7
  40
  1
  Hehn
  50
  500
  10
  Kenra
  16
  100
  2
  Menomonee
  35
  750
  10
  Navrothor
  14
  100
  2
  Queequayth
  15
  80
  2
  Tomalak
  10
  85
  2
  Vengha
  15
  150
  3
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  They like to make their own mind up about how to deal with 
  others. They value surveying. Aerial cultures value discipline, 
  shrewdness and hard work.
  Preferred Locations: As long as it’s higher up than those liv-
  ing nearby, it counts. They never build cities and settlements 
  on the ground.
  Clothing and Decoration: Aerial cultures tend to favor gar-
  ments with feathers or other natural materials. Most of the 
  way over to ornate on the plain-ornate scale, as it were. 
  Demeanor: Sometimes viewed as cautious, other times as 
  suspicious, those who live in the Aerial culture are definitely 
  mistrustful of ground-dwellers, but take great pleasure in 
  meeting other members of Aerial cultures.
  Starting Languages: Racial Tongue (S 6/W 5), Common (S 
  4/W 3).
  Arctic
  From the Arctic and Antarctic Circles all the way to 90 
  degrees latitude there is a forbidding but beautiful land in-
  habited only by the sturdiest of peoples. The Arctic culture 
  breeds strong men and women who don’t mess about. They 
  get down to business and pay very close attention to changes 
  in the environment, be it the physical or social, to ensure that 
  there are no surprises. Because they build their cities and 
  towns in rock and ice, it can be difficult sometimes to realize, 
  unless one knows what to look for, that one has even come 
  across an Arctic city.
  Preferred Locations: Between the polar circles and the poles.
  Clothing and Decoration: People who live in Arctic cul-
  tures value warmth more than design! They understand the 
  value of layering and make use of everything they can hunt 
  or gather to fabricate their clothing and get what they need to 
  survive. Despite the drabness of their clothing, they do enjoy 
  wearing flashy jewelry if they can get it.
  Demeanor: Warm and welcoming but also Spartan and 
  severe, it can be difficult to read those who come from 
  an Arctic culture sometimes because there are so many 
  contrasts in their personalities.
  Starting Languages: Racial Tongue (S 6/W 5), Common (S 
  4/W 3).
  Borderlands
  Somewhere between Nomadic, Underhill and Shallow 
  Warrens lies the Borderlands culture. Borderlanders have 
  a unique ability to function effectively in the Marches that 
  divide other cultures from each other. They are frequently 
  known as honest brokers between hostile powers. They do not 
  build settlements as a rule, but if they do, they are Shallow 
  Warren-like, in that they are nearly impossible for others to 
  find. Given their choices, Borderlanders would want to exist 
  no closer than the fringes of other civilizations and cities.
  Preferred Locations: Like Nomadic cultures, Borderlands 
  cultures tend to shift in space over time. Like Shallow 
  Warrens cultures, they tend towards rugged countryside be-
  cause in the event of a problem, these territories are better 
  defended than others. Like Underhill cultures, Borderlanders 
  don’t like to be piled on top of one another. They like a bit 
  of space.
  Clothing and Decoration: No particular pattern predomi-
  nates with the Borderlanders. They might favor the clothing 
  style of one nearby civilization and the jewelry and adorn-
  ment practices of their great enemy.
  Demeanor: Forgiving and friendly, curious and honest. 
  Borderlanders realize that there is little value in deception 
  as, in any calculation about power, they are going to come in 
  last in whatever region they reside in. Rather different from 
  the Nomadic culture in that that culture values the individual 
  while the Borderlands culture values the collective.
  Starting Languages: Racial Tongue (S 6/W 5), Common (S 
  4/W 3).
  Coastal
  Related to Borderlands and Rural, Coastal cultures make 
  their living from the sea and prefer to spend as much time on 
  the water as possible. They are not Aquatic, in that they don’t 
  live underwater, but they prefer to live at the shore or within 
  an easy walking distance.
  Preferred Locations: Any kind of coastal terrain will suit. 
  Rolling plains that lead to sandy beaches are great, but rocky 
  beaches that give way to cave systems and rough hills are no 
  problem either. In fact, many Coastal communities use sea-
  shore cavern systems to build epic settlements, some of them 
  capable of supporting whole fleets.
  Clothing and Decoration: The best way to describe the cloth-
  ing and decorative traditions of Coastal communities would 
  be “piratical.” Big and flouncy garments, oversized jewelry, 
  gaudy hats…they are a warm people with big personalities.
  Demeanor: As likely to give you the clothes off their back as 
  steal the clothes on yours, they are a culture of rascals and 
  rapscallions…and that’s just the children! No one loves life 
  more than a Coastal culture dweller.
  Starting Languages: Racial Tongue (S 6/W 5), Common (S 
  4/W 3).
  Deeping
  There’s Deep Warrens…and one might even say Deeper 
  Warrens…and then, there’s the Deeping. Way, way down, as it 
  were. Dark and chilly indeed.
  Preferred Locations: There’s really only one. If you think 
  you’ve dug too far down…you haven’t. Keep going. Deeping 
  cultures start where Deep Warren cultures have dug down 
  enough. They are way, way down. As a result, they have 
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  Adolescent Skill Ranks
  Cultural Skills
  Aquatic
  Aerial
  Arctic
  Borderlands
  Coastal
  Deeping
  Ambush
  1
  1
  0
  1
  1
  1
  Animal Handling
  1
  0
  1
  1
  0
  0
  Appraisal
  1
  2
  1
  2
  2
  2
  Armor
  0
  0
  2
  1
  0
  2
  Attunement
  0
  0
  1
  0
  0
  1
  Climbing
  0
  0
  1
  0
  0
  1
  Crafts*
  1
  1
  1
  2
  1
  2
  Endurance
  3
  1
  3
  1
  1
  2
  Flying
  0
  3
  0
  0
  0
  0
  Foraging / Survival
  0
  0
  2
  1
  0
  0
  Healing
  1
  1
  1
  0
  1
  0
  Herbcraft
  0
  0
  0
  0
  1
  0
  Jumping
  0
  0
  1
  0
  1
  1
  Locks & Traps
  0
  0
  0
  2
  1
  0
  Lore (Local)
  1
  2
  1
  2
  1
  1
  Navigation
  3
  2
  1
  0
  2
  0
  Perception
  1
  2
  1
  2
  2
  2
  Riding
  0
  0
  0
  1
  0
  0
  Runes
  0
  0
  0
  0
  0
  1
  Stalking & Hiding
  1
  0
  0
  1
  0
  2
  Swimming
  3
  0
  0
  0
  2
  0
  Tracking
  0
  0
  1
  1
  0
  0
  Weapon Skills**
  2
  2
  1
  1
  1
  2
  Weapon Skills***
  1
  3
  1
  1
  3
  0
  * Select one craft skill
  ** Select one melee weapon group
  *** Select one ranged weapon group
  contact with races and beings that are entirely unknown on 
  the surface and scarcely imagined in the Deep Warrens.
  Clothing and Decoration: Clothes are made for working 
  in—and Deeping cultures work almost entirely with stone. As 
  a result their clothing is rugged and meant to last. Decoration 
  is unheard of.
  Demeanor: Humorless and hard working at the best of times. 
  Dour, sour and forbidding at the worst. They have absolutely 
  zero interest in travelers, have no real tradition of hospitality 
  and would be perfectly content if you would just go away, if 
  that wouldn’t be too much trouble.
  Starting Languages: Racial Tongue (S 6/W 5), Common (S 
  4/W 3).
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  New Races 
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  6 New Professions
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  New Professions 
  Page 84
  
  In HARP Fantasy, you are given the option to play one of 
  nine different character classes: Cleric, Fighter, Harper, 
  Mage, Monk, Ranger, Rogue, Thief, Warrior Mage. Each of 
  these character classes emerges from a cultural tradition that 
  resonates for those of us raised in the West and educated in 
  the classics of Western civilization. It isn’t so difficult for us 
  to recognize the archetype of the Fighter or the Thief: they’re 
  all over our literature. Even trickier examples like the Mage 
  or the Monk are not so hard for us to imagine. What makes 
  these archetypes interesting is the way in which gamemasters 
  morph them to fit their own particular cultural needs. Using 
  the example of the Gryx of the Commonwealth of Enyryx (de-
  veloped in greater detail in chapter 4), their culture doesn’t 
  really call for many Clerics.  The Enyryx have a need for 
  Fighters, but not too many, and they aren’t so different from 
  Fighters in other cultures. Harpers are a highly specialized, 
  small group that would be accorded great honor in that cul-
  ture, because that culture so deeply values craft and leisure. 
  Enyryx are not esoteric masters and the quest for such knowl-
  edge would feel a bit unruly to them. It is possible that most 
  Enyryx Mages exist outside of the Commonwealth. Monks 
  would be devout followers of the practices of Coursing River 
  Ice. Rangers are essential, given how spread out the society is 
  and how wild their land is. Rogues and Thieves exist in every 
  culture, but Thieving tendencies would most certainly cause 
  the Gryx doing it to be expelled from the Commonwealth. 
  The only character class that isn’t particularly aligned in 
  some way to the Enyryx is the Warrior Mage. It is likely that 
  this hybrid form doesn’t even exist. 
  New Professions
  Artisan
  Every society has crafts that they value particularly, whether 
  they are ceramics, metalworking, gourd making, bone craft-
  ing or any one of thousands of other potential areas of con-
  centration. Precision is generally the order of the day for most 
  Artisans in their chosen work. Whilst some Artisans are 
  content to remain in their home village or town, the love of 
  their artistic focus drives the more adventurous to travel far 
  from home in search of new techniques, skills, wisdom and 
  knowledge, and perhaps better fortune.
  Favored Categories
  Concentration: 4
  General: 6
  Influence: 2
  Outdoor: 4
  Physical: 4
  Key Stats: Agility, Self Discipline and either Reasoning 
  or Insight
  Professional Abilities
  All Artisans may choose at 1st level one ability from the fol-
  lowing list: Fast Crafter, Master Craftsman, or Skilled Trader. 
  Beginning at first level, and then every fifth level thereafter, 
  Artisans gain a +10 bonus to any Concentration or General 
  skill of their choice. No skill can have more than a +30 bonus 
  from this ability.
  Talents
  Fast Crafter
  The character can make or repair mundane items using 
  Crafts skill in half the normal time required
  Master Craftsman
  The character has a gift for making and building things, and 
  receives a +10 bonus to all Craft skills.
  Skilled Trader
  The character is a shrewd dealer in goods and services. This 
  Talent gives a +10 bonus to Appraisal, Duping and Trading. 
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  New Professions 
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  Athlete
  Most cultures have some kind of tradition of sporting, a 
  tradition based on physical contests of strength, agility and 
  endurance. These Athletes are often accorded superheroic 
  qualities by their countrymen. They are deeply valued and 
  respected by their cultures, sometimes above and beyond 
  nearly anyone else. They sometimes require the support 
  of a large urban infrastructure, but when that isn’t present, 
  they can be supported by individual sponsors. Athletes are 
  the most physically well-developed of all professions. Added 
  to this, however, is generally a fierce mental discipline that 
  comes from becoming the masters of the mental game of 
  their chosen sport. This can makes the athlete a potentially 
  fearsome foe.
  Favored Categories
  Athletic: 6
  Concentration: 3
  Combat: 2
  General: 2
  Physical: 7
  Key Stats: Agility, Strength, Constitution
  Professional Abilities
  All Athletes may select one of the following four Talents: 
  Agile Defense, Dense Musculature, Inner Strength, or 
  Sureshot. Beginning at first level, and then every fifth level 
  thereafter, Athletes gain a +10 bonus to any Athletic, Combat 
  or Physical skill of their choice. No skill can have more than a 
  +30 bonus from this ability.
  Talents
  Agile Defense / Swashbuckler
  This talent allows a character to add 2 x his Agility Bonus 
  to his DB in addition to the bonus gained from Quickness. 
  However, the character only gains this bonus if not wearing 
  any armor heavier than Soft Leather, not carrying a shield 
  larger than a Buckler, and not wielding a two-handed weapon.
  Dense Musculature
  The character’s body is denser and heavier than normal. 
  As a result, the character multiplies his or her racial weight 
  modifier by 5 when determining their weight. The character 
  gains a special +5 to both his OB and DB. However, due to 
  this increased density, the character suffers a -25 to all swim-
  ming maneuvers.
  Inner Strength
  The character receives a +10 modifier to all Chi related skills.
  Sureshot
  Characters with this talent are an excellent shot with bows, 
  crossbows or other missile weapons. They have an amazingly 
  acute sense of distance and a smooth and easy aim and re-
  lease. All modifiers are reduced to -5 per Range Increment 
  instead of the normal -10. This Talent may be taken multi-
  ple times, once for each type of missile weapon, including 
  thrown weapons.
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  New Professions 
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  Hunter
  By choice, inclination or necessity, the Hunter is most at 
  home in the wilderness. Hunters have the skills to live off the 
  flora and fauna of their chosen environment indefinitely, to 
  travel through its harshest terrain, and defend themselves 
  from its predators. Hunters have an understanding of and 
  a respect for nature, but there is no onus on them to be its 
  protector. Hunters make excellent scouts, trackers, trappers, 
  and explorers.
  Favored Categories
  Athletic: 2
  Combat: 3
  General: 3
  Outdoor: 6
  Physical: 3
  Subterfuge: 3
  Key Stats: Insight, Agility, Reasoning and Strength
  Professional Abilities
  All Hunters gain one of the following talents: Master Tracker, 
  Master Trapper, Outrider Training or Skilled Hunter. 
  Beginning at first level, and then every fifth level thereafter 
  (5th, 10th, etc.), Hunters gain a +10 bonus to any Outdoors 
  skill of their choice. No skill can have more than a +30 bonus 
  from this ability.
  Talents
  Master Tracker
  The character has an unnerving ability to follow the tracks 
  of a target quarry over long distances. This Talent gives a +10 
  bonus to Navigation, Perception and Tracking.
  Master Trapper
  The character is particularly skillful at catching wild animals 
  and beasts using a variety of traps and snares. This Talent 
  gives a +10 bonus to Camouflage, Foraging/Survival and 
  Locks & Traps skill. 
  Outrider Training
  The character is an expert rider. This Talent gives a +10 bonus 
  to Animal Handling, Riding and Combat Style & Maneuver: 
  Mounted Combat. 
  Skilled Hunter
  The character has been trained in the arts of killing at a dis-
  tance. This Talent gives a +10 bonus to Sniping, Stalking & 
  Hiding, and one missile or thrown weapon skill. 
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  New Professions 
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  Intellectual
  The professional intellectual is a scholar, researcher, man 
  of knowledge, storyteller, librarian or sage. Their task is to 
  expand knowledge, educate the young (or indeed elders, de-
  pending on the circumstance), preserve memory and enhance 
  the skills and abilities of others through their learning. Some 
  Intellectuals are public in nature, sharing their wisdom 
  broadly throughout their society. Others are private, shar-
  ing what they’ve learned with others of like mind and disci-
  pline but rarely venturing into the larger world of ideas. Still 
  others apply their knowledge in specific fields of endeavor 
  such as law or medicine. The Intellectual (be s/he public or 
  private) is highly motivated by knowledge; this is what gets 
  them out of the ivory tower and onward to adventures and 
  deeper learning.
  Favored Categories
  Artistic: 2
  Concentration: 3
  General: 9
  Influence: 3
  Physical: 3
  Key Stats: Self Discipline, Reasoning, Insight
  Professional Abilities
  An Intellectual selects one talent from the following list: 
  Academic Specialization, Physick, Racial/Cultural Expert, or 
  Scholar, and one talent from the following list: Good Memory, 
  Natural Linguist or Speed Reader. Beginning at first level, and 
  then every fifth level thereafter, Intellectuals gain a +10 bonus 
  to any General skill of their choice. No skill can have more 
  than a +30 bonus from this ability.
  Talents
  Academic Specialization
  The character has concentrated his efforts in a particular 
  area of academic study, and gains a +20 bonus in one chosen 
  Mundane Lore. This Talent may be taken multiple times, but 
  must be for a different Mundane Lore each time.
  Good Memory
  The character can accurately recall any conversations heard 
  and describe any places, items, or individuals seen within 5 
  days. Thereafter, his memory fades normally.
  Natural Linguist
  Using knowledge of a language that he already knows, a char-
  acter may attempt to understand (both listening and reading), 
  speak and write a related language. A Maneuver roll (All-or-
  Nothing or Percentage at GM’s discretion) will be required for 
  any communication in the related language with a special +20 
  bonus to the maneuver.
  Physick
  The character has a gift for healing, and receives a +10 bonus 
  on all his healing & medical skills.
  Racial/Cultural Expert
  The character gains +10 to all skills relating to one race or cul-
  ture (not their own). This Talent may be purchased multiple 
  times for a different race or culture each time.
  Scholar
  The character has an insatiable appetite for knowledge and a 
  fantastic ability to recall information. He gains a special +10 
  bonus to all Lore skills, both mundane and magical.
  Speed Reader
  The character can read at three times normal speed, i.e. the 
  character can read and comprehend 750 words per minute, 
  instead of 250 words per minute
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  New Professions 
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  Laborer
  The Laborer is found in every city, every town and 
  on every manor in every society more complex 
  than a single family living on an island by itself. 
  Laborers make society work by planting and har-
  vesting crops, carrying goods, repairing items, 
  passing information, being the heavy when that’s 
  called for and in general doing the hard work that 
  nobody notices that is essential. Physically ex-
  tremely strong and hardy, their very ubiquity can 
  make them invisible to those who would consider 
  themselves the social superiors of Laborers.
  Favored Categories
  Combat: 3
  General: 5
  Influence: 3
  Outdoor: 5
  Physical: 4
  Key Stats: Strength, Agility and Constitution
  Professional Abilities
  All Laborers begin with two of the following 
  talents: Accelerated Healing, Blazing Speed, 
  Enhanced Senses, Lesser Resistance (Stamina), Lesser 
  Resistance (Will), Lightning Reflexes, or Skill Specialization 
  (can be taken twice for different skills or the same skill). 
  Beginning at first level and then every fifth level thereaf-
  ter, Laborers gain a +10 bonus to any General, Outdoor or 
  Physical skill of their choice. No skill can have more than a 
  +30 bonus from this ability.
  Talents
  Accelerated Healing
  The character heals extremely fast. For him, all natural recov-
  ery times are halved. The amount of time required by magical 
  healing (if any) is not halved.
  Blazing Speed
  The character’s Base Movement Rate is increased by 5’.
  Enhanced Senses
  The character has very acute senses, and gains a special bonus 
  of +10 to all Perception rolls.
  Lesser Resistance (Stamina)
  The character has a special +10 bonus to all Stamina-based 
  Resistance Rolls. This talent does not stack with the Greater 
  Resistance (All), Greater Resistance (Stamina), or Lesser 
  Resistance (All) Talents.
  Lesser Resistance (Will)
  The character has a special +10 bonus to all Will-based 
  Resistance Rolls. This talent does not stack with the Greater 
  Resistance (All), Greater Resistance (Will), or Lesser 
  Resistance (All) Talents.
  Lightning Reflexes
  The character has extremely fast reflexes. This grants him a 
  +5 bonus to his initiative roll.
  Skill Specialization
  The character is capable of great focus in learning. This is re-
  flected in him gaining a one time +10 bonus to a single skill. 
  This Talent may be taken no more than three times, for a dif-
  ferent skill each time.
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  New Professions 
  Page 89
  
  Sailor
  The waters of the world exert a special fascination on many, 
  giving those who follow the profession of Sailor a life and live-
  lihood beyond the land. Some Sailors find their adventure on 
  sturdy boats traversing inland canals and rivers, while other 
  Sailors venture out into the deep blue sea in sailing ships 
  for exploration, for commerce and for warfare. Whether 
  the Sailor’s motivation may come from a desire to see dis-
  tant lands or rise in the ranks of leadership or to pillage and 
  cause piratical mayhem, the needs of fleets across the world’s 
  maritime powers will always mean there’s a special place 
  for Sailors.
  Favored Categories
  Athletic: 3
  Combat: 3
  General: 6
  Outdoor: 4
  Physical: 4
  Key Stats: Insight, Strength, Agility
  Professional Abilities
  All Sailors begin the game with one talent from the following 
  list: Mariner Training, Sea Legs or Strong Swimmer, and one 
  talent from the following list: Enhanced Senses, Lightning 
  Reflexes, or Skill Specialization. Beginning at first level, and 
  then every third level thereafter, Sailors gain a +5 bonus to a 
  skill of their choice from their Favored Categories.
  Talents
  Enhanced Senses
  The character has very acute senses, and gains a special bonus 
  of +10 to all Perception rolls.
  Lightning Reflexes
  The character has extremely fast reflexes. This grants him a 
  +5 bonus to his initiative roll.
  Mariner Training
  The character has been trained in the nautical skills through 
  an apprenticeship on the waterways or at sea. This Talent 
  gives a +10 bonus to Climbing, Navigation and Sailing. 
  Sea Legs
  The character is used to the rolling motion of boats and ships. 
  The character reduces all penalties for maritime conditions 
  and sea state conditions by 20.
  Skill Specialization
  The character is capable of great focus in learning. This is re-
  flected in him gaining a one time +10 bonus to a single skill. 
  This Talent may be taken no more than three times, for a dif-
  ferent skill each time.
  Strong Swimmer
  The character is a fast and strong swimmer. When required 
  to make a successful Swimming maneuver, the character may 
  move at Base Movement Rate rather than half Base Movement 
  Rate. The character also gains a +10 bonus to Swimming skill.
  HARP  Folkways 
  New Professions 
  Page 90
  
  Scoundrel
  A Scoundrel is a thief…of hearts and minds. Whereas a tradi-
  tional thief will pick your pocket, the Scoundrel will convince 
  you to give up your hard earned silver voluntarily. Some are 
  just weavers of silken words and tellers of elaborate but con-
  vincingly sad stories, who want nothing more than whatever 
  it is of value that you have. Such Scoundrels are natural con 
  artists, hustlers, seducers, and if really down on their luck, 
  beggars desperate for some alms. Other Scoundrels aspire to 
  greater things and enter politics, using their powers of per-
  suasion from the street corner through smoky rooms to the 
  corridors of power.
  Favored Categories
  Artistic: 2
  Influence: 6
  Subterfuge: 5
  General: 4
  Physical: 3
  Key Stats: Insight, Presence, Agility
  Professional Abilities
  At 1st level, all Scoundrels begin the game with one tal-
  ent from the following list: Diplomat Training, Master 
  Entertainer, Manual Dexterity, Silver Tongued or Street 
  Smart, and one talent from the following list: Calming Voice, 
  Good Memory, Judge of Value, Natural Linguist or Skill 
  Specialization. Beginning at first level, and then every fifth 
  level thereafter, Scoundrels gain a +10 bonus to any Influence 
  skill of their choice. No Influence skill can have more than a 
  +30 bonus from this ability.
  Talents
  Calming Voice
  The character gains +10 to all Influence skills when used to 
  calm down one or more individuals.
  Diplomatic Training
  The character has been trained for a career in diplomacy. This 
  Talent gives a +10 bonus to Diplomacy, Public Speaking and 
  one Mundane Lore (such as Heraldry or a Culture Lore). 
  Good Memory
  The character can accurately recall any conversations heard 
  and describe any places, items, or individuals seen within 5 
  days. Thereafter, his memory fades normally.
  Judge of Value
  The character gains +10 to all Appraisal skills.
  Manual Dexterity
  The character is nimble of fingers. The Talent grants the char-
  acter +10 to Locks & Traps, Pick Pockets and Trickery.
  Master Entertainer
  The character is a natural entertainer. This Talent gives a +10 
  bonus to any three Artistic skills. 
  Natural Linguist
  Using knowledge of a language that he already knows, a char-
  acter may attempt to understand (both listening and reading), 
  speak and write a related language. A Maneuver roll (All-or-
  Nothing or Percentage at GM’s discretion) will be required for 
  any communication in the related language with a special +20 
  bonus to the maneuver.
  Silver Tongued
  The character has mastered the arts of duplicity in spoken 
  word and manner. This Talent gives a +10 bonus to Acting, 
  Charm and Duping. 
  Skill Specialization
  The character is capable of great focus in learning. This is re-
  flected in him gaining a one time +10 bonus to a single skill. 
  This Talent may be taken no more than three times, for a dif-
  ferent skill each time.
  Street Smart
  The character is well-versed in the subtleties of urban liv-
  ing. This Talent gives a +10 bonus to Duping, Streetwise, 
  and Trading.
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  New Professions 
  Page 91
  
  Seeker
  There is hardly a society, no matter how simple or complex, 
  that doesn’t have within it undesirable elements. These peo-
  ple, whether they operate singly or in groups, often attract 
  the negative attention of the well-off sort (because they steal 
  their stuff or kidnap their children or worse) and when they 
  do, these elites turn inevitably to the Seeker to recover their 
  wealth or their kin or exact revenge. The Seeker is a tracker 
  equally at home in city and wilderness, and a jack-of-all-
  trades. The Seeker is able to move throughout all levels of 
  society with ease and can also track their bounty in an assort-
  ment of environments.
  Favored Categories
  Athletic: 2
  Combat: 2
  General: 3
  Influence: 3
  Outdoors: 2
  Physical: 2
  Subterfuge: 6
  Key Stats: Insight, Strength, Agility
  Professional Abilities
  Beginning at first level, and then every fifth level thereaf-
  ter, Seekers gain a +10 bonus to any Influence, Outdoors or 
  Subterfuge skill of their choice. No skill can have more than a 
  +30 bonus from this ability.
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  New Professions 
  Page 92
  
  Trader
  Traders are buyers and sellers of goods and services. Traders 
  have the unique ability to move between and among the lay-
  ers of societies with relative ease. Known to members of the 
  city guard, the constabulary, the rich and powerful and even 
  the less well off, those engaged in the merchant trade must be 
  well known to their existing and potential customers. Traders 
  tread a careful line between seeking too much fame and at-
  tention, and avoiding a reputation for secrecy or sneakiness. 
  Making money requires accessibility to one’s customers, 
  making large amounts of money requires everyone trusts 
  you. That is the great advantage of the Trader—when they 
  get it right, they can get away with anything, because no one 
  believes that the Trader is anything other than a purveyor of 
  goods and services.
  Favored Categories
  Artistic: 2
  Combat: 2
  General: 6
  Influence: 6
  Physical: 2
  Subterfuge: 2
  Key Stats: Insight, Reasoning, Presence
  Professional Abilities
  All Traders may choose from one of the following talents: 
  Diplomat Training, Racial/Cultural Expert, Silver Tongued, 
  or Skilled Trader. Beginning at first level and then every five 
  levels, Traders gain a +10 bonus to a General or Influence skill 
  of their choice. No skill can have more than a +30 bonus from 
  this ability.
  Talents
  Diplomatic Training
  The character has been trained for a career in diplomacy. This 
  Talent gives a +10 bonus to Diplomacy, Public Speaking and 
  one Mundane Lore (such as Heraldry or a Culture Lore). 
  Racial/Cultural Expert
  The character gains +10 to all skills relating to one race or cul-
  ture (not their own). This Talent may be purchased multiple 
  times for a different race or culture each time.
  Silver Tongued
  The character has mastered the arts of duplicity in spoken 
  word and manner. This Talent gives a +10 bonus to Acting, 
  Charm and Duping. 
  Skilled Trader
  The character is a shrewd dealer in goods and services. This 
  Talent gives a +10 bonus to Appraisal, Duping and Trading. 
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  New Professions 
  Page 93
  
  Valet
  No common drudge, the Valet is the master of social rela-
  tions and the vicissitudes of daily life, trained to anticipate 
  the needs of an employer or a guest. Broad training in a host 
  of general skills and deep learning across a wide variety of 
  areas makes the Valet an invaluable asset to nobles, person-
  ages of high status and wealth, diplomats and more. When 
  not in service as butler, steward, or majordomo, Valets may 
  establish themselves in more independent careers such as 
  innkeepers, restauranteurs, and so forth. The Valet can often 
  smooth over difficulties caused by others and is never the 
  cause of the problem.
  Favored Categories
  Artistic: 2
  Combat: 2
  General: 5
  Influence: 6
  Physical: 3
  Subterfuge: 2
  Key Stats: Reasoning, Presence, Insight
  Professional Abilities
  All Valets may choose from one of the following talents: 
  Master Entertainer, Master of Vocation, Physick, Silver 
  Tongued, Skilled Trader, or Street Smart. Beginning at first 
  level and then every five levels, Valets gain a +10 bonus to a 
  General or Influence skill of their choice. No skill can have 
  more than a +30 bonus from this ability.
  Talents
  Master Entertainer
  The character is a natural entertainer. This Talent gives a +10 
  bonus to any three Artistic skills. 
  Master of Vocation
  The character is an expert in their chosen vocational skill set. 
  This Talent gives a +20 bonus to one specific Vocation. 
  Physick
  The character has a gift for healing, and receives a +10 bonus 
  on all his healing & medical skills.
  Silver Tongued
  The character has mastered the arts of duplicity in spoken 
  word and manner. This Talent gives a +10 bonus to Acting, 
  Charm and Duping. 
  Skilled Trader
  The character is a shrewd dealer in goods and services. This 
  Talent gives a +10 bonus to Appraisal, Duping and Trading. 
  Street Smart
  The character is well-versed in the subtleties of urban liv-
  ing. This Talent gives a +10 bonus to Duping, Streetwise, 
  and Trading.
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  New Skills
  The races, cultures, professions and training packages in this 
  book necessitate the introduction of some additional skills 
  to HARP Fantasy. All of these skills were first described in 
  HARP SF but are applicable to historical and fantasy milieux, 
  with minor modifications.
  Camouflage
  This is a character’s skill for concealing an item or another 
  person using the properties of the surrounding environment, 
  such as hiding them in ditches or hollows in the ground, cov-
  ering them with fallen foliage, daubing them with suitably 
  colored paints in natural patterns, and so forth.
  (Subterfuge – In/Ag – All-or-nothing)
  Painting
  This skill is used in the creation and design of visual art and 
  graphics. It includes pen and pencil sketches and actual paint-
  ing in watercolors and oil pigments.
  (Artistic – In/In – All-or-nothing)
  Sculpting
  This skill is used in forming (by carving, etching, molding etc.) 
  three-dimensional figures and shapes in relief (projections 
  from the surface) or in solid materials. This skill does not give 
  its possessor the ability to work materials without appropri-
  ate tools.
  (Artistic – In/Ag – All-or-nothing)
  Sports
  This skill encompasses individual and team games, such as 
  tennis, football, competitive running, skiing, etc. Each sport 
  must be developed as a separate skill and includes knowledge 
  of the rules and techniques.
  (Athletic – Ag/Co – All-or-nothing)
  Vocation
  This set of skills encompasses the training and specialist 
  knowledge gained by people through study and on-the-job ex-
  perience in everyday occupations. Each Vocation is a separate 
  skill – a number of possible Vocations are described below:
  Administration: This covers record-keeping and bureau-
  cratic procedures
  Seaman: This covers knowledge relating to shipboard life and 
  duties, and seafaring etiquette.
  Soldiering: This covers knowledge relating to military or-
  ganization and military etiquette.
  Steward: This covers the administration involved in running 
  a substantial estate or wealthy household, and the etiquette of 
  dealing with masters and servants.
  Writing
  This skill is used by any character who wishes to compose 
  poetry, saga, short stories, novels, or other works of fiction. 
  Writing also covers journalistic writing where the emphasis 
  is on accurate and concise reporting of factual information.
  (Artistic – In/Re – All-or-nothing)
  New Talents
  Academic Specialization
  The character has concentrated his efforts in a particular 
  area of academic study, and gains a +20 bonus in one chosen 
  Mundane Lore. This Talent may be taken multiple times, but 
  must be for a different Mundane Lore each time.
  Cost: 15
  Amphibious Action 
  The character can move and act underwater without penalty, 
  e.g. they may swim at base movement rate without requiring 
  any maneuver and suffer no penalties to movement, initiative, 
  DB, Dodge or Sudden Dodge when underwater.
  Cost: 20
  Calming Voice
  The character gains +10 to all Influence skills when used to 
  calm down one or more individuals.
  Cost: 10
  Cold Resistance (minor)
  The character has a significant resistance to natural cold. The 
  temperatures at which the character has to make Stamina 
  RRs is lowered by 20 degrees Celsius (i.e. to -16 and -38 de-
  grees Celsius, or 3 and -36 degrees Fahrenheit).
  Cost: 10
  Cold Resistance (major)
  The character has a very significant resistance to natural 
  cold. The temperatures at which the character has to make 
  Stamina RRs are lowered by 50 degrees Celsius (i.e. to -46 and 
  -68 degrees Celsius, or -50 and -90 degrees Fahrenheit).
  Cost: 20
  Category
  Skills
  Stats
  Resolution
  Artistic
  Painting
  In / In
  All-or-nothing
  Sculpting
  In / Ag
  All-or-nothing
  Writing
  In / Re
  All-or-nothing
  Athletic
  Sports
  Ag / Co
  All-or-nothing
  General
  Vocation
  In / Re
  All-or-nothing
  Subterfuge
  Camouflage
  In / Ag
  All-or-nothing
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  Danger Sense
  The character has become accustomed to peril. The character 
  makes Combat Perception maneuvers at a -20 modifier rather 
  than the normal -50 modifier. 
  Cost: 30
  Diplomatic Training
  The character has been trained for a career in diplomacy. This 
  Talent gives a +10 bonus to Diplomacy, Public Speaking and 
  one Mundane Lore (such as Heraldry or a Culture Lore). 
  Cost: 15
  Enhanced Amphibious Senses 
  The character has exceptionally acute senses, earning them 
  a special bonus of +10 to all General Perception checks. They 
  can see as easily underwater as they can in air.
  Cost 25
  Exceptionally Dense Musculature 
  The character’s body is much denser and heavier than normal. 
  As a result, the character multiplies his or her racial weight 
  modifier by 10 when determining their weight. The character 
  receives a special +10 to OB and DB, but suffers a -50 penalty 
  to Swimming. 
  Cost: 50
  Fast Crafter
  The character can make or repair mundane items using 
  Crafts skill in half the normal time required
  Cost: 15
  Gills
  The character has gills and can breathe underwater using 
  their gills as easily as they breathe on land.
  Cost 10
  Good Memory
  The character can accurately recall any conversations heard 
  and describe any places, items, or individuals seen within 5 
  days. Thereafter, his memory fades normally.
  Cost 10
  Gregariousness
  The character finds it naturally easy to cooperate on tasks 
  with friends. This equates to a +10 bonus when the character 
  makes a supporting maneuver to assist another individual. 
  Cost: 15
  Hardiness: 
  Because of the character’s extreme endurance, use the follow-
  ing Pace chart for the character:
  Cost: 20
  Heat Resistance (minor)
  The character has a significant resistance to natural heat. The 
  temperatures at which the character has to make Stamina 
  RRs are increased by 20 degrees Celsius (i.e. to 52, 63, and 74 
  degrees Celsius, or 125, 145, and 165 degrees Fahrenheit).
  Cost: 10
  Heat Resistance (major)
  The character has a significant resistance to natural heat. The 
  temperatures at which the character has to make Stamina 
  RRs are increased by 50 degrees Celsius (i.e. to 82, 93, 104 de-
  grees Celsius, or 180, 200 and 220 degrees Fahrenheit).
  Cost: 20
  Judge of Value
  The character gains +10 to all Appraisal skills.
  Cost: 10
  Multiple / Peripheral Eyes [Lesser]
  The character’s eyes are spread far to the sides. Foes do not 
  receive any flank bonuses when attacking the character (un-
  less the character is surprised). The bonus for Rear attacks is 
  reduced from +20 to +10. The character makes Perception 
  rolls at +10.
  Cost: 15
  Manual Dexterity
  The character is nimble of fingers. The Talent grants the char-
  acter +10 to Locks & Traps, Pick Pockets and Trickery.
  Cost 15
  Mariner Training
  The character has been trained in the nautical skills through 
  an apprenticeship on the waterways or at sea. This Talent 
  gives a +10 bonus to Climbing, Navigation and Sailing. 
  Cost: 15
  Master Entertainer
  The character is a natural entertainer. This Talent gives a +10 
  bonus to any three Artistic skills. 
  Cost: 15
  Pace
  Time Increment
  Walk
  Indefinite, provided a CON above 25. 
  For a character with a CON below 25 
  have a 1 hour per point of Con Bonus 
  pace.
  Run
  30 minutes per point of Con Bonus
  Fast Run
  5 minutes per point of Con Bonus
  Sprint
  2 minutes per point of Con Bonus
  Dash
  1 minute per point of Con Bonus
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  Master of Vocation
  The character is an expert in their chosen vocational skill set. 
  This Talent gives a +20 bonus to one specific Vocation. 
  Cost: 15
  Master Tracker
  The character has an unnerving ability to follow the tracks 
  of a target quarry over long distances. This Talent gives a +10 
  bonus to Navigation, Perception and Tracking.
  Cost: 15
  Master Trapper
  The character is particularly skillful at catching wild animals 
  and beasts using a variety of traps and snares. This Talent 
  gives a +10 bonus to Camouflage, Foraging/Survival and 
  Locks & Traps skill. 
  Cost: 15
  Outrider Training
  The character is an expert rider. This Talent gives a +10 bonus 
  to Animal Handling, Riding and Combat Style & Maneuver: 
  Mounted Combat. 
  Cost: 15
  People Person
  The character gains +10 to all Influence skills.
  Cost: 20
  Racial/Cultural Expert
  The character gains +10 to all skills relating to one race or cul-
  ture (not their own). This Talent may be purchased multiple 
  times for a different race or culture each time.
  Cost: 15
  Sea Legs
  The character is used to the rolling motion of boats and ships. 
  The character reduces all penalties for maritime conditions 
  and sea state conditions by 20.
  Cost: 15
  Shrewdness 
  The character is an exceptional evaluators of the hearts and 
  minds of others and has a flair for social perception.  The 
  character receives a +5 to all Influence-based skill maneuvers
  Cost: 10
  Superior Blazing Speed:
  The character’s Base Movement Rate is increased by 10’. 
  Cost: 20
  Silver Tongued
  The character has mastered the arts of duplicity in spoken 
  word and manner. This Talent gives a +10 bonus to Acting, 
  Charm and Duping. 
  Cost: 15
  Skilled Hunter
  The character has been trained in the arts of killing at a dis-
  tance. This Talent gives a +10 bonus to Sniping, Stalking & 
  Hiding, and one missile or thrown weapon skill. 
  Cost: 15
  Skilled Trader
  The character is a shrewd dealer in goods and services. This 
  Talent gives a +10 bonus to Appraisal, Duping and Trading. 
  Cost: 15
  Speed Reader
  The character can read at three times normal speed, i.e. the 
  character can read and comprehend 750 words per minute, 
  instead of 250 words per minute
  Cost: 10
  Street Smart
  The character is well-versed in the subtleties of urban liv-
  ing. This Talent gives a +10 bonus to Duping, Streetwise, 
  and Trading.
  Cost: 15
  Strong Swimmer
  The character is a fast and strong swimmer. When required 
  to make a successful Swimming maneuver, the character may 
  move at Base Movement Rate rather than half Base Movement 
  Rate. The character also gains a +10 bonus to Swimming skill.
  Cost: 15
  Wildly Nimble
  The character is extremely nimble and light on his feet. He 
  gains a special bonus of +15 to any Stalking and/or Acrobatic/
  Tumbling maneuvers.
  Cost: 20
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  Brotherhood of Aliens
  Scattered throughout Coastal and Borderlands Cultures one 
  can find large cosmopolitan cities known for how different 
  they are from every other place. These cities are home to lots 
  and lots of different people and often have reputations that 
  precede them. Filled with shysters and rogues, criminals, pi-
  rates and jackanapes, cities like these owe their entire exist-
  ence, tone and way of life to the fact that they are not in the 
  central core of their home civilization. In these cities, there 
  is always one group of sworn brothers who, despite their 
  tendency to thievery and mischief-making, band together in 
  common purpose or at least in common defense. The only 
  thing common between these Alien Brothers is their differ-
  ences. They bind these folks together.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Brawling 
  2
  Survival 
  2
  Ambush 
  2
  Locks & Traps 
  4
  Pick Pockets 
  4
  Stalking & Hiding 
  4
  Streetwise 
  2
  Clowns
  Entertainment takes many forms. In many cultures, the ar-
  chetype of the clown is a powerful figure who uses makeup, 
  slapstick and a willingness to tweak the rich and powerful to 
  subversively educate and entertain. Clowns can range from 
  the court jester type to more serious forms. Sometimes they 
  take on the aspect of a character particular to a culture. They 
  are sometimes but not always associated with circuses or 
  traveling entertainments.
  Skills 
  Ranks
  Acting 
  2
  Dancing 
  2
  Mimicry 
  2
  Play Instrument 
  2
  Charm 
  4
  Public Speaking 
  2
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  Conquistadors
  Almost every society has a group of adventurous types—the 
  forward-lookers who others call nuts or crazy for the values 
  they profess. These people are the ones who will set sail in 
  ships that others would call barely seaworthy in search of lost 
  or undiscovered continents. They fear little, except boredom. 
  If sailing isn’t their bag or they didn’t grow up near the sea, 
  the call of oceans of sand and grassy plains can exert just as 
  powerful a call. For some, the call of adventure alone is a driv-
  ing force. Without question, for others, what motivates is a 
  desire not just to see but to exploit. There are a few cultures 
  that put no value on the accumulation of wealth, but there 
  aren’t that many. In some societies, the Conquistadores serve 
  as the spearhead to a more significant process of explora-
  tion, extraction and colonization that can occupy a culture 
  for centuries.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Weapon Skills (choose) 
  2
  Rope Mastery 
  2
  Signaling 
  2
  Charm 
  2
  Navigation 
  4
  Sailing 
  4
  Swimming (if by sea) 
  3
  Envenomers
  Respected, essentially, by no one but highly valued by those 
  who need their services, the Envenomers are specialists in the 
  development, use and deployment of poisons. Considered by 
  many cultures to be akin to murderers, they are often driven 
  from cities and towns and forced to live in the countryside. 
  Cultures with strong senses of order and ethics would par-
  ticularly loathe Envenomers. Be that as it may, their services 
  are rarely in light demand.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Herbcraft 
  5
  Horticulture 
  2
  Perception 
  2
  Poisoning 
  5
  Resistance: Stamina 
  1
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  Fisherfolk
  The ability to make a living on the seashore requires a special-
  ized set of skills requiring significant training. The Fisherfolk 
  have, over the centuries, developed the ability to help anyone 
  learn how to work in Aquatic and Coastal cultures and make 
  a good living doing so. Moreover, because their training is so 
  physically rigorous, even people who wouldn’t have a particu-
  lar need for this skill will find it a great boon if they have to 
  operate for long periods of time in the water or below it.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Chi Focus 
  2
  Crafts 
  2
  Foraging 
  5
  Perception 
  1
  Resistance: Stamina 
  2
  Swimming 
  5
  The Gamemasters of Anjaxa
  Who doesn’t like a well crafted game? Be you Bentaxa, Dwarf, 
  Gnome, Human or Tomalak, a game that is properly designed 
  can bring about endless hours of diversion. Games that also 
  take the form of stories can be even more compelling. The 
  Anjaxa are known for many things, but their paramount cre-
  ative skill is the construction of fine games. Capable of coor-
  dinating the play of more than 100 players, the Gamemasters 
  of Anjaxa create stories from whole cloth or from the legends 
  and history of the people they encounter. An Anjaxa game is 
  worth a journey of months to play.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Acrobatics 
  2
  Mental Focus 
  2
  Mundane Lore: Games 
  2
  Duping 
  2
  Storytelling 
  4
  Trickery 
  2
  Greensmen and Greenswomen
  There’s hardly a culture or race that doesn’t value a beauti-
  ful garden. Well-kept landscape architecture doesn’t design 
  itself or maintain itself—that is the role of Greensmen and 
  Greenswomen. Their knowledge of plants, design and the 
  seasons is unparalleled.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Appraisal (Plants) 
  2
  Herbcraft 
  5
  Horticulture 
  5
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  Knights Gastronomist 
  No one, and I mean no one, who encounters the Knights 
  Gastronomist regrets the encounter. Charming rogues (not 
  the character class, but rather the personality type) who 
  could coax a Navrothor to buy ice (not that they’d want to, 
  mind you), the Imperial, Sovereign and Munificent Order of 
  Metabolical Knights, Gastronomist want nothing more than 
  for you to be satisfied. They want your next meal to be one 
  you won’t forget. Your next cocktail? Sublime. A wine pair-
  ing with that sumptuous meal? What you will recall on your 
  death bed. In short, they care about entertaining, cooking, 
  preparing meals and ensuring that you’ve had a great time. 
  Created a century ago by order of Emperor Darwish V, the 
  Knights Gastronomist have become the most important of 
  all of the Ordered Knights (which number 47 in total). When 
  the Knights Gastronomist aren’t cooking or learning the lat-
  est mixology tricks, they are keen adventurers hoping to learn 
  even more about the food and drink ways of others.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Mental Focus 
  5
  Crafts: Cooking 
  4
  Crafts: Mixology 
  4
  Charm 
  2
  Maskmakers
  Covering the full range of techniques and skills required 
  to provide others with the ability to pass unnoticed, the 
  Maskmakers are the masters of crafting disguises for others 
  in need. They are experts at clothing, wig-making, jewelry 
  and costuming and most importantly, they have the judg-
  ment necessary to combine these techniques in ways that 
  make it possible for others to succeed with whatever dissem-
  bling is required.
  Skills 
  Ranks
  Appraisal (Clothes) 
  2
  Crafts (Tailoring) 
  3
  Crafts (Masks) 
  3
  Disguise 
  5
  Nestorians
  Found generally in the largest cities where there is a great 
  deal of demand for storytelling (and the available capital 
  to support lots of storytellers), the Nestorians are known for 
  their prodigious memories. What separates a Nestorian from 
  other kinds of storytellers is their love of detail. When one at-
  tends a telling from a Nestorian, the commitment is to a full 
  evening’s entertainment. Not everyone is a fan of Nestorian 
  practice. It takes many years of experience to become one, 
  and in that time, some Nestorians become more interested in 
  detail than in the subtle craft of storytelling. It is one of the 
  risks that a Nestorian is willing to take, after all, a storyteller 
  is only as good as his or her material!
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Acting 
  3
  Mimicry 
  2
  Storytelling/Charm 
  7 
      points between them, no more than 5 in either one
  Public Speaking 
  3
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  Precisionists
  Do not for a moment mistake the intentions of a Precisionist. 
  Precision of movement. Precision of speech. Precision of 
  intention. These warrior mages are best known for the scru-
  pulous ways in which they practice their craft. They are dis-
  ciplined, focused and intense to a person. Every Precisionist 
  spends a number of years at the Crimson Enclosure, the mon-
  astery and intellectual center of the order. Nearly two-thirds 
  of those who arrive in their youth at the Crimson Enclosure 
  fail to graduate. Those who do are keenly sought after by any 
  and all who value the assistance of the finest martial artists 
  and most skilled practitioners of magic that can be found.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  MA Strikes 
  4
  MA Styles (choice) 
  4
  MA Sweeps 
  4
  Attunement 
  4
  Runes 
  4
  Private Eye
  There will always be a need for investigators who are not get-
  ting paid by the local authorities. For those needs, no one 
  fits the bill quite like a private eye. These personal investiga-
  tors inveigle themselves into their local setting with cat-like 
  grace (if they’re any good) and can get people to squeal even 
  when they don’t realize it. Most prevalent in Human socie-
  ties, Private Eyes can be found among the Gryx, Halflings, 
  Navrothor and Tomalak slightly less frequently.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Diplomacy 
  3
  Duping 
  3
  Interrogation 
  5
  Perception 
  5
  Scavengers
  There are always going to be those who are on the margins of 
  their society. These people, shunned, ignored and forgotten, 
  nevertheless will find a way to survive. Every culture creates 
  wealth that it disposes of (in our contemporary world, think of 
  the amount of food thrown away or of electronic devices that 
  are recycled); the Scavengers have all the skills they need in 
  order to endure by means of the waste of the rich. Common 
  in Urban cultures, Scavengers are next most common in 
  Deeping cultures, where there is so little that the skill of find-
  ing food and material is highly prized.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Foraging 
  5 
  (the most common environment in which the character lives)
  Foraging 
  4 
  (the second most common environment)
  Streetwise 
  4
  Stalking&Hiding 
  3
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  Servants of the Eighth Order
  There were seven orders in the history of the Empire. Seven 
  different visions of the balance between the forces of order 
  that maintain society and the forces of chaos that stimulate 
  growth and change. Seven visions…and seven different ver-
  sions of collapse. Now, the Servants of the Eighth Order work 
  day and night to establish and maintain the Eighth Vision of 
  the Celestial Investigators. At the heart of the Eighth Vision is 
  the belief that every eight years, everyone should change their 
  vocation. A Servant of the Eighth Order commits to an eight 
  year term of service in defense of the Celestial Investigators.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Combat Styles (choice) 
  2
  Weapon Skills (choice) 
  2
  Mental Focus 
  2
  Leadership 
  2
  Arcane Lore 
  2
  Armor 
  2
  Singers of the Ascending Sun
  This order of clerics is sworn to one aspect of the god Thumu, 
  the god of the sun. This particular group of clerics honors 
  Thumu in his aspect as the rising sun.  Three centuries ago, 
  a terrible schism arose among those who worship Thumu 
  and when the civil war between the sides was resolved after 
  more than a generation, two orders were brought into exist-
  ence. The Singers of the Ascending Sun serve the coming of 
  the day and the first flower of the morning. They do their best 
  work between daybreak and mid-morning and swear off the 
  casting of spells during the last two hours of daylight and the 
  first two hours of evening. Thumu their patron encourages 
  this behavior by changing the way Ascending Singers spend 
  Power Points to cast spells. Spells cast in the Ascending cost 
  1/2 of their base cost. Spells cast in Setting cost double their 
  base cost. All other times are normal.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Singing 
  4
  Climbing 
  3
  Concentration 
  3
  Charm 
  3
  Religious Lore 
  3
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  Singers of the Setting Sun
  This order of clerics is also sworn to one aspect of the god 
  Thumu. Singers of the Setting Sun give homage to Thumu 
  in his aspect as the setting sun. Singers of the Setting Sun 
  are mindful of the transition from day to night and relish 
  the coming of the darkness. These clerics know that there is 
  evil in the world. Rather than reject that evil in a pollyanna 
  way, they combat it on its own terms (at least according to 
  their sense of the way the world works). Thumu encourages the 
  Singers of the Setting Sun to focus on their values by chang-
  ing the way Setting Singers spend Power Points to cast spells. 
  Spells cast during the last two hours of daylight and the first 
  two hours of evening cost 1/2 of their base cost. Spells cast 
  between sunup and noon cost double their base cost. All 
  other spells bear their normal cost.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Singing 
  4
  Brawling 
  2
  Duping 
  2
  Religious Lore 
  3
  Stalking & Hiding 
  2
  Stylites
  It takes a special man or woman to make the kind of com-
  mitment that the Stylites call for. Named for a once-extinct 
  order of extremely ascetic monks who lived years or decades 
  perched atop elaborate pillars, the modern Stylites use the 
  perch-dwellers as inspiration for their own ascetic practices. 
  While many modern Stylites take the inspiration directly 
  and sit atop pillars in the big cities, many others wander the 
  streets of cities or the wilderness and perform acts of depriva-
  tion and dispense words of wisdom to followers and believers. 
  Practiced most especially by humans, but Bentaxa have been 
  known to be so moved as well.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Contortions 
  2
  Mental Focus 
  4
  Perception 
  2
  Survival 
  2
  Endurance 
  5
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  The Traceurs
  Not so interested in the rural heartland of civilization, The 
  Traceurs can be found in the towns and cities, regardless of 
  whether they are above ground, on the ground or in the Deep 
  Warrens. Every culture that builds cities has people who em-
  brace the Traceur mindset. Traceurs are all about moving in 
  cities. They run, they jump, they live atop the roofs and on the 
  sides of buildings. There is no structure that is secure against 
  them. They are assertive in their use of the physical space and 
  love competition, particularly against one another. If any-
  thing is true, they love to have a good time.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Acrobatics 
  5
  Climbing 
  4
  Jumping 
  4
  Locks & Traps 
  2
  Streetwise 
  3
  Translators and Interpreters
  In complex cosmopolitan societies, the presence of multiple 
  language communities makes the services of translators and 
  interpreters a given rather than an exception. For highly so-
  phisticated societies, the services of these learned individuals 
  is worth its price in gold.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Linguistics 
  10 
  (any combination of Spoken/Written, no more than 3 lan-
  guages at a time)
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  The Ululators of Hark
  The village of Hark is located in a steep mountain valley. 
  Twice a day, howling winds blow in from first the west and 
  then the east. As these winds pass through the mountains 
  and the myriad passes that criss-cross these mountains, they 
  cause extraordinary, keening sounds that are so intense and 
  stimulating that they attract visitors from a continent away. 
  The Ululators of Hark are trained in the singing of these 
  sounds and, intrepid adventurers to a person, they travel the 
  lands sharing their knowledge and looking for new songs.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Dancing 
  4
  Play Instrument (choice) 
  4
  Singing 
  6
  Public Speaking 
  3
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  Útilegumennarnir
  Útilegumennarnir (the outlaws) is a name given to a clan 
  of criminal brothers and sisters who make their lives en-
  tirely outside the realm of civilization. Usually, these 
  Útilegumennarnir are driven from their civilization because 
  of their crimes (and because they escaped whatever justice 
  was going to be meted out to them). Sometimes, they leave 
  society of their own free will seeking adventure or simply mo-
  tivated by a desire to be entirely and completely free of rules 
  and expectations. More than 80% of Útilegumennarnir are 
  men, but in many respects the women are the ones who influ-
  ence the others. Fiercely independent, Útilegumennarnir are 
  rarely encountered in cities or even in towns. There are doz-
  ens of stories of Útilegumennarnir being hunted by the forces 
  of civilization. Almost always these stories serve to accentu-
  ate the bravery and heroism of Útilegumennarnir defending 
  themselves against wickedness.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Storytelling 
  2
  Brawling 
  4
  Healing 
  2
  Rope Mastery 
  2
  Animal Handling 
  2
  Foraging 
  2
  Endurance 
  2
  Stalking & Hiding 
  2
  Ways of the Forestals
  Throughout the lands where civilized people dwell, there are 
  those who value cities and those who prefer towns. Still others 
  range through the borderlands between civilizations walking 
  and riding for hundreds of miles to accomplish their goals. Of 
  those who range, the rarest are those who spend all of their 
  time ranging in the Sylvan woodlands and deep forests that 
  resist civilizations built on stone and rock. Knowing that 
  their ways are not the ways of the Elves who make their lives 
  in these woodlands, those rangers whose preference is for the 
  woodlands have not only a special affinity for Elves of all sorts, 
  but also the singular ability to understand the complex ways 
  of woodlands. The most honored of these rangers are some-
  times accorded a visit with the High Forestals, the ancient 
  order of forest protectors who move in the deep shadows of 
  the woods. Those sworn to the Ways of the Forestals spend a 
  great deal of time learning how the forests work and are evan-
  gelical in the protection of these lands against predation.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Climbing 
  4
  Crafts: Woodworking 
  3
  Herbcraft 
  2
  Lingustics: Elven 
  S 1 / W 1
  Foraging: Woodlands 
  2
  Tracking 
  4
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  Witch Hunter 
  In all the cities and towns of the more repressed and repres-
  sive civilizations, one will find Witch Hunters. Fiendish in-
  terrogators with an overweening commitment to order and 
  social cohesion, Witch Hunters serve religious, political or so-
  cial organizations dedicated to resisting unruliness and dis-
  order. These socially disruptive forces can take many shapes. 
  This training package takes its name from the most typical 
  expression of these forces. In culture after culture in which 
  patriarchal forces dictate what is and what is not proper for 
  women, women have come under the violent, watchful eye of 
  Witch Hunters. Empowered by their societies to stamp out 
  forces that might propel change, Witch Hunters use a variety 
  of tools to prevent that change. Universally feared, except by 
  those who give them their power, these orders are extraor-
  dinarily powerful, but almost always the first to be toppled 
  when whatever gave them their power fails.
  Skill 
  Ranks
  Mundane Lore: Their Order 
  2
  Charm 
  2
  Diplomacy 
  2
  Duping 
  2
  Interrogation 
  5
  Leadership 
  2
  Disguise 
  2
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  8 Cultures of Cyradon 
  & Shadow World
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  Cultures of Cyradon & Shadow World 
  Page 110
  
  HARP provides players and gamemasters with two compel-
  ling settings—Cyradon and Shadow World. The objective of 
  this section is to develop one culture in each setting using the 
  Twenty Questions. This will afford gamemasters with a richer 
  understanding of a culture from each campaign setting and 
  offer players significant additional context for the characters 
  they make within that culture.
  Cyradon: The Theocracy of 
  Asut and the Orsai Empire
  Young, violent, expansionist, territorial and intolerant, the 
  Orsai Empire, ruled by its secretive and all-powerful priestly 
  cult known as the Theocracy of Asut, rules more of the con-
  tinent of Anias than any other power. Now that they have at 
  long last vanquished the hated city of Tarahir and driven its 
  rebellious, areligious enemies of Memra from the continent, 
  they can turn their attentions to even richer prizes like the 
  Treaty Kingdoms and the rich kingdoms of the Skaldi. All 
  that can be comfortably asserted is that, at least as far as the 
  Orsai are concerned, their empire is still a bit too small for 
  their tastes…and the opportunities presented by the weak-
  nesses of their enemies a bit too large to be ignored.
  The Orsai are a race of humans, one of many, that make the 
  continent of Anias their home. As indicated above, they can 
  best be differentiated from the others by the relative youth 
  of their culture and their outsized commitment to violence 
  as a way of getting along (so to speak) with other people. As 
  presented in Cyradon, these are the broad strokes. What fol-
  lows supplements these principles and explains them and 
  their consequences.
  The Folkways of the Orsai Empire
  Environment Ways: Orsai
  Topography: The dominant environment in the Orsai Empire 
  is The Great Desert. The Orsai are people of that desert and 
  its harshness dominates, shapes and determines the world-
  view of the Orsai. They believe that the environment must not 
  just be managed, but conquered or it will destroy you. This is 
  the lesson of the desert, a lesson the Orsai have learned well 
  and have not yet forgotten, even though some of their terri-
  tory now includes river basins that are quite lush and in the 
  northern parts of the Empire, plains that are quite suitable for 
  agriculture. To what degree these new lands will reshape the 
  Orsai remains unclear.
  Water: Though they would deny it, the demands of water have 
  always been forefront in the imagination of the Orsai. From 
  their earliest days, the routes of their conquests have taken 
  them from water source to water source. Water was a grave 
  problem for the Orsai in their prehistory and access to it in 
  the Great Desert was by means of irregularly spaced oases. 
  The Orsai are known for the speed of their cavalry and the 
  ruggedness of their soldiers. These aspects of Orsai society 
  owe their existence to the patterns of water availability in the 
  earliest days of their society.
  Ecosystem: The heart of the Orsai Empire lies about twenty 
  degrees north of the Equator and stretches for hundreds of 
  miles north and south of this line. The Orsai territories are 
  hot, often blazingly so. the only temperate relief comes in 
  the most northerly parts of their Empire, recently acquired. 
  In the south, the deserts give way to savannah, but the heat 
  stays the same. Temperatures above 110 degrees are common 
  ten months per year, rising into the 120s and even sometimes 
  into the 130s in the deep desert during summer.
  Weather: The heat is the dominant quality of Orsai weather. 
  Nearly every accommodation to the heat has been developed 
  by the Orsai to combat its malevolence. Rain is unheard of in 
  the Great Desert, averaging less than 2 inches per year and 
  coming almost entirely in the two months of what passes 
  for winter. Dust storms in the Great Desert are common as 
  winds from the west can be intense and pick up speed as they 
  move over land.
  Urban Ways: Orsai
  Permanence: The Orsai pattern of building includes both 
  permanent and non-permanent forms. Permanent settle-
  ments are built by the Orsai wherever they encounter water 
  sources. There are dozens of oases settlements scattered 
  throughout the Great Desert. The largest and oldest is as close 
  to a capital as the Orsai have—SaiMemragair (that which is 
  especially holy to Memra). SaiMemragair is as good an ex-
  ample as any of permanent settlements. It is home to about 
  nine thousand Orsai and is constructed around the oasis. Far 
  more common are the roving camps that house 80% of the 
  Orsai population. Moving from oasis to oasis and pitching 
  camp on the outskirts of the permanent settlements, these 
  roving bands have discovered dozens of ways to manage their 
  water needs while they are away from oases. It is these non-
  permanent settlements that give the Orsai their reputation 
  for being “everywhere, all at once.”
  Configuration: An Orsai city is built in a circular pattern 
  around the core of the oasis that forms its center. In the center, 
  nearest the water, are the palaces of the Asut Theocrats and 
  the holy houses of Memra. Next out are the dwellings of the 
  wealthy and powerful. These dwellings are connected to each 
  other and to the inner districts by means of circular road-
  ways. Out further still are the commercial districts and the 
  dwellings of the poor who serve the needs of the wealthy and 
  well-heeled. Beyond the city itself are the places where no-
  madic tribesmen build camps when they are in the vicinity 
  of the city.
  Aesthetics: Despite their reputation for brutality and mili-
  tary obsession, Orsai cities are actually quite beautiful. Their 
  homes are carefully planned open structures that are de-
  signed to withstand the ferocious heat. They make extensive 
  use of the palm leaves that are found everywhere to enhance 
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  shade. This gives their cities a bucolic quality that stands in 
  sharp contrast to their lived values.
  Stratification: Orsai cities are marked by severe stratification 
  based on access to water. The richest and most powerful live 
  in the biggest homes closest to or adjacent to the water. The 
  poorer you are in an Orsai city, the further away from water 
  you’ll find yourself. In the nomadic settlements, stratification 
  is almost non-existent. Conflict between the permanently 
  settled and the nomadic elements of Orsai culture is limited.
  Family Ways: Orsai
  Reach: Orsai have a complex understanding of family and 
  familial obligation. Their tribal history is complex but com-
  pletely understandable to any Orsai as it is one of the most im-
  portant concepts taught to Orsai children. Orsai are divided 
  into twenty-six tribes which are themselves divided into 
  157 clans. Allegiance is owed first and foremost, of course, 
  to Memra and his servants the Asut Theocrats. Beyond this, 
  allegiance is owed to the tribal chieftains and then the clan 
  overlords. Each clan is divided into hundreds of different 
  families, but social loyalty is owed not to father or mother, but 
  to clan and tribe. Clan overlords have immense direct power 
  over the families in that clan. 
  Relationship: The essential pattern of relationship in the 
  Orsai is family: clan: tribe: nation: Memra, with clan being 
  the most powerful unit. Any Orsai child knows where he or 
  she fits in this order. Every Orsai is sworn to uphold it.
  Authority: Authority is complex in Orsai society because all 
  authority rests, ultimately, with Memra who gives all things 
  and takes away what is just. In day-to-day life, authority rests 
  with whichever parent is present at home, with the father’s 
  power predominant if both father and mother are present. 
  Decisions made within the family, though, are subjected to 
  scrutiny at the next level, which is to say the clan. A clan leader 
  hearing of something that a family did or plans to do that 
  doesn’t fit with his intention will correct the family leader, 
  by force if necessary. This ensures that power in the complex 
  Orsai family is held by the alpha at that level. If an alpha clan 
  leader is disobeyed by one below him and that disobedience 
  isn’t swiftly corrected, the alpha clan leader will be deposed. 
  This pattern is true through the tribal relationship. No one 
  has ever contested with the Asut Theocrats and survived…
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  Idealization: The Orsai value directness and love nothing 
  more than knowing their place. They believe their families re-
  flect the desires of Memra and serve the Asut Theocrats with 
  enthusiasm. They wouldn’t change a single thing about their 
  culture’s way of managing family.
  Marriage Ways: Orsai
  Authority: Within the nuclear family, the power of the fa-
  ther strongly predominates in all matters, but only when he 
  is at home. The unique nature of the Orsai military, its mo-
  bility and the fact that men are frequently away from home 
  for considerable amounts of time means that women are de 
  facto usually the most powerful nexus in the nuclear family. 
  By custom, decisions made by women can not be countered 
  or gainsaid by clan or tribal leaders, because women can not 
  lead clans and tribes. So in practice, women are more power-
  ful influences over family decisions than men. 
  Inheritance: Patrilineal inheritance is the only inheritance 
  form that exists in Orsai society. Women do not inherit and 
  do not own property. They can not control the descent of 
  wealth or land.
  Legitimacy: There are two immutable laws of marriage in 
  Orsai culture. First, marriage is between one man and one 
  woman. Second, marriage must be within tribe but not within 
  clan. Men are allowed to have two additional women in their 
  household from another tribe, but these women are not con-
  sidered wives and their children would not inherit. Marriage 
  within clan is tantamount to incest.
  Love: Love is irrelevant to the Orsai. Their families are en-
  terprise units meant to build up the next generation of Orsai 
  warriors. To the degree that love forms in marriage, there is 
  no objection to it. But nothing is done by anyone from the 
  Asut Theocrats on down to encourage it.
  Lifespan Ways: Orsai
  Infancy and Childhood: Male children are prized beyond all 
  other things to the Orsai. Female children are tolerated in the 
  cities. In the nomadic population, there is a tendency towards 
  female child exposure, particularly if the child is a second girl 
  or if there have been recent deprivations. Women never ex-
  pose their girls; only men make such decisions. Children who 
  do survive infancy are treated like little family royalty and 
  are allowed all manner of naughtiness and rambunctious-
  ness…at least until age 6 for boys and age 8 for girls. At these 
  transition ages, the children are subjected to gender-specific 
  education, with boys being trained in warrior skills (horse-
  manship, archery, etc.) and girls being educated in home 
  skills. “Reluctant” children are forcibly corrected; children 
  unable to perform their gender-specific duties are sacrificed 
  to Memra.
  Adulthood: The transition to adulthood begins in boys when 
  the hair on the upper lip becomes dense enough to require 
  shaving. At this point, the boy’s family initiates a two-week 
  long ritual, managed by elders in the clan, to transition 
  completely from boy to man. This ritual involves endurance 
  in the desert, suffering deprivation and aiding allies. Support 
  is not offered by the elders. About 10% of boys die during this 
  ritual. Girls transition to adulthood at first menses. Though 
  legally able to wed at this point, in Orsai custom, young 
  women generally remain unwed until 16.
  Elderhood: Because of the endemic violence inherent in 
  Orsai culture, there are not that many elders to speak of. 
  Elders that do exist manage the rites of passage for children 
  and manage the affairs of either the clan or the tribe, depend-
  ing on how powerful they are. Tribal elders are especially 
  powerful as they have direct contact with the Asut Theocrats 
  and therefore have the capacity to shape the “public policy” 
  of the Empire (or at least direct its energies in a particu-
  lar direction).
  Transitions: Death is a powerful event to the Orsai. Death 
  rituals demand three days of mourning, the rending of flesh 
  and shaving of hair and the cremation of the corpse in a pub-
  lic ceremony. Even in victory, an Orsai battleground is a char-
  nel landscape.
  Rank Ways: Orsai
  Nobility: Strictly speaking, the Orsai do not have a nobility. 
  There is a social order that, to the untutored eye, might seem 
  to be a nobility, though. Orsai noble status is conferred in 
  battle and lost due to age, weakness or cowardice. At the top 
  of the social pecking order is the “emperor.” This is how the 
  Orsai word is translated by others. It has the flavor of “van-
  quisher,” more than emperor. The person who stands astride 
  Orsai society is the most badass warrior there is. He who isn’t 
  defeated. The alpha of alphas. The moment that man can’t de-
  fend his position, he is replaced by a new alpha of alphas and 
  so forth. Beneath the emperor are tribal and clan leaders and 
  warriors in the thousands, most of whom believe they can, 
  with a bit of good fortune, become emperor.
  Mobiity: Mobility is the predominant social reality of rank 
  in the Orsai Empire. Because one’s status depends almost 
  entirely on military success and the ability to maintain one’s 
  reputation, there is nothing but mobility. Tribes are always 
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  assessing each other versus other tribes…clans against clans 
  and so on down to the individual.
  Exclusivity: Social power is wielded by the powerful who 
  possess their rank based on their military skill. Atop that pyr-
  amid is the real power in the Empire - the Theocracy of Asut, 
  who dominate the society but entirely behind the scenes.
  Coercion: Just as mobility is the preeminent reality of Orsai 
  life, so is coercion. The entire nation’s social, political and 
  cultural relationships are based on the ability of the more 
  powerful to coerce the less powerful. This is the essence of 
  Orsai life.
  Gender and Sexuality Ways: Orsai
  Definitions: The Orsai have two biological sexes. Children 
  who do not rigidly conform to the physical expectations of 
  these two biological sexes are exposed.
  Norms: As indicated above, there is no tolerance for gender 
  ambiguity among the Orsai. One is either and clearly male 
  or female. Gender norms for the growing child are clearly 
  expressed and rigidly adhered to. A child who demonstrates 
  any predilections that belong to the other gender would be 
  viciously and repeatedly corrected until such behavior is sup-
  pressed. The Orsai are a lusty people with an expansive sexual 
  interest. There is no expectation that sexuality be restricted 
  to marriage. Having said that, only children produced within 
  a marriage bond are considered to be members of a family 
  with capacity to inherit. Children born outside these bonds 
  find themselves at adulthood taking up with nomadic bands 
  or simply becoming foot soldiers in the Empire’s large armies.
  Non-Normative Patterns: Non-normative patterns are vio-
  lently suppressed in Orsai culture and come with near con-
  stant challenge to one’s social status. Orsai are expected to 
  conform to the expectations of society with regard to mar-
  riage, gender and sexuality. Failure to do so results in such 
  damage to status and loss of face that the only real solution is 
  to leave one’s family forever.
  Relations: Men and women in Orsai society have a great deal 
  of respect for one another and the roles they play in society. 
  Men who are violent against their wives are shamed by other 
  men, as it is considered indecent to assert one’s self against 
  someone who isn’t able to defend himself (it would be like a 
  grown man challenging a six-year-old boy). This derives in 
  part from the way Memra’s own relationships are constructed 
  and understood by the Asut Theocrats.
  Association Ways: Orsai
  Distance: Because most Orsai relationships are based on the 
  family: clan:tribe social structure, there are not many other 
  ways that the Orsai place value on association. Clan ties are 
  the strongest ties outside of the nuclear family. It is only 
  those marginal Orsai who have not left their civilization but 
  do not have the status to participate in its regular structures 
  who have strong association. Nomadic bands bind together 
  very strongly but without expectation of that bond becoming 
  permanent. Thieves, rogues and merchants, who in other cul-
  tures would be at odds, are actually supportive of one another 
  in Orsai territory because they need each other to endure.
  Fraternity: Fraternity-like forces are weak among Orsai men 
  because they are not given over to hobbies and friendships. 
  Most Orsai males see others as competitors and keep a cer-
  tain distance. Orsai women, particularly in the cities, have 
  well-established and generally enduring friendships based on 
  personal interests and sometimes based on just the fact that 
  they live nearby. Orsai women are not particularly plugged 
  into the same status-making tendencies as Orsai men and so 
  are much more congenial.
  Guild: Guild-like forces are non-existent among the Orsai. 
  This is a pity as their existence would not doubt improve 
  the quality of their military efforts (which, mind you, are al-
  ready formidable).
  Obligation: One’s obligation is to one’s superior in the chain-
  of-command. Ultimately, Memra is at the top of that chain of 
  command and what the Asut Theocrats say is law.
  Order Ways: Orsai
  Sphere: The Orsai Empire is first and foremost militaristic 
  and expansionistic. Its instincts are to violently suppress 
  those who would undo or militate against these tendencies. 
  Servants of other gods, for instance, are not tolerated. Those 
  who value scholarship over conquest are seen as so beneath 
  the dignity of the Orsai that their lives are at risk because they 
  are so low in the social pecking order. War is Memra’s pur-
  pose. So the purpose of war is expansion of empire and the 
  purpose of empire is the perpetuation of war.
  Joining: Within Orsai culture there is a special order who 
  serve the Asut Theocrats (and the High Theocrat himself) di-
  rectly. These servants act as enforcers, judges and execution-
  ers of those who violate the will of Memra. Their word is law; 
  their capacity to destroy clans and tribes through both mili-
  tary and spiritual assault means they are never disobeyed. But 
  they know their limits. They have never enforced themselves 
  on the alpha of alphas.
  Tenacity: Only a more powerful individual would have the 
  ability to resist the ordering forces at work in Orsai society. 
  If an Orsai can cause a superior to yield, that Orsai becomes 
  the superior. This is true from the smallest family to the larg-
  est clan.
  Presence: In the Orsai Empire, everyone wants to be pow-
  erful, because power is status and status is wealth, access, 
  property and glory. There is precious little incentive to resist 
  the core values of the Empire and stay within its borders. 
  Orsai encountered outside the Empire, therefore, have com-
  pletely rejected the Empire’s values, its religion and their 
  own families…at great cost. Many of these Orsai would be 
  hunted by their families or clans because their mere existence 
  is shameful.
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  Authority Ways: Orsai
  Legitimacy: All legitimacy in the Orsai Empire derives from 
  Memra. In essence even though the empire has an emperor 
  the real emperor is Memra himself. In this way, the Orsai 
  are truly a theocracy, which is to say, they are ruled by a god. 
  Because they speak for Memra, the Asut Theocrats have the 
  greatest legitimacy in the Orsai state. This is contrasted with 
  the legitimacy earned by armed men in battle. The emperor 
  serves Memra, who is in turn served by the Asut Theocrats. 
  Power: Power in Orsai contexts is either straightforward or 
  complex, depending on where you stand. It is straightforward 
  if you are in a military chain-of-command because your or-
  ders come from men who have demonstrated in battle that 
  they are your better in combat. You believe they could kill you 
  if they wished and so you conform. The moment you believed 
  that you could be the one giving orders, you would challenge 
  your superior…and then all would see the result. It is com-
  plex because no matter what you do physically, no matter how 
  great your martial skills, you are not going to be deciding who 
  your enemies are. That is the job of the Asut Theocrats…not 
  the Emperor. This fundamental conflict hasn’t been put to the 
  test because the Empire is still young.
  Authority: All Authority rests with Memra and therefore 
  with the Asut Theocrats. Their Palataine’s travel with the ar-
  mies of the Empire and ensure that the will of the Theocrats 
  is carried out precisely. Only the High Theocrat and his advi-
  sors make political decisions, speak for the empire, negotiate 
  treaties, levy taxes and the like. The Emperor does none of 
  these things…
  Participation: Because all worship Memra, everyone par-
  ticipates in the maintenance of authority and legitimacy in 
  the Orsai Empire. There is great social pressure to conform, 
  status is earned only within a conforming context and sta-
  tus can be lost if one doesn’t conform. A soldier disobeying 
  a Palataine would be considered so disruptive that he would 
  be immediately challenged (and likely killed). Disobeying a 
  direct instruction from a Theocrat? Unheard of.
  Freedom Ways: Orsai
  Freedom: Orsai values are not based on freedom but rather 
  on obligation. The Orsai see themselves as servants of Memra 
  and expect to be in service until their death. They have the 
  freedom to choose the way in which they serve, of course, but 
  limited other freedoms. Notions of freedom are worrying to 
  the Orsai because they do not help one understand one’s rela-
  tionships and place in society.
  Liberty: Within the context of this impoverished under-
  standing of freedom, there is much that speaks to liberty in 
  Orsai culture. Provided they do not violate the precepts of 
  Memra or draw the attention of the Asut Theocrats, families 
  have significant power to make binding decisions. The same 
  is true of clans. Each clan, in fact, imparts its own values onto 
  its tribe—this is why each tribe is vastly different one to the 
  next (when one would think, given how coercive the society is, 
  that there would be little difference). As long as Memra’s will 
  is obeyed, almost anything might be ok.
  Binding: The Orsai are not a free-thinking, open-minded 
  people. They have very specific expectations of themselves 
  and no patience for those who do not do what they’re sup-
  posed to do. Within a family context, a mother will disci-
  pline a child ferociously if obligated to. The same is true from 
  tribe to clan and from clan to family. The same is true in a 
  military command or within the Asut Theocracy. Failure to 
  conform is considered a spiritual crime and is corrected by 
  the Palataines.
  Directionality: If Memra has taken a position on a matter, 
  then the Orsai are expected to obey and conform, under pen-
  alty of death. Memra hasn’t taken positions on everything, 
  however, and if Memra doesn’t care, the society doesn’t care. 
  It’s ultimately all about the degree to which one can push up 
  in the pecking order and resist being driven back.
  Wealth Ways: Orsai
  Objectification: Shiny things… the Orsai do love shiny 
  things…particularly if they’ve been pillaged from some 
  weakly held city worthy of being conquered by Memra’s holy 
  armies. The Orsai are almost laughably conventional in this 
  regard—coins, jewelry, gems, bullion—these are high value 
  items to the Orsai, and the more the better. Although there is 
  little inclination to slave taking in the Orsai, they sometimes 
  do this with exceptionally gifted people. 
  Status: Wealth is lovely and all, but it confers no status in 
  Orsai society. Only military skill gives status outside of the 
  context of the Asut Theocrats. Even comparing clan to clan 
  within a tribe or tribes versus tribes, wealth isn’t a determin-
  ing factor.
  Gift-giving: The Orsai are not gift-givers, viewing such be-
  havior as undermining of status.
  Reciprocity: There is no expectation of reciprocity among 
  the Orsai. “What’s mine is mine,” is a typical belief. Should 
  wealth be needed to support a military enterprise, it might 
  be taxed by the Asut Theocrats, but there would be no ex-
  pectation that one would volunteer his wealth before such a 
  levy occurred.
  Work Ways: Orsai
  Subsistence: While there is nothing more important to the 
  Orsai than military conquest, there is still the all-important 
  matter of where the food is going to come from. For the no-
  madic Orsai, it’s a matter of keeping their herds safe from the 
  sand and the heat and making full use of whatever the ani-
  mals have to offer. In the cities, it’s a matter of life and death 
  whether crops get planted and livestock is attended to. Plenty 
  of men are not suitable for the rough and tumble of military 
  life—these men form the bedrock of the merchant and farm-
  ing class. No social status, but great social importance.
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  Feudality: It’s not really fair to describe the relationships 
  between workers in Orsai society as having a feudal quality. 
  Recalling that most Orsai men live their life in a military con-
  text, separate from the way we might understand “work,” this 
  type of relationship is just not important.
  Ethic: Work is something people who are too weak to fight 
  do. Its critical role in society is undervalued because power 
  is held by people who don’t work in any properly understood 
  definition of the word.
  Slavery: The Orsai are neither anti-slavery or pro-slavery. 
  There are some slaves who are kept by individual Orsai and 
  there are some slaves held by the Asut Theocracy (primar-
  ily linguists). In the capital, with a population of about 9,000, 
  there are fewer than 150 slaves.
  Leisure Ways: Orsai
  Leisureliness: The Orsai are not the most leisure focused 
  people in the world. They are first and foremost soldiers. 
  Soldiers are not constantly fighting, however, and in the copi-
  ous downtime, Orsai get up to all manner of activities. They 
  are inveterate gamblers (there’s always a pair of dice available 
  if you get three Orsai together) and enthusiastic athletes. Most 
  of their leisure activities, it must be said, serve the cause of 
  becoming better soldiers.
  Competitiveness: Orsai are fanatically competitive. Because 
  Orsai culture is so heavily dependent on a pecking order that 
  is established hour-by-hour sometimes, any game or activ-
  ity has embedded within it the possibility of subtle status 
  change. This makes absolutely everything feel like a battle to 
  the death, even if it’s just a simple game of dice.
  Athletics: Orsai athletics all simulate combat in one way 
  or another. They have a strong predilection for one-on-one 
  contests, preferring them much more than team sports. Their 
  most popular sports are wrestling (of which they have seven 
  recognized forms ranging from the technical and austere to the 
  bloody and extreme) and field games that involve throwing an 
  assortment of objects like javelins or carrying heavy objects 
  like boulders.
  Diversions: Gambling is the big vice of Orsai that isn’t an ath-
  letic contest. Settled Orsai in the cities are drawn to athletic 
  contests. There is very little by way of “culture” in the Orsai 
  Empire. There is no support for poets, musicians, dramatists 
  or the like.
  Dress Ways: Orsai
  Practicality: Orsai are practical to a fault. They have limited 
  interest in non-athletic diversions, no traditions of an artistic 
  type and no interest in fashion as a concept. They are soldiers, 
  athletes, workers and priests. Their dress reflects the nature 
  of their work, is plain, rugged and purposeful. The nature 
  of Orsai soldiery means that they are actually high quality 
  leather workers and armorsmiths, but it wouldn’t occur to 
  them that this is true.
  Status: Clothing has no effect on how an Orsai understands 
  another Orsai’s status.
  Jewelry: The Orsai frequently take booty in the form of jew-
  elry and have no problem wearing it. As they don’t make any 
  jewelry, an Orsai wearing jewelry has seized it in conquest. 
  Some tribes have a tradition of wearing this kind of booty. For 
  others, it is regarded as showy and inappropriate. Again, any 
  jewelry on an Orsai is going to be looted.
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  Body Modification: Orsai are enthusiastic practitioners of 
  body modification. They engage in tattooing, scarification 
  and some tribes have the custom of branding to mark par-
  ticularly hard-won battles and conquests. 
  Food and Drink Ways: Orsai
  Locavore: Orsai foodways are a study in contrast. They have 
  a great affinity for dairy products (primarily from goats) and 
  eat a great deal of meat. In the oases, cuisine features rice, 
  dried fruits, fish and assorted imported goods. Orsai have a 
  long tradition of fermentation. They ferment nearly anything, 
  but have a particular affinity for fermented dairy and certain 
  kinds of fermented goat milk.
  Status: Status among the Orsai does not derive from food nor 
  is it marked by food. Everyone pulls their weight in the mili-
  tary—all need to be well nourished.
  Embellishment: The Orsai do not have a history of making 
  extensive use of spices or herbs. They favor them when they 
  can get a hold of them, particularly when on campaign. In the 
  oases, there is more of a tradition of using fermented bean 
  pastes and sauces that are soy-like.
  Technique: Grilling, grilling and more grilling. The Orsai 
  love grilled meats and have no use for other techniques.
  Language Ways: Orsai
  Dialect: Dozens of languages are spoken within the territory 
  of the Orsai, owing to the rapidity of their conquests beyond 
  the great desert. The dialect spoken in the core of the culture 
  is called Orseen. Prayers to Memra are conducted in Orseen 
  and the priestly class conducts all of its affairs in Orseen.
  Majority: The majority of people in 
  the core of the country speak Orseen, 
  but on the limits, Orseen is a language 
  of the ruling minority. To the degree 
  that these conquered peoples follow 
  Memra, their language use would align 
  them with the Orsai. The Empire ex-
  pects people to speak to it and not the 
  other way around. The priesthood uses 
  only Orseen. Everyone on the frontier 
  realizes that no matter how much they 
  might want others to speak Orseen, it 
  doesn’t matter because no one under-
  stands it (at least not yet).
  Pidgins: Pidgin languages are evolv-
  ing on the frontiers of Orsai territory 
  because there’s no other way to ensure 
  communication. Trade pidgins exist 
  with the River Cities and cities of the 
  north. No religious pidgins have devel-
  oped yet.
  Naming: Orsai have a complex nam-
  ing scheme with four elements. The 
  first element is the clan name. This is followed by the family 
  name. This is then followed by the personal name and then a 
  language particle ( a vowel of some kind) that denotes mem-
  bership in a tribe. So, Zeleth Kevando Ichnora’ou would be 
  understood this way. Ichnora is the personal name. He is a 
  member of the tribe Oulansai which is indicated by that ‘ou 
  sound at the end of the personal name. He is a member of the 
  Kevando family which is part of clan Zeleth.
  Magic Ways: Orsai
  Value: The use of magic is a criminal act to the Orsai. The 
  priesthood expends a considerable amount of its resources 
  attempting to extirpate the use of magic by the Ghersal (the 
  magic-men) and other magicians. Magic use in the Orsai core 
  is essentially unheard of. In the thousands of miles of periph-
  ery and frontier, however, it is commonplace.
  Occasion: There is no context in which the use of magic is 
  acceptable to the Orsai. There are no problems that the Orsai 
  would solve using magic.
  Constraint: Magic use is punishable by death in Orsai lands; 
  it is abomination.
  Instruction: There is no magical instruction in the 
  Orsai Empire.
  Supernatural Ways: Orsai
  Reason: The Orsai are not a people given to scientific ex-
  planations to anything. They are not learned and have little 
  patience for “book learning.” The answers they need come to 
  them through the teachings of the Asut Theocrats, priests or 
  their parents.
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  Reflection: Orsai culture is focused on status, glory, military 
  honor and conquest. These values are reinforced day-by-day 
  by the teachings of the Asut Theocrats.  Memra is a demand-
  ing, austere divinity. His sigil, the sun, is both life giving and 
  foreboding. Recall that temperatures in the core territories 
  can climb into the 130s. Under those circumstances the sun 
  isn’t a friend—it’s a bitter enemy. This is not to say that Orsai 
  view Memra as the enemy. Rather, they know that the alpha 
  of alphas is Memra himself and what he demands is almost 
  impossible to pay.
  Ritual : Orsai build great temples and houses of worship for 
  Memra in the cities. These structures are built from wood 
  (like palm) or from bamboo. Stone structures are not built. 
  They are open and meant to admit the light of the sun in such 
  a way that it illuminates a cult figure of the god. In the ar-
  mies, the ritual practice is to welcome Memra at sunrise with 
  a sequence of prayers and to bid him well in the afterworld at 
  sunset through a different sequence of prayers.
  Soul: Orsai have a wide range of devotion to Memra. Everyone 
  believes. Many believe fervently. Some people undertake pil-
  grimages to the deepest desert in order to be embraced by the 
  full power of the sun. Orsai is known to be a guardian of war-
  riors. In this respect, the warrior culture loves him, worships 
  him and respects him.
  Self-Reflection Ways
  There are two areas where the Orsai have demonstrated lim-
  ited capacity to understand themselves. The most important 
  is that they do not understand the relationship between their 
  expansionism and the problems that come with expansion 
  that they are increasingly having to face. The frontier of their 
  territory is large and gets larger by the day. These frontiers 
  are not as sparsely populated as the Orsai core is and they 
  have no idea how to govern these tens of thousands of peo-
  ple who don’t speak their language, share their values or care 
  anything for being dominated. The balance between desire 
  for empire (high) and capacity to govern conquered territories 
  (low) is a significant problem for the Asut Theocrats and one 
  that they have given no consideration of. What the Theocrats 
  don’t realize is that this problem, answered by an Emperor 
  who doesn’t feel beholden to the Asut Theocrats and believes 
  he has a personal relationship with Memra, would completely 
  undermine the whole conceptual framework for the existence 
  of the Orsai Empire. The second relates to Memra himself and 
  the recent campaign against Tarahir. How should the Orsai 
  understand the fact that Memra, worshipped by the Tarahiri, 
  allowed the Orsai, who also worship Memra, to conquer the 
  great city? Of course the way they describe it is to say that 
  the Memra worshipped in Tarahir was a corruption—a false 
  expression of the god. But even the Theocrats know that there 
  is a critical relationship between their Memra and the other 
  Memra. The fact that they ignore that relationship doesn’t 
  mean that someone else might ask a question that can’t easily 
  be answered.
  Shadow World: The Vasai 
  Republic (Lydians and Ochu)
  The campaign setting Shadow World, published originally 
  for Rolemaster is a massive sandbox with more than enough 
  content for a gamemaster looking for almost any kind of cam-
  paign flavor. Richly appointed with races both mortal and im-
  mortal and places that run an environmental gamut from icy 
  to jungle, Shadow World gives an enterprising gamemaster 
  an opportunity to build high fantasy campaigns or low, urban 
  campaigns or those set in the wilderness or even undersea 
  campaigns. Extraordinary variety…the stuff of life and the 
  foundation for gaming in Shadow World.
  Folkways of The Vasai Republic
  Near the South Pole is a landmass featuring one of Shadow 
  World’s most intriguing environments—the Ice Grottoes. 
  These ice caves are monstrous underground systems large 
  enough to house cities and civilizations. Lacking rain but 
  not water, they sustain themselves through springs and the 
  ice. Great thermal vents (a common enough environment to 
  encounter in the South Polar Region) provide the heat neces-
  sary for a people adjusted to cold (the Lydians) to sustain a 
  creative, innovative and comparatively rich society. Founded 
  more than a century ago by enterprising Lydians, the Vasai 
  Republic is a compelling case study of a culture on the make 
  but in transition. The social relationships upon which the 
  Republic is founded are interesting, problematic and, per-
  haps, unsustainable over the long term, and this is to say 
  nothing of the larger questions of magic and sorcery that are 
  central to their culture. Nor have the Lydians sorted out their 
  relationships with the minority Ochu whose social power in 
  the Republic is limited by their history with the Lydians. This 
  relationship is called “The Trials,” and marks a three-gener-
  ation long period where the Lydians essentially stripped the 
  Ochu of any power, respect or authority over their own lives. 
  These policies have ended, but they remain a dominant fea-
  ture of Ochu life.
  Environment Ways: Vasai
  Topography: The entirety of the Vasai Republic is located 
  within five massive ice grottoes (and their tributary tunnels 
  and out-grottoes) some hundreds of miles north of the South 
  Pole. Despite the forbidding nature of the weather outside of 
  the grottoes, within the grottoes moderation (but not heat) is 
  the order of the day. The Vasai grottoes run for more than one 
  hundred miles beneath the surface of the ice, encompassing 
  thousands of square miles of territory.
  Water: Water is the least of the concerns of the Vasai. They 
  have water in abundance as ice and as underground rivers. 
  Each of the five grottoes has a chamber with a falls that serves 
  as a central meeting space, zocalo and market.
  Ecosystem: Riverine is perhaps the best way to describe the 
  ecosystem of the Vasai Republic. It certainly isn’t polar or arc-
  tic as there are no Vasai settlements (with the exception of a 
  HARP  Folkways 
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  military base at Ocean’s Reach) outside the grottoes. The riv-
  ers that flow within the Republic’s territory are extraordinar-
  ily rich in mineral wealth, fish and water-based vegetation.
  Weather: Depends on where you’re standing! At the surface, 
  the temperatures average 40 degrees below zero. Summer 
  temperatures will rise regularly about 10 degrees, but only in 
  July and August. Weather systems at the surface are known 
  for their ferocity with winds nearing 80 miles per hour com-
  monplace. Within the grottoes themselves, the temperature 
  is a steady 54 degrees without overcast, winds or weather of 
  any kind.
  Urban Ways: Vasai
  Permanence: Both the Lydians and the Ochu favor perma-
  nent settlement. There is no nomadic tradition in the Vasai 
  Republic—people live where they were born, more or less. 
  Vasai settlements are built from stone, never from ice, as the 
  temperatures in the grottoes are a steady mid-50s. The Vasai 
  respect the historicity of their buildings. Very little is torn 
  down and they are expert at repurposing.
  Configuration: Vasai cities are built outwards from the cen-
  tral falls that is the core feature of each of the Ice Grottoes 
  and inwards from the outer gates that mark the end of the 
  grottoes and the beginning of “outside.” The Lydians are or-
  derly by nature and this is reflected in the fact that their resi-
  dential and commercial districts are kept separated. Mining 
  is not conducted in the grottoes themselves, rather, mines are 
  dug from tributaries down into the bedrock.
  Aesthetics: The Vasai are not great lovers of paint or adorn-
  ment, but they have a singular command of stonework and 
  form. Their structures are heavy but possess an elegance and 
  a propriety in the space they occupy. They “fit” in those grot-
  toes more than any other structure would. They aren’t dainty, 
  though!
  Stratification: The Ice Grottoes are dominated by the social 
  stratification that is fundamental to the Vasai Republic. Each 
  Ice Grotto has a relationship with the other four based on his-
  tory and these relationships are if not fixed certainly difficult 
  to transform. Within each grotto there is further stratifica-
  tion. The closer one is to the ground, the higher one’s status 
  (it gets colder higher up). The closer one is to the center of the 
  settlement, the better.
  Family Ways: Vasai
  Reach: Lydian family life is governed by the extended nuclear 
  family. Mothers/fathers and their children compose the core 
  of the family, but all families honor their parents and grand-
  parents, not quite as though they were gods and not exactly 
  like they were honored ancestors, but close. There is a rever-
  ence that is directed towards grandparents in particular.
  Ochu family life was disrupted by the Trials. Ochu fami-
  lies that are intact are inward-looking and self-protecting. 
  Mothers have significantly more power in Ochu family 
  decision making than fathers do. Men are expected to follow 
  instructions from women.
  Relationship: Lydians have a pretty expansive view of who 
  they are in relationship with. Essentially, anyone who is 
  Lydian and is resident in their grotto is close enough to get 
  at least a modicum of respect. They know who they are very 
  closely related to (and those people have special status), but 
  see everyone from their grotto as “cousin-like.”
  Ochu do not view Lydians as being akin to family and keep 
  a certain distance from them whenever possible. Many 
  Ochu do everything in their power to avoid interacting with 
  Lydians, though that is not really possible.
  Authority: In Vasai, both Lydian and Ochu parents have au-
  thority over their children. Lydians, particularly of an older 
  generation, see Ochu children as being part of their responsi-
  bility. This gravely annoys Ochu.
  Idealization: For a Lydian, the ideal family is one where all of 
  its members enjoy harmonious time together and where the 
  grandparents give valuable and cogent advice. To an Ochu, 
  the ideal family is one that is intact and hasn’t been disrupted 
  by some scheme or act of the Lydians.
  Marriage Ways: Vasai
  Authority: Marriage in Vasai is a civil relationship entered 
  into between the couple and facilitated by a civil magistrate. 
  For a Lydian, that is sufficient. For an Ochu, this is the first 
  step. The Ochu spiritual tradition (Ochu’ungra) compels an 
  Ochu couple to swear love and fealty before an idol of the 
  Aspect of the Family.
  Inheritance: Wealth passes from married partner to mar-
  ried partner before it passes to any children. Male children 
  are presumed to stand first in line for inheritance over female 
  children. Among the Lydians, females may only inherit if 
  there are no males in the extended family. Among the Ochu, 
  it is the parent’s decision who inherits, boy or girl.
  Legitimacy: In both communities, marriage is between one 
  man and one woman. No multiple marriages; no same-sex 
  marriages are legitimated by the civil authorities. The Ochu 
  do have a ceremony for same-gender couples that is sworn 
  before an idol of the Aspect of Love. Vasai society does not 
  consider that relationship to be marriage. Divorce is allowed 
  in the Lydian community—it simply requires a magistrate’s 
  decision to dissolve a marriage. Only men are allowed to peti-
  tion for divorce.  Ochu do not divorce.
  Love: Love is an important part of the Lydian marriage bond. 
  A couple is expected to spend a lot of time together before 
  deciding to marry and should certainly be in love beforehand! 
  Ochu marriages are more about duty and obligation than 
  love. As many Ochu families were broken up by the Trials, the 
  economic nature of marriage has greater precedence.
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  Lifespan Ways: Vasai
  Infancy and Childhood: Lydian children are doted on by 
  their parents and grandparents, showered with love and at-
  tention and generally spoiled. To an outsider, it might even 
  seem sometimes like the Lydian home is being run by and 
  for the children without consideration of the parents. Ochu 
  children do not get raised in an environment where love is the 
  central emotion. Ochu children are loved, but infant mortal-
  ity is much higher among the Ochu and as a result, there is 
  less emotional investment of Ochu parents in infants. Ochu 
  transition to adulthood at age 12. Lydian children transition 
  at age 18.
  Adulthood: Lydians have vastly more economic, work and 
  educational opportunities than Ochu do. Ochu children, 
  almost without exception, become laborers and other low-
  skilled workers in Vasai society. They are not given ready ac-
  cess to education (Lydians think they are uneducatable) nor 
  are they allowed to sign binding economic contracts or own 
  commercial property. Lydians by contrast can do anything 
  in Vasai society. The three universities in Vasai are all domi-
  nated by Lydians.
  Elderhood: Elders are accorded more or less equal status 
  by the Lydians and the Ochu, but for different reasons. The 
  Lydians value grandparents as part of the larger narrative of 
  family. Ochu value grandparents because they are rather rare 
  in Ochu families. Only 1 in 50 Ochu born has all four grand-
  parents alive at their birth.
  Transitions: Lydian funeral customs are intensely family ori-
  ented and private unless the dead person is someone who has 
  a special status in the broader community. Public funerals 
  among the Lydians are epic affairs sometimes taking days to 
  conclude. Ochu funereal customs are also private, but in this 
  case, private means “related to other 
  Ochu.” The Ochu keep their mystical 
  and spiritual traditions away from the 
  prying eyes of Lydians.
  Rank Ways: Vasai
  Nobility: There are no noble classes in 
  the Vasai. The Republic is, technically, 
  without nobility. The Republic goes 
  so far as to officially forbid nobilities 
  in its basic laws. While this is true, it 
  is clear to anyone who’s spent time in 
  the Republic that all Lydians are more 
  prestigious than the Ochu who form a 
  clear underclass.
  Mobiity: Social mobility is possible 
  for Lydians in Vasai society, but dif-
  ficult. The structure of wealth makes 
  it very difficult for those who don’t 
  already have wealth to get more. The 
  most likely route for becoming wealthy is through engaging 
  in trade or piracy in the southern oceans.
  Exclusivity: Having more status in Vasai society entitles one 
  to nearly everything. Better housing, better education, higher 
  status marital partners and so forth. The ways in which 
  these status markers are measured and adjudicated is pretty 
  straightforward for a Vasai but would be pretty difficult for an 
  outsider to recognize. 
  Coercion: The Vasai police their own perceptions of rank and 
  status without need of a force that does this.
  Gender and Sexuality Ways: Vasai
  Definitions: The Lydians and the Ochu both have two bio-
  logical sexes, male and female, and two socially constructed 
  third genders. The Lydian third gender comprises men who 
  live their lives as women. The opposite is true for the Ochu, 
  who have women who live their lives as men.
  Norms: Vasai culture strictly controls the sexual practices 
  of its members. Children brought forth out of wedlock are 
  killed, the parents exiled or killed, regardless of whether they 
  are Lydians or Ochu. Lydians, however, do have the opportu-
  nity in two of the five grottoes, to pay a hefty penalty to avoid 
  being exiled.
  Non-Normative Patterns: Lydian and Ochu third gender 
  members are allowed to be in relationship with each other. 
  They are even allowed to marry. It is forbidden for other 
  Lydians and Ochu to do so under penalty of death or exile. 
  There are small homosexual populations among both the 
  Lydians and the Ochu, but homosexuality is suppressed by 
  the Ochu.
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  Relations: In Vasai culture, there is a slight tendency for men 
  to have and exert more social power than women. This is par-
  ticularly true with regard to political power.
  Association Ways: Vasai
  Distance: The principal creator of social distance in Vasai 
  society is racial. Lydians and Ochu do not associate all that 
  much. There are very few contexts in which it is appropriate 
  for a Lydian and an Ochu to spend time together, associate 
  or be friends. Most entities in society are segregated and that 
  is precisely how the Lydians and Ochu want it. The Lydians 
  want it because they loathe the Ochu. The Ochu don’t want 
  to associate with Lydians because they view Lydian values as 
  anti-family and corrupt.
  Fraternity: Friends in Vasai society bond over nearly any-
  thing but always at a distance that is further than family ties. 
  It is the rare Vasai indeed that forms a friendship across the 
  racial boundary.
  Guild: All tendencies towards sociality, mutual obligation or 
  communalism are weak or non-existent among Vasai. They 
  are particularly weak among the Lydians. They are rather 
  stronger among the Ochu, who have felt the oppression of 
  Lydian culture for generations and who come to believe in 
  each other more than anything else.
  Obligation: Ochu feel very strong connections towards other 
  Ochu when they see injustice. They are strongly inclined to 
  help, assist and feel alignment. Lydians do not share a similar 
  tendency towards each other.
  Order Ways: Vasai
  Sphere: The most important concern of the Vasai is that there 
  is no mixing between the Lydians and the Ochu (except for 
  the third genders). The Trials came about because one faction 
  in Vasai society enacted a series of laws that drove the Ochu 
  more or less into slavery. Secondarily to this is the tendency 
  on the part of the rich to want to stay rich. Many subtle bend-
  ings and shapings of their institutions are enacted to ensure 
  this stays true.
  Joining: Vasai government is divided into six a’at (offices). One 
  of these offices is called the Grottoes Office. In the basic law, 
  this office has limited power. In reality, the Grottoes Office 
  ensures that Lydians and Ochu are largely kept apart from 
  each other. It ensures that they don’t work together (unless 
  the Ochu have a demonstrably lower status), that Ochu power 
  remains limited and that Ochu do not live where Lydians are 
  better “suited” to living. In a contemporary Earth context, the 
  Grottoes Office might be called the Apartheid Office.
  Tenacity: The Senate is the only entity in the Vasai state that 
  would have power to rein in the Grottoes Office (or indeed 
  any other office). The division of power in the Senate makes it 
  difficult for the Senate to act with that level of decisiveness.
  Presence: The Grottoes Office is like any other entity - its 
  force of will is dependent on who is in office. In nearly all 
  cases, it wants to maintain a light hand, but not so light as to 
  be misunderstood. It will assuredly act to ensure that Lydians 
  and Ochu are kept separated. They are like social police. 
  There are no formal entities that could limit the power of the 
  Officers. Other offices, however, will act if they feel that the 
  Grottoesmen are getting too powerful. They won’t act if they 
  feel the Grottoes Office is acting too brutally.
  Authority Ways: Vasai
  Legitimacy: Legitimacy is conferred through elections, held 
  yearly in each of the Ice Grottoes for Magistrate, who governs 
  their specific Ice Grotto, and held every five years across the 
  Republic to determine membership in the Senate. There are 
  three principal factions in the Senate—a conservative faction 
  that dislikes innovation, a progressive faction more tolerant 
  of it and a faction that wants to rewrite the rules of Vasai soci-
  ety. In the last ten elections, the conservative faction has won 
  eight times and the progressives twice. The conservatives 
  presently rule the Republic.
  Power: Political power is wielded by the Senate. Each ses-
  sion, the Senate elects a Speaker. That Speaker is, formally, 
  the Vasai Republic’s chief executive.The Speaker, acting with 
  the guidance of the Senate, appoints officers to run the five 
  a’at and oversees the day-to-day business of the Republic. The 
  Vasai are a people of law and obedience. They yield most of 
  their power to the Senate they elect.
  Authority: There is little that the Senate and the authorities 
  of the Republic don’t claim authority over. The civil authori-
  ties regulate family life, marriage, birth, death, the military, 
  taxation, spending and the like.
  Participation: Male and female Lydians have the franchise 
  from age 20. Ochu are allowed to vote if they meet property 
  ownership requirements and pay a poll tax. Only about 5% of 
  Ochu are eligible to vote under these conditions.
  Freedom Ways: Vasai
  Freedom: Freedom is a problematic concept among the 
  Vasai. The Vasai strongly believe in law (Lydians more than 
  Ochu) and their laws restrict and regulate what other socie-
  ties would simply allow or forbid. There is very little forbidden 
  to a Vasai Lydian (use of force in public is restricted to the gov-
  ernment, family and social relations are regulated) and rather 
  more to an Ochu. The Vasai do not really value freedom, but 
  are happy to have what they have.
  Liberty: The Lydians do not have a notion of collectivity 
  in the same way the Ochu do. The Ochu, being minorities 
  in their culture, strongly feel ties each to the other and act 
  on them.
  Binding: Law is the force that binds the Vasai together. They 
  have a strong belief in their political values and they are com-
  mitted to maintaining them. Because the system violates the 
  basic civil liberties of the Ochu, the Ochu commitment is 
  dramatically lessened.
  HARP   Folkways 
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  Directionality: Vasai society asks more than it gives. Its legal 
  system, political processes and social norms all place more 
  obligations on the individual than they grant in rights.
  Wealth Ways: Vasai
  Objectification: Wealth is highly valued among the Vasai, be 
  they Lydians or Ochu. The Vasai mine ore and mint coins. 
  This is the principal mode of exchange in the Republic. The 
  most common metal is copper. Silver is comparatively rare 
  and gold unheard of.
  Status: Wealth is the primary way in which Vasai distinguish 
  themselves from other Vasai. It is very important. It confers 
  all of the other things that mark status in the society. Wealth 
  isn’t just coins, it’s everything that can be bought with those 
  coins, like property.
  Gift-giving: Both the Lydians and the Ochu have gift-giving 
  traditions. The Ochu traditions are more firmly established 
  and speak more broadly to their cultural values of shared sac-
  rifice and suffering.
  Reciprocity: Reciprocity functions more among the Ochu 
  than among the Lydians. It doesn’t really matter to Lydians, 
  who believe that no matter what, they can get access to the 
  higher rungs of their society. Ochu communities have mutual 
  aid societies and the expectation that the stronger will come 
  to the aid of the weaker.
  Work Ways: Vasai
  Subsistence: The Vasai have a wide range of beliefs about 
  work. Many do it for their own interest, many more because 
  if they don’t they’re not going to be able to survive. As money 
  is very important to the Vasai work is as well. More than 
  three-quarters of Vasai society have to work in order to live 
  day-to-day.
  Feudality: It is not at all uncommon for a Lydian to be re-
  sponsible for the employment of dozens of Lydians and per-
  haps hundreds of Ochu. This is the only kind of relationship 
  where Lydians and Ochu are allowed or expected to be to-
  gether. Provided the Ochu are serving a proper Lydian, that 
  will be ok.
  Ethic: Vasai have a wide range of work ethics. 
  There is nothing in the society that encourages 
  the practice of a strong work ethic and only the 
  threat of starvation encourages the practice of 
  any work ethic at all. The work ethic is stronger 
  among the Ochu who have to do everything 
  twice as hard to be recognized half as much.
  Slavery: No longer practiced, but the Trials were 
  essentially a period where the Lydians were en-
  gaged in enslaving the Ochu. This period lasted 
  for more than three generations. The practice 
  of official slavery that the Trials represents 
  caused the deeply strained relations between the 
  Lydians and the Ochu that marks the experience 
  of the current citizens of the Vasai Republic.
  Leisure Ways: Vasai
  Leisureliness: Neither the Lydians nor the Ochu 
  are particularly given over to leisure. They aren’t 
  hostile to it, but it isn’t something they value 
  more than anything else. “Don’t work too hard, 
  don’t play too hard,” might be an expression of 
  Lydian values—slow and steady. Ochu value 
  leisure more and prefer to spend that time with 
  family or in spiritual pursuits.
  Competitiveness: The Vasai are not especially 
  competitive with each other. Lydian values place 
  a greater price on getting along than on competi-
  tion. Still, there is a lively tradition of Ice Grotto 
  versus Ice Grotto competition every two years in 
  an assortment of winter-appropriate games.
  Athletics: The “Vasai Olympics” as indicated 
  above happen every two years. These athletic 
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  games involve not just skiing and sled racing but also ice 
  climbing, skating (both figure and speed) and games that are 
  related to Curling. Each Ice Grotto wants to win, if only for 
  pride of place among the community.
  Diversions: The Vasai are more likely to spend time in ath-
  letic pursuits than in other kinds of diversions. Lydians, how-
  ever, do value leatherworking and tinkering. The Ochu are 
  excellent sculptors in both bone and in ice.
  Dress Ways: Vasai
  Practicality: The key word to describe Vasai clothing is prac-
  tical. They live in a wildly unforgiving climate outside the Ice 
  Grottoes and within, it’s never wamer than the mid-50s. The 
  Lydians are adapted to this climate and prefer it. If one didn’t 
  realize the temperature, the presumption would be that the 
  Lydians think it feels like the mid-70s. The Lydians are mas-
  ters of layering. The Ochu by contrast are not adapted to the 
  cold and are prone to being bundled up in heavy garments.
  Status: Dress confers great status in the Republic. Master 
  seamstresses and tailors are highly prized and command a 
  premium for their articles. Because the Lydians so value lay-
  ering, sophisticated color and fabric matching layer-by-layer 
  is a mark of elegance and is an indicator that the wearer is 
  well off. Lydian bootmakers are perhaps the finest footwear 
  manufacturers in Shadow World, if any other culture realized 
  it. The primary goal of a Lydian in clothing selection is to not 
  be mistaken for an Ochu. The Ochu favor practicality above 
  all things in apparel and don’t really express a lot of interest in 
  color, pattern or other frivolities.
  Jewelry: Jewelry is very popular among the Lydians, who use 
  it along with their clothing to mark status. Pearls are the pre-
  ferred gemstone with chains made from silver being a signi-
  fier of real status. The Ochu are given to wearing anklets and 
  bracelets, but these are not meant to be showy, rather, they 
  are usually a token that shows a close relationship between 
  two individuals.
  Body Modification: Lydian men have a tendency to pierce 
  their ears (perhaps 65% of Lydian men are pierced), but this is 
  unheard of among the Ochu. Lydian women are disinterested 
  in the practice, but the youngest generation of Lydian girls 
  has shown perhaps a bit more interest.
  Food and Drink Ways: Vasai
  Locavore: The majority of calories in the Vasai Republic come 
  from animal sources. Fish from the rivers that flow through 
  the Ice Grottoes are, practically, without limit (the population 
  of the Republic would need to increase tenfold before the fish 
  populations were impacted). Penguins, dolphins, whales and 
  puffins are taken during the summer months in great num-
  bers and their meat made into pemmican and jerky. There is 
  very little vegetable cultivation within the Ice Grottoes. Some 
  potatoes and turnips is about the limit.
  Status: Food is food—there is nothing the rich have access to 
  that the poor don’t also have access to. The food sources that 
  are available just aren’t all that plentiful.
  Embellishment: The richer they are, the more likely a Lydian 
  has a predilection for fancy service. They make extraordinar-
  ily frilly serving platters, plates and flatware. There is very 
  little by way of herbs and spices in Vasai foodways. There is 
  some dill, some tarragon and some rosemary, but not much. 
  The Ochu do not use these embellishments at all.
  Technique: Preserving and fermenting are the key tech-
  niques of the Vasai.
  Language Ways: Vasai
  Dialect: For such a small country, the Vasai Republic is a 
  linguistic stew with a host of ingredients. The fundamental 
  divisions are between Lydian languages and Ochu languages, 
  which are mutually unintelligible. Lydians and Ochu speak 
  their own languages at home. There are three main, mutu-
  ally intelligible languages among the Lydians and two in 
  the Ochu family. Middle Lydian is the most common of the 
  three Lydian languages, spoken by about 60% of all Lydians. 
  Churonax is the most common Ochu language, spoken by 
  about 80% of Ochu (the other 20% speak Churonak).
  Majority: There really isn’t a language majority in the 
  Republic, though everyone speaks Vasai, the trade pidgin, to 
  some degree.
  Pidgins: Vasai, the language of government and commerce, 
  is a pidgin language about three centuries old that has gram-
  matical patterns common in the Ochu languages melded to 
  Lydian sentence structures and vocabulary. It is a complex 
  pidgin, difficult to master, and unintelligible to a monoglot 
  speaker of either Lydian or Ochu.
  Naming: Lydians have two names. The first is a personal 
  name and the last is a family name that connotes member-
  ship in one of the now extinct 125 Lydian tribes (these tribes 
  have no meaning or cultural significance). The Ochu use pat-
  ronymics for their naming. So, Rex Plaxeson is Rex, the son 
  of Plax.
  Magic Ways: Vasai
  Value: Magic is neither praised or condemned among the 
  Vasai. There are plenty of practitioners of various kinds of 
  magic, but generally this is of the hearth and home school of 
  magic. Nothing especially fancy, aggressive or complex.
  Occasion: Vasai are more likely to use magic to find food, en-
  hance mining or for other readily obvious commercial reason 
  than any other reason. Ochu magic has a strong spiritual di-
  mension and they regularly use it for divination, shamanistic 
  purposes and predicting the future. 
  Constraint: There are no formal constraints about or against 
  magic use in the Vasai Republic. There are no laws specifically 
  HARP   Folkways 
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  Page 123
  
  speaking to the use of magic. There are customs about the 
  Ochu use of Ochu magic in the presence of Lydians, but these 
  are customs. The Lydians know that the Ochu have a form of 
  magical practice the Lydians don’t have.
  Instruction: Ochu priests and priestesses train acolytes in 
  the use of the tradition from a fairly young age (pre-adoles-
  cent). There are always a few thousand practitioners of the 
  Ochu Way at any given time, but never more. Lydians who use 
  magic as part of their day-to-day lives number in the dozens. 
  They are always personally instructed by another magic user.
  Supernatural Ways: Vasai
  Reason: Both the Lydians and the Ochu have a respect for 
  reason and reasonable explanations for natural phenomena. 
  Their gods are not interested in explaining the natural world. 
  Rather, their gods are interested in the world of social rela-
  tions, culture and custom. These areas are perceived by the 
  Vasai as being beyond the scope of reason.
  Reflection: The central theme in the Vasai Republic is “what 
  caused the Trials, were they bad and what do they say about 
  us?” The Lydians, to the degree that they care, need to map 
  and understand why they were willing and able to enslave 
  an entire race of people for generations. The Ochu, by con-
  trast, are always asking themselves if there was anything they 
  might have done to keep themselves out of slavery.
  Ritual: Neither the Lydians or the Ochu engage in “big ticket” 
  religion. They don’t build houses of worship as worship takes 
  place in the home. The Lydians are not a spiritually sophis-
  ticated people. The Ochu are and have a priestly class, holy 
  texts, forms of worship and the like. Worship still takes place 
  in private settings.
  Soul: Lydians do not have an especially involved spiritual 
  inner life. Lydians who do are encouraged to undertake di-
  rected study to enhance their interests. The Ochu do have a 
  richly involving and involved personal life. They deeply value 
  their spiritual lives and place a high premium on parts of 
  their relationships with others that the Lydians wouldn’t re-
  ally even be able to understand.
  Self-Reflection Ways: Vasai
  For a culture with a recent history of cultural crime, the Vasai 
  have not developed the reflective capacity to understand 
  themselves well enough to prevent the same crime from re-
  peating itself. Three generations ago, the Vasai Republic’s 
  conservative faction was overtaken by a particularly reaction-
  ary subgroup and that group, anxious about race-mixing and 
  fearing that their control of the Republic was ebbing, enacted 
  a host of laws that impoverished and then enslaved the Ochu. 
  Many Lydians rejected this practice, but they didn’t do any-
  thing dramatic to change the reality of it. Many members 
  of this conservative faction took the opportunity to buy an 
  Ochu family as an opportunity to get rich and to take it easy. 
  These decisions did severe harm to the fabric of Vasai society, 
  built a high wall of mistrust between Lydian and Ochu and 
  dramatically encouraged the development of Ochu magic 
  and spirituality. There were very few Ochu priests before the 
  Trials and hundreds afterwards. There has never been an 
  apology by the Lydians to the Ochu and the Lydians even now 
  don’t seem to realize that the rules of their society make the 
  Ochu little better than slaves. Opportunity is weak for the 
  Ochu and so is power.
  HARP  Folkways 
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  Page 124
  
  9 Appendix: 20 Charts
  Environment Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  The culture is shaped by its association with a 
  water feature like a lake or aquifer. Its gods are 
  associated with this feature.
  11-20
  Once a decade, great fires sweep through the 
  region, causing the people to have to migrate for 
  a season before returning home. The buildings 
  are either temporary or made of fire-resistant 
  materials.
  21-30
  Weather systems in one season are notoriously 
  extreme and they give the culture a deep fatal-
  ism about most things.
  31-40
  Weather is nearly always tranquil, giving the 
  culture an easy, laid-back quality.
  41-50
  The culture is located in a canyon or other iso-
  lated feature, giving them a xenophobia towards 
  foreigners.
  51-60
  The culture is migratory, choosing to be in 
  plains in spring and summer and mountains in 
  fall and winter. They have temporary structures 
  for homes in the plains and permanent homes in 
  the mountains.
  61-70
  These people were driven from their fertile lands 
  and now persist on the edges of scrubby waste 
  and combine a resentment with a stubborn will 
  to persist.
  71-80
  A mighty river runs through the culture’s lands, 
  giving them a sense of order and stability. They 
  live near or on the river.
  81-90
  The terrain is dotted with the the ruins of a 
  long-dead civilization. The people venerate 
  these spaces.
  91-99
  The culture has built a huge mine in the center 
  of their territory and they’ve dug very, very deep.
  100
  The people live in balloons or airships that 
  rarely land.
  Urban Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  There are no settlements; each family lives 
  independently and only comes together once a 
  season at a neutral site.
  11-20
  The people live in one giant walled settlement 
  and strictly control who comes in. All buildings 
  are connected to each other.
  21-30
  The settlements are built in trees and can only 
  be accessed by ladders.
  31-40
  All settlements are strictly segregated in some 
  way by class, race or profession with undesira-
  bles living underground.
  41-50
  Permanent settlements exist but men are not 
  allowed to live in them. Men live in temporary 
  structures outside of town or are nomadic.
  51-60
  The culture travels a decade-long circuit taking 
  them to the ocean, the mountains and then to 
  canyon lands following the migration pattern of 
  a sacred bird.
  61-70
  The civilization has occupied the remains of a 
  long-dead culture.
  71-80
  The people live atop a mesa but conduct a 
  robust trade at sea level with travelers using a 
  major road connecting a major city and the sea.
  81-90
  The culture builds only in gleaming white 
  marble.
  91-99
  The culture builds only with materials mined a 
  week’s journey away.
  100
  The culture lives inside the perfectly preserved 
  skeletal remains of a giant (blue whale sized) 
  trilobite.
  HARP   Folkways 
  20 Charts 
  Page 125
  
  Family Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  Distant kinship is very important to these 
  people. Everyone is a “cousin,” seemingly even 
  strangers.
  11-20
  Families associate with one of ten divinities 
  important to the culture. Relationships across 
  this divide are managed by a priestly class.
  21-30
  Young men hold authority in this culture. At 
  age 30, young men retire from the society and 
  leave their people never to return.
  31-40
  The culture values discipline in family 
  relations.
  41-50
  The most important quality in family life in 
  this culture is harmony.
  51-60
  Family isn’t very important in this culture. Far 
  more important is shared interests and values.
  61-70
  The society requires family members to defend 
  the honor of slighted kinsfolk with violence.
  71-80
  Children are raised collectively in dormitories 
  by a selected class of caregivers.
  81-90
  The culture perceives itself to be one family. 
  The head of the family dispenses all economic 
  benefits.
  91-99
  There is no word or concept to describe family 
  relationships other than mother, father, sister 
  and brother. Everyone else isn’t considered 
  “family.”
  100
  Family relationships have recently been 
  disrupted by some cataclysmic social change. 
  People are highly on edge.
  Marriage Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  Divorce is forbidden, but estranged partners are 
  allowed to cohabit with non-married partners.
  11-20
  Love is the only thing upon which a marriage can 
  be based. People in the culture marry frequently 
  and have many married partners.
  21-30
  Marriage’s only purpose is for the creation and 
  raising of legitimate children. All marriages end 
  when a child reaches majority.
  31-40
  Marriages are strictly arranged by elders who 
  favor marriages to outsiders.
  41-50
  Marriage is only valid with at least three 
  partners.
  51-60
  Marriage is for life. Re-marriage is never allowed, 
  nor is divorce.
  61-70
  Marriage has nothing to do with the creation and 
  raising of children. Rather, marriage is about af-
  finity and love. Same-gender marriage is normal.
  71-80
  Marriage between race is disallowed.
  81-90
  Marriage between caste or class is disallowed.
  91-99
  The wealth of a deceased partner passes only to 
  the state; there is no inheritance.
  100
  Marriage is only allowed between races, not 
  within.
  HARP  Folkways 
  20 Charts 
  Page 126
  
  Lifespan Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  Because they are naturally long-lived, members 
  of this culture have a longer than typical adoles-
  cence and value adolescent rebelliousness.
  11-20
  Children are seen as easy targets for wicked spir-
  its and are carefully monitored for problematic 
  behavior which is vigorously corrected.
  21-30
  Elders are devalued in this culture. At age 60, 
  they are exiled.
  31-40
  Elders become religious figures when all of their 
  children reach adulthood.
  41-50
  Rites of passage between childhood and adoles-
  cence are important to this culture. These rituals 
  are centered on notions of balance.
  51-60
  Rites of passage between adolescence and adult-
  hood are important to this culture. They are 
  exceptionally violent and war-centered. Failure 
  at these rites means exile.
  61-70
  People in this society are unusually long-lived 
  for their race, leading to a prolonged and valued 
  elderhood.
  71-80
  People in this society are unusually short-lived 
  for their race, essentially eliminating notions of 
  elderhood and creating a kind of fatalism about 
  death.
  81-90
  Once a person reaches sexual maturity, that 
  person is considered an adult by the culture for 
  all purposes.
  91-99
  It is considered proper to eat the brain and heart 
  of deceased relatives.
  100
  Children alone are allowed to rule in this cul-
  ture. When adolescence is achieved, they must 
  step down from their positions of power.
  Gender and Sexuality Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  The society has very strict definitions about 
  what constitutes male and female and vio-
  lently corrects transgressions.
  11-20
  Gender is fluidly expressed in this culture. It 
  is normal for people to express themselves in 
  different ways at different times in their lives.
  21-30
  Gender is well-defined in the culture, but 
  their rules are outside the norms of their 
  larger culture or society.
  31-40
  Children are thought to have no gender and 
  only given one when the child decides what 
  his/her gender is.
  41-50
  Women and men are considered entirely 
  equal in this society.
  51-60
  Women have dominance over men in this 
  society.
  61-70
  Men have dominance over women in this 
  society.
  71-80
  Sexuality outside of marriage is considered a 
  crime punishable by death.
  81-90
  Sexuality is strictly controlled by some kind 
  of authority. Access to romantic partners is 
  controlled by this authority.
  91-99
  Sexuality is wide open and free in this culture. 
  The culture’s values are “anything goes.”
  100
  When leaders ascend to power, they take on 
  genderless expressions of self.
  HARP   Folkways 
  20 Charts 
  Page 127
  
  Association Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  Criminal guilds are very powerful in this 
  culture.
  11-20
  There are twelve guilds in this society, each 
  associated with a noble quality (like justice). 
  Members of these guilds all wear a unique and 
  particular color when conducting public life.
  21-30
  If you’ve been accepted by a member of this 
  culture as a friend, you are obligated to defend 
  that friend’s honor to the death.
  31-40
  Challenges to a person’s dignity in this culture 
  are confronted by ritualized combat.
  41-50
  Sports and games are very important in this 
  culture. Teams and players you associate with 
  can and do alter friendship patterns.
  51-60
  Every association group in this culture has its 
  own pidgin language.
  61-70
  All association groups in this culture have 
  esoteric lore that that assign great value to.
  71-80
  All economic activity in this society is con-
  ducted and regulated by labor guilds under the 
  control of powerful bosses.
  81-90
  Families associate with particular groups and 
  organizations and disassociate family members 
  who don’t conform.
  91-99
  Friendship groups are strictly associated with 
  particular genders.
  100
  Networks are maintained across distances by 
  means of scrying stones or other communica-
  tion devices, each unique to an individual 
  group.
  Rank Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  The culture has very weak notions of rank. Not 
  quite egalitarian, but only expressed in one 
  aspect of its society (like intelligence or work).
  11-20
  The society has three different kinds of nobility, 
  each based on a past historical era in the society. 
  These nobilities are hostile to each other and 
  to the non-titled. The most ancient is the most 
  jealous.
  21-30
  The culture is rigidly stratified by rank with 
  clearly defined noble classes and complex rules 
  of interaction between these classes.
  31-40
  The culture has no notion of rank and is entirely 
  classless.
  41-50
  Food is strictly associated with status. 
  Preparations and recipes associated with one 
  status are never served or shared to others.
  51-60
  Outsiders are considered to be the highest rank-
  ing members of this society and are given lavish 
  gifts for which obscure obligations are expected.
  61-70
  Orphaned children are always adopted into the 
  highest ranking families.
  71-80
  Caste is rigidly maintained by all members of 
  society.
  81-90
  Religious organizations in society actively 
  recruit from the lowermost classes.
  91-99
  Class distinction is maintained by social con-
  vention. Breaking these conventions results in 
  being stripped of one’s status.
  100
  Status changes as the society moves in response 
  to environmental challenge. A person might be 
  a noble in the plains and while hunting and a 
  commoner in the city.
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  20 Charts 
  Page 128
  
  Order Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  The society punishes inappropriate use of 
  language through public shaming (stocks).
  11-20
  These people use a guild of women war-
  riors to maintain discipline in relationships 
  between members of the society.
  21-30
  The society maintains strict business rela-
  tionships and has complex courts to punish 
  cheating.
  31-40
  The church controls the ordering institutions 
  in this society with priests meting out justice.
  41-50
  Criminal enterprises determine the rules in 
  this culture, ruling with terror if they are so 
  inclined.
  51-60
  The society hires outsiders to maintain order 
  and discipline, giving contracts to those 
  outsiders along with the “rule book” for them 
  to interpret.
  61-70
  Social rules are maintained through silence; 
  the one who does wrong isn’t allowed to 
  speak and the people don’t speak to that 
  wrongdoer.
  71-80
  There is a complex system of clothing and 
  sewn-on badges that cultural criminals have 
  to wear to identify them to the rest of the 
  culture.
  81-90
  Within the calendar of the year there are six 
  different religious and civic periods. Each is 
  governed by a different organization.
  91-99
  There are no ordering institutions...anything 
  goes.
  100
  There are two civilizations living in the same 
  physical space but having radically different 
  values. An ordering organization exists to 
  keep the two civilizations from interacting 
  with each other.
  Authority Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  The people are led by a hereditary monarch 
  from a  long-ruling family.
  11-20
  The society has recently replaced a hereditary 
  monarch from a long-ruling family with a new 
  monarch from an unrelated family, generating 
  disorder.
  21-30
  The civilization is led by three monarchs, 
  representing different communities within the 
  society.
  31-40
  The society is led by an absolute monarch who 
  is also the leader of a religious organization.
  41-50
  A charismatic leader runs this society, but 
  that leader has no hereditary claim on the 
  leadership.
  51-60
  The society is run by the military.
  61-70
  A merchant council dominates civic soci-
  ety while a criminal council dominates the 
  economy.
  71-80
  The society is a republic with low class 
  differentiation.
  81-90
  The society is a republic with high class dif-
  ferentiation; the rich hold disproportionate 
  power.
  91-99
  The civilization is a democracy; people are 
  obligated to vote daily on civic matters.
  100
  The nation is a colony run by a foreign power.
  HARP   Folkways 
  20 Charts 
  Page 129
  
  Freedom Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  People have no civil liberties in this society.
  11-20
  People have freedom of speech in this soci-
  ety, but not of association or worship.
  21-30
  Everyone in society is a member of one of 5 
  clans. The clans have full civil liberties and 
  powers but individuals in these clans have 
  none.
  31-40
  People do not have the right to make ro-
  mantic relationships without approval of the 
  appropriate committee.
  41-50
  People are at their liberty to worship any one 
  of three state-approved gods.
  51-60
  Mothers can execute their own children 
  regardless of other restrictions on their 
  behavior.
  61-70
  Punishment for crimes is an exact mirror of 
  the crime committed.
  71-80
  The society punishes criminals by locking 
  them at the top of megaliths.
  81-90
  People in this society are only allowed to use 
  metals associated with their family or tribe.
  91-99
  People have full civil liberties in this society.
  100
  There are no individual freedoms under-
  stood in this culture. All freedoms are 
  expressed as freedoms/liberties belonging to 
  groups.
  Wealth Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  The civilization has fiat currency (paper 
  money not tied to any other metal or thing of 
  value).
  11-20
  The society places a great deal of value on 
  wealth, believing it to be a sign that the 
  wealthy are beloved of god.
  21-30
  The society punishes the poor as being be-
  neath the dignity of civic society.
  31-40
  The rich in this civilization live entirely sepa-
  rated from the poor.
  41-50
  All property is owned collectively.
  51-60
  Hosts are obligated to celebrate all guests who 
  show up at the door and fete them with lavish 
  gifts.
  61-70
  Wealthy people are under great social pressure 
  to give away their wealth.
  71-80
  The society has a rich tradition of gift-giving 
  holidays.
  81-90
  The society views gift-giving as shameful and 
  never does it.
  91-99
  Wealth is defined not by some tangible qual-
  ity like gold but some intangible quality like 
  intelligence.
  100
  The society is communist and has no notion of 
  wealth.
  HARP  Folkways 
  20 Charts 
  Page 130
  
  Work Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  Most people in this society are subsistence 
  farmers.
  11-20
  Most hard labor in this society is performed 
  by an underclass of foreigners.
  21-30
  Slavery is common in this society with most 
  hard labor performed by slaves.
  31-40
  Slavery is common with slaves distributed 
  broadly in all kinds of work.
  41-50
  The society spends a great deal of its work 
  effort creating luxury products for export.
  51-60
  There is a wealthy class with a specialized set 
  of skills in this culture.
  61-70
  The culture values work and leisure equally, 
  allowing for a 40 hour work week. It manages 
  this by transferring wealth from the rich to 
  the poor.
  71-80
  Everyone is embedded in a complex system of 
  feudal relationships based on the work they 
  do.
  81-90
  Castes are assigned to families based on the 
  work they do and individuals are not allowed 
  to leave their caste.
  91-99
  It is possible for a member of this society to 
  become so poor that they become enslaved.
  100
  Everyone in this society is considered the 
  property of the monarch.
  Leisure Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  The society values individual athletic 
  accomplishments.
  11-20
  The people are avid fans of teams that 
  compete against each other throughout the 
  culture.
  21-30
  The culture is super competitive, having 
  contests in all sorts of aspects of the culture 
  where other societies might not.
  31-40
  The culture is indifferent to competition, but 
  does respect quality work well done.
  41-50
  The society values leisure time and has 
  devised a host of different leisure activities 
  that it values.
  51-60
  The society is obsessed with card games and 
  gambling.
  61-70
  The society is obsessed with strategic board 
  games.
  71-80
  Acting, puppetry and roleplaying hare highly 
  valued in this culture.
  81-90
  Athletic skill is a primary way to differentiate 
  between the in-crowd and the out-crowd in 
  this culture.
  91-99
  The people are not particularly interested in 
  leisure activity.
  100
  Leadership in society is determined by suc-
  cess in either athletic or game competition.
  HARP   Folkways 
  20 Charts 
  Page 131
  
  Dress Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  The culture does not value clothing, prefer-
  ring bland homespun.
  11-20
  The people in this culture are obsessed with 
  hats of all sorts using them as a status marker.
  21-30
  Clothing in this society is elaborate and 
  complicated.
  31-40
  Clothing in this society is organized first 
  around comfort.
  41-50
  Body hair is abhorred in this society; all of it 
  is shaved off.
  51-60
  Tattooing is common in this culture.
  61-70
  Body piercing is common in this culture.
  71-80
  People in this culture will pay through the 
  nose for silk.
  81-90
  Elaborate broaches made from the relics of 
  dead relatives are common in this culture.
  91-99
  Men are generally unclothed in this society.
  100
  Spun metals are the only fabrics known to 
  this culture.
  Food and Drink Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  The culture values seafood over all others.
  11-20
  The people in this culture have developed so-
  phisticated distilling skills and have hundreds 
  of different spirits for consumption or sale.
  21-30
  Veganism is the order of the day in this cul-
  ture; meat is never consumed.
  31-40
  Insects are the primary protein source in this 
  culture.
  41-50
  Sweets are deeply prized in this society, but are 
  reserved for the very wealthy.
  51-60
  Certain meats are consumed only by priestly 
  classes; consumption of them by non-priests is 
  a death penalty offense.
  61-70
  Spices and herbs are considered tools of cor-
  ruption and are never used.
  71-80
  Foreign food is considered a particular deli-
  cacy by this culture because these people love 
  new things.
  81-90
  All food must be cooked in some kind of liquid 
  because the gods prefer it that way.
  91-99
  Coffee and tea are highly prized in this cul-
  ture; coffee and tea houses are everywhere.
  100
  The culture has experienced famine in its past. 
  Almost anything that can be consumed is seen 
  as food and can be processed to make it edible.
  HARP  Folkways 
  20 Charts 
  Page 132
  
  Language Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  There are minority languages in this society 
  that thrive but do so only at home; they have 
  no official sanction.
  11-20
  There is a written language used in this soci-
  ety that is different from its spoken language.
  21-30
  Women and men have different spoken lan-
  guages learned from their respective parents 
  or guardians. Children who don’t learn these 
  gendered languages are shunned.
  31-40
  A recent conquest means that the language 
  of government and the elites is completely 
  different from the language of the commons 
  and this creates regular conflict.
  41-50
  The language of this society is infuriatingly 
  general; its speakers make meaning through 
  intuition. Its poetry is considered particularly 
  lovely.
  51-60
  The language of this society is maddeningly 
  specific. Every possible subtlety is managed 
  by one or another prefix or suffix. Its poetry is 
  considered unusually dreadful.
  61-70
  Three languages are vying to be the language 
  of the majority in this civilization.
  71-80
  There are so many languages spoken in this 
  culture that communication is facilitated by a 
  highly generalized common pidgin language.
  81-90
  Trade guilds maintain trade specific dialects.
  91-99
  Vocabulary is highly class-specific, with poor 
  people never choosing to use certain words 
  they understand and vice versa for the rich.
  100
  There is no spoken language. All communica-
  tion is by gesture.
  Magic Ways
  d100
  Cultural Qualities
  1-10
  Magic is performed routinely and by even the 
  poorly trained in this society. Hedge magic is 
  common.
  11-20
  Magic is only performed by the unskilled; it is 
  devalued by the majority culture.
  21-30
  Magic is taught in academies based on dif-
  ferent schools of magic. Performing magic 
  without a license is a crime.
  31-40
  Magic is taught in an academy that one gains 
  access to by exam. Graduates are considered 
  sacred by the rest of society and are feared.
  41-50
  Magic exists but its practice is viewed as 
  shameful and lazy by the rest of society.
  51-60
  Magic is only performed by slaves in this 
  culture. If you have magical skills, you are 
  claimed by the rich families and put to work.
  61-70
  Magic is forbidden. If it is practiced, the 
  practitioner can be put to death.
  71-80
  Magic is highly praised and valued in this so-
  ciety, but it is only practiced at festival times 
  - important times in the calendar year.
  81-90
  Magic is only allowed within a spiritual 
  framework and context. If unsanctioned by a 
  spiritual organization, it is criminal.
  91-99
  Magic is routinely performed but only by one 
  gender, never by the other.
  100
  Magic is performed, but only to harm others.
  HARP   Folkways 
  20 Charts 
  Page 133
  
  Supernatural Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  The society believes in pure reason to under-
  stand the way the world works. It has no gods 
  or belief in the supernatural at all.
  11-20
  The people believe their ancestors continue 
  to walk in the world as spirits.
  21-30
  The society believes that four times a year, 
  the boundary between the spirit world and 
  the world of the living is so thin that it can be 
  breached in either direction.
  31-40
  Natural phenomena (like earthquakes) are 
  the actions in the world of angry or benevo-
  lent gods who represent those forces.
  41-50
  Once a year, everyone in society is obligated 
  to formally atone in public for what they have 
  done to others.
  51-60
  Every morning, all members of society 
  engage in 30 minutes of formal, ritualized 
  worship. Failure to do so results in social 
  ostracization.
  61-70
  The culture is monotheistic and violently 
  suppresses religious traditions that don’t 
  conform to its monotheistic vision.
  71-80
  Relationships with the supernatural world are 
  managed by a priestly class.
  81-90
  Relationships with the supernatural world are 
  managed by elders in a family.
  91-99
  Relationships with the supernatural world are 
  personal in nature.
  100
  The society’s belief systems are presently in 
  flux with a high level of social anxiety.
  Self-reflection Ways
  d100
  Cultural Quality
  1-10
  The society is ashamed of the way it distributes 
  wealth.
  11-20
  Many in society feel abandoned by the gods.
  21-30
  The society is coming to believe that slavery is 
  morally wrong.
  31-40
  The people do not wish to be at war with their 
  neighbors anymore.
  41-50
  The civilization is ashamed of a precursor 
  civilization that engaged in genocide.
  51-60
  The lower classes want to have a share in politi-
  cal power and many in the upper classes agree, 
  but don’t do anything to help them.
  61-70
  A minority of members of the society want to 
  end the power of an ordering institution but 
  don’t know how to change it.
  71-80
  The people are abandoning their gods, but not 
  in their public practice, only in their heart.
  81-90
  The behavior of the society’s military is consid-
  ered shameful.
  91-99
  Gender relations are poisonous in this society.
  100
  The society is undergoing a revolution in some 
  aspect of its values right now.
  HARP  Folkways 
  20 Charts 
  Page 134
  
  10 Index
  A
  Academic Specialization  95
  Adolescent Skill Rank  83
  Aerial  81
  Amarvish  66
  Amphibious Action  95
  Aquatic  81
  Arctic  82
  Artisan  85
  Association Ways  28
  Association Ways Enyryx  52
  Association Ways: Orsai  114
  Association Ways: Vasai  121
  Athlete  86
  Authority Ways  33
  Authority Ways Enyryx  53
  Authority Ways Mormoops  61
  Authority Ways: Orsai  115
  Authority Ways: Vasai  121
  B
  Bentaxa  67
  Borderlands  82
  Brotherhood of Aliens  99
  C
  Calming Voice  95
  Camouflage  95
  Clowns  99
  Coastal  82
  Cold Resistance (major)  95
  Conquistadors  100
  Crafter, Fast  96
  Credits  2
  Cultures  81
  Cyradon: The Theocracy of Asut and 
  the Orsai Empire  111
  D
  Danger Sense  96
  Deeping  82
  Dexterity, Manual  96
  Diplomatic Training  96
  Dress Ways  39
  Dress Ways Enyryx  55
  Dress Ways Mormoops  63
  Dress Ways: Orsai  116
  Dress Ways: Vasai  123
  E
  Enhanced Amphibious Senses  96
  Entertainer, Master  96
  Envenomers  100
  Environment  19
  Environment Ways Enyryx  48
  Environment Ways Mormoops  57
  Environment Ways: Orsai  111
  Environment Ways: Vasai  118
  Enyryx, Folkways of the Common-
  wealth of  47
  Enyryx, Gryx: The Commonwealth of  
  47
  Exceptionally Dense Musculature  96
  Expert, Racial/Cultural  97
  F
  Faleeka  69
  Family Ways  22
  Family Ways Enyryx  50
  Family Ways Mormoops  58
  Family Ways: Orsai  112
  Family Ways: Vasai  119
  Fisherfolk  101
  Folkways of Elysion Mormoops  57
  Folkways of the Orsai Empire  111
  Folkways of The Vasai Republic  118
  Food and Drink Ways  40
  Food and Drink Ways Enyryx  55
  Food and Drink Ways Mormoops  63
  Food and Drink Ways: Orsai  117
  Food and Drink Ways: Vasai  123
  Freedom Ways  34
  Freedom Ways Enyryx  54
  Freedom Ways: Orsai  115
  Freedom Ways: Vasai  121
  G
  Gamemasters of Anjaxa  101
  Gender and Sexuality Ways  27
  Gender and Sexuality Ways Enyryx  52
  Gender and Sexuality Ways Mormoops  
  60
  Gender and Sexuality Ways: Orsai  114
  Gender and Sexuality Ways: Vasai  120
  Gene Wolfe’s “The Book of the New 
  Sun”  9
  George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice 
  and Fire”  13
  Gills  96
  Gnome: Elysion Mormoops  57
  Good Memory  96
  Gordaz  70
  Greensmen and Greenswomen  101
  Gregariousness  96
  Gryx: The Commonwealth of Enyryx  
  47
  H
  Hardiness  96
  HARP  16
  Heat Resistance (major)  96
  Heat Resistance (minor)  96
  Hehn  71
  Hunter  87
  Hunter, Skilled  97
  I
  Intellectual  88
  J
  J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Middle Earth”  8
  K
  Kenra  72
  Knights Gastronomist  102
  L
  Laborer  89
  Language Ways  41
  Language Ways Enyryx  56
  Language Ways Mormoops  63
  Language Ways: Orsai  117
  Language Ways: Vasai  123
  Legs, Sea  97
  Leisure Ways  37
  Leisure Ways Enyryx  55
  Leisure Ways Mormoops  63
  Leisure Ways: Orsai  116
  Leisure Ways: Vasai  122
  Lifespan Ways  25
  Lifespan Ways Enyryx  51
  Lifespan Ways Mormoops  59
  Lifespan Ways: Orsai  113
  Lifespan Ways: Vasai  120
  HARP   Folkways 
  Index 
  Page 135
  
  M
  Magic and Spells  4, 46
  Magic Ways  42
  Magic Ways Enyryx  56
  Magic Ways Mormoops  64
  Magic Ways: Orsai  117
  Magic Ways: Vasai  123
  Marriage Ways  24
  Marriage Ways Enyryx  50
  Marriage Ways Mormoops  58
  Marriage Ways: Orsai  113
  Marriage Ways: Vasai  119
  Maskmakers  102
  Memory, Good  96
  Menomonee  73
  Mormoops, Elysion  57
  Mormoops, Folkways of Elysion  57
  Multiple / Peripheral Eyes [Lesser]  96
  N
  Navrothor  74
  Nestorians  102
  New Skills  95
  New Talents  95
  O
  Order Ways  31
  Order Ways Enyryx  53
  Order Ways: Orsai  114
  Order Ways: Vasai  121
  Orsai, Association Ways:  114
  Orsai, Dress Ways:  116
  Orsai, Environment Ways:  111
  Orsai, Family Ways:  112
  Orsai, Food and Drink Ways:  117
  Orsai, Freedom Ways:  115
  Orsai, Gender and Sexuality Ways:  114
  Orsai, Language Ways:  117
  Orsai, Leisure Ways:  116
  Orsai, Lifespan Ways:  113
  Orsai, Magic Ways:  117
  Orsai, Order Ways:  114
  Orsai, Supernatural Ways:  117
  Orsai, Urban Ways:  111
  Orsai, Wealth Ways:  115
  Orsai, Work Ways:  115
  P
  Painting  95
  Person, People  97
  Precisionists  103
  Private Eye  103
  Professions, New  85
  Q
  Queequayth  75
  R
  Racial Characteristics  66
  Racial Descriptions  66
  Rank Ways  30
  Rank Ways: Vasai  120
  Reader, Speed  97
  Republic, Folkways of The Vasai  118
  Robin Hobb’s “Farseer Trilogies”  11
  Role Playing Warriors  
  7, 18, 65, 84, 98, 110, 135
  S
  Sailor  90
  Scavengers  103
  Scoundrel  91
  Sculpting  95
  Seeker  92
  Self-reflection Ways  45, 57
  Self-Reflection Ways  118, 124
  Servants of the Eighth Order  104
  Shadow World: The Vasai Republic 
  (Lydians and Ochu)  118
  Shrewdness  97
  Singers of the Ascending Sun  104
  Singers of the Setting Sun  105
  Smart, Street  97
  Sports  95
  Stephen R. Donaldson’s “Chronicles of 
  Thomas Covenant”  12
  Stylites  105
  Superior Blazing Speed:  97
  Supernatural Ways  44
  Supernatural Ways Enyryx  56
  Supernatural Ways Mormoops  64
  Supernatural Ways: Orsai  117
  Supernatural Ways: Vasai  124
  Swimmer, Strong  97
  T
  The Folkways of the Commonwealth of 
  Enyryx  47
  Theocracy of Asut and the Orsai Em-
  pire  111
  Tomalak  76
  Tongued, Silver  97
  Traceurs, The  106
  Tracker, Master  97
  Trader  93
  Trader, Skilled  97
  Training, Diplomatic  95
  Training, Mariner  96
  Training, Outrider  97
  Translators and Interpreters  106
  Trapper, Master  97
  U
  Ululators of Hark  107
  Urban Ways  21
  Urban Ways Enyryx  49
  Urban Ways Mormoops  58
  Urban Ways: Orsai  111
  Urban Ways: Vasai  119
  Útilegumennarnir  108
  V
  Valet  94
  Value, Judge of  96
  Vasai, Association Ways:  121
  Vasai, Dress Ways:  123
  Vasai, Environment Ways:  118
  Vasai, Family Ways:  119
  Vasai, Food and Drink Ways:  123
  Vasai, Freedom Ways:  121
  Vasai, Gender and Sexuality Ways:  120
  Vasai, Language Ways:  123
  Vasai, Leisure Ways:  122
  Vasai, Lifespan Ways:  120
  Vasai, Marriage Ways:  119
  Vasai, Urban Ways:  119
  Vasai, Wealth Ways:  122
  Vasai, Work Ways:  122
  Vengha  77
  Vocation  95
  Vocation, Master of  97
  Voice, Calming  96
  W
  Ways, Association  28
  Ways, Authority  33
  Ways, Dress  39
  Ways, Environment  19
  Ways, Family  22
  Ways, Food and Drink  40
  Ways, Freedom  34
  Ways, Gender and Sexuality  27
  Ways, Language  41
  Ways, Leisure  37
  Ways, Lifespan  25
  Ways, Magic  42
  Ways, Marriage  24, 113
  Ways of the Forestals  108
  Ways, Order  31
  Ways, Self-reflection  45
  Ways, Self-Reflection  118
  Ways, Supernatural  44
  Ways, Urban  21
  HARP  Folkways 
  Index 
  Page 136
  
  Ways, Wealth  35
  Ways, Work  36
  Wealth Ways  35
  Wealth Ways Enyryx  54
  Wealth Ways Mormoops  62
  Wealth Ways: Orsai  115
  Wealth Ways: Vasai  122
  Wildly Nimble  97
  Witch Hunter  109
  Work Ways  36
  Work Ways Enyryx  54
  Work Ways Mormoops  62
  Work Ways: Orsai  115
  Work Ways: Vasai  122
  World of Warcraft  15
  Writing  95
  
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