Barghast

"Those boys will fight anyone, anywhere."

―Storo Matash, on the Barghast

The Barghast were a non-human pastoral nomadic warrior society who were found on several continents. The Barghast of Genabackis were concentrated in the Barghast Range.

Generally larger than humans, they were often seen as exotic barbarians or savages by non-Barghast. They were divided into many clans with each hunter group identified through their woad tattooing. The tattoos depicted the history of their families going back as many as hundreds of generations. Rivalries between clans were fierce with some clans recognising others as their Avowed enemies. Duels to the death between rival clan members were common and tolerated at inter-clan gatherings.

Each clan was led by a warchief and guided by its shamans (also known as shouldermen). Shouldermen communicated with the spirits of their dead ancestors through dreams. Spirits provided guidance and patrolled the Barghast lands warning of trespassers. Questions of leadership could be settled by ritual combat to the death.

Barghast shamans could create Blood-iron to invest weapons with a power that linked the wielder to the weapon. They could imbue protective powers on individuals through the use of bone circles. Individuals were placed inside the circle while shamans danced for days around it.

Not all spirits were welcome among the Barghast. The older and more powerful spirits were kept at bay. When shamans and other powerful Barghast died they were buried in barrow mounds. Trunks of oak trees were carved with magic bindings and pressed into the ground upside down atop the corpse. This pinned its spirit in place and prevented malicious wandering. Additional traps and guardians were placed in a circle about the barrow. Souls who were caught in the wooden traps were known as Sticksnares. Any that managed to escape the barrow often attempted to return to their clans and were destroyed.

Barghast lived in hide tents and yurts. Their clothing was made of natural materials and found objects unique to each tribe. The Senan studded their clothes with coins from an ancient hoard. The Barahn made use of porcupine quills. The Ahkrata stitched together multi-coloured bits of armour from slain Moranth. Every tribe made use of ash, paint, and foul smelling grease on their skin. Grey ash on the face, for example, was a sign of mourning. They were known for their use of hook-swords and hook-knives.

Barghast were sexually free and amorous. They openly propositioned those they were attracted to and casually paired off with strangers.

Barghast were known for their odd sense of humour.

They possessed a fear and hatred of the Moranth, a circumstance Twist blamed on false memories passed down from ancient times.

Known Barghast

Absi (half-Barghast) Bakal Balamit Bedit Benden Ledag Cafal Corit Estaral Faranda Hega Hessanrala Hetan

Humbrall Taur Jastara Jayviss Kamz'tryld Kashat Krin Warchief Maral Eb Netok Ralata Riggis Sagal Sathand Grit

Sekara the Vile Setoc of the Wolves Spax Stavi (half-Barghast) Warchief Stolmen Storii (half-Barghast) Strahl Talt Trotts Yedin Zaravow

Barghast clans

• Ilgres clan

• White Face clan
  • Ahkrata
    • Skincuts
  • Barahn
  • Gadra
    • Snakehunter
  • Gilk
  • Nith'rithal
  • Senan

History

The Barghast were descended from Imass who had been driven to the sea in their race's quest to hunt the Jaghut to extinction and to avoid the immobilization and starvation caused by the Jaghut ice flows. Consequently, they had not arrived in time for the Ritual of Tellann that created the T'lan Imass. From an early time they dwelled among the Tartheno Toblakai and interbreeding resulted in a people taller, less squat, and with less pronounced facial features than their Imass forebears.

At some point in their history they had come into conflict on the open seas with a grey-skinned race of demons they called the T'isten'ur. These creatures of Shadow were known for collecting the heads of their victims while their still-living bodies were enslaved in ceaseless labour. It was during this time that the Moranth, who shared a language with the Barghast shamans and were likely a branch of that race, made peace with the T'isten'ur and embraced their alchemies. Both Barghast and Moranth races considered the other Fallen Kin.

After driving their enemies back into their underworld in the Forest of Shadows in a distant land, the vast fleet of the Barghast made landfall at Capustan. There the settlers known as the Founding Families (or the First Families), their numbers now reduced by half in ceaseless battle, buried their dugouts forever. Over time, the truth of their origins was widely lost and the Barghast migrated into the mountains of the Barghast Range. The warchiefs of the Founding Families became worshipped by the Barghast as the Founding Spirits and their barrows were visited by pilgrims. But Daru and Capan settlers destroyed the barrows and scattered their bones when they established Capustan.

Ancient bindings and their missing remains left the Founding Spirits as children, unable to ascend as true Gods. The original Barghast Warren became forgotten and the Barghast shamans welcomed only the weaker, younger spirits among the tribes. In that state, as both Talamandas and Bauchelain noted, their culture was rotting from within and faced eternal stagnation.

In Memories of Ice

The old Barghast Spirits re-awakened and, using Mallet as a bridge, joined the younger ones. They were to tell their masters that the Founding Spirits of the Barghast had awakened but were trapped in Capustan. It was revealed that the Moranth were related to the Barghast.

Notes and references

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