Pagaelin (Hârnic barbarians)

From “Travels Through the Osel”, by Giles of Erodal, 645TR. Annotated and expanded by Harien of Guinas through 719TR:

The Pagaelin nation is, unfortunately, one of the larger barbarian groups on Hârn. Their territory extends from the west side of Lake Tontury and much of southern Kaldor above the Osel River, throughout the Upper and Lower Osel valleys and down below the Shomos River. They occupy irregular portions of the interior of Setha Heath, and the lands north of the Ulmerien River in the vicinity of Chybisa. This river and urban Chybisa separates their territory from that of the Hodiri; the two nations do not get along well. To the west, their territory is bounded by the Kald River all the way out to the westernmost point of Setha Heath; to the east, their boundary is less regular and extends east of the Ilmen River into the foothills of the southern Sorkin Mountain range and the northern portion of the Anadels.

To the far west, they pay strict attention to the Kald river as the dividing line between their territory and that of the Sindarin – whom they regard as “forest devils”. For their part, the Sindarin largely ignore them but sometimes cross the river to hunt in the Shomos River area, unmolested by the Pagaelin.

It is said that that Pagaelin were originally a fishing people along the eastern shores of Hârn. Stories sometimes surface of finding Pagaelin artifacts as far north as the Anoth Delta in eastern Orbaal and down to Mozil Point, deep in what is now Solori territory.

If this is so, then their culture seems to have changed dramatically. Fishing folk are generally fairly peaceful and immobile. The current-day Pagaelin are brutal nomadic warriors, often primitive, bearing no sense of honor, and are with some truth thought of as half-gargun.

There is some evidence that the Pagaelin were involved in the Migration Wars, and that the pressures of the time forced them into a nomadic lifestyle they have not yet given up. Although both Kaldoric and Chybisan merchants sometimes establish trading posts (the most successful being at Oselbridge), ongoing contact with the Pagaelin remains extremely hazardous.

It does not seem possible to predict whether contact with the Pagaelin will be peaceful, murderous, or merely tense. Their social structure appears to be built on raw male domination and power, with disputes being settled by mortal combat or murder. Death in battle is not viewed as a matter of courage, but rather as failure. No one I have spoken to believes the Pagaelin have a sense of personal honor, although there are reports that it is a matter of pride to win a battle by ‘creative’ means.

Fortunately, they do not often use bows. The common limit of missile weapons is a thrown axe or a javelin; they are quite skilled with either. Although the use of long-range weapons such as a shortbow appeals greatly to their beliefs, those in power do much to discourage their use, fearing (probably rightly) that such weapons might be used against themselves.

Pagaelin males are suspicious by nature, rarely trusting their own kin. They are ALWAYS armed, usually with a spear and axe, and most carry several daggers. Some tribesmen wear mail armor. There appears to be some trade with the nomadic Chindra gargun of the Anadel foothills, so I have observed Pagaelin warriors carrying weapons of gargun make.

Each tribe – there seems to be over a hundred, each numbering somewhere between fifty and several hundred – appears to wander throughout the entire range. I have seen reports of tribes settling in one area for a season or two before moving on. As a strong tribe advances, lesser tribes in the way are simply pushed aside. Contact between tribes is frequent and may take any form, from feasting to bloodshed.

They do understand horses, but use them largely as beasts of burden. Warriors do sometimes ride, but only to get to the scene of battle; they dismount to fight.

Organization of the tribe is simple: the chieftain is in charge until someone kills him. Below him are the other dominant males, followed by male children, women, the elderly, unclaimed women, and slaves. This says much about the status of the elderly, since women are valued for only three things: healing, cooking, and pleasure. The elderly only survive so long as they can defend themselves and/or their property.

Healing arts – at which some are very good and most are only fair – are the sole measure of respect a Pagaelin woman receives. They are traded among males like any other somewhat-valued possession, and a warrior may beat, main, or kill his women with utter impunity. The males seem to have no interest in – or understanding of – genealogy, and few tribesmen can name their father. Most could not name their mother.

If you travel across the Osel, pay particular attention to protecting any girl or woman in your group. Captured women will be considered “unclaimed”, and will be “tried out” (a poor euphemism for gang rape) by however many males are considering claiming her.

In matters of religion, the Pagaelin seem to be in a state of rapid change. Old tales suggest they once worshipped a variation of the Ivinian mythos. This maritime faith lost its’ relevance after they moved inland and for some time they worshipped a version even further distorted, seeing the Elkyri not as benign raven spirits, but as omens of doom.

In recent years, there have been increasing whispers of a new faith, based on the worship of – and dread of – a spectral figure called “the Walker on the Heath”. Scattered throughout Pagaelin territory there seem to be trading lodges where the tribes gather at each new moon for a feast. A dozen tribes might gather at one location, and violence is absolutely prohibited. Those I have spoken to made reference to the Walker slaying those who engage in violence at a feast.

Whatever else occurs during these feasts, it seems dark indeed. I have not been able to gather any information on who operates these trading lodges, or what motives they may have beyond profit.

From time to time, merchants or adventurers try to barge up the Osel river to the Oselbridge crossing. I do not recommend this. From a few leagues east of the Kald all the way to Tontury Lake, both banks of the Osel are Pagaelin land. The safest route down the Genin trail is overland through Kaldor to Kobing Keep. Sheer military presence has kept the tribesmen some distance from there, and it is the last real military presence Kaldor has along the trail. The Genin trail runs in a near-straight line from Kobing south-west to Oselbridge. Once across the river, the trail runs south to avoid some difficult terrain, then straight to the first Chybisan manor, at Meldun.

For their part, Chybisa has never relinquished their historical claim over the entire Upper Osel valley, lost to the Pagaelin during the Migration Wars. This region has been technically claimed by Kaldor ever since, with that claim completely unacknowledged by Chybisa and hotly contested by the Pagaelin. In recent decades, Chybisa seems to have taken to regarding the area as a sort of Pagaelin buffer state between themselves and Kaldor.

Such an attitude is greatly affected by recent events where the Lord Warden of the Oselmarch, Baron Firith of Kobing, has taken to making overly-zealous patrols throughout the Oselmarch and requesting permission to fortify Oselbridge. A military fortress there has been discussed for some years, but would undoubtedly provoke the Pagaelin. With the political balance as it is in the area, this is not something to attempt; there is no real assurance that Kaldoric troops will win.

As of last winter, there is evidence that Lord Firith may be preparing to act on his own to construct a supply depot on the site to maintain the bridge. Admittedly, such maintenance is badly needed, but a depot manned by military personnel would nonetheless be viewed as a threat by the Pagaelin with uncertain results.