The Horse-Masher

Introduction
The Hordes series presents a number of Barbarian
tribes for use in your fantasy D20
campaigns. Each release
provides you with information
about the tribe, sample NPCs and
a prestige class for use with that
tribe.

In this edition: The Horse-Masher

tribe, barbaric riders of the
plains.

Habitat
The Horse-Masher tribe needs
to be in plains or light forest
since they are horse nomads.
As the tribe is written, they are
a large population and should
be in an uncontrolled frontier or
some other section of land not
owned by a major nation. With
slight modication, it would
be possible to place the Horse-
Mashers in a desert, but they
are best used in more temperate
climates where they can act as a major tribal
power. Written by: Justin S. Bow
Editing and Layout: Gareth-Michael Skarka

History
Horse-Masher mythology claims that the tribe was
born from the joining of the First Stallion with Mother
1
 Earth. Since that time they have ourished on their Horse-Masher territory is very stable, with
lands, running their herds and defending against all surrounding tribes recognizing their claim to the
comers. land. This is primarily because the Horse-Mashers
are large enough to enforce their ownership if any
As far as anyone knows, this story may be the true of their neighbors should decide to ignore the tribal
origin of the Horse-Mashers, but it is more likely that boundaries. The Horse-Mashers are semi-nomadic,
they migrated to their current lands from the West a herding horses and sheep from place to place
few hundred years ago. No matter what the truth of throughout their territory during most of the year.
their past may be, the members of the tribe believe Their herding activities are supplemented heavily with
implicitly in their oral histories and their descent from, hunting and gathering of wild vegetables. The tribe
and brotherhood with, the horses they keep. engages in limited farming, mostly of root vegetables
like potatoes, carrots, and turnips, some leaf
vegetables and herbs, and are surprisingly invested in
fruit orchards. Each summer camp has a small mixed
Culture
The Horse-Masher tribe numbers about 3000 total.
orchard and the main winter camp of the tribe has a
very large communal orchard.
Of that, about 1200 are warriors of the tribe, with
another 1000 or so semi-trained for combat and the The tribal winter camp is actually used year-
remaining 800 tribesmen being too young or too old round by a small portion of the Horse-Mashers,
to be of any real use in a ght. The overall alignment mainly the chief and his war-leaders and from 50 to
of the Horse-Mashers is Chaotic Neutral with a fair 100 tribemembers. The camp itself is a dirt and log
number of Chaotic Good tribe members, a handful barricade surrounding sod houses and is big enough to
of Neutral persons and the occasional member of accomodate the whole tribe in winter.
another alignment. Evil characters are not welcome in
the Horse-Masher tribe, but as long as their unsavory Summer dwellings of the Horse-Mashers are semi-
activities are directed only at outsiders, they may be permanent structures made of log poles covered in
tolerated. Lawful characters and, to a lesser extent, brush. Each clan in the tribe returns to the same camp
Neutral Good and Neutral Evil characters nd the annually and that area is considered to loosely belong
state of barely controlled chaos that exists in the to the clan.
Horse-Masher tribe off-putting and are likely to
leave in order to nd their way in the wider world. The Horse-Mashers are indifferent craftsmen in
Those who leave the tribe for reasons other than exile most instances. They depend on trade and raiding to
are welcome to return and are treated well by their get complex armor and most magic items. They are
families. Lawful characters are considered stuffy capable of making fairly good quality weapons but
and are disliked, but are not killed or exiled for their must trade for the raw materials necessary to forge
alignment. Tribemembers who commit a blood-crime them. Where the Horse-Mashers really excel is in the
against another Horse-Masher are usually killed, making of leather goods including saddle and tack.
sometimes after torture depending on the severity of The tribe has a number of highly skilled leather-
the crime. workers and Horse-Masher leather goods are sought
after by merchants.
The Horse-Mashers are ourishing as a tribe and
their population is steadily growing. Their numbers The true passion of the tribe is horse-breeding. The
will double in another 10 years with growth slowing claim is that the men of the Horse-Mashers are so big
afterwards as they press against neighboring tribal that they need specially bred horses--normal horses
territories. The overall tribe consists of a number of will simply break under their massive thews. This is
smaller clans made up of extended family units. Each patently untrue, but Horse-Masher horses are superior
clan has a signier name based on the founder of the in speed, strength, breeding, and endurance. As such,
clan. Adoption and shifting between clans is fairly traders come from great distances to acquire Horse-
common, but in theory the clan structure helps keep Masher steeds and are willing to pay very ne prices.
track of lineage. Conversely, the Horse-Mashers are willing to pay
2
handsomely if a strangers horse catches their eye as gain access to their breeding stock.
they are always looking to improve their breeding
stock. Tribal shamen are highly respected in Horse-Masher
society, but outside gods are usually considered weak
Horses are the most likely thing for a Horse-Masher unless they are gods of combat and strength. Outside
to steal from a visiting merchant, although vulnerable- gods and their representatives are respected, but
looking caravans may be attacked by a raiding treated as rivals to the gods of the tribe. New gods
party for other goods. In either case, the goal of the are acquired occasionally from travelers or passing
tribesmen is theft, not murder, and they will take only adventurers, especially those gods who resemble
a portion of the caravans goods. After all, they have already existing tribal gods. Evil gods are eschewed
no desire to permanently scare away traders. and evil clerics killed unless the god is one of battle, in
which case it may be adopted by the tribe and offered
An effective way to ensure safe passage through propitiation. However, it is more likely that the evil
Horse-Masher territory is to offer the nearest clan deity will be considered an enemy of the tribal gods
chief a handsome gift. This gift should include a and its representatives enthusiastically attacked on
superior offering for transmittal to the tribal chief and sight.
be of moderate value. Perhaps in the range of two to
three thousand gold total for large caravans, ranging Arcane magic is feared as an unnatural, dangerous
down in value based on the size of the caravan and the force. Practitioners of the arcane arts are
goods carried. Such a gift usually buys safe passage, simultaneously considered soft weaklings and feared
though additional gifts may be needed if the caravan for their supernatural powers. No magician receives
is passing through the territory of multiple clans. a warm welcome from the Horse-Mashers, but they
Small gifts are also expected if a merchant stops and are rarely attacked unless they provoke the tribes
trades with the Horse-Mashers, but in these instances warriors. Wizards, with their books, are considered
reciprocal gifts are offered by the tribe, often of the lowest of the low, but sorcerors are treated nearly
greater value than the gifts given by the merchant. as poorly. Magicians traveling through Horse-Masher
territory are watched suspiciously until they leave and
Horse-Masher culture is complex and chaotic. are encouraged to make their visit as brief as possible.
Personal status is tied up with clan status and a It is not unheard of for arcanists to disappear on lonely
particularly admired individual can make life better for nights in the Horse-Masher wilds. The tribes warriors
everyone he is related to simply by force of reputation. are occasionally surprised by a target who is more
powerful than they initially appeared, the attempted
The most respected traits in Horse-Masher society murder of the arcanist ending with casualties among
are strength, speed, and the ability to handle a horse. the barbarians and a general rout.
Combat skill, both mounted and on foot, is considered
to be the measure of a true man, but the capacity to Bards are not considered to be arcane spell-casters and
raise and train horses, to breed well and recognize are welcomed warmly.
quality, are also extremely important. Each clans
herd of horses represents its status. The clans herd The Horse-Mashers expect their children to be tough
is made up of the horses of its members. Thus, the from an early age. After a child (especially a boy) has
wealth of the members makes the status of the clan. reached 4 to 5 years, they are encouraged to never cry
But the members of a clan are the only ones who from pain, to not back down from a ght, and to train
have the guaranteed right to breed their mounts with in riding and the use of weapons. Discipline is rough,
other horses of the clans herd. As such, membership with male children regularly being struck for crying.
in a clan is important for horse-breeding. Inter-clan Girls are treated more gently than boys, but still
breeding is possible, but often carries a high price. receive their fair share of blows.

It is not uncommon for a low-ranking member of Tears are considered acceptable upon the death of a
one clan to do a great deed or offer expensive gifts to loved one or from emotional distress. Pain only angers
another clan so that he may be adopted by them and a true Horse-Masher.
3
 The life of a child in the Horse-Masher tribe is rowdy. a blue tattoo symbolizing the deed that earned them
They are essentially allowed to run wild except manhood on their left cheek and temple. This is the
when they are actively engaged in doing chores for only tattoo which the Horse-Mashers take on the face.
their parents and youth is full of games and sport. Future major victories are tattooed on the warriors
Signicant violence against other children is harshly arms, chest, and back. Although the Horse-Mashers do
punished but scufes and other non-life-threatening not have a system of writing, they have a runic system
ghts are ignored by the adults. Because of this of representation which is complicated enough to
regular low-level violence, children band together describe anything a warrior is likely to kill. All Horse-
for protection from each other and often form strong Masher tattoos are woad-blue.
friendships which last throughout their lives.
Horse-Masher girls come of age after their rst period.
Horse-Masher boys become men when they rst They are not required to prove their worth as are males
prove themselves in a combat-related pursuit. The and are actively discouraged from becoming warriors
exact type of initiatory action varies from man to man, of the tribe. Still, as many as 5% of women defy
but the most common methods of proving oneself tribal custom and take the warriors rite of adulthood.
are participating in a raid or other battle, killing a The more normal method of reaching womanhood
dangerous animal like a bear or wolf, or engaging is to receive the womans tattoo on the left side
in an endurance ride for three days and three nights of the candidates face during any night when she is
without stopping for food or sleep. The endurance menstruating. This tattoo is given by the clan shaman
ride is by far the least common means of entering and is not witnessed by the tribal shaman or the clan
manhood and is used primarily by tribal shamen who as a whole, just by the girls family. Afterwards there
purportedly receive visions late on the third day. Some is a feast in honor of the newly achieved womanhood.
of the great tribal chiefs of the past are said to have
made even longer endurance rides, some going for a Marriages among the Horse-Mashers are arranged
week and Harrad of the Long Fist legendarily making by the prospective bride and groom as acts of love.
a month-long ride during which the beasts of the eld However, the grooms family is expected to pay a
brought him water and bees fed him the nectar of dowry to the family of the bride set by the brides
owers. However, most young men see little glory in father. Occasionally, the dowry is set at a punitively
the endurance ride, which is considered old-fashioned, high rate to discourage a particular suitor. In cases
and choose the more violent methods of testing. where the parents of the lovers do not approve of the
match, it is not uncommon for the couple to run away
After proving himself, the boy is presented to his clan for a month or two and then return to the tribe as man
shaman and the head tribal shaman who lead him and wife. There is no real penalty for this other than
through the ceremony of manhood with his family and inciting the anger of ones new relatives.
clan bearing witness. The manhood rite lasts from one
sunset to the next. During this time, the candidate for Although marriages are monogamous, indelity is
manhood puries himself in a specially-built hut using rampant, especially among the Horse-Masher men.
spring water and the smoke of holy herbs. He takes This does not take into account the rapine that goes
no food or drink. At the end of the purication, the on during raids. Although it is possible to divorce in
candidate is brought to a bonre where he is tattooed the Horse-Masher tribe it rarely happens; this is both
on the face with the symbol of his rst triumph. due to social pressure and because it is so common
Afterwards there is a feast. to have extra-marital affairs that divorce is usually
unimportant.
Because the Horse-Mashers are such a large tribe,
manhood rites are usually performed as group The status of women in the tribe varies signicantly
initiations of between 3 and 10 boys whenever the from clan to clan and family to family. Broadly
tribes head shaman is able to attend the ceremony. speaking, women are treated as weaker than and
vaguely inferior to men, but are usually granted equal
Horse-Masher men have long drooping mustaches status in most ways such as the right of demanding a
but are otherwise clean-shaven. Each adult male bears divorce.
4
 the greatsword. At his coming-of-age ceremony, each
Women maintain the home and most of the tribes warrior is given a greatsword by a close male relative.
crops while men maintain the herds and orchards as If the warrior is the eldest in his family, the weapon
well as hunting and conducting war. Both men and usually belonged to the grandfather of the warrior
women of the tribe trade with outsiders. As with many and carries a family history. Other, younger children
primitive peoples, the true status separation is between receive a well-made blade that was an early weapon of
the warriors and non-warriors of the tribe, so women their father or uncle. It is common for these swords to
with combat prowess are treated signicantly better be of masterwork quality.
than the average female. That being said, many male
Horse-Mashers resent female warriors and treat them Some of the Horse-Masher clans prefer to use
disrespectfully. greataxes instead of greatswords, but practically
everyone in the tribe uses some kind of large blade.

Tribal Dress In addition to their primary weapon, each tribal

warrior carries a composite longbow, a dagger or two,
& Equipment
The Horse-Mashers trade for most of their cloth
a hatchet, and sometimes a shortsword or sling. In
short, the Horse-Mashers go around extremely well
or take it on raids against caravans. As with most armed.
barbarians, they prefer bright colors and often cut
existing clothing up to make bi-colored or checked
clothes. It is a matter of pride to dress the entire family
in expensive clothing and the average tribe member
Common
wears sumptuous dress at all times. The very best
items are saved for special occasions, but the Horse-
Classes
Horse-Masher culture centers around battle prowess,
Mashers spend the bulk of their time arrayed in lthy strength, and horsemanship. The most common class
nery. Poor tribe members wear buckskin or furs. in the tribe is Barbarian. It is not unusual for a member
Even wealthy members of the tribe usually wear a fur of the tribe to take a few levels in Ranger or, less
cloak fashioned from a predatory animal: often one frequently, in Fighter. Rogue is eschewed as being
that they personally killed. for weaklings. A fair number of the more experienced
tribal warriors take levels in the Horse Lord prestige
Most Horse-Mashers, men and women, wear their hair class.
long and oil it, usually with animal fat. The wealthiest
tribe members use scented foreign oils, but bear grease The Horse-Mashers have a long history of respect
is most common. for music and storytelling. As such, not only do they
produce a fair number of Bards, but traveling minstrels
Young or poor Horse-Masher warriors wear hide and other entertainers are sure to nd a warm greeting
or studded leather armor into battle. Wealthier and at Horse-Masher halls.
more experienced warriors wear a wide range of
better armors depending on what they were able to Shamen of the tribe are Clerics or Adepts and rarely
trade for or take from a fallen foe. The most common multiclass except in Barbarian. Most Clerics of the
armors are chain shirts, chainmail, and breastplates. tribe take the Strength and War domains and worship a
Popularly, warriors of the tribe will have their armor battle deity although there are a fair number of nature-
made of adamantine if possible, though the occasional deity clerics as well.
tribesman chooses to splurge on mithral plate instead.
Because they usually go into battle mounted, it is Non-warriors of the Horse-Mashers are fairly evenly
common for a warrior to have Medium armor of some split between Commoner and Expert classes. There are
sort for wearing while on horseback, but a chain shirt a number of skilled craftsmen and wilderness scouts in
to wear while hunting or otherwise going on foot. the tribe and nearly all tribe members supplement their
basic NPC levels with a level or two of Warrior.
The signature weapon of the Horse-Masher tribe is
5
 Tactics Relations
Although the Horse-Mashers are erce warriors
and opportunistic raiders, they are not blood-crazy. with other
Generally they do not attack with the intention of
slaughtering their enemies. If a raid is against a
tribes
The Horse-Mashers have fairly cordial relations with
settlement or trading caravan, they are more than the neighboring tribes primarily due to their great
satised to take what they want and will only engage numbers. One or more of the Horse-Masher clans
in bloodshed if their targets resist their predations. is always having some low-level skirmish with a
Similarly, the Horse-Mashers do not kill children or neighbor, but the whole tribe is rarely drawn into
the helpless if it can be avoided. Most of the time they battle. For their part, more than a few of the Horse-
do not set re to the buildings of towns or homesteads Mashers neighbors are jealous of the tribes success
which are attacked. In fact, a number of wilderness and would like to see them taken down a notch but do
homesteads belonging to non-Horse-Mashers lie not dare make any threatening moves lest the horse
within Horse-Masher territory and the inhabitants live warriors wipe them out.
peaceful lives except for regular tribute collections
by the tribe and the occasional drunken hijinks of the
tribes warriors.
RelIgion,
In combat, the Horse-Mashers prefer to make full-out
cavalry charges against their enemies, pulling away Rituals &
at the last moment if the intent is to frighten instead
of utterly destroy. Unlike some tribes, the Horse-
Passtimes
The Horse-Mashers worship a pantheon of mostly
Mashers make use of their superior maneuverability nature deities headed by Torathu the Sun and his wife/
while mounted to pepper their foes with arrows before enemy Tanatha the Moon. Also prominent are deities
moving in to hack with their greatswords. representing the fertile earth, the winds, rivers, and
the ocean. In addition to their nature gods, the Horse-
As horse-warriors, the tribe prefers to do battle in Mashers worship gods of stealth, deceit, love, re,
places where they can use their mounts, but are and battle. In truth, it is the god of battle who is most
prepared to ght on foot if it becomes necessary. worshipped by the tribe, but Torathu is still considered
the head of the pantheon though he is only invoked on
A common method of raiding caravans is to wait in high religious days.
a cluster of trees some distance from the road, but to
leave one spotter in a nearer hiding place. When the The primary gods of the tribe, especially the goddess
spotter signals the mass of camoauged warriors, they of fertility and the lord of battle, receive regular small
come thundering out on their steeds and circle the offerings from the tribe members, but it is difcult to
caravan at a distance of about 100 feet, threatening say that any of the gods are worshipped with much
the caravan crew with horrible death unless they passion by the average Horse-Masher. Mostly they
surrender. If the crew attacks, the Horse-Mashers rush are propitiated with offerings and called upon when
in as one, cutting the enemy horses free of the wagons. there is trouble, but the tribesmen are far from zealots.
Once the wagons are immobile, the crew is usually Indeed, many warriors worship not only their native
easy to pick off. war god, but foreign deities of war and strength as
well.

The largest religious festival in the Horse-Masher

calendar is held at mid-summer in the tribes walled
winter camp. Over the course of the week, the tribe
celebrates the annual marriage of Torathu the Sun
and Tanatha the Moon. This ceremony is held at mid-
summer because Tanatha is also mistress of winter
6
and the celebration staves off the cold season by The Horse-Mashers love sport and engage in
empowering the Sun when he is already at the height practically every game of chance, strength, or skill
of his strength. imaginable, though they are not fond of activities
which involve much in the way of complex strategy.
During this festival, many offerings are made and
many feasts are held, but the most spectacular activity A popular childrens game in the tribe consists of tying
is the re-dancing. All over the camp great bonres the head of a dead enemy to a tree limb on a length
are erected and all tribe members who want to, but of rope. Then the children beat it with sticks until it is
especially warriors, leap over the roaring ames, pulp. The warriors like this game too, but they make
pirouetting around the ashes and coming back for passes at the head on their horses to render the sport
another run. It is believed that a truly well-made leap more challenging.
stokes the warriors courage for the next year.
Although the Horse-Mashers are generally decent
The Horse-Mashers are absolutely crazy for to captives, truly bad criminals from the tribe or the
storytelling and can gladly sit for hours listening to or occasional hated enemy is let loose into the grasslands
telling tales. A warriors victory tattoos is a reminder with a head start of anywhere from a few minutes to as
of his battle and his triumph. To ask about one of the much as half an hour. The tribes warriors then mount
blue shapes is the same thing as asking for a blow by their steeds, hunt the victim down, and kill him. The
blow account of the combat that precipitated the tattoo twist is that they are only allowed to use daggers. The
in the rst place. Practically every member of the tribe victim is sent out unarmed and unarmored so this is
has at least a few ranks in Perform (Oratory) and many more than fair. Man-hunts are considered a gambling
have ranks in Perform (Drama). sport and if the victim somehow escapes, he is left
alone by tribal justice so long as he remains out of
Horse-Masher lands.

7
 Horse Lord
Horse lords are the masters of mounted combat.
They and their steeds seem to become one
being; a creature of deadly grace. The speed and
maneuverability of a trained horse lord are awe-
inspiring as they literally run rings around foot-
warriors.

Horse lords prefer to re a few volleys of arrows

at long range before closing with their opponents
for the serious business of melee combat. There
is no particular preference towards a type of
weapon, but greatswords, spears, and longsword
and shield combinations are most common.

Most horse lords are ghter or barbarian/ghter

multiclass characters because of the fairly large
number of feats required to gain access to the
class. It is not uncommon for rangers to also lords are procient with all simple and martial
take levels in horse lord, using their animal weapons, light and medium armor, and with
companion as a mount. Most other classes shy shields.
away from becoming horse lords, but it is not Born in the Saddle (Ex): The horse lord
completely unheard of for a high level druid with can take 10 on Ride checks even if he is rushed or
a martial bent to take levels in the class. threatened.
Swift-Footed (Ex): If the horse lord has
Hit Die: d10. the Fast Movement class feature, the speed bonus
applies to his mount as well. This bonus to the
Requirements mounts speed is only active when the horse lord
To qualify to become a horse lord, a character is actually riding the steed and does not change
must fulll all of the following criteria: the horses base speed.
Base Attack Bonus: +7 Extraordinary Courage (Ex): The horse
Skills: Ride 10, Handle Animal 5 lord has such an understanding of, and hold
Feats: Mounted Combat, Mounted over, his mount that the beast is willing to go into
Archery, Ride-By Attack places it would not normally. As such, horses
may be led into a dungeon or other underground
Class Skills structure and non-combat trained steeds are
Climb (Str), Craft (Int), Handle Animal (Cha), treated as being combat trained.
Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Ride (Dex), and Shared Skill (Ex): The horse lord is so
Swim (Str) adept at directing his mount that he is able to
Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modier make use of his combat training through his
steed. As such, all feats that the horse lord has
which offer bonuses to AC also apply to his
Class Features mount when he is riding it. These feats include:
All of the following are class features of the horse Combat Expertise, Dodge, and Mobility. Class
lord prestige class. Horse lord features that apply features are not transmitted to the mount by this
to the characters mount, only operate on horses, ability, only feats.
not on exotic mounts. Defensive Handling (Ex): For a horse
Weapon and Armor Prociency: Horse lord, one of the worst things that can happen
8
is to have his mount cut out from under him. successful if the Ride check result is equal to or
The average horse lord does everything in his greater than the spells save DC. This substitution
power to prevent this from happening, including can be made once per round for the horse lord
directing his mount away from incoming attacks. and once for the mount. If the substitution is
For every 5 ranks the horse lord has in the Ride made for both the horse lord and the mount
skill, apply a +1 dodge bonus to his mounts AC. against a single attack, only one Ride check is
Devastating Charge (Ex): The horse lord made and applies to both the horse lords save
knows how to best make use of the force of a and the mounts save.
moving horse. Whenever a mounted horse lord Greater Defensive Handling (Ex): At
moves and attacks in the same round apply a +2 level 9, the horse lord has become more skilled
damage bonus to his melee attacks. This bonus is in protectinge his mount. For every 3 ranks the
doubled by the Spirited Charge feat. horse lord possesses in the Ride skill, apply a +1
One Will (Ex): Loyalty infuses a mount dodge bonus to his mounts AC.
after it has spent some time with the horse lord. As One (Ex): The horse lord and his
Whenever the horse lords steed is targeted by mount are a seamless whole, the mount reacting
a spell with a Will Save, he may use his Will swiftly to subconscious directions from the horse
Save bonus or the mounts on the resistance test; lord. The mounted horse lord is able to have his
whichever is higher. Magic items which boost mount take a move action and still make a full
the horse lords save do not apply to the mounts attack afterwards. Only a single move action can
save. be taken by the mount for this ability to apply,
Nimble Handling (Ex): If either the not a full-round move.
horse lord or his mount fail a reex save while
mounted, he can attempt a Ride check to
succeed on the saving throw anyway. The save is

Level Base Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Special

Attack
Bonus
1st +1 +2 +0 +0 Born in the Saddle,
Swift-Footed
2nd +2 +3 +0 +0 Extraordinary
Courage
3rd +3 +3 +1 +1 Shared Skill

4th +4 +4 +1 +1 Defensive Handling

5th +5 +4 +1 +1 Devastating Charge

6th +6 +5 +2 +2 One Will

7th +7 +5 +2 +2 Nimble Handling

8th +8 +6 +2 +2

9th +9 +6 +3 +3 Greater Defensive

Handling
10th +10 +7 +3 +3 As One

9
 Kerrek
Male human Barb1/Ftr6/HLrd5: CR 12; Medium-
size humanoid; HD 1d12+3, 11d10+33; hp 110;
Init +3; Spd 50 ft; AC 26 (touch 14, at-footed
22); Atk. +20/+15/+10 melee (2d6+11 +1d6
electricity +2d6 holy vs. evil/17-20 X2, +2 holy
ghost touch greatsword of shocking) or ranged
+15/+10/+5 (1d8+5/20 X3, mighty composite
longbow str. 20); SA Rage 1/day; SQ Fast
Movement; AL CG; SV Fort +14, Ref +6, Will +3;
Str 20, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 14,
Height 6 ft. 5 in.
Skills and Feats: Climb +16, Handle Animal
+7 , Intimidate +6, Jump +16, Listen +4, Perform
(Oratory) +6, Ride +18 , Survival +4, Swim +15;
Power Attack, Cleave, Leadership, Mounted
Combat, Mounted Archery, Ride-By Attack,
Improved Critical (Greatsword), Quickdraw,
Weapon Focus (Greatsword), Weapon
Specialization (Greatsword)
Special Qualities: Rage (Ex): During his
rage, Kerrek has the following statistics instead
of those given above: hp 134; AC 24 (touch 12,
at-footed 20); Atk +22/+17/+12 (2d6+14 +1d6
electricity +2d6 holy vs. evil/17-20 X2, +2 holy
ghost touch greatsword of shocking); SV Fort +16,
Will +5; Str 24, Con 20. Skills: Climb +18, Jump
+18, Swim +17. The rage lasts for 8 rounds after
which Kerrek is fatigued.
Possessions: called mithral full plate +2,
ring of protection +1, amulet of natural armor +2,
+2 holy ghost touch greatsword of shocking, ring of
sustenance, boots of striding, continual ame torch,
years travelling among more civilized peoples
Kerrek is a vital chief driven by a vision of his and has a reputation as a formidable adventurer
people achieving greatness. At the age of 30, he and defender of good. After his travels, he
is younger than most chieftains of the Horse- received a warm welcome from the Horse-
Masher tribe and he has ascended to his position Mashers upon his return. Because of the
due to the death of his father from apparently large amounts of time he has spent in more
natural causes. cosmopolitan places, Kerrek has a different
view of the world than many members of his
Although chiefdom in the tribe is not strictly somewhat provincial tribe. Where the average
hereditary, Kerrek is popular enough among his Horse-Masher sees civilization as decadent and
tribemates and a powerful enough warrior that soft, Kerrek knows that there is much in the
he easily claimed leadership after the passing of civilized world to admire in the same way that
his father. there are aspects of Horse-Masher society which
are less than perfect.
In spite of his youth, Kerrek has spent many
10
As such, Kerrek has begun a process whereby
the Horse-Mashers will become more open to Thortoth Redank
outlanders and more respectful of those from
different cultures including mages. He is also Male human Clr14: CR 14; Medium-size
encouraging the tribe not to raid caravans or humanoid; HD 14d8+14; hp 83; Init -1; Spd 30
merchants, instead imposing specic tithes ft; AC 21 (touch 11, at-footed 21); Atk. +12/+7
on travelers who pass through Horse-Masher melee (2d6+1 +1d6 re/17-20 X2, +2 aming keen
territory with the fees being distributed evenly greatsword ) or ranged +9/+4 (1d8/19-20 X2 light
throughout the tribe. crossbow); SQ Damage Resistance 2/-; AL CN;
SV Fort +15, Ref +8, Will +20; Str 9, Dex 8, Con
These changes can not happen overnight. Most 13, Int 16, Wis 23, Cha 12, Height 5 ft. 8 in.
members of the tribe are either too set in the old Skills and Feats: Concentration +18, Handle
ways or dont care about making any kind of real Animal +6, Heal +18, Knowledge (religion) +8,
change and dont respect authority enough to Listen +11, Ride +7, Spellcraft +20, Spot +11,
alter their behavior. However, a large minority of Survival +11; Alertness, Brew Potion, Combat
the tribe has accepted Kerreks policies and are Casting, Craft Wand, Extra Turning, Martial
making themselves more open to outsiders and Weapon Prociency (Greatsword), Scribe Scroll,
outside ideas while maintaining pride in their Weapon Focus (Greatsword)
heritage. Cleric spells per day (6/5+1/5+1/4+1/4+1/
3+1/3+1/2+1; Base DC= 16 + spell level; Strength
What few Horse-Mashers other than Kerreks and War domains)
closest advisors know is that these changes are Possessions: medium fortication adamantine
only the beginning as far as Kerrek is concerned. breastplate +3, ring of protection +2, amulet of
In his travels through the world, the chief saw natural armor +2, cloak of resistance +5, +2 aming
many places where great empires had conquered keen greatsword, wand of inict serious wounds 48
smaller groups of disorganized peoples and charges, horseshoes of a zephyr, boots of striding,
taken their land or wiped them out altogether. periapt of wisdom +2 (included in above statistics)
He learned that civilized nations do not always
respect the claims of those who are unlike them, Thortoth of the Redank clan is, by any human
people who do not live in cities or lay claim to standard, an old man. At the age of 65, he has
land with set, identiable borders. In many ways, seen two chiefs of the Horse-Mashers die and is
it is the same disrespect that the Horse-Mashers now living under the rule of the third; Kerrek.
feel for city men, seeing them as somehow less
than the members of their tribe. Thortoth knows that the best ways are the old
ways. The ways that have made the Horse-
As such, Kerrek wishes to ensure that his people Masher tribe strong, the ways that have crushed
are never taken from their land by a foreign their enemies, and made thier herds fat. The
power. He plans to build a walled town on the changes, the softness, that Kerrek wants to
trade route which passes through the middle introduce into the life of the tribe offends
of Horse-Masher territory and make it the Thortoth, who as the head shaman of the tribe
new center of a tribe which embraces both the sees himself as the ultimate authority on what
traditional ways and the ways of civilization. are the right ways of living. The old cleric is
Ultimately, he feels that this path will lead to the even more bitter because the Horse-Mashers, his
long-term survival and greatness of his people. people, seem to be listening to the yough chief.
Kerreks plans are sure to nd resistance
within and without the tribe. In Kerrek, Thortoth sees everything he never
had; strength, easy good-cheer, the love of the
people. While the shaman takes comfort in
his superior intelligence and experience of the
world, he knows that if it ever came down to his
11
 commands against those of the chief, the tribe
would side with their chief. Under the last
chief, the voice of Thortoth was much stronger
and he resents the loss of stature. Indeed,
many of the tribal shamen are now looking to
Kerreks patron deity as a major player in the
tribal pantheon in spite of everything Thortoth
says against the inclusion.

For Kerreks new god is a deity of luck, and

Thortoth knows that luck is weak and only in
strength and force of arms can a man nd true
security.

In truth, Thortoth has let his bitterness cloud

his judgement. His jealousy of the popular,
handsome, young chief has driven home to
him how little time he has left on the earth
and this makes his loss of status cut even more
deeply than it would otherwise.

More than anything, Thortoth wants to see

Kerrek shamed in some way. Even in his
darkest thoughts he rarely fantasizes about
killing the chief, but he dearly wants to regain
the inuence over his fellow tribesmen that
he held before the rise of Kerrek. This blind
drive to belittle the chief may lead Thortoth to
conspire with enemies of the Horse-Mashers
or to take other action which, even in his great
wisdom, the aged Redank would be unable
to foresee the evil consequences of.

12