Steve McAndrews

Gypsy

As the sun set, Rula sang a happy tune to herself as she led
her djolano-drawn varda along the road leading out of town. Three
of her rai accompanied her. Beside her strode the Human
Thomas, a powerful warrior, and her lover. Behind them walked
Uthar, a Barbarian and a Mystic Wood elf named Eldwyn. They
were arguing about the appropriate herbs to use to cure a bout
of rootache. Rula shook her head and smiled. Herbalists. But
even her friends bickering couldnt dampen her spirit. Coin
jingled in her pocket and memories of the evening spent with
Thomas could only make her smile. Still, as fun as it is to spend
time with the gaje, it was nice to return to
her people every so often and catch up on
events of the day.
Not far from town, she saw a circle of
wagons painted as colorfully as her own
varda, but each with a distinctive style, as
different from each other as their owners.
A small campfire burned in the center of
the circle, and she saw several of her
brothers and sisters sitting around the
campfire, no doubt singling tales, telling
jokes and spinning yarns. The fire was so
small as to resemble a candles light
from where Rula stood, but it warmed her
all the same.
A little farther ahead, she saw three
romani children talking in the road. No,
Rula corrected herself, as recognition
dawned on her. These were children no
more. It had been four years since she
saw Parva, Kush and Rafe. They were
barely in their teens then. Now, they had
taken their place as full-fledged members of the kumpania. Young, members
to be sure, with much to learn, but members nonetheless and therefore they deserved all the respect siblings should afford each other.
Rula bowed low, lifting her peasant skirt to make sure it didnt
pick up the dust of the road.
Good evening, my brothers and sister. Its been too long
since last we spoke.
Parva turned from the other romani and a huge smile erupted
on her face.
Rula! she screamed as she ran towards the traveler. Rula
feared Parva might try to leap into her arms, as she did when she
was a toddler. Rafe and Kush stayed behind, eyeing the gaje
strangers with suspicion. Parva was a slender girl, but Rula didnt
want to try to lift her all the same. Fortunately, Parva merely
embraced Rula warmly and kissed her on both cheeks.
The two boys men, Rula corrected herself again came
running up beside them. Kush had grown much since they last
spoke. Four years ago, he barely reached her chin and now he
stood a full head taller than Rula and she swore he had replaced
his arms with tree trunks. Rafe was considerably shorter, and
slight of build, but he had grown a thin beard and mustache in the
style that many romani wore these days. The beard suited him,
Rula thought. Rula quickly introduced her rai, and as soon as she
uttered that word, Kush and Rafes suspicious stares melted
away. If Rula thought these gaje worthy of joining her kumpania,
who were they to dispute it?
What are you three doing so far from the vardas at this hour?
Rula asked.
The three looked at each other sheepishly. What were they
up to?
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Ask her, said Rafe, pushing Parva gently on the shoulder.

Rula was surprised at how deep Rafes voice had become.
Ask me what?
Parva kicked the ground like a nervous steed.
Its a family matter, she said sheepishly.
Rula nodded. She gathered her rai together and told them
that she needed to talk to Parva privately. Uthar harrumphed and
Eldwyn, curious Mystic Wood elf that he is, complained that he
wanted to watch. But Thomas silenced them all with a stare.
Its a family matter, he said sternly. Let it be.
Rula smiled at Thomas. For a gaje,
he always seemed to understand when
Rula needed time to deal with matter of
the Rom. Still, she couldnt help but
hear a twinge of bitterness when Thomas said the word family. Thomas
could be her lover, and even her husband some day, but he would never be
a true part of the family. He would never
be a true Rom. Rula gave Thomas an
appreciative kiss, and a small pat in a
place so Thomas would understand
she would be even more appreciative
later. Then she went and joined Parva
and the boys.
Parva wants to know what its like
to, you know, dance, volunteered Kush.
Dance? laughed Rula. Parvas
been dancing since she could walk. I
remember one abiav when
No, Kush said. Really dance.
We are waiting for a gaje elf named
Ailudral.
Ohhh, said Rula. That kind of
dance. Havent your parents talked to
you about this?
Yes, said Parva. But you have traveled more than they have.
I want to know what you think.
Well, said Parva thoughtfully, its always best to take it
slowly your first time. Most people get so nervous, they rush it and
dont take the time to savor the excitement.
Im just very nervous. Ailudral is very big and he has a lot of
experience in the world. What if I mess up?
Well, there is no shame in that. It is your first time after all.
Would it help if I stayed close by?
Parva nodded. Rula hugged her.
Little sister, do not fear. All will be fine. Elves can be very old,
but their age doesnt seem to come with any lasting wisdom. You
will see. I am sure this Ailudral will be very impressed.
Rula turned to Rafe and Kush.
Could you lads escort my rai into the camp and tell the vaido
that I will be seeking permission to join my varda with his
kumpania?
Rafe smiled.
Of course, Rula. Wed be honored.
And Rafe?
Yes, Rula?
Please be sure my rai dont lose any of their possessions
on their way to camp.
Yes, Rula, Rafe said despondently.
Rula returned to her rai and told them they were in good
hands. Then she sat on the side of the road with Parva until
Ailudral arrived. Ailudral was handsome, even for an elf. He had
thick blond hair, which he tied behind his head allowing his fair

features and piercing green eyes to shine. He wore tightly fitting

and expertly tailored clothing that accentuating his athletic physique. On his belt he wore a full quiver of arrows whose fletching
matched the pattern on his cloak. He didnt walk along the path
so much as he strode it, mounting it like a knight might mount a
steed. He walked as if he owned the world, but Rulas experienced eyes saw there the overconfidence of youthful exuberance.
This elf might be several centuries old, she ventured, but he used
his bluster to mask the fact that he had spent few of those years
beyond his homeland.
Rula gave Parva a reassuring hug and whispered a word of
confidence in her ear before tumbling backwards out of sight
along the bushes lining the roadside. Parva stood and went to
the center of the road to meet the elf. Nervously, she brushed a
stray hair from her face and then placed her hands demurely
behind her back. A nervous toe drew circles in the road.
Hello, Ailudral, she began demurely.
Hail, fair lady, said the elf bowing low in an exaggerated
gallantry. As he stood, he scanned the countryside. Rula shrunk
lower to the ground. She hoped her colorful outfit wouldnt give her
away. When she saw Ailudral relax, she knew it hadnt. Does your
chief know you are here?
As you said, he doesnt own me. Im my own woman.
Ailudral smiled and Parva blushed.
I thought he was going to cut me from throat to toe with that
big knife of his when he said that.
He probably would have, if you hadnt been promised the
hospitality of his tent.
Ailudral shook his head.
I dont understand your peoples ways. Im just glad you dont
buy into any of that nonsense. If two people love each other, why
should they have to beg permission of some doddering old man
to get married?
Ailudral drew Parva close to him.
If two people love each other Parva began as Ailudral
inclined his head to kiss her.
But the kiss never occurred. Ailudral drew back as he felt the
gas packet being crushed against his outfit.
Wha? cried the elf as the fumes of Nausea Poison rolled
up his well-tailored shirt and into his perfectly shaped nose. He
quickly fell to his knees and began to vomit in the middle of the
road.
If two people love each other, said Parva, the mock coyness
dissolving into a spit of bitterness, then they would know enough
to respect their family traditions.
Ailudral tried to speak, to defend himself, but he could barely
utter a word between the uncontrollable spasms and retching.
You mocked my vaida! In his own tent. He treated you like an
honored rai and you repaid him with insults. When I told you of
my peoples traditions, you laughed, but could you not see how
those laughs cut me? You think of nobody but yourself. How could
I have thought I loved you?
Ailudral reached out.
Par he began before his mouth filled with bile once more.
I curse you, Ailudral of the Elves. I curse you to reclaim the
honor of my people. May I forever wander friendless, despised
and shunned if you do not say Im sorry to every Gypsy you meet
with everything you say and do. May this teach you to respect our
ways in the future.
Parva spat upon the wretched retching Elf.
Im sorry, was all Parva could utter before the nausea
overwhelmed him once more.
Rula emerged from her hiding place. Parva had already
begun to walk down the road to town. She heard Ailudral utter a
feeble Im sorry as she passed him by.
When she caught up to Parva, she saw the young romani was

crying. Rula placed a comforting arm around her shoulder.

He was always making jokes about our ways. In private. I told
him they were important to me. I hoped he would understand. He
didnt. I thought I loved him. I made him rai.
There, there, Rula said. You acted true. You defended the
honor of the romani. There will be others who are more deserving
of your love.
Parva shuddered.
When I cursed him. When I felt the power of it. There was
nothing that could stop it. The power it holds. How do you resist
the urge to?
You never forget your first dance, Parva. But it is our traditions
that teach us when to dance and when to run. Listen to your elders
and they will show you the way.
Parva wiped her tears away.
Will he will he be all right?
The Elf? Hell be fine in a few minutes. And maybe hell think
twice before showing a romani disrespect. Come, little sister. I
want to introduce you to Eldwyn, my Mystic Wood elf rai. Now there
is a gaje worthy of a romanis love at least for a night or two.
And the two sisters laughed as they raced towards the warm,
inviting lights of the kumpania.

RACIAL BASICS
Being a Gypsy means being a member of the largest extended family in the world. Every Gypsy is a member of the same
family, whether immediately related or not, even Gypsies who
might belong to different tribes. This filial bond is not simply a
learned trait resulting from being raised by Gypsies. It is a function
of biology. It is an in-born instinct that every Gypsy possesses,
whether the Gypsy is raised by other Gypsies or by the gaje (nonGypsy races).
A Gypsy raised by Elves will feel this bond to other Gypsies.
An Elf raised among Gypsies might love the race as any Elf would
love an adoptive family, but will not feel the reassuring tug of the
filial bond, (referred to among the Gypsies as sumadja, or the
inheritance).
Because the sumadja compels Gypsies to place family
concerns over all others, Gypsies have a hard time accepting
positions of responsibility in gaje institutions such as governments and guilds. At some point, no matter how well-intentioned
Gypsies may be, conflicts will arise between their familial duties
and their civil responsibilities. Inevitably, the Gypsy leaves the
position of responsibility rather than suffer the familys scorn.
This sumadja also prevents Gypsies from forming permanent bonds with any stable community. Gypsies, perforce, are
nomads and wanderers.
This does not mean Gypsies hate non-Gypsies. On the
contrary, the life of a wanderer is lonely, particularly for as social
a creature as the Gypsy, and the Gypsy quickly learns to accept
companionship from any individual of any race who could be
called a friend or even spouse.
Such non-Gypsies can be adopted into the family (and are
called rai), although the Gypsy will generally let the rai know that
if the Gypsy must choose between rai and familia, the familia will
win. As close as Gypsies and gaje may become, gaje are simply
not family and will never know the tug of the sumadja.
The sumadja does not mean that all Gypsies get along with
each other. On the contrary, imagine the sibling and generational
rivalries that can emerge in a family made up of thousands of
members. Nevertheless, Gypsies, as a whole, try to keep these
intra-familial disputes within the familia. Sometimes these
rivalries become so intense that Gypsies prefer traveling with
gaje just so they can spend time with people they dont feel are
always competing with them.

This desire to avoid any entanglement that might create a

conflict between the Gypsy and
the family causes many Gypsies to despise all forms of entanglements, from slavery to
bondage. Some Gypsies see
even knighthood (and its oath of
chivalry), marriage and landed
holdings as a form of servitude.
Other Gypsies have a more lenient attitude, understanding
that although the Gypsy requires
independence, not all races are
fit for such a free-wheeling life.
Some Gypsies have even been
known to engage in slavery (but
would only enslave gaje), although such Gypsies are exceedingly rare and are shunned
by the vast number of their brethren.
Most Gypsy communities
will also have a Code of Honor.
Unlike Codes of Chivalry and
civil laws, the Gypsy Code of
Honor is not a mandatory code
of behavior for Gypsies. Rather,
it is a florid manner of describing
the customs and expectations
that the Gypsy family places on all of its members. Specific terms
of the Code of Honor vary widely from location to location and the
Code of Honor for your local Campaign will be found herein. A
traveling Gypsy always seeks to determine the specifics of the
Code of Honor in any new land through which the Gypsy travels
so that he does not inadvertently bring shame or dishonor to the
family.

COSTUMING
Gypsies prefer to wear flamboyantly colored loosely fitting
clothing, scarves and veils, flaunting the relatively conservative
conventions of other races. Jewelry jingles from ears, noses,
ankles, and clothing, and noise usually accompanies an arriving
Gypsy. Let's face it, Gypsies love attention!
Female Gypsies tend to dress surprisingly modestly, with
baggy pants or skirts that cover their ankles. However, all Gypsies
must possess an exotic accent to make sure the character is not
confused for a Human.

ROLE-PLAYING
The Gypsy is the only race in our game that is based (albeit
loosely) on a culture that can be found in the real world. The
Gypsies (who prefer to be called romani) of the real world have
a rich and varied culture and heritage. Accordingly, it is incumbent
on all players to try to portray Gypsies in a way that is not offensive
to their real-world counterparts. Gypsies who kidnap babies,
poison drinking wells and steal for no reason other than I am
Gypsy are only playing into the worst stereotypes of this ancient
and honorable people.
Players should also take care not to cleave too closely to the
real-world customs of romani. In the real world, romani are
unable to Gypsy Curse people. In the real world, romani have
stringent codes of dress and behavior that would interfere with
many character concepts that people might want to play. Players

should feel free to borrow from romani languages (and their

various dialects), customs and laws. In fact, many Gypsies
sprinkle their conversations from the romani tongue. There are
many websites and books available with a wealth of information
about the romani culture, language and customs, but players
need not learn any of these things in order to play Gypsies and they
should certainly not let such real-life concerns get in the away of
telling a good story.
In our game, a Gypsy is generally rakish, outgoing, irrepressible, friendly, smart, quick-witted, loyal and free-spirited. A Gypsy
can also be shrewd, deceptive, cunning, treacherous (to nonGypsies), overly defensive, wild and unruly.
The most difficult aspect of the Gypsy to role-play is the Gypsy
Curse. On the one hand, the Gypsy Curse is unique in that it cannot
be dispelled, resisted or even Dodged. On the other hand, the
Gypsy Curse cannot be used to affect combat or other in-game
skills.
It should be remembered that the victim of a Gypsy Curse may
reject any specific Gypsy Curse that is laid on him. If a player sees
that a victim is clearly uncomfortable with the Gypsy Curse
chosen, the player should remind the victim that they may reject
the Gypsy Curse. Rejection, however, does not mean the victim
is free. Instead, the Gypsy should choose a different Gypsy Curse
(which again can be rejected by the victim). If the Gypsy and victim
are unable to craft a Gypsy Curse that is mutually acceptable, a
marshal might be needed to resolve the dispute.
Gypsies consider the Gypsy Curse to be a special reward for
belonging to the close-knit Gypsy family. Accordingly, it is generally believed that the Gypsy Curse should only be used for family
affairs. In other words, if someone cheats at cards against a
Gypsy, a Gypsy Curse would be considered inappropriate. If the
person were cheating only because he was playing against a
Gypsy, then the Gypsy Curse would be more appropriate. Gypsies are very vigilant in making sure the Gypsy Curse is used only
for family business. Gypsies who use them for personal profit or
petty revenge that has nothing to do with the family are often
punished severely.