ASAWNE KUBORA 1

T
he Asawne Kubora tribal range lies between the River The Asawne Clans
Denia and the Scarlet Ribbon making them near The four clans of the Asawne Kubora,
neighbours of both the Earl of Tormau and the Warriors of like most Kuboran clans, adopt the name
Mameka, at Bedenes. The tribe has suffered regular raids of their current Hanuhn or Druhn,
by the Warriors for a generation but took revenge in 718, whichever is longest established. The
harrying the Agrikans as they retreated from their failure to clans are spread evenly through the
tribes range but only the clan of Hanuhn
take Kustan.
Gomas Straight Arrow maintains a fixed
ORIGINS & HISTORY village throughout the year. The clans of
Derel the Tall; Arain Half Deer and
Tribal myth says the tribes that became the Asawne first settled on the Roncan, called Tree Strong are more
banks of the Denia in the time of Nebran, when the Corani legions were seasonally nomadic, settling only during
finally pushed back across the river in 480. The Asawne, like the Uld, made the Autumn, Winter and early Spring.
their peace with the surviving Corani around Emesa establishing a mutually Arain is the Asawne Druhn and can field
beneficial trading relationship. a warband of some 80 warriors in their
More than a century later Hugai Lynnaeus, a minor Corani landowner prime, along with nearly 20 youths to
support them. However conflict is more
fleeing the persecution of the Theocracy of Tekhos, approached the Asawne
often on a smaller scale, between hunting
Kubora through Emesan intermediaries. The Kubora had no sympathy for bands setting and clearing trap lines or in
the Morgathian regime and supported Hugai as he slowly eroded its support pursuit of deer and wild cattle. When
around Tormau. Together with a band of renegade outlaws, Asawne and hunters are away the Hearth Guard of
Suyari warriors and Emesans who had not forgotten the skills of the legion, older warriors protects the villages and
Hugai took Tormau in 588. He swore friendship to the Kuboran tribes that camps; though Kuboran women will fight
had aided him, a pact that saved his successor Henail when Arlun swept to the death in defence of their children.
south in 629. Convinced by the Asawne that he could trust the holder of Clan Roncan hosts a small lodge of the
Caer Tormau, Arlun sealed his pact with clan Lynnaeus by marrying Uthriem Roliri at the western end of the
Henails daughter. tribal range. The Kubora have no special
respect for Siem but have welcomed the
The Asawne stayed on good terms with the Lynnaeus when Arlun died Brotherhood of the Forest and their plan
even though they returned to the forest disenchanted with the civilised life to disrupt the activities of miners
he had offered them. Though Rethem descended into blood and war the sponsored by the Warriors of Mameka in
tribe continued to trade with Tormau and has offered logging rights in the hills east of Emesa Hundred.
return for metal wares and weapons. The Asawne recognise Gomas as their
Today the young men of the Asawne Kubora make up more than a primary leader. He fears that his tribe will
quarter of the Kuboran mercenaries maintained by Denyl, Earl of Tormau, be caught between a civil war in the
and may well fight beside a Lynnaeus against despotism once more. south and intertribal conflict to the north
fuelled by the rivalry of Ryler Iorzu and
Arbrega Obodu.
Clan: Population Warband
Gomas 122 37
Derel 91 27
Arain 100 30
Roncan 87 26
Total 400 120

WRITER
Alun Rees
MAPS
Alun Rees
CONTRIBUTORS
Dan Bell
Neil Thompson
Playtesters at HarnCon 8 &
IviniaCon 2

HrnWorld A. Rees, N. Robin Crossby & Columbia Games Inc., 2009

 ASAWNE KUBORA 2
CLAN GOMAS The Warband of Clan Gomas
The Druhn of clan Gomas is Rytog the
The village of the Asawne Hanuhn, Gomas, called Straight Arrow, is Blade and as well as being the clans war
home to 19 households and almost the same number of unmarried warriors. leader he also oversees the clans
The extended households occupy larger round-houses but by tradition the hunting. However, as his sobriquet
unmarried warriors live separately from their fathers household in smaller indicates, this big man lives for the
huts around the periphery of the villages stockaded redoubt. There they act opportunity to lead his clan in war. He
as the first line of warning and defence against attack from the forest. relies heavily on Acurdin the Guide,
who knows the clans range better than
Within the villages protective ditch and bank boundary are well tended anyone else living, to help deploy the
vegetable plots that supplement meat gained from the hunt. They comprise warriors for the hunt. Some say Acurdin
orderly rows of beans and gourds and some cereals, from which a portion of knows where every animal and bird
seed is collected annually for sowing the following year. During most days nests, burrows or roosts. Certainly the
in the growing and harvest seasons the able bodied women and their trap lines he sets have a remarkably high
daughters are to be found tending these plots, watched over by the clans success rate. Rytog doesnt fear Acurdin,
Hearth Guard. This is as organised as Kuboran agriculture gets and the only realising that the thoughtful younger man
is more likely to succeed Gomas than
skill gained during its sojourn in civilisation with Arlun that is still valued.
him.
Across the stream on which one flank of the stockade rests is the cleared
There are usually hunting parties of
forest in which the clans semi-domesticated cattle graze. Hogs forage
between 10 and 15 warriors as far as a
beyond the ditches of the vegetable plots. Both are watched over by the
day away from the village. The others
younger boys who will raise the alarm and run to fetch the Hearth Guard if remain within an hour or so of the
danger threatens. village, able to return quickly if the
As the Asawne, like even the most settled Kubora, practice no crop Hearth Guard calls for them with the
rotation the yield from their cultivation can decline quickly. Then the village villages signal drums. It is the older men
is moved onto the cattle grazing area where their dung has improved the of the Guard who routinely oversee the
grazing beyond the ditch and the river
fertility and cultivation begins afresh. All along this stretch of the Denia
approach.
abandoned village sites can be found dating back to Arluns invasion and
Those youths old enough to be given
the Asawne return. They sit in clearings that have been absorbed back into
duties beyond cattle watching will be
the wilderness. The most recent previous site is in what is now the cattle
divided between the hunters and the
grazing and was abandoned about 5 years ago. The foundations of Hearth Guard depending on their skills,
roundhouses can still be found there. talent and how close they are to their
Nearer the river is a stout 5 wooden palisade on a bank above a flooded Dynoldeb (manhood) ceremony.
ditch. The palisade has two gates: the main one to the southwest and a However close they are to that important
smaller stranger gate to the north. rite of passage they remain armed only
with short bows and knives until they
In time of attack the clan will seek shelter within this palisaded redoubt. earn the right to bear the arms of a man.
If sorely pressed the warriors would buy time for the women, children and Because Gomas Striaght Arrow is the
the old to escape onto the river. tribal Hanuhn the other clans send a
much lauded warrior to form his honour
Hanuhn Gomas Straight Arrow guard of 4 warriors. They live in his
STR 11 EYE 12 INT 15 END 12
round-house as members of his
STA 11 HRG 12 AUR 15 MOV 11 household and travel everywhere with
DEX 12 SML 12 WIL 15 Ini 73 him. Unusually the warrior from clan
AGL 11 VOI 12 MOR 15 Dge 55 Derel is meinirhyfel; a woman who has
Skills put aside her femaleness and chosen the
Awareness 70 Climbing 55 Folklore (Kuboran) 88 path of the warrior and hunter. Sytari is
Foraging 45 Jumping 65 Mental Conflict 79 an attractive woman in her 20s who
Oratory 78 Physician 59 Rhetoric 76 Acurdin The Guide wishes to marry.
Ritual (Kuboran) 105 Rivercraft 53 Stealth 75 Unfortunately to earn the privilege of
Survival 73 Swimming 66 Throwing 77 courting any meinirhyfel the man must
Tracking 67 Weatherlore 78 Psionics (Foresight) 65
subdue her in combat. That is something
Combat
Unarmed 63/1b Hand Axe 76/6e Javelin 62/7p
Acurdin is none too sure he could
Dagger 67/5p Round Shield 77/2b achieve. Instead he pays Syarti careful
respect as a fellow hunter and looks for
Strike Locations Armour any sign from her that his advances wuld
Standard Cloth Coif / Cowl / Hood +2; Cloth Tunic, l-s
be welcomed.
+2; Leather Vest +3; Cloth Hose / Leggings +2;
Leather Shoes +2

A. Rees, N. Robin Crossby & Columbia Games Inc., 2009 HrnWorld

 ASAWNE KUBORA 3
VILLAGE OF CLAN GOMAS The Worship of Heneryne
There is no priesthood among the
1. Cattle Grazing Kubora to enforce any theological
When the Corani came to Peran in the 5th century they brought hardy consistency in the worship of their gods.
Dunir Charred cattle with them. Their subsequent defeat and withdrawal left While most clans and all tribes will have
many cattle to wander into the forest and now small herds graze the more a shaman and a Crone who can call
open areas of the Denia and Perath river valleys. The local tribes, including upon the Kuboran trinity of Kemlar,
Heneryne and Crador the Blind there is
the Asawne, have re-domesticated small numbers for the milk and cheese
little uniformity of worship. The
the Kubora came to appreciate during the time of Arlun the Barbarians individualistic Kubora are not suited to
invasion of the south, nearly a century ago. formal religion and usually honour their
The cattle are free to wander where they will but habit keeps them gods as they see fit. The role of the
within a few hundred paces of the ditch and bank. If they do wander it is Shaman is more about the practice of
considered high adventure for the boys that watch them to hunt them in Shuntul, and that of the Crone more
about mid-wifery and herblore than
the forest.
organised worship. They oversee certain
2. Hogs Copse rites but are not ordained clerics in any
Over the last 5 years this cleared area has been allowed to run wild and sense that would be recognised in more
trees and shrubs have begun to cover it. The outlines of old vegetable plots civilised lands.
can still be seen and many of the plots still have food crops running wild Heneryne, though, is a complex goddess
over them. It is therefore ideal foraging for the villages hogs. These are with many aspects, some of which are
semi-domesticated Peran boars and provide some of the best quality meat bloodthirsty and vengeful. She is known
to jealously guard her privileges and is
reserved for feasts and celebrations. Meat for the daily pot is brought in by
not above visiting those who would
the hunters. ignore her needs with disease or
3. Henerynes Glade barrenness. She is also said to pursue
The goddess of the Kuboran Hearth is Kemlars wife and brings fertility, those that harm children or pregnant
health, good harvests and fine weather to those that honour her. All women unto death wearing the body of a
Harnic Harpy.
Kuboran settlements have an area dedicated to her but few compare to the
glade that clan Gomas has established. Their sedentary life means that they Henerynes Glade is, therefore, some-
thing that every Kuboran settlement will
have used the same clearing for a generation. It consists of a cleared area
ensure is maintained. Few are as
around a single ancient oak. It is here that sacrifices of flowers, food or established as that of Clan Gomas, or the
textiles are left for Heneryne and in return she smiles on those leaving intricate pattern of mounds and plantings
offering for her. The gifts of food and drink left by mothers to propitiate that constitute the Shawls of Kemlar a
Crador, or the Old Ones of the Forest, at certain times of the month are not few leagues east of Kustan.
left here lest the goddess be disturbed by her mad son or the original In smaller or more transitory settlements
inhabitants of the Peran forest wilderness. the glade may be no more than a ring of
The only inhabitant is Relatan, the villages Crone. She is regularly shrubs within which offerings are left.
consulted by the womenfolk and is very skilled with herbs. Her often When travelling, women will put down a
noxious potions are believed capable of curing many ills. She is also simple ring of kindling in imitation of a
honoured by being able to invoke Heneryne in times of need, particularly in glade before laying a fire atop them and
her role as the villages mid-wife. setting camp. Even men will do this
when away from their village as without
Henerynes Crone is usually the oldest unmarried woman or widow in Henerynes blessing no camp is likely to
any clan and that is certainly true of Relatarn who chose never to marry. prosper: the food will be tasteless; the
Every Crone may choose a young woman as her apprentice so that were nearest water tainted; and prey will scent
she to die suddenly her lore would be preserved. 17 year old Fasiria has the danger the hunters present.
fulfilled this role for 2 years but is considering whether she should accept an
offer of marriage made this winter by one of the younger warriors. Relatarn
considers her enormously talented and is seeking to influence her decision
having seen two previous apprentices waste themselves on a man.
By tradition the two must live apart from the village lest they are sullied
by too much contact with men. However it was Relatan who saw the signs
of declining harvests five years ago that others had yet to notice and
convinced Gomas they should move the village to its new site.

HrnWorld A. Rees, N. Robin Crossby & Columbia Games Inc., 2009

 ASAWNE KUBORA 4
4. Hunters Path The Worship of Crador
By tradition hunters leaving the village hang small offerings of food or Each Kuboran tribe has its own view of
simply trinkets in the form of game animals on the branches overhanging Crador. The Asawne throw small gifts
this path. Their hope is that the forest will aid them in their quest for meat into the trees or river for him to find
when they have good luck as they prefer
for the table and bone and skins for utensils. The path divides repeatedly
to think he does not bring bad luck or
within a league of the village until it disappears into the forest.
nightmares. Gomas believes that his
5. The Village Redoubt people should celebrate success but not
blame any other being for failure. This
a. Strangers Beach
code of self-reliance means Crador is less
The Kubora have strict rules of hospitality and any visitor arriving at the important to clan Gomas than to almost
village who is not known and recognised as a friend must arrive here, either any other Kuboran clan. This is in
by boat or by making themselves known to the village from the other side of marked contrast to the view taken by
the stream and being invited to swim across. They will then be admitted Gomas predecessor, Dirtak, who once
through the stranger gate which is otherwise kept barred. Those wearing agreed to the sending of a gift upstream
the earl of Tormaus colours are privileged to arrive by the dock near to the Denal Kubora in the hope of
Ardos trading post. gaining Cradors favour. The young boy
selected by lot was never heard from
b. Trading Post again. This was among the actions that
This is home to Ardo of Guil, the Earl of Tormaus trade representative led to Gomas challenging Dirtak and
to the Asawne Kubora, and his Asawne common law wife, Nebra. She is becoming Hanuhn.
strangely devoted to him despite having lost all status within the clan Kuboran honour
through her involvement with him. While Rethemi see all Kubora as no more
The round-house is perhaps 20 feet across with the centre pole rising predictable than dangerous wild animals
almost 10 feet above the floor. Half the hut is crowded with bales of skins, the tribes have complex rules of honour.
other products of the forest and trade goods of one kind or another, the During the annual Moot warriors recount
other has a low pallet and a table. their actions which are weighed by their
peers. This will determine how the
Ardo receives seasonal deliveries of trade goods from the Earl, including warrior and his household are viewed
much prized metal utensils and weapons handed over in return for Gomas through the year ahead. While strength
agreement to logging along some of the Denias tributaries just upstream and success in the hunt or battle is
from Quyn manor. He is visited once during the Spring and Autumn always valued so is hospitality and
months, twice during the Summer but not at all during the Winter. Apart generosity to the less fortunate. This
from the woman he lives with he has made no friends among the Kubora sometimes explains the unpredictability
with which strangers are received among
who view him as a pathetic example of southron manhood good only for the
the tribes. While killing and mutilating an
trinkets, gifts and trade goods he dispenses. Behind his back the call him intruder is an act in keeping with
the Leech. Kemlars wishes, offering a stranger
c. Shuntul Lodge hospitality also carries honour.
The Kuboran practice of Shuntul is only open to warriors who have Disturbing news
completed the transition to manhood. A female who has chosen the way of Kuboran shaman form an extended
the warrior is counted a man for the purposes of the Shuntul ceremony. The network that transcends tribal and clan
lodge is in the care of the clans Shaman, Dirtak. He was once the clans boundaries. Hunting parties may
Hanuhn and still harbours some ill will against Gomas despite the decade exchange messages from the Shaman
since the complex debate and riddling contest that led to his loss of the role. when they meet. In this way messages
flow, slowly, through the forest. The
He is more traditional than Gomas and less willing to agree to change.
inevitable transformation of a message
d. Hanuhns Round-house through repeated re-telling does not
Hanuhn Gomas Straight Arrow, Clanhead and one of the two chiefs of seem to be of concern; it is the way that
the Asawne Kubora, lives here with his immediate household and the the forest and its gods can bring clarity.
warriors sent from other clans to protect him. There is a less than 20% This informal network has recently
chance that Gomas is in residence during the Spring and Summer months as brought disturbing news to Dirtak which
he travels from clan to clan taking counsel; and giving advice or guidance to he is considering sharing with his Gomas.
The message said that Crador will rest.
other clanheads. He is never here during Larane when he and most of the
To a traditionalist like Dirtak this means
tribe travel to the Kuboran Moot at Kustan. He spends much more of the that the end of the world may be near
Autumn in the village and almost all of the winter, though if his presence and it is time to settle debts and
was required at one of the other clan villages he would not hesitate to complete Kemlars tests before the end of
attend. times arrives.

A. Rees, N. Robin Crossby & Columbia Games Inc., 2009 HrnWorld

VILLAGE of CLAN GOMAS GM MAP

RIVER DENIA
4
3 a
c

1 d
5
b

LOCAL SCALE
FEET

0 50 100 200
REDOUBT of CLAN GOMAS GM MAP

a
95
2

95
1

95
2

95
2

b
SCALE IN FEET
N
0 5 10 15 20
VILLAGE of CLAN GOMAS COMMON MAP

RIVER DENIA

LOCAL SCALE
FEET

0 50 100 200
REDOUBT of CLAN GOMAS COMMON MAP

SCALE IN FEET
N
0 5 10 15 20