From Westaven

A typical Mawk'hidu, in this case garbed and groomed as a Lord's chattel

[edit] Mawk'hidu General Information

What follows comprises the general information currently known by educated scholars of Westaven. Mawk'hidu, being an "inferior race," are uninteresting to the learned; hence information is scant, and could perhaps be completely lost to time.

[edit] Overview

           Mawk'hidu [mawk-HEE-doo]  
           plural = Mawk'hidu   
           adj= Mawk'hidun  
           language= Mawk'hidi
           nicknames= Mawkies, Craggies (or Craggers), and other even more offensive

The Mawk'hidu are one of the many races of humans who dwell on the world. Throughout the region of Westaven, where they make up about 5-8% of the human population, they are completely subjugated, either enslaved or culturally oppressed by the dominant Aeneans.

[edit] Appearance

Despite aspects of their appearance which can--especially from a distance--give them a deceptively "amphibian" or "reptilian" flavor, the Mawk'hidu are an race of humankind. The typical Mawk'hidu is short (5'-4") and portly, with a tawny complexion ranging from taupe, ruddy, earthy brown or--rarely--soil blacks. Mawk'hidun skin is typically rough, "rocky," and dry even in moist environments. Mawk'hidun eye colors are black to deep brown, which often lends the illusion of their having no irises at all, and their eyes in general may be larger than Aeneans', which may leave no visible sclera ("eye whites"). Hair is generally deep brown to black, and is invariably fine and dry (hence the reason Mawk'hidu culture both ancient and contemporary includes emphasis upon both the ritual application of hair oil as well as tutelage in artistic, intricate hair-tying style); perhaps because of their complexion, Mawk'hidun hair grows primarily on the scalp and face with little elsewhere on the body (aside from an occasional, random patch), although it is extremely fast-growing.

[edit] History

[edit] Origins

Mawk'hidu have been subjugated by the Aeneans since time immemorial. An educated guess as to their cultural origin is unavailable. The ancient Aeneans conflicted with them, judging from archaeological sources, since their own beginnings, although since Mawk'hidu were a nomadic people with only oral cultural traditions they left no records or monuments to date their own beginnings. Perhaps the closest and best guess is that Mawk'hidu tribes existed primarily in modern Aeneus and Pollexia along coastal regions, with some bands venturing inland or over the sea (such as to Lognia, where a slightly shorter, fairer-skinned variety is found today).

[edit] Culture

Mawk'hidu at one time lead nomadic lives with a culture of unique traditions, beliefs, and a body of oral literature. For better or worse, this has all but been dissolved over their two thousand years of subjugation. Tattered remnants remain among the Mawk'hidu, especially among the wandering, gypsy-like travelers of the less populated places of Westaven, but for the vast majority even their indigenous language has been lost. No known modern Mawk'hidu even know anything more than a random word or phrase of their traditional language, and only the most rustic Mawk'hidu sounds a slight accent.

Below are listed the basic pieces of Mawk'hidun culture that remain extant.

• Hair Style: Mawk'hidu, having quick-growing, thin, dry hair on their heads, take great care in tying and oiling their heads.

[edit] Language

• Yakuta = "old giver"; grandfather

[edit] Mawk'hidu Player-Characters=

The following attributes are listed as either "required" or "possible," many of the latter being suggested as typical of a modern Mawk'hidu.

Attribute Modifiers:

• none

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers:

• none

Racial Advantages:

• Possible = Cultural Familiarity (Mawk’hidun), although as explained above this culture has been defunct for two thousand years… so even those of Mawk’hidun descent do not practice their own traditional culture.
• Possible = Language (Mawk’hidi), a “dead” language originally spanning dozens of Mawk’hidu tribes of Westaven (each a dialect); Mawk'hidi is a very primitive & very rare language, not even spoken by the descendants of the tribes themselves in anything but a lingering word or phrase. (A PC would need to justify this language choice...)

Disadvantages:

• Required = Social Stigma: Minority Group (B155) at all times & in all Westaven
• Possible = Most Mawk'hidu will have Status -1 (peasants/serfs) or lower, depending upon their occupation.

Quirks:

Occupations/Skills<i>