The Not-There tribes of Pell

Name:

The Not-There tribes of Pell

Motto:

The World Belongs to Those Who Walk It

It has taken serious, hard academic work just to prove these tribes exist, despite traveling over a vast area, crossing lines of at least two major nation-states. Stories about the Not-There tribe are still more in the realm of myth than fact in many places, and they often share the same shelf in the cultural zeitgeist as the fey and goblin baby-snatchers.

The core problem is that the Not-There tribes do not wish to be seen and so travel exclusively at night. Anything that might make noise or betray their location is thrown away, and the entire tribe often encamps less than a mile from civilized towns without being noticed. Each tribe, numbering from between three dozen to almost a hundred individuals, rises each night, dismantles their daytime camouflage, and then runs silently to the next camping site, with expert scouts providing a series of hand signals to steer the tribe around obstacles like trading caravans or awake guards. Rumors speak of them even going through the deserted streets and rooftops of towns at night as the tribe makes its way onwards.

Why the Not-There tribes go to such extreme lengths to be known is not something anyone outside the tribe knows. What little information we do know was gathered by Lissan Velgrede, a researcher who rather famously buried himself in shallow dirt over a location he believed the tribe would stay at the next day. His own story lies in other tomes, but over two years he managed to stay in the tribes good graces before an errant cough had him exiled.

The history of the Not-There tribe is crouched in myth and legend. Their stories tell of an acenstor that was wronged by the rest of mankind and learned to keep safe by traveling quietly at night. Such stories are whispered from person to person during the early morning as the tribe sets up their tents.

There are also stories warning of sister-tribes that failed to keep quiet and were murdered in the daytime. Others speak of lessons learned from the spirits of the night, such as auntie owl or uncle mouse on the importance of silence and swiftness.

As for their culture, the entire worldview of the not-there tribes is based on the need for silence. Speaking above a whisper is forbidden, and children wear scarves around their mouths to stifle any sudden exclaimations. Even children as young as four or five can travel as quietly as many master burglars, playing silent tagging games in the wee hours before the tribe moves. For its part, the tribe is often in constant motion, with at least half the waking hours devoted to moving the tribe and its belongings.

Of highest order are the scouts, the only members of the tribe allowed to range outside to the immediate area the tribe is in. Depending on their rank, scouts may be assigned to keep daywatch, scout ahead for potential threats, or to hunt and gather food for the tribe. Outside of the scouts are the People, whose jobs range from cooking to crafts. Shamanism is a little different in the tribe, as all members are encouraged to learn magic and minor cantrips of stealth and distraction are taught from parent to child. However, some children are taught to reach out to spirits or minor gods in order to gain power and Lassan records some minor power struggles that could turn deadly as warlocks and witches clashed in the silent knife, as equally able to summon shadows as blades for throat cutting.

The laws of the not-there tribe are few, but they are enforced strictly. Any untoward noise is the cause for banishment or death amongst the tribe. The rule of the chief is absolute so long as they are alive. Property of those not of the tribe can be taken freely, but property within the tribe is possessed so long as the owner can keep control of it. Theft is not generally punished within the tribe as almost all possesions are carried on the body and anyone who loses a thing likely is unable to protect it. Finally, the tribes are not allowed to number more than eighty and are split into two tribes when a birth takes the number above that.

No one has been able to determine the paths the not-there tribes take with any accuracy, but Lassan reports that there is a clear pattern that the elder members of the tribe clearly know. These paths do occasionally cross and are the subject of trade, sudden marriages, and sometimes a trade of children between families, which helps prevent inbreeding.

Punishment is generally rare but swift within the tribe, as there isn’t the room for much else. Minor transgressions are often ended with the offender being cuffed about the head. Still, major ones like noise violations can only end in either the immediate death of the offender or in their exile from the tribe. These exiles are believed to wander their own paths at night, but scattered reports tell of some resorting to assassin or sellsword work to support themselves. A skilled knife in the dark is always of value to someone.

As stated, the tribes of the pell almost all practice some magic, but the greater ones among them seek deals with spirits or minor gods to enhance their abilities. This means that the tribe often has more warlocks than traditional shamans. Tribal ceremonies are somewhat sparse, but there are many small ceremonies practiced person to person, often by touching hands and palms in intricate gestures meant to convey something deeper than a whisper. Lassan reports silent hand-pressing games played by both parents with their children before bedtime and complicated finger-tapping games between lovers.

Relationship with other groups:

The Not-there tribe doesn’t exist according to most people and is a race of mythical baby-stealers according to the rest. It is in this anonymity between legend and reality that the tribe exists, and they certainly prefer it that way. They do not trade or communicate with outsiders, but do steal anything that takes their fancy as they pass through, so a sort of one-way trade is established

Major Locations:

There are no major locations or tribes known. Lassan reports that each tribe does not use an independent name for itself, but all call themselves the ‘Not-There tribe of Pell’. Pell appears to be the common ancestor in their folklore, a young halfling girl.

Recommended Classes:

Ranger, Rogue, Warlock

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