The Tuchuck

Name:

The Tuchuck

Motto:

“Tuchuck! Tuchuck!”

To understand the Tuchuck, one needs to understand the Bolar Bull. Bolars were a large domestic animal that went extinct millennia ago everywhere except for the Tuchuck ancestral lands. The cows are nearly blind and deaf, relying on the bulls to determine if there are any threats about. The bulls, for their part, are incredibly stubborn and aggressive. Unlike normal herd animals, the only way to control the herd is to shift the males, often done by slamming them on the side with a surprising amount of violence. The Tuchuck train is constantly able to do this as the bulls are on the move, and the sight of a massive hundred-strong herd being slowly maneuvered to a new corral by massive tribesmen running into the bulls at speed is something that can only be called awe-inspiring.

For their part, its hard to find another tribe with so much enthusiasm for casual violence. Tuckers constantly show their strength with slaps, headlocks, and slams. While there are some obvious limitations around age and the safety of children, the physical play can often be distressing to outsiders. Even young lovers are more likely to greet each other with a solid slam than a kiss.

The Tuchuck tribe’s history is tied to the Bolar. Managing the Bolar was a widespread profession in pre-history, and many historians speculate that the Tuchuck might result from former Bolar herder bands banding together after their peers started herding far more agreeable animals like goats and wyverns. More likely is that the Tuchuck tribe found the wide grass-dunes a suitable place for their Bolar herds and never had to adapt.

In more recent history, the Tuchuck have started to look beyond Bolar herding and their traditions. Like many ‘barbaric’ tribes, the lure of civilization and its seemingly easy take from populations are leading many tribes to migrate. In these instances, the Bolar are often used as an opening weapon in attacking towns and outposts, a Tuchuck-led stampede often being the first sign that an attack is underway. Those seeking to make a quicker and easier track to wealth can often be found in the camps of the border chiefs, who happily raid any target that looks like it won’t fight back too hard.

While this hasn’t helped their reputation amongst outsiders, the Tuchuck have continued their rowdy existence without concern. For all the wrestling, the Tuchuck are actually a very empathic people. Conflicts are often resolved amicably by friends and family and peer pressure seems to ensure that no one takes thing too far. Everything about Tuchuck culture seems casual, including family structures. It's not unusual to meet Tuchuck's families with multiple patriarchs or matriarchs, and children sometimes seem to belong to multiple families at once.

For ceremonies, the Tuchuck rely heavily on communal dancing, either with designated dancers representing gods and spirits or with large communal ‘dances’ that involve adults slamming against each other in a friendly and yet casually violent manner, the Tuchuck are known for.

When it comes to conflict, the Tuchuck think very highly of themselves, and the Tuchuck warcry is the same as their celebratory shout, a repeated rendition of ‘Tuchuck! Tuchuck!’ repeated while slamming feet on the ground.

Tuchuck dress allows an easy view of the wearer’s muscles, a source of great pride. Instead of a covering tunic, a series of cloth strips is connected via loops to a copper ring worn around the neck and belted loosely around the waist. A second, inner belt holds a strip in front and behind the private parts. The advantage of these loops is that the strips can be pushed aside when displaying strength, but pulled apart to provide more coverage in colder or rainy weather. Icons and letters pulled from foreign sources are often applied as a sign of individuality. The Tuchuck have no written language of their own, but they seem to appreciate the aesthetics of writing, if not the purpose.

Tuchuck conflicts are resolved mainly at the family and tribal levels, but when two Tuchucks are unable to resolve their conflict with the help of their friends, the Chief and his family will step in. This is done in an almost theatrical manner, in which members of the Chief’s family speak to the feeding parties. The two individuals are then summoned before the chief, but, by tradition, are halted three times by members of the chief’s family, who will offer points of the opposing party or a compromise and ask whether the tribe member will withdraw their complaint. Most Tuchuck will halt after the first or second petition, but if the problems are truly unsolvable, they will eventually reach the chief.

There is no trial or petition if the summoned Tuchucks make it all the way to the chief. Instead, judgment has already been decided and implemented upon whichever party has refused to compromise or both. This is probably why so many refuse to walk the full path, since they cannot guess what judgment will be passed against them. Only someone fully confident in their course would dare to stand before the chief. Even if correct, Tuchuck chiefs sometimes banish members just for being so contrary as to stand before them.

Banishment is not the end of the road for most Tuchuck. The tribes hold exile as an opportunity for learning, and usually, the Tuchuck can join another tribe without issue.

A final note is that the Tuchuck don’t seem to have a shaman or priestly class. Instead, a coven of interested women joins in the Women’s Rights, which is a kind of additional family relation held just among women. This circle teaches the children the beliefs and laws of the Tuchuck, and a Woman of the Right is unchallengeable while in this act of teaching. This allows some weaker Tuchuck to obtain some prestige and position within the tribe, even if only the female ones.

Tuchuck magic is a strange affair. Very few Tuchuck can cast magic on their own, but mages report that the communal dancing often flows with magic, sometimes going so far as to express itself as sparks or glints during the drumming feet slamming. When needed, the Woman’s Right or the Chief can declare a ‘magic dance’ in which the tribe will dance to achieve a certain effect, such as changing the ground to divert floodwaters or to collapse enemy fortifications. There is no clear sign how this works, since the Tribal chant of ‘Tuchuck’ is the same as in all the other dances and the moves seem the same as well. However, the magic works, it does work, however - often devastatingly so.

Relationship with other groups:

The Tuchuck are looked at warily by their neighbors. The tribes seem always ready for violence, even to relish it. The raids across the borders don’t help either. Despite this, the Tuchuck can and do trade on occasion, often by brave traders who have learned to amuse the tribes quickly before anyone can think to overturn their cart and take what they want. The Tuchuck aren’t very worldly people, so traders often find the bargains in their favor, provided they can keep everyone happy. Tolar of Kun, a half-ogre trader, eagerly recommended walking into the center of the encampment, rolling out a barrel of wine, and punching the biggest Tuchuck in the shoulder. The return blow hurts, but the technique certainly seems to work for the large man.

Recommended Classes:

Barbarian, Monk, Bard

Ability Scores to Boost: Strength, Constitution, Charisma.

Feat: Tough

Skill Proficiencies: Athletics, Persuasion

Tool Proficiencies: Carpenter’s Tools

Starting Equipment: Choose A or B: (A) Mace, Compass, Gaming Set (any), Bedroll, 2 Pouches, Traveler’s Clothes, 16 GP; or (B) 50 GP