Chapter 3: RACES & REALMS • Krikis hope to capture human babies and imprison them in hives, turning them into half-insect monsters! • Some Red Krikis hives interconnect; an experimental hive mind linking five queens and their hives resulted in the creation of a massive near-Daragkark Krikis queen who currently spawns giant Krikis warriors with wings to assault even more humans from above Makadan On Khitus, many recognize the human Makadan tribe as good fighters who can be counted on when the odds are long and times are desperate Attite rivals consider them overly boastful and more interested in exaggerating their exploits than conveying the true story Most Makadan believe few others can match, let alone exceed, their tribe’s martial prowess Appearance To nonhumans, Makadan are unremarkable among their race They tend to have fair to dark brown skin, with golden or grey eyes, wide and flat noses, and black or brown hair Both men and women wear pants with light tunics, all in a wide variance of colors, and adorn themselves with jewelry of precious stones and bone The Makadan wear sandals made primarily from lizard-hide leathers, strapped high up the thigh and over the knee Robes, generally dyed in solid colors, signify military and civilian rank Tattoos also commonly mark family affiliations and ranks Most Makadan soldiers wield either the pike or long spear—the shtuka and shtukeel in their own tongue Even those of peaceful professions carry a hozh, a narrow long knife used for every imaginable purpose in and out of combat In battle, Makadan employ any appropriate armor and shields, though full plate armor remains extremely rare, especially in these metal-challenged days Outsiders often call the Makadan -mounted cavalry “lancers,” though they more often wield and throw javelins (“shtukal”) as a weapon of choice Most Makadan armor their mounts with leather and light chain A Makadan camp is always busy with warriors always tending their weaponry and mumbling portions of the Kod Despite their fearsome, martial reputations, Makadans attract those looking for salable goods, as they always have things to trade Their trade specialties include pivosh, a dark beer, and kozha, a supple, durable leather still tinted the green or yellow hue of the lizard from which it was taken History The Makadan settled in what is now the eastern region of the Old Countries and were among the first to settle permanently in some places Their original cities were rubble or dust long before the coming of the Dragon Kings, though their tales and myths endured to the present day Legend holds that the original Makadan city, Pogreban, was dug deep into the ground and reached the gemstones at the world’s core, so it is expected that Makadan carry tiny gemstones in their purses or woven into their clothing Over time, Makadan culture shifted away from a dual scholarly and trading focus to one of martial strength and warfare While many assume this grew from the rising warfare since the departure of the Daragkarik, these developments started centuries before and only emerged into sunlight with the world’s more aggressive changes What it was that spurred this shift in Makadan culture is unknown outside of the tribe, for it is part of Kod Kod Makadan fighters immerse themselves in Kod, the Warrior Code, today as they have for more than twenty generations This is an oral tradition that is never discussed outside the tribe Young warriors must prove themselves worthy of the Kod by slaying wild animals in close combat and in dire situations where the battle’s outcome is actually in question Gender matters little to the Kod and, surprisingly, physical strength also matters less than most expect The core of Kod lies in recognizing one’s foes and their frailties, understanding one’s own strengths, and pitting the latter against the former Thus, there are cultural weapons standard for a Makadan, but Kod teaches each warrior to seek out the weapon that best utilizes one’s strength and hone ability with that Any warrior who embraces his Kod weapon while participating in a Rite of Vindicta gains great praise Woe to the warrior who lets his Kod weapons succumb to the pernicious Iron Virus The green-clad Bokata (see below) embrace the Kod in all ways, but also embrace the terminology and structure of an older warrior caste from ancient Makadan days; their embracing the shtukeel alone demands that their majority be of greater height and body strength than many others for whom Kod also lies sacred Kod also provides some of the only ways for Makadan to rise above their birth stations and ranks Success and martial ability let a man or woman rise to positions of great influence within the military and society at large 51