II Mythos Races Zoog clerics exist, but they are largely focused on of noble zoog youths as hostages Those zoogs agreed appeasement Druids exist to draw strength and power never again to molest or eat a cat, and in turn, the cats from their forests When a zoog forest hosts a perilous agreed to keep their hostages alive Unfortunately for and powerful spiritual entity, the zoogs typically build the zoogs, this treaty was not to their advantage, but a shrine and appoint a priestly class to placate this force such is reality Naturally, if the tables were turned, the These priests perform whatever sacrifices and rites are zoogs would have enforced a treaty to their own ends needed to minimize conflict When a treaty is being considered, the zoog council For example, zoogs living in a forest at the base of a of nobles debates it If they reach a favorable decision, powerful red dragon’s mountain might set up a shrine the other party is brought into the zoog colony, and all to the dragon and kidnap maidens from surrounding the zoogs convene to identify and learn to recognize hamlets that they might offer them up to the dragon to that individual or group For example, when the zoogs prevent the creature from attacking their forest While of Blackwood made the Treaty of Eternal Friendship humans, naturally enough, see this activity as evil, the with the gnomes of Willendilly, the gnomes sent zoogs view it as highly practical They don’t have the several dozen gnomes, of all ages and walks of life, ability to slay the dragon, so they what they can, to Blackwood so the zoogs could memorize the at minimal cost to their community, to avoid trouble appearance and dress of Willendilly, and thus refrain As a result, zoogs have gathered a reputation for from preying on them This treaty was eventually worshiping evil and unholy beings This reputation broken unwittingly by the zoogs when they captured is deserved to an extent: benign forces don’t threaten and devoured three bleached gnomes from Willendilly, the zoogs, so they don’t feel a need to appease them in unaware that these pale, listless creatures were the same this way But even zoogs who worship at the shrine of species as the other gnomes (since no bleached had a powerful devil are not necessarily evil themselves— been sent to the treaty-signing) they so out of pragmatism rather than fervor Treaties One of the best-known features of zoog law is their universal recognition of treaties A given treaty is only made with one entity or organization at a time A treaty may be agreed between the forest and a nation, race, or village, or even just a single person If two villages each want a treaty with the zoogs, they must negotiate separately While treaties can cover a wide number of topics, typically the arrangement is for the zoogs to permit free passage through their forest in exchange for some consideration from the other party Treaties can be predatory in nature For example, when the cats of Ulthar attacked and defeated the zoogs of the Enchanted Woods, they took a number Treaties are not written down (at least, not by the zoogs), since every zoog in the forest is required to memorize it Still, an old treaty may be unknown to younger zoogs, and over time, treaties can “wear off.” This can happen quite quickly, considering the condensed breeding cycle of zoogs Zoogs rarely break treaties on purpose, but they are known to abuse them to an extreme In one case, the zoogs of the Screaming Woods had a treaty with a particular family The oldest son of this family took a band of his friends into the deepest part of the forest, expecting that the zoogs would honor the family treaty, and thus grant them safe passage The zoogs trapped them all, then served them at a great feast The son alone was spared, but they forced him to partake in 47