A tribe of barbaric elves inhabit the forest of Mosh’tardin. They worship a silver-pawed ape god named Magdar, but this worship is almost responsible for wiping them out. Mosh’tardin is inhabited by another tribe, you see, a group of humans who also worship Magdar. They believe Magdar to be a bear with an adamantine paw, though, and hunt the elves for their heretical beliefs.

The elves are a warrior people, and fighting is very important to them. They practice a martial art of their own development called “capoeira*,” which emphasizes graceful mobility, dodges and kicks. Often times, the elves go into battle with small drums secured to their chests. Even as they lash out with their legs, their hands busily drum out a beat to demoralize their foes and bolster themselves.

Battle is a long, drawn out affair for the elves. Blades attached to the soles of their shoes deliver shallow cuts, slowly bleeding their enemies. This is in stark contrast to the human barbarians, which favor powerful blows which rarely connect, but often kill on the first hit.

The human barbarians actually enjoy fighting the elves, as they are a masochistic culture. To them, pain is strength. Most of their customs involve tests of endurance to see who can withstand the most pain for the longest. Their marriage ceremony culminates with the husband and wife choking each other until one passes out.

The most dedicated of their warriors undergo the ritual of Kardak, thrusting their left hand into a bear paw-shaped mold filled with molten iron. Afterwards, they are anointed as priests of Magdar, and adamantine claws are attached to the iron forever grafted to their hand.

*Capoeira is a Brazillian martial art. Go check out some youtube videos of it.

Encounters with the Barbarians of Mosh’tardin

One of the PCs gains the respect of an elder human barbarian. After several nights of revelry, the elder invites the PC to undergo the Kardak. Not accepting would be taken as an unrivaled insult to the barbarians.

The PCs are asked to capture one of the rare silver-pawed monkeys from the Mosh’tardin forest. Naturally, they run afoul of the elvish barbarians in attempting to do so.