Enesh Tribes

The six xenophobic tribes of man have held the mist shrouded Isles of Enes for generations. Using the mists to their advantage they have perfected the art of stealth. This in addition to the Enesh keeping to their own isles has lead to the myth that the isles are inhabited by devil ghosts that spring from the mists and attack anyone that would dare set foot on their shores. Having bested the Cullough and even an Imperial invasion fleet, the tribes of Enes set their eyes on the Elban shore. Goaded by a prophecy spoken by the late Spiral Sage Coure, Maeve the Ghost Wolf seeks to end the life of Boudicca the Warg.

Structure

Each of the Enes tribes has in essence three leaders. A Chief who is elected by the tribe, A Beast Tamer who is decided by a gathering of other beast tamers, and a Spiral Sage, who has has undergone the Rite of the Sparrow.

Chiefs:

The chief is the only member of the tribe allowed private land. They mediate between disputing tribesmen and leads the tribe in warfare.When a Chief dies or retires the whole tribe gathers to elect a new Chief.

Beast Tamer:

A beast tamer acts as oracle, healer, diplomat, and advisor for the tribe. they share a unique kinship with the animals of the land. They are well know for their ability to speak to animals and to on an animals form. they are the first to point out that they do not tame the wild beasts of Enes so much as act as diplomat between man and animal. When a tribes Beast Tamer retires they have the right to name a new beast tamer for the tribe. If they die prematurely the beast tamers of all the tribes gather to name a new one.

Sage:

Sage is a revered lifelong appointment. they act as judges, historians, and storytellers for their tribe. to become a Sage a Spiral Sage must undergo the Rite of the Sparrow. the rite slightly varies from tribe to tribe but it always involves three tasks. one task to demonstrate their knowledge, one to show wisdom, and finally they must go to Drakes Hollow to breathe the fumes from the lower cavern and tell the tribe of their visions. If a tribe has no spiral sage that has undergone the rite of the sparrow the tribe will gather the sages writing and send for the sparrow tribe. one of the sparrow tribe will then become part of the new tribe and carry on the duties of their predecessor

History

The Sparrow People and the Fomhor

Long time ago a tribe of man reached the shores of the Enes Isles. They called themselves sparrow people. Like the sparrow they traveled never staying in one place for long. When the Sparrow People landed on the northern Enes isle they met a race of giants known as the Fomhor. The giants took in the Sparrow people and found them amusing with their entertaining stories and riddles. So amused were they that when the Sparrow people took to leave the Fomhor captured several of the Sparrow and locked them in high cages. A few Sparrow escaped and hid in the mists of Enes. There in the mists they called to spirits of the land and animals until one answered. A large wolf came from the mists. Though fierce in appearance the wolf lead the Sparrow people back to its den and made them one of the wolfs pack. The wolves taught the Sparrow People how to hunt and fight. Soon the new Wolf Tribe stormed the Fomhor settlements with their wolf allies and took back their Sparrow brothers and sisters. Together they sent the Fomhor east across the sea and never saw the Fomhor again.
The Sparrow people now divided into the Sparrow and Wolf tribes, began to claim the northern Enes sle as their home. For some their wanderlust could not be satiated and so they sailed south and found the southern isle. There the Enes people called once again to the spirits of the land only this time in respect and not out of desperate fear. Two spirits answered their call. One was Badger and the other was Hawk. Once again the Enes people split and gained the blessings of the new animal spirits. Those that followed Badger dug into the hills on the northern coast. Those that followed Hawk took flight and began a centuries long watch over all Enes.

The Cullough and the Enesh

A few generations had passed since the Fomhor were driven from Enes. The Fomhors flight was not without consequence. The Cullough of Tara had battled the Fomhor on their own island and sought where the invading giants came from. The Cullough arrived in Enes. They mistook the Sparrow tribe for thralls of the Fomhor and began to war against the Enesh. Early on the Cullough learned of their mistake. The Sparrow spoke the Fomhor language and dressed as the Fomhor because they had been captured in ages passed by the Fomhor. War is not so easily halted. After the Cullough attacked the Sparrow tribe the Wolf tribe began to attack the Cullough. They attacked warbands and peace envoys a like. What followed was a long grinding war. The Enesh could not take the Cullough at sea and the Cullough could not long set foot on Enes before being attacked. For the final time the Enesh spoke to the spirits of Enes asking for allies against these invaders. Seal answered their call. Seal joined with the Enesh with some becoming half seal, half human. With this new tribe the Enesh were able to drive the Cullough from the waters surrounding Enes. Many sages claim that this war with the Cullough was what started the Enesh hatred of outsiders. As misplaced as it was, it served the Enesh well when the Aenians came.

Ba'ha the Just

The Hawk tribe were the first to meet the great dragon Ba'ha. At first the Enesh rallied to fight off what they thought was a foreign evil. Every time they met Ba'ha on the ground their blades could not pierce his hide and when he took flight their arrows could not reach him. As the Enesh moved to fight Ba'ha, stories began to spread of a silver haired stranger traveling among the tribes. He would stay only a few days offering help and sharing stories with the sages before leaving. Those that tried to track this stranger found his trail ending as if he had sprouted wings and flew away. after several months of this eventually Ba'ha landed among the Hawk tribe and spoke their own language. He claimed he meant the Enesh no harm and understood why they thought he was an invader. Ba'ha told the Enesh he had been the silver haired stranger traveling among the tribes and hearing their tales. Ba'ha meant no harm to the Enesh and only wanted to make his home in an abandoned grotto on the smallest Enes isle. Hawk spread the word to the other Enesh tribes. Many wanted to deny the dragon what he asked fearing he would cage them as the Fomhor had. Others thought this would be the first step of an invasion of dragons. The loudest supporters of Ba'ha claimed that he asked with humility and grace that it was as if the dragon knelt to them as the Enesh knelt to Wolf, Seal, Hawk, and etc. Eventually after much debate the Enesh granted Ba'has request. Several Enesh that he had helped as a wanderer went with him to learn more about him. Over time they became the Drake tribe and learned the history of Aerra and the Aerrossi.

Devil Ghosts from the Mist

When the Aenians first entered the mists surrounding Enes its people were ready. Ba'ha already knew of the battle with Drai Goch and had warned the Drake tribe. They in turned sent word to all the tribes of Enes to make ready for the approaching imperial forces. Wolf sailed with the Seal as Hawk carried Badger to Drakes Hollow where the Enesh would meet the Aenians. As the rest of the Enesh made their way to Drakes Hollow, the Sparrow who were already visiting the Drakes Hollow began to prepare for battle with their brothers. They wove strong ropes and anchored them to the cliffs surrounding the grotto and brewed blue woad. As the Enesh prepared Ba'ha patrolled the skies peering into the mists for any Aenian ship. One day, as Sparrow and Drake were finishing their preparations Ba'ha returned and warned of a fleet of one thousand Aenian battlebarges were sailing to Enes with a favorable wind. With this news Sparrow and Drake dressed for war. Leaving their clothes aside they painted their bodies with runes of power using the enchanted blue woad. They strapped on their swords and spears before tying themselves to the ropes among the cliffs. From there they waited. The rest of the Enesh were still making their way to Drakes Hollow and would arrive to the battle late if at all. Their leaders had planned for this. If the battle turned sparrow and drake would find refuge in the grotto and defend it until the rest of the Enesh arrived. It would prove to be unnecessary.
At night the Aenian fleet arrived. Shrouded in the familiar Enes mist the Aenian fleet poured into the bay around Drakes Hollow. It was then a shrill war cry rose from the cliffs and the battle began. Leaping from the cliffs the Enesh swung down to Aenian fleet and threw clay pots of burning oil onto the decks. The Aenians instantly began to panic as all throughout the fleet they rushed to tamp out the fires that had erupted on their ships. As the Enesh swung back they threw their spears at the Aenians killing many as they hit their mark. The Aenians having been attacked twice let fear over take them and they made their most costly mistake. The ships in the middle of the fleet tried to come about and flee. This caused them to crash into the other ships as the fleet was packed in too tightly in the bay. Nearly half the ships that day sank because of this error. The Enesh seeing the Aenians panic swung one final time down to the ships. At the bottom of the swing they cut their ropes and flew screaming into the ranks of the Aenians. As the Enesh carved a bloody path over the decks a few of the Aenians saw this and abandoned their ships and jumped into the waters. Weighed down by their armor and weapons the Aenians who jumped ship would drown in at the bottom of the bay. As the burning ships sank the Enesh swam to shore among the floundering Aenians. On the shore the Enesh watched and waited for a counter attack that would never come. Only one battlebarge sailed back to Elba. The survivors spoke of a mist shrouded island guarded by blue skinned devils and ghosts. The Empire after suffering this defeat claimed the isles cursed and forsaken by Sol and never again sent men to Enes.
Eventually the other tribes of Enes made it to Drakes Hollow. Many were disappointed that they had missed the fighting while others were greatly relieved. None were more disappointed than the Wolf tribe. They took their absence as a stain on their honor and has remained a sore topic to the Wolf since.

The Culling on the Drake Tribe and the Invasion of Elba

Years passed for the Enesh. Few disputes arose and fell. Ba'ha mingled with the Drake tribe and begat progeny. These "Scaled Men" as they were called were treated with reverence, gaining a reputation for fairness and often acted as arbiters the other tribes. Until one day the sun turned black and its light pierced the mists of Enes. The sons, daughters, and grandchildren of Ba'ha looked upon the black sun and screamed as their souls were torn their bodies. The strongest of them cried out to their father but he could not aid them. The light burned Ba'ha in his hollow and when the sun left he lay dead in his home. Few of the Drake survived. What was once a tribe of thousands now barely number a hundred. There in the darkness the Drake buried their kin. Some swore vengeance on what had killed their family while most were too numbed to even think. Since then the Drake have never left Drakes hollow.
Years later, Maeve the Ghost Wolf, leader of the Wolf Tribe consulted her oracle about the future of her tribe. The oracle spoke a prophecy of doom for the wolf tribe. A Warg from the shores of Elba would seek her destruction beneath a silver forest. After hearing the prophecy Maeve reached out to the Seal Tribe with a plan of invasion. Speaking to the Seal Chief Gurn she told him of her plan invade Elba, to fight the Aenians still there, and to take what plunder she could. Maeve promised an equal share would go to the Seal Tribe if they would protect those too old or too young to go to war. Gurn agreed to Maeves terms thinking she sought to extirpate the Wolfs shame at Drakes Hollow. Maeve then ordered her people to weave stone grey cloaks to protect them on the voyage to Elba. with that the Wolf tribe sailed to the coast of Elba on Seal boats. When they made landfall they found themselves amidst a forest of silver barked trees. Hiding their boats Maeves warriors scouted eastward until they came upon the town of Sidhe. When they returned Maeve outlined her strategy for her warriors. They moved in the dead of night under a full moon sticking to the shadows.when they had surrounded Sidhe Maeve gave the order to cover themselves with their cloaks, to make no campfire, and to remain very still until the morning. As morning came the people of Sidhe went to their fields outside the town and in the predawn light they saw boulders and rocks amongst the fog in what was once clear fields. Curious at the sight they drew closer to the boulders and when most of the Elbans had surrounded the rocks a cry rang out. With that the Enesh sprang from the cover of their stone grey cloaks and caught the Elbans unaware. many Elbans fell at this attack and those left living ran for cover behind the walls of Sidhe. When they got within they told the Daemons guarding Sidhe that the mythic Devil ghosts of Enes had reached their shores. those below the parapets scoffed at the superstitious town folk. Those the wall however saw the blue painted warriors spring from the fog and knew the tales of the Aenians had been true.

A note for Players and GMs

Playing an Enesh

Aerra is based on a homebrew setting using D&D 3.5 edition rules. Humans born and raised within Enes follow these rules in place of the standard rules for Humans.
Fleet of Foot: There are no horses on Enes. Neither is there any animal fit as a steed. Because of this the Enesh have learned to hunt quickly while on foot and receive a 10 ft. bonus to their speed.
Ghosts in the mists: Enes is almost perpetually shrouded in a dense fog while much of the isles are covered by dense woods. Over the centuries the Enesh have adapted to their terrain and have learned to hunt and hide within it. Because of this the Enesh receive a +2 bonus to any hide, search, or spot checks while in fog or dense woods.
Ambush attackers: The Enesh fight like they hunt. Hiding themselves before striking quickly and running to cover before striking again. This particular combat style gives all Enesh a 1d6 sneak attack like the rogue. This sneak attack stacks with any class ability.

Type

Geopolitical, Tribe

Capital

Drakes Hollow

Demonym

Enesh

Economic System

Barter system

Location

Isles of Enes

Controlled Territories

• Drakes Hollow
• Enesh Burrow
• Isles of Enes

Neighboring Nations

• Elban Territories