Howling Fantods

The Howling Fantods are a verdant, tropical archipelago to the far Voideast of the Broken Empire on the plane of Waking Materia. They are located to the east of Zvaal and Voidwest of the Spine of Yorm. It is the last major civilization of the fierce, treefaring Baraka, who live out an isolated, highly martial but seemingly complex society. It is fortunate they lack an interest in neighbouring continents as their fighting ability seems to be second-to-none.

Description

See also: Imagery of the Howling Fantods (External)

---

Those visitors who have survived describe ruined ziggurats and longhouses scattered throughout the jungles, with architecture reminiscent of the great First Age civilization of Alanthan'aravaut. These ruins do seem to hold some importance in the masked warriors' beliefs, though they prefer the treetops as residences.

Geography

The Broken Empire

Open full size

And its myriad peripheries. Map represents much of Waking Materia's Gamma Quadrant.

Culture

The baraka of the Howling Fantods are a viciously martial society, with a heirarchy based purely on personal combat. The top half(?) of the population wear masks symbolizing their rank, with perhaps a thousand "Red Masks" at the bottom of this masked caste, a couple hundred "White Masks" in the middle and a few dozen with fearsome, custom-carved masks at the top. The society is presumably ruled by the First, and the Maskless caste appear to have no rights compared to the Masked.

These numbers are very approximate and almost nothing is known about the baraka as visitors are either killed or violently expelled. It is unknown whether the "rank" of outside races is honoured if a visitor manages to kill a masked baraka. What is known is their skill with weaponry, which is second-to-none. They appear to be comfortable in combat both in the treetops and on the ground. One merchant who survived his visit to the island decribed fights between his prized swordsmen and unexceptional baraka scouting parties as "over in an instant", with the hairy, treegoing Humans checkmating the Meranthic knights in two or three fluid moves. It is a great blessing, he concluded, that the Baraka have no interest in sailing to the Mainland.