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2nd Movement - Zaru

Fluff and crunch adapted from Clinton’s book with original additions to crunch. Onomastics from Clinton and various Internet sources.

Zaru is a land broken and divided. Set in a delta at the eastern mouth of the Poison River, she has been conquered by Ammeni, her people enslaved. The only resistance are outcasts, people not welcome in the Zaru communities or worship halls, for they have committed the worst sin of all, the taking of human life, and discovered a dark knowledge the elders cannot bear.

Zaru was once rich. Her soil is extremely fertile and rice, swamp apples, and other crops grow bountifully. Zaru’s greatest asset became her downfall, though: the language of ZU, the language of creation, spread beyond her borders and infected the world. Zu is not like other languages; it is magical, and anyone hearing it can then use it themselves. Moreover, speaking it actually wills actions, circumstances, and objects into being.

Because of zu’s ability to infect others’ minds, the Maldorite Emperor Absolon used it to cement his empire by making it the universal language of his people. When the knowledge of zu spread, the people of the world misused it, not understanding its power. Many people believe the use of it caused the great Sky Fire, and the subsequent destruction of the old world.

People in Chains

After the Moon rose, Zu became broken. Now the people long used to peace had no means of defending themselves. By nature, the Zaru are pacifists, finding no need for violence with their terrible gifts. As they emerged back into the world, they found themselves overpowered by the Ammenites, who had long before envied the fertility of the Zaru delta. Zaru’s people were taken as slaves and made to work in the worst sort of hot, steamy, swampy conditions.

As a people, the Zaru are fairly uniform in appearance. Black hair is virtually homogenous among them, and their skin is dusky, their eyes dark. If they look like a modern-day people of Earth, those people would come straight out of Southeast Asia, complete with loose-fitting clothes and large, flat hats made to keep the burning sun off them when toiling in the fields.

As a nation, Zaru does not exist any more. Ammeni truly has dominated it, and Zaru villages exist on Ammenite plantations, under the care of foremen. Typical construction is made of bamboo, and communities exist around “speaking halls,” long buildings in which the Zaru eat, cook, converse, and often sleep. Only the elders of a community and their adult children have the privilege of living in tiny huts built around the speaking hall. Older villages, pre-Shadow, do exist in Zaru, which are basically larger versions of their slave villages: large speaking halls with family houses built around the central building. These are usually constructed of hard, baked clay around a bamboo center, and are incredibly durable. As insurgency has grown in Zaru, some radical groups have fled to the old towns and formed their bases of operations there.

Families are very important in traditional Zaru culture. They are viewed as “mini-villages,” with the eldest person being the leader of that family. (Pre-Shadow Zaru houses bear this out, as they are usually built as a long room spanning the house, with small rooms for the elders built off of this.) Villages are built around the same structure, with the eldest person in village taking the role of priest and leader, as they have seen more and heard more than anyone else. The Ammenites are well aware of this, and break up families and villages by sending children inland and working the elderly to an early death. One underground movement in Zaru returns babies to their mothers in the dark night, traveling far over land to switch them back.

Thieves rule the world

The zu phrase for an Ammenite is “land-thief,” an appropriate epithet for a people who have turned Zaru into their personal playground. Even more sinister are the terms “word-thief” and “blood-thief”. “

Word-thief” is a term given to a non-Zaru that uses the sacred tongue of zu, especially Ammenite sorcerers. Zaru elders are torn on how to deal with the resurgence of zu and its potent virulence. The majority of them, who grew up with stories about when zu was taken away, agree that it should not be used, thereby keeping it firmly - but uselessly – in Zaru hands. The younger generation doesn’t completely agree: there is a strong underground movement to rebel against the Ammenites using any means necessary.

Killers and especially the radical MOONMEN priesthood are called “blood-thieves”. It is not just that they are willing to spill blood; the actions of the radical freedom fighters reverberate in the world and cause outsiders to bring violence to Zaru villages. Elders consider this a crime just as much as having blood on your own hands.

Life-Shield-Hand

Non-aggression and pacifism are fundamental cornerstones of the Zaru existence. They are also what binds the people to their servitude and makes them the preferred slave stock for their Ammeni masters.

Resistance comes in a multitude of forms: for example, the priesthood of Hanish has released a martial art for the slaves, called UPTENBO or “life-shield-hand”. It is non-lethal but powerful, concentrating on redirection of force and incapacitation of the opponent. Uptenbo is not just a martial art, but a philosophy that strives to teach the frustrated Zaru to turn their weakness into a non-violent strength on the face of the enslaver. It is taught secretly, disguised as dance.

A martial art such as Uptenbo consists of a number of TECHNIQUES. Techniques are just Secrets that are further referenced by other Secrets, such as the PUMSA, intensively trained fighting combinations that strive to overcome an enemy without giving him a chance to react. The opponent of a pumsa can break the sequence by preventing the character from performing the next technique, which might be done by various means, but at least a REACT (I) check to dodge whatever the opposing fighter is doing should work. Pumsa are normally used in extended conflict over several rounds, but a smart group can apply them feasibly in other mechanical contexts as well.

(Although I don’t usually term fighting techniques from other cultures as such, they are still TECHNIQUES in the mechanical sense. Feel free to experiment.)

The philosophy of pacifism is rooted deep in the culture of Uptenbo, the masters of which believe in not only the moral superiority of non-violence, but its actual strategic superiority: one day they will free Zaru by demonstrating to the conqueror that the people will not, cannot be swayed to cooperate any longer. Whatever happens then, the land will once again be free.

Actual Play

An important Story Guiding principle for a solidly slavery-focused campaign is this: do not take the institution of slavery, in farming or personal servitude, as a standardized proposition to which all characters should have easy snap-shot judgments prepared. Life doesn’t work that way.

The above is important for the idea I’ve already floated earlier: the Story Guide should engage in enabling play. Thus, when a player tells you that his character is going to steal away and go explore inside the master’s villa to find that girl he took a fancy on, the correct response is not “of course all slaves are branded or memorized by face or watched by foremen all the time, that’s what it means to be a slave, right?” Rather, consider the opposite reality in your judgment: for the slave economy to function at all, there must be a certain degree of participation and cooperation, however enforced, from the slave population. This in turn means that a character willing to risk punishment might very well have a considerable freedom of action on his side, at least until he is noticed as a troublemaker by the foreman.

To choose another tack, consider the Ammeni slave masters and their attitudes. It would be easy to presume that for them to uphold the institution of slavery at all, they’ll all have to be remorseless monsters that will of course never care a bit about what a slave has to say. A more moderate (and again, more realistic) viewpoint is to presume that many Ammeni are not directly exposed to the more savage facets of their economy, and thus are emotionally utterly unprepared to face the reality. For this sort of character it is far from unlikely that a player character could influence them through pity, even if the player character happened to be a slave.

What those examples are trying to say is, once again, simple: do not deprotagonize and disable player characters just because of your own preconceptions about how powerless they should be. Rely on the conflict resolution system to make these judgments for you.

Ideas

Ideas - Zaru

Zaru can be secret agents of priesthoods striving for freedom, or they can collude with Ammeni masters to improve their own lot, perhaps for desperate and sympathetic reasons. They can also be passionate youngsters with no political aspirations, crushed by the limitations chattel slavery imposes on them.

Zaru can also escape their land to go elsewhere, but can they escape their past? An ordinary person might find peace elsewhere, but how about a hero?

Zaru Names

Names - Zaru

Zaru do not have family names anymore; they use only one name and an epithet, if necessary: “Quick Adad” or “Aruru Prim”, for example. Ammeni masters refer to the birth plantation of each slave within a House, and to the House between Houses.

Male

Adad, Damuzi, Enki, Nergal, Ziusudra, Shullat, Ardumanish, Thuxra, Vindarna, Kuru, Cyrus, Hakim, Iskinder, Kaleb, Negasi.

Female

Sabit, Delondra, Aruru, Lugalbanda, Nisaba, Parmida, Yasmin, Kiana, Omid, Fiza, Houri, Aisha, Dabit, Yenee, Kassa.

Places and things

Amami, Jawara, Ikusiha, Odion, Omusupe, Urbi. The names are all literal and descriptive in the language of Zu.

Cultural Strengths

Cultural Strengths - Zaru

Typical Ability SPECIALIZATIONS for Zaru include marsh travel, boating, farming rice, hiding messages, disguises, pleasing the master, knowing traditions, remaining calm, resisting torture.

Typical Pool CONDITIONING for Zaru comes from hard plantation work, broken-up family, priesthood training, relentless thirst for revenge.

Typical Ability ENHANCEMENTS for Zaru include internalized zu, secret training methods, experimental surgery, having been trained from a toddler.

Typical Ability SYNERGIES for Zaru include clay-molding with craftwork, poetry with speaking, servitude with everything else.

Typical Ability RETRAINING for rogue Zaru is to make instinctual things vigorous.

Typical EQUIPMENT for Zaru includes widebrimmed hats, farming tools, nets, boats; Ammeni tend to take away anything valuable, though.

Abilities - Zaru

Serve (I)
Servitude concerns anticipating a master’s needs and remaining servile while interacting with him. It is also useful in misdirecting the master and being invisible to his eyes.
Clandestinity (R)
The Ability of planning and implementing secret networks, resistance cells, cipher codes and other such subterfuge. Useful for both resistance and counter-resistance activities.
Clay-Moulding (V)
This Ability can be used to build anything from houses to pottery out of the rich clay of the Zaru delta.
Poetry (I)
Poetry is the foremost art form among the modern Zaru, who often cannot own much but their words. Zaru poetry is most often long and non-rhyming, with strict syllabic patterns for each stanza. It is emotionally powerful, and can make even an Ammeni master stay his hand.
Uptenbo (I)
Uptenbo is the underground Zaru martial art. Because of the traditional non-violence of the Zaru, Uptenbo is purely a defensive art, and can be used to drive off, humiliate, or subdue an enemy, not to kill. It consists of strong locks, throws and sweeps, using the enemy’s attacks against her.

Secrets - Zaru

Unimpeded Flow Technique
The character has learned to move continuously, without breaking for thought. In extended conflict his UPTENBO (I) action counts for both bonus dice and Harm against the opponent, but only if the next action is made with UPTENBO (I) as well. In a normal conflict treat this as the SECRET OF SYNERGY for UPTENBO (I) with itself.
Cost: 2 INSTINCT per check
Force Redirection Technique
The character has learned to redirect strength arrayed against him. He gains bonus dice to his UPTENBO (I) check equal to the opposing check result.
Cost: 2 INSTINCT per check
Constant Motion Technique
The character has learned to move steadily in everything he does. He has synergy as per the SECRET OF SYNERGY between his UPTENBO (I) and all of his other Abilities. However, activating it costs Pool.
Cost: 2 INSTINCT per check
Flexing Stem Technique
The character has learned to give way against greater strength and make the best of his loss. When losing an Ability check with UPTENBO (I), the character may convert the winning check into penalty dice for himself instead of suffering the default outcome. The dice are held by the opponent and allocated to further checks the character makes as long as the situation continues. A normal conflict is pre-empted by this technique as if a tie, but it may be reattempted by either side. In extended conflict the character may force the penalty die pool to disappear by taking a Defensive Action.
Cost: 1 INSTINCT
Shield Meditation Technique
The character has learned to prepare his mind for the non-violent combat method. Meditation is depicted by UPTENBO (I) Effects such as “I am ready to oppose the Master”, for example. Instead of spending such an Effect as bonus dice, this Technique allows the player to swap a pertinent Ability check with the Effect value during a conflict.
Cost: 1 INSTINCT to swap.
Rising Pumsa (two Techniques)
When the character uses the first of the two techniques in a fight successfully, he can activate the pumsa to deduct the first technique’s Pool cost from the cost of the second technique, provided that he follows up immediately. The discount is Poolspecific.
Cost: 1 INSTINCT
Requirement: the techniques combined
Breaking Pumsa (two Techniques)
When the first technique is used by an opponent in combat, the character can nullify its effect by successfully performing the second technique. The characters still conflict normally, it’s just that the opponent doesn’t benefit from his technique at this time.
Cost: 1 INSTINCT
Requirement: the second technique
Secret of Uptenbo Mastery
The character can use any PUMSA with his Uptenbo Techniques, and Pumsa he already knows do not cost Pool for him to perform. He may also discover individual techniques instantly in a flash of insight, if there are any he does not know.
Cost: 2 REASON to invent a technique on the spot.
Requirement: two Pumsa.
Secret of Breaking Chain
Nobody has this Secret yet, but this is how I would misuse Uptenbo against its own aims: the character may now expend VIGOR to activate Uptenbo techniques. When he does, instead of humbling or subduing, the attack breaks bones or organs and kills.

Keys - Zaru

Key of the Pacifist
The character has a personal commitment to non-violence.
1xp: Strive for a non-violent solution.
3xp: Refuse to harm another to achieve your goal.
Buyoff: Purposefully harm another person.
Key of Lost Family
The character has been forced apart from his family.
1xp: Talk about your family.
2xp: Act to reunite with your family.
5xp: Get news from your family.
Buyoff: Reunite with your family.
Key of Priesthood
The character is considered an elder of the Zaru. He’s ascribed to one of the priesthoods that form webs of communication over the delta.
1xp: Advise another.
2xp: Push your priesthood’s agenda.
5xp: Determine the fate of another person by the virtue of your position.
Buyoff: Relinquish your position.
Key of Escaped Slave
The character has escaped from a plantation; he might or might not be actively pursued for it.
1xp: Hide yourself or your tracks.
2xp: Your status is questioned.
5xp: Escape from slave-catchers.
Buyoff: Get caught.
Key of Martial Arts
The character is committed to perfecting his art. Perhaps more committed than to using it for its original purpose.
1xp: Practice your art.
2xp: Duel with a worthy opponent.
5xp: Achieve a major revelation.
Buyoff: Stop your practice.