The Wise Ones

Tribe of the Wise Ones, was a pacifist human Nubari tribe that inhabited savannah of the jungle-covered Malatran Plateau in Kara-Tur.

Habitat
The tribe's territory was located on the western edges of the Rayana Savanna, neighboring the territories of the Simbara and the Tribe of Big Chief Bagoomba to the south.

Culture
The Wise Ones were the tribe that valued intelligence and fair, equal treatment above all else. Those who could use magic, like shamans and witch doctors, were the most respected members of the Wise Ones' society. Despite being peaceful people, the Wise Ones' council mandated that half of the tribe's youth be trained in combat. Young ones who showed strength and dexterity were trained in physical combat, while those who demonstrated wisdom and intelligence were taught to harness magical powers. This led to all Wise Ones appearing as tall, strong, muscular, or lean and scholarly people, with no individual appearing as something between the two extremes. The peaceful tribe understood that they were surrounded by hostile jungles and rival tribes such as the Simbara and knew that defending oneself was required for the tribe's survival.

The Wise Ones used drums to communicate across the villages, with the sound of percussion echoing across the Living Jungle at the time of need and strife.

Garb
Apart from armor, thatch or straw were used to make traditional clothing of the Wise Ones. Each member of the tribe owned at least one article of clothing masterfully weaved into a skirt, a cape, or other types of garb.

Customs
The biggest of the thatch-woven huts of the Wise Ones were used to hold grand village-wide feasts in celebration of "Tontor", or the elephant – the totem creature held in great reverie by the tribe. The elephants were considered to be the wisest creature of the Living Jungle by the Tribe of the Wise Ones. Many wild elephants could be seen dwelling near the Village of the Wise Ones as the tribe protected them, and shamans of the Wise Ones daily communed with the massive beasts. The elephants shared the rumors and the current events transpiring in the Living Jungle with the Wise Ones' shamans in exchange for care and healing. Some elephants that were healed by the shamans stayed with the Village of the Wise Ones for several years. Those shamans chosen by an elephant as a companion were considered to be blessed by the gods and likely to gain a seat at the village council.

Government
The oldest members of the Tribe of the Wise Ones were part of the tribe's ruling Council of Elders that acted as advisers and jurors. The council supported the tribe's chief and acted as a court of peers when crimes were committed against the Wise. In the late 14 century DR, the chieftain of the Village of the Wise Ones was the oldest and most powerful shaman named Arkari. By her 70 year, Arkari spent a year carefully evaluating and inspecting the Wise Ones' council in search of her successor to take over once she was ready to vacant the throne. Shaman Kovarka inherited the title of the chieftain after Arkari.

Trade
The Wise Ones were a fisher and gatherer culture, and their main trade was weaving thatch. Such baskets were created in a wide variety of sizes. Some were as small as a human hand, while others could be as big as a village home. An individual crafter could spend years mastering the skill of basket-weaving. Their exceptional skills and technique produced water-proof containers and buildings, and the same was applied to the Wise Ones' thatch armor. This skill was not only utilitarian but also artistic. The most skilled weavers decorated their homes with beautiful thatch works of art.

The Wise Ones were friendly with the neighboring impala katanga with whom they shared animosity towards the hunter tribe of the Simbara.

History
In the mid-14 century DR, witch doctor Manyuk V'Domo visited the Tribe of the Wise Ones during his period of sleeplessness, a part of the life of certain Zantira folk from the Sleepy Lake. Manyuk spent time with the Wise Ones and brought their teachings of peace and acceptance back home after the sleeplessness was over. Eventually, he rose to the position of the chief of all Zantira, bringing peace and prosperity to his tribe from the Malatran savannah.

In the late 14 century DR, the shamen of the Wise Ones communed with the spirits and were informed of a looming danger threatening the entire Malatran Plateau. The Mother of a Thousand Young, the leader of the malicious spider katanga, was ready to birth a horde of the hungry being and, in preparation for the birth, was performing a ritual that spread poison and death throughout the waters cascading off the Fire Mountain. The Wise Ones assembled three groups of hearts from across the googly inhabitants of the Living Jungle to stop the spider katanga threat. When the threat was over, chieftain Kovarka gifted the heroes with gourds of healing and poison antidote brews.

Notable Wise Ones

 * Temenu Farseer, a male shaman of the Wise Ones who opposed the Mother of a Thousand Young in the late 14 century DR.

Appearances

 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * The Curse of Fire Mountain &bull; Quest for the Snake Mother &bull; Web of Destruction &bull; An Army of One Thousand &bull; Terror from Below &bull; Death from Above &bull; Herd &bull; Come the Tiger
 * Ship from the Sky &bull; Sharp Teeth, Mostly Tasty
 * Ship from the Sky &bull; Sharp Teeth, Mostly Tasty