Butu were a crossbred species of kobolds and bakemono found in the Malatran Plateau in Kara-Tur who were brought to the region by the Ancients, before the split of Abeir-Toril.[2]
Description[]
Butu heritage was evident from their features, a mix of both kobold and bakemono. Like bakemono, they had hairy mountain goat-like hoofed legs, while their torsos and muzzles resembled that of a kobold, with the main difference being goat-like horns. Males and females showed little difference in appearance and grew to reach 3 feet and 6 inches (1.1 meters) tall. One in ten males appeared to be bigger and stronger specimen and often were the leaders of their clans.[2]
Abilities[]
Butu mountain goat legs allowed them to dexterously navigate rocky class and mountains, making them an uneasy prey for Malatran predators.[2]
They possessed limited infravision that reached up to 30 feet (9.1 meters) but were perfectly capable and content in the bright daylight.[2]
Combat[]
Avoiding confrontation was most common among butu. However, defending their homes and families, they fought fiercely, often paving an escape path for their weaker kin. They prepared for battle by planning traps and ambushes while preferring subterfuge and overpowering their foes with great numbers. Most common weapons wielded by butu were clubs, stone knives, short bows, spears and javelins. They entered battle using range and thrown weapons and went into melee after exhausting ranged options. In close combat, butu tended to find themselves caught up in a moment and acting with extreme impulsiveness. The initial charge was done headfirst, literally. Butu used their horned heads to charge and head-butt their opponents. A swarm of butu could easily overpower and knock down even large creatures and push opponents off cliffs and slopes when possible.[2]
Butu often huddled down as a defense mechanism, pretending to be a harmless, scared, trembling creature. Many were easily fooled by that strategy, but it also made the huddled creatures the desired target for hungry predators of the Malatran jungles.[2]
Personality[]
Butu were survivalist and independent creatures. They were friendly, enjoying meeting new people but were hard to befriend and trust others.[1]
The ancestral lore and stories of butu talked about the great Cataclysm that killed most of the Ancient masters. Since then, butu believed that magic was dangerous when handled irresponsibly.[3]
Society[]
They were nomadic creatures living in communities that resembled herds of mountain goats. Each heard, referred to as a clan, usually consisted of between four and twenty-four male butu and an equal number of females. Individual butu did not possess much and only owned what they could carry around. On very rare occasions, non-butu were allowed to travel with the herds, but due to their uncanny ability to navigate cliffs and slopes, non-butu often plummeted to their deaths.[2]
Butu coexisted in peace with other creatures found on the mountain slopes, such as bighorn sheep and mountain goats, who, in turn, offered early stranger or predator detection. These tribes were hunter-gatherers, feeding on game killed along the travel routes. They were not picky eaters and consumed most edible things, but nuts roots were the most commonly gathered food.[2] Among butu's natural predators were the flying dinosaurs of the plateau.[3]
Butu spoke their own language that consisted of ear-piercing yapping barks. Their maws were capable of communicating via other languages, and about half of all butu spoke Nubari common.[2]
Obsidian was valued greatly among butu for its use in weapon-making. Their armors were crafted from a variety of randomly sewn-together leathers, furs, and rags.[2]
Culture[]
The name of the species, "butu", did not come from their language. Sages speculated that the word was borrowed from the Ancients. Another evidence of that was the presence of a similar word in the dialect used by the Simbara – the tribe that claimed close relation to the Ancients.[1]
Butu clans started trading with other people of the Living Jungle, namely the Saiyama that provided butu with a variety of foods and goods from across the region. Lizardfolk foods such as pickled bats and cured eel were butu favorites.[1]
As for religion, butu worshiped the spirits of the land and the butu ancestral spirits. Many clans' preferred worship was that of the fire, air, and earth spirits – patrons of the mountains where butu built their homes. Another common worship was of deceased family members.[1]
History[]
According to ancient legends, a race of kobolds was used as pets of the Ancient ones that arrived in Abeir-Toril, long before the planet was split in two. With time, the kobolds cross-bred with Kara-Turan bakemono, eventually producing butu. By the 14th century DR, butu were believed to be extinct; however, they were rediscovered inhabiting rocky and mountainous terrains of the Malatran Plateau.[2] In turn, butu believed all Nubari to be extinct and that believed lasted until a volcano explosion of the Fire Mountain in the 14th century DR, there the Tribe of Courage resided in seclusion. After the explosion, butu fled down the mountain slopes where they came face to face with the human Nubari. Butu were impressed by special weapons of ancient ceramic wielded by the Nubari as they remembered the material from the ancient times and considered it to be precious. Since then, butu joined the peoples of Malatra to work together towards common goals of prosperity.[3]
As of the late 14th century DR, many butu started building settlements high in the mountains, abandoning their nomadic way of life, and could be seen among other peoples of the jungles and adventurers in the region's lowlands. During that time adventuring butu were known to take on the roles of warriors, witch doctors, wizards, and rogues bur still preferred to stick to the drier lands of Malatra.[3]
Notable Batu[]
- Tan'u, a male rogue of the Courage tribe who joined heroes of Malatra against the Mother of a Thousand Young that treated the Living Jungle in the late 14th century DR.[4]
- Zantu, a female warrior of the Courage tribe and a brilliant tactician who opposed the Mother of a Thousand Young in the late 14th century DR.[4]
Appendix[]
Appearances[]
Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Stephen H. Jay, et al. (January 2003). Inhabitants of the Jungle (PDF). Edited by Stephen Gryphon. Living Jungle (RPGA), p. 4.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 Uncredited (July 1996). “New Character Races”. In Scott Douglas ed. Polyhedron #121 (TSR, Inc.), p. 12.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Tom Prusa (July 1996). “The Living Jungle Just Got Livelier”. In Scott Douglas ed. Polyhedron #121 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 3–4.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Gregory A. Dreher (August 2001). An Army of One Thousand. (RPGA), pp. 8, 11.