Terl obar: Created page with '==Physical Description== A Kurabanda stands 1.2 meters tall and looks somewhat like a tarsier monkey. It has large round eyes and large pointed moveable ears. It can swivel its h…'

Terl obar — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 03:01:09 GMT

Created page with '==Physical Description== A Kurabanda stands 1.2 meters tall and looks somewhat like a tarsier monkey. It has large round eyes and large pointed moveable ears. It can swivel its h…'

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==Physical Description==
A Kurabanda stands 1.2 meters tall and looks somewhat
like a tarsier monkey. It has large round eyes and large
pointed moveable ears. It can swivel its head around and
look behind its back. A Kurabanda's hands and feet have
special pads for better grasping. These pads are filled with
blood storage vessels, and permit more blood to be kept
in the fingers and toes, allowing for a better grip than any

Human could manage, since the muscles are less subject
to fatigue. A Kurabanda's tail is prehensile.
In the course of evolution, Kurabanda have lost some of
the heavy fur which originally covered their bodies. A
Kurabanda's torso is covered with fur, but its head, hands,
feet and tail are bare. Its arms and legs are covered with
fine hair that looks like soft down.

==Culture==
Kurabanda hold physical prowess and the glory of
dangerous exploits as ideals. Their value system is based
on the perceived image of honor. A respected Kurabanda
is one who is a good hunter, a good fighter, and an
individual who upholds the honor of the family. A
Kurabanda who does not hold to these ideals or who does
not take revenge for an insult is disgraced in the eyes of
his family and his clan.

In Kurabanda society, if one Kurabanda is harmed, his or
her entire family is considered to have been insulted.
Blood feuds are not common, but do occur. To avoid feuds
it is usually necessary to pay compensation to the injured
parties. Clan blood feuds can also be avoided by a system
of ritualized vengeance. The vengeance is aimed at forcing
the victim to lose prestige. Kurabanda constantly try to
outdo each other with showy displays of wealth. A family
will put on an incredibly lavish feast to honor its ancestors
and show its neighbors how successful the family is.
Occasionally, the feast may be part of ritualized
vengeance. A guest of honor may actually be mocked by
an excessive display of wealth. It is difficult for outsiders
to tell the difference between mocking a guest of honor
and honoring the guest, but Kurabanda always know. An
insulted guest can take revenge at the feast by presenting
the host with even more lavish gifts. A blood feud can also
be declared at a later time.

Kurabanda are also natural jokers. Practical jokes are
common, usually played on non-tree dwelling guests.
Some typical practical jokes are: 1) The Fake Vine Joke:
Non- Kurabanda guests are given a vine which will break
when used to swing from limb to limb. Hidden below the
area is a safety net to catch the victim. 2) Snipe Hunting:
Guests are invited to hunt some mythical creature. They
will be told to remain in one spot while the Kurabanda
drive the creature into the trap. The Kurabanda will then
go back to the village to have a good laugh while the
victim waits in vain. 3) The Fire Joke: A group of
Kurabanda will wave phosphorescent torches simulating a
fire. They will yell that the forest is on fire and will lead
guests on a harrowing escape which circles around only to
end back at the original village. 4) Flea Joke: Kurabanda
put small biting insects in the guest's bed so they can
watch the victim itch.

The Kurabanda live in the bachanda tree forest. They hunt
not only in the forest, but also in the adjacent fry plains
and rocky barrens. Kurabanda often hunt in large packs
and surround their prey. They also hunt with various
types of traps, or by hiding at frequented spots, such as
waterholes, and waiting for game to arrive. The
Kurabanda increased the range of their hunt by inventing
a type of hang glider.

Kurabanda live in tree-top villages. The villages consist of
a number of large houses made of branches, leaves, and
vines. Each house is that of a different extended family.
Also in the village are the men's hut and women's hut,
which are special buildings for one or the other sex. These
two huts are something like club houses for each sex, and
serve as places of relaxation outside the house. Each clan
also maintains a special hut.

Kurabanda society is based on the family and kinship.
Without understanding the importance of family ties, one
cannot understand Kurabanda society. An individual's
family relationship also defines that individual's rights and
duties. Kin terms are exact. Instead of "cousin" a
Kurabanda has Father's Brother's Sons, Mother's Brother's
Daughters, etc. Each relationship is somewhat different.
For example, a man could count on his Father's Brother's
Sons to stand by him in battle but he could only count on
his Mother's Brother's Sons for a small amount of financial
support in times of extreme emergency.

The basic kin group is the extended family. An extended
family would include a patriarch and his kin. A patriarch is
usually the oldest married male. Living with him would be
his wives, their adult sons, the sons' wives, the adult
grandsons, the grandsons' wives, all unmarried adult
daughters, and all the children of the various marriages.
An extended family averages 20-40 people, but could
range from 10 to 100 individuals. A patriarch can order
the family to be divided if the number or people living in
his household become too large.

The next most important group is the clan. A clan is all
the extended families with the same last name. All
members of the clan are descendants of the one who gave
his name to the clan. The actual descent is sometimes
hard to trace since the clan founder is sometimes a
mythical individual directly related to the gods.

All Kurabanda families who live in one forest form a tribe.

The final organization is that of the Kurabanda people,
who are all descended from Kurabanda, "The First
Ancestor".

Kurabanda have a strong sense of territoriality. The
hunting area belongs to the tribe and other tribes may not
trespass. Each clan and extended family also has their
smaller hunting territories inside the Tribe's territory. One
of the most prevalent types of cases in court is a suit
involving boundaries between hunting territories.

Kurabanda trace their descent through the male line and
all children have their father's last names. Married sons
remain in the household of their father while married
daughters join the households of their husband's fathers.
It is illegal for anyone to marry a member of the same
clan. A male may have as many wives as he can support.
In fact, a male's social standing increases if he has many
wives, but it is a great dishonor to have more wives than
can be supported.

A marriage is not seen as primarily a love relationship
between two individuals, but as an alliance between two
families. The goods that are exchanged before a marriage
ceremony are gestures of good faith on the part of both
families.

Despite the rather formal method by which marriages are
arranged, the concept of love is not unknown to the
Kurabanda. In fact, a common theme throughout
Kurabanda literature involves two lovers defying their
families in order to remain together. Many long-running
feuds have such situations at their roots.

Each Kurabanda tribe has a chief. When the old chief dies,
his eldest son becomes chief, provided that he is willing to
fight for the chieftainship. If no one in the tribe challenges
the right of the candidate to be chief, the candidate
automatically becomes chief for life. Any male who is the
head of an extended family may, however, challenge the
candidate to trial by combat. if several individuals
challenge, there is a preliminary fight which eliminates all
the challengers except one. That challenger then fights
the candidate for the chieftainship. The winner is the new
chief. All challenge matches are to the death.

If a chief possesses the Sacred Idol, he is proclaimed chief
of chiefs and is entitled to lead all the Kurabanda if the
need should arise. (At the beginning of the module, the
Kurabanda do not possess the Sacred Idol.)
Kurabanda law is based on tradition and custom. Cases
are tried by a council of elders chosen from the major
families of a clan. The council interprets the traditional law
for all cases.

Kurabanda religion is influenced by "magic", controlled by
experts known as shamans. Shamans often try to shift the
blame to innocent victims when "magic" doesn't work,
accusing the scapegoat of being an evil witch.

The Kurabanda believe in the magic of "power objects".
These ward off evil and give good luck. The objects may
be anything: an odd shaped pebble, a dried leaf, and so
forth. The most important power objects, however, are art
objects left over from Eorna civilization. One such object is
the Sacred Idol. The Keeper of the Sacred Idol is the only
individual who can unite all the Kurabanda.

The closest thing to worship for the Kurabanda is the cult
of the ancestors. Every Kurabanda house has its own
shrine where the ancestors of the family and clan are
honored. The chief is responsible for the care of the tribal
shrine. Kurabanda consider that the ancestors can help
the family after death, much as they did during life. If
anything, ancestors will have increased power, since they
now live in the realm of the spirits. Sacrifices are made to
obtain the goodwill of the ancestors.

==Reactions to Player Characters ==
Attitudes and behavior that will be likely to cause an
unfriendly reaction in the Kurabanda include poor
sportsmanship, an angry reaction to a practical joke,
declining to accept a gift, and giving a valuable gift to a
Kurabanda without allowing a good chance of paying it
back. on the other hand, the Kurabanda will be unsure
how to deal with Humans. Dralasites and Kurabanda have
in common a rather overdeveloped sense of humor.
Usually, the two races will get along fine. The Vrusks will
seem so alien to the Kurabanda that they will be viewed
with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. The Yazirians
will be well- received by the Kurabanda because of the
physical similarities between the two races.

==Sources==
* SF-01: Volturnus, Planet of Mystery

Kurabanda - Revision history

Terl obar: Created page with '==Physical Description== A Kurabanda stands 1.2 meters tall and looks somewhat like a tarsier monkey. It has large round eyes and large pointed moveable ears. It can swivel its h…'