Secret Garden Games
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Cultures: Bughitawo Tribes
In our Cultures series, we discuss various ethnolinguistic groups within Bukana and beyond. An ethnolinguistic group is an umbrella term for a number of tribes that are joined together by common language and traditions. For instance, today we are looking at the Bughitawo. This is a term that may or may not be used by members of this culture to describe themselves. Many “Bughitawo” would instead refer to themselves by their specific tribal name, without acknowledging any relation to another Bughitawo-speaking tribe. Players are encouraged to work with GMs to come up with a character’s tribe and think about how they relate to other nearby tribes. We have recently discussed how we intend to handle “racial” stats in Bukana, by using Cultural and Tribal feats that are not tied to any particular ancestry (race) or bloodline (subrace).
The Bughitawo are believed to have been the first humans to arrive in a number of the Bukanese islands. These nomadic tribes of hunter-gatherers tend to be shorter than other indigenous people with dark skin and kinky hair. They are said to be the descendants of the “Old Men,” an ancient people who have left many ruins in the deepest hearts of the islands. Most of these tribes have resisted outside cultural influence and still practice their traditional mobile farming, hunting, fishing, and gathering forest products. The Bughitawo live in harmony with nature and their beliefs and rituals form the basis for most Bukanese traditions of ghost archery, the temporary imbuement of arrows with willing spirits to achieve spectacular effects. Headhunting is very rare amongst these tribes.
Historically, these tribes have been displaced by other groups. Over the centuries, the Bughitawo have become fractious as they migrate due to incursions by other cultures. They now live on many different islands, almost always having been pushed inland to dense forest and rugged upland terrain. These people seem to have a special relationship with the engkanto and other spirits of the islands, and they are sought out by those in search of ancient secrets. Anyone looking to explore the ruins of the Old Men usually have to gain the approval of a local tribe of Bughitawo or be turned away.
The scattered tribes of the Bughitawo venerate all spirits, however each has its own patron creator. The most widely worshiped supreme deity is Tatananod, but others such as Munan-Muwa and Batbatbake are also known. Some tribes are even monotheistic, worshipping the entities that other tribes see as separate gods as merely aspects of Tatananod. Most pay respect to a single god of the Under-Realm, Huwis, who is the guide and judge of the dead. No spirits attend Huwis, who is the only occupant of Busad, the underworld waystation of the mortal dead.
Bughitawo (tribal)
Prerequisites: Starting character, can speak Bughitawo, and either human ancestry or Bukanese Human Society feat
You are one of the nomadic tribes of Bughitawo. You possess a deep connection with the spirit world of Bukana and live in union with the natural world. You gain the following benefits:
- Your Wisdom score increases by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You gain proficiency with the Insight, Nature, Survival, and Spirit Lore* skills.
- You have proficiency with the Longbow and the shortbow.
*new skills to be previewed in a later article
Bughitawo Pantheon
| Bughitawo Pantheon | Alignment | Domain | Symbol | Worshippers |
| Tatananod, lord of Lampanag* | LG | Creation | Omen Bird | Bukanese heroes & commanders |
| *Ampaggalaw, aspect of action | CG | Glory | Grass hut | Commoners, spouses |
| *Mamopol, aspect of growth | LG | Agriculture | Golden lion | Warriors, guards, Tamahaling |
| *Halawkop, aspect of love | NG | Beauty | Simple knot | Paladins, some lawyers |
| *Painawa, aspect of death | LN | Malice | Gazelle resting | Healers, Mahomanay |
| Makat-eh, goddess of the hunt | N | no clergy | Pregnant jackal | Executioners, judges, morticians, Patron of the Amethyst Hounds |
| Inanah, god of the forest | LG | druids only | none | Artists, warriors, monks |
| Bawil, Goddess of the sea | CN | druids only | Mountain | Judges, paladins of Revenge |
| Munan-Muwa, the creator | LN | Any Domain | Crossed hook swords | Warriors, some dwarves |
| Batbatbake, hero of Lampanag | NG | Glory | Gold coin | Traders, administrators, some adventurers |
| Nalindeng, goddess of mountains | N | druids only | Eagle holding a blade | Travelers, fire elves, pongo |
| Halta, spirit of strength | CN | Glory | Catamaran | Explorers, fire elves, shipwrights |
| Huwis, the lonely one | NE | Malice, Divination | Loom | Wizards, sorcerers, dervish monks |
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