Bakru

Bakru are a malevolent, faery-like people of certain tropical forests and jungles, avoided by most intelligent creatures and dreaded by the superstitious. They are ugly, with withered faces and sunken dark eyes; adults rarely top a foot and may weigh just 10-12 ounces. Most have long hair, males are always bearded, and hair and skin share one color, usually muddy brown or deep green (albino and black Bakru are rare).

They live in clans of 10-100, never travel in parties smaller than four, hunt and forage, and build no lasting homes. They reportedly live past 200 years, yet a female bears only 1-3 young. Weak but quick and nimble, they make fine tools and snares of woven grass, reeds and sharpened sticks, mostly to catch snakes for their venom. Warriors apparently soak needle-thin wooden spears in blended venoms, which may explain why the tiny weapons stay deadly for many stings.

Rats and weasels serve them as mounts and pack animals, and captured mongooses are prized as snake-killers; all are trained to fight beside their riders. By night they raid camps for food and whatever their steeds can carry, prizing gems above bulkier loot, and they sabotage wagons, half-saw bowstrings and straps, drug waterskins and even tie up sleepers. Some tribes pay them tribute in snakes, herbs and spices to be left alone, which supports the Bakru boast that they rule any land they inhabit. In play a Bakru hides with 95% success and can find, disarm or lay snares at 95%, and it is so quick that attackers suffer -2 on their rolls to hit it. Its tiny venomed spears deal 1-4.