[1]Irenar Brighteye is a Trader Princess of Issaries but also an Initiate of Lhankor Mhy. She is a native of Pavis (and a lunar citizen) where she owns a small shop catering mainly for adventurers. She spends a large part of her time organizing and going on trading missions going as far afield as Tarsh (this means that there is only a 50% chance that she is in town at any given time).
One reason for her economic success is her ability to brew poison antidotes of the strongest potency (20) for scorpion, wyvern and mineral poisons and herbal poison antidote (pot. 18), these are sold at standard prices, but discounts are available to customers who supply the ingredients. Irenar offers a discount of 10% to initiates of Lightbringer cults, and will also act as a lawyer for them (75% skill, for which she charges only modest fees) in the Lunar courts of Pavis. It is rumoured that she has anti-lunar sympathies but no one has been able to gather any evidence of this.
The giant praxian baboon is fully intelligent, unlike the smaller varieties of baboon found elsewhere. The males are almost as big as a human, and exceptional individuals have been known to grow to the size and weight of a large man. The females are smaller and lighter, but do not let this deceive you about their strength as even females are as strong as a man. The big males are very strong, especially the alpha males (leaders). All baboons are quick and agile, this is probably a result of living in the waste (away from civilization), where quickness can mean the difference between life and death.
Baboons are naturally quadrupeds and find it difficult to imitate humans. Although their attempts to walk on two legs may seem very amusing to a human observer, it is important that one does not laugh at them as they are very sensitive about their difficulty with walking. Should a baboon want to chase someone it will probably drop to all fours and charge at an amazing speed. A baboon will very quickly overtake a running human and if it gets in close the baboon's greater strength and sharp teeth will put the human at a disadvantage, despite wearing heavier armour. It is worth noting that the canine teeth of an alpha male have no difficulty in biting through all but the heaviest armour.
Baboons have trouble wielding human weapons and normally only use simple weapons such as spears and slings. Some observers have concluded that this is because the baboons are unable to use other weapons (and shields) due to their quadruped origins. During my travels I have found evidence to refute this theory such as occasional baboons using swords, shields and even bows. To be sure, the baboons do not use these items in quite the same manner as a human would, but with practice they can become quite proficient with them. Their unorthodox manoeuvres are quite confusing and their great strength counteracts any disadvantages caused by their bone structure. My personal theory, as to why baboons seem to restrict their choices of weapons, is because they are always very poor and this restricts them to the weapons that they can manufacture themselves.
Baboons are a minority in Prax, numbering only around 10000, they are outnumbered by most other races. The baboons travel in small family groups, except on special occasions when large numbers congregate together, thus when they meet with strangers they are often outnumbered. This has resulted in the baboons automatically taking a cautious defensive posture, but in order not to signal any potential weakness to strangers they support this posture with snarls and growls which are intended to frighten off any potential attackers. In practice this behaviour can cause the uninitiated to feel threatened by the baboons and occasionally leads to them launching an attack out of fear.
The seasoned traveller will stand his ground when faced by these antics because to retreat would signal weakness, which might invite an attack. Not touching or drawing weapons signifies strength as well as peaceful intentions so the veteran traveller would do well to stand his ground and look relaxed. After a short time the baboons will calm down if they see no sign of aggression and offer to talk with the strangers, at this point it is important that at least one of the party speaks a language which the baboons understand (Baboon or Praxian).
It is likely that this defensive posturing has lead to some inexperienced travellers returning to civilization with horrific tales of the ferocity of giant baboons, maligning their generally pragmatic nature. In fact they are rarely the ones to start a fight, although any pacifist tendencies are forgotten once they are involved in a fight. These facts justify the wise traveller in avoiding fighting baboons and communicating with them instead.
Baboons have a primitive culture which is based around spirit worship (often of ancestors) and shamanism. They move around in small troops of no more than 20 adults carrying all their possessions as they travel. The baboons are nomadic hunter gatherers and move onto a new location when they have depleted their current area. Their whole existence is dominated by the spirits and although the dominant alpha males are the war leaders and will give orders during combat, they in turn refer to the shaman (who will consult with the spirits) when decisions have to be made. Occasionally one may meet an alpha male who is also a shaman, these individuals are very powerful and must be treated with the greatest respect (they are like a god to their followers and act in whatever manner they please).
One aspect of baboon life which quite often puzzles outsiders is their practice of speaking of dead members of the troop in the present or future tense, for example, saying that a young baboons grandfather will be proud of him after his first successful hunt. This is because of the closeness between the troop and its spirits. The contact is regular and there are often times when the shaman will invite the ancestors to rejoin the troop in order to update them on current events.
Thus members develop a profound and unbreakable belief in the continuation of the spirit after death which can inspire them to incredible acts of bravery in order to preserve the troop. This is because they know that as long as the troop exists then they will be among their family regardless of whether they are dead or alive, thus a male may deliberately sacrifice himself in order to allow the other members of the tribe including the females and young to escape. This act is perfectly logical to the baboon because it means that the troop continues to exist, while he moves onto another stage of existence. He know that by his act he will become famous and be frequently called to join in at celebrations, whereas if the troop is destroyed then he will be without family and friends forever.
The baboons hold frequent rituals when the spirits are summoned and mingle freely with the troop. These events have deep religious significance and help to re-establish the relationship between the baboons and the spirits. While outsiders are normally unwelcome at such events and should not intrude, if they are invited to participate it is considered rude to refuse. In any event the rituals are well worth attending if one has the chance and occasionally one can reap rich rewards, such as the single use of summon ancestor that Biturian Varosh gained during his travels in Prax.
Baboons eat whatever they can find; life in the praxian wilderness is very hard and thus the baboons cannot afford to waste anything. There have been stories about baboons eating humans, these are probably true but it is unlikely that the baboons hunted the humans, more likely the humans attacked the baboons and were killed, then the ever practical baboons decided not to waste the meat and thus ate the human. During my travels I came across a baboon wearing a human skin necklace which he used to bind spirits in. The owner explained that it belonged to a lunar officer who had ridden up to the troop and demanded that they pay their taxes. The baboons of course had no coin in which to pay and when the lunar got angry the baboons attacked and succeeded in killing him and some of his men (the rest got away and the baboons had to spend the next month running and hiding). The baboon remarked that the meat of the humans helped them to stay alive during this time when hunting was severely disrupted by the necessity to stay hidden.
Due to the harsh nature of existence in Prax and the simple life-style that the baboons lead there is no time for subtleties and niceties. This leads to the characteristic bluntness of speech characteristic of baboons, who get straight to the point when they are talking. Another aspect of this is that they find it very difficult to lie, especially to friends. This tendency to speak their minds without regard to the consequences can offend outsiders and has lead to tales of the baboons uncouth speech and insulting behaviour.
Baboons view the world from their own (slightly bestial) view point and find it difficult to see it from other directions. Thus they will always answer questions bluntly from their stand point. This coupled with their imperfect rendering of Praxian (the most common language for communication) has lead to them insulting many people throughout historyThe great kahn of the sable people Wahamata once, on hearing of the birth of his firstborn son, proclaimed that he was the strongest and bravest in the whole of Prax. A baboon hearing this replied that his sable was stronger, his wife braver but no one was more proud! This lead to Wahamata's lifelong quest hunting baboons which was terminated when he encountered a group of powerful ancestral spirits when he attacked some baboons in the midst of a religious ceremony. (It is rumored that Wahamata's spirit is kept bound within his skull and carried as a totem by a powerful baboon shaman.).
Giant baboons speak their own language, composed of snarls, yelps, guttural growls and other animal sounds. This tongue is difficult for non-baboons to learn but with repeated practice and preferably a baboon teacher it is possible for an outsider to learn. If you do you will be treated with great respect by giant baboons, who regard it as a honour if a stranger speaks to them in their own tongue. If you speak baboon you should find no trouble in gaining shelter or protection amongst baboons, but bear in mind that it is customary to reward your hosts for their hospitality.
Baboons also speak Praxian in order to communicate with the nomads. Occasionally a baboon may learn a small amount of Trade Talk or Pavic but this cannot be relied upon.
Because the baboons are generally poor their hospitality will be simple; protection from enemies, food and shelter from the elements (if you don't mind sleeping with the baboons). This poorness makes it easy for a relatively richer adventurer to give them a gift which they will be delighted with. Any metal item will be welcome as the baboons do not work metal; even a second hand bronze dagger will be sufficient to repay a short visit and unlike other cultures the baboons regard gifts of coin as acceptable and highly suitable. They are always short of coin and it allows them to trade for supplies which are vital for the troops survival. Salt is also a widely used currency in Prax and the baboons will welcome even a small amount. It is important that you remember that all gifts for hospitality should be given to the shaman who will see to its fair division amongst the troop; the only exception to this general rule is when an individual baboon does you a great survice (such as saving your life) when it is acceptable to give it an appropriate gift (not money in this case, as only the shaman is allowed to handle coin which is used for the benefit of the troop as a whole). The shaman should also be presented with a gift in these cases.