CHapter 3: beyond the WallLord o’ BonesAppearanceAbilitiesAgility 4Animal Handling 3 Ride 1B, Train 1BAthletics 3Awareness 3Deception 3Endurance 4Fighting 4 Axes 2B, Shield 1BLanguage 2 CommonLanguage 1 Old TongueMarksmanship 3Persuasion 3Status 3Survival 3Warfare 5 Command 2B, Strategy 1BWill 3CombatDefenseAttributes10 (7 in armor,+4 w/ shield)IntrigueDefenseHealth 12 Composure 9Destiny Points 2Benefits: Armor Mastery, Improved Armor Mastery,Blood of the WildlingsDrawbacks: Disturbing HabitArms & ArmorBone Armor: AR 6 ❂ AP –3Bulk 0 (including adj. for Benefits) (Movement 4, Sprint 16)Large RoundShield4D 1 damage Bulk 1, Defensive +4Bone & WoodBattle Axe3D+2B 3 damage Adaptable, Poor Quality *Personal Gear: Bone armor, large shield, bone and wood battle axe,garron with saddle, tack, and bone barding (AR 4, AP -2)* Poor Quality: -1D to attack testsThe Lord o’ Bones presents a gruesome image clad in his grim armor.Helmed with the gap-toothed skull of a giant, the rattling of bonessounds a ominous counterpoint to his every movement. Out of his armor,though, Rattleshirt is much more ordinary, a small man with aknobby chin and a thin mustache. His cheeks are sallow and pinched,and a single brow runs above close-set yellow eyes. His hair is dark, butthinning behind a widow’s peak.Rattleshirt’s WarbandRattleshirt fields a small group of about twenty garron-mounted lightlyarmored fighters, armed with bows, spears, and mauls. They are consideredVeteran Cavalry-Scouts-Infantry.8Tribes of theFar NorthThere are scores of tribes across the lands north of the Wall, most consistingof a several dozen members. Their customs and cultures varydramatically, but at their heart they are all free folk. A handful of thesetribes have become especially influential in recent years during therise of Mance Rayder as other tribes are beaten into submission to theKing-beyond-the-Wall or slaughtered by the Others. These few tribeshave become some of the most important among the ranks of ManceRayder’s forces, though there are dozens of other tribes looking to sharein such honors.Cannibal Clansof the Ice RiverMade up of a handful of clans living among the banks of the Ice Riverbefore it meets the Milkwater, the cannibal clans are usually groupedtogether by outsiders due to the similarities in their customs. Theseclans all partake in the eating of the flesh of their defeated enemies,hoping to take some part of their enemy’s strength. According to thelegends of the cannibal clans, they are descended from tribes of skinchangerswho feasted on the hearts of beasts to gain the skin of theirbrothers, and then as beasts feasted on the flesh of men. Thus to thecannibal clans eating of any flesh is a thing of great ceremony wherethe spirit of the deceased must be appeased with praise and song elseit will haunt the living until it is avenged. The truth of these legendsare not known, but skinchangers are unusually common amongthe cannibal clans, and each of the tribes within the cannibal clans isnamed after an animal totem they revere, like the Stone Fish tribe orthe Black Elk tribe.Of all the tribes of the free folk, the cannibal clans are some ofthe most primitive, knowing little of metal or cloth. They wear skins,and use weapons of bone and wood, with any more advanced possessionsbeing those taken in raids on other clans. Despite their limitedresources, the cannibal clans are widely feared due to their ferocity incombat. The warriors of the cannibal clans fight with no regard fortheir own safety, wanting only the glory of feasting on their enemies.This enables them to ignore wounds that would fell most men, but thenigh suicidal nature of the cannibal clans cost them dearly wheneverthey are outmatched.While the free folk look askance at the practices of the cannibalclans, most believe cannibalism a very unpleasant necessity at times,and the cannibal clans are seen by most as being better allies thanenemies. The cannibal clans are longstanding enemies of the Thenntribes, Walrus Men, and the Hornfoots, but often ally themselves withthe cave dweller clans. They have joined Mance Rayder’s horde aftersuffering numerous attacks from the Others that resulted in thecomplete destruction of the Rock Bear tribe. The cannibal clans seethe Others as anathema to everything they believe, animating theirdefeated enemies as mockeries of life instead of giving them the deaththey deserve.85
CHapter 3: beyond the WallThe cannibal clans have no overall leader with each tribe having itsown chief. These tribal chiefs come together to argue decisions that affectthe clans as a whole, such as joining Mance Rayder’s army, but suchmeetings are raucous and usually end in a fight. Currently the tribal leaderwith the most influence is Korm the Wolf, leader of the Snow Wolf tribe.Cave Dweller ClansInhabitants of the lower reaches of the Frost Fangs, the cave dwellerclans are a network of smaller tribes that live in the massive cave systembeneath the Frost Fangs. Their legends claim they are the peopleof Gorne who were to follow their ancient King-beyond-the-Wall ina second trip through the caves under the Wall. This never happened,since Gorne was killed by the Starks, Umbers, and the Night’s <strong>Watch</strong>during their first foray. The cave dweller clans have been waiting eversince for their king to return, with some saying that Mance Rayder isGorne reborn. Whatever the case, the cave dweller clans know moreabout the caverns north of the Wall than anyone except Gendel’s lostchildren, who the cave dwellers clans claim to combat regularly. Fewbelieve these stories of subterranean cannibals swelling up from below,but the cave dwellers believe them vehemently and some evenhave bite-marked scars they claim were earned turning back Gendel’schildren.The cave dweller clans are broken up into a handful of tribes, each ofwhich claims surface territory and caves as its own. Members of thesetribes use a complicated system of face paint to denote their allegiance,most of which use green and purple dyes made from various fungusthat grows in the caves they call home. Several versions of these paintsexist for different social situations, including paints that include mindaffectingdrugs for use in rituals and combat. When the cave dwellerclans go to battle they are near numb to pain and have no fear thanks tothe strange substances that have leached into their skin.Despite living in caves much of their lives, the cave dweller free folkhave no knowledge of metallurgy or stonework. Their tools are crude,made of bone, wood, and stone. The cave dweller clans often raid othertribes for better tools, especially the Thenn tribes who live in the mountainvalleys above their homes. The cave dweller clans are also knownto raid the Nightrunners and Hornfoots on occasion, but these targetsare much further away. The Thenn tribes and the cave dweller clans havea longstanding hatred of each other, which has occasionally burst intoviolence within Mance Rayder’s army.While the cave dwellers have not suffered the attacks of the Others,they readily joined the Mance Rayder’s horde in the hopes of escapingGendel’s children and finding a better place to live. While the cave dwellerclans do have some love for their subterranean homes, they would muchprefer to live in the comparative mountain valley paradise of the Thenntribes. From the stories they have been told such places abound south ofthe Wall just waiting to be claimed from the weak men of Westeros.The cave dwellers have no overall leaders but usually follow the wordsof Orgot, a wizened but still wiry old man who knows every crack andcrevice north of the Wall, who is more respected as an advisor thana leader. Each of the tribes within the cave dweller clans has its ownleader and while they usually fight outsiders, these clans have gone towar with each other on occasion.Hornfoot MenOne of the larger nomadic clans among the free folk, men of the Hornfoottribe are known for their small stature and wide feet. Said to be descendedfrom grumkin or snarks, the Hornfoots are a hardy people who walk86
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