Human [Kara-Tur]

The wako are pirates of the warm eastern seas, a loose brotherhood of low-born exiles and men hired by powerful lords, who board ships and raid coastal towns. So desperate and dangerous are they that even hardened western pirates fear them. They speak the trade language and the tongues of many coastal lands.

Expecting only torture and death if taken, wako battle until none remain standing, however hopeless the odds, and bargaining with them rarely works. They take no prisoners, only slaves to sell or keep in their hidden settlements. Their recklessness gives them +2 to attack and +1 to damage. Gear by share of the band: 5% kote plus do-maru with bow and sword; 10% haramaki with bow, spear and sword; 10% kote with a spear; 10% bow with a sword; 15% do-maru with a sword; and the remaining half hara-ate-gawa with a sword. Leaders and veteran raiders don o-yoroi, typically with bow and blade.

On top of the rolled number, each 30 wako include a 5th-level bushi and each 60 a 7th-level barbarian. A 10th-level samurai always commands, with an 8th-level barbarian lieutenant and 1-3 6th-level bushi mates, and every 30 wako carry a 5% chance of a wu jen of level 1d4+5.

Their lairs are permanent, high-walled, constantly patrolled settlements on remote, defensible coasts, sometimes on a patron lord's land. Unless a patron directs otherwise, they raid every nation's ships alike. Rival bands occasionally fight over territory but mostly keep well apart.

These warlike tribes inhabit crude villages in remote arctic mountains. Short and stocky, with chalk-white skin and matted hair and beards, they have a language of their own, and their leaders usually know the trade tongue too. They ambush anyone within 20 miles of a village, and hunting parties that range farther attack whoever they meet as rivals for game.

A tenth carry long swords, a fifth spears, a fifth stone axes, a fifth both axe and spear, and the rest (30%) clubs. Heavy furs give AC 9; leaders wear leather (AC 8) with long sword and stone axe. Pale skin and white pelts make them nearly invisible against snow and ice, imposing -5 on opponents' surprise rolls.

Most are 1st-level barbarians, but each 20 include a 3rd-level barbarian and each 40 a 4th-level one, and a tribe of 80 or more has one of 7th or 8th level. The highest-ranking barbarian leads.