Tribes of the Witherings and Goo¶

The Goo is a blight gnawing at the heart of Atys, from its deepest roots to the heights of its canopy.

This evil is spreading like a disease in our world, ant yet there are homins working to spread this evil further. In the Witherings there are The Masters of the Goo, the Black Circle, the Antikamis, and the Goo Heads. Each tribe has their own goals which lead them all to spread this evil.

One of the more famous tribes of those mentioned is without a doubt, The Masters of the Goo. Their foundation dates back to 2503, where some of their founding members were officers of the surviving Wall of Zoran and have kept the ancient Zoraï ways. Following the Great Swarming, the natural suspicion of the Zoraï people towards the barbarians had been driven to extremes by these officers who proclaimed that as elected representatives of the Kami's, the Zoraï were responsible for delivering order amongst the barbarians using magic and weapons for the barbarians own good and that of Atys. However, these extreme views were greeted with suspicion by Hoï-Cho, who preferred to spread the word of Kami's peacefully with other homins. Suspicion turned to pure hostility from the Kami's when one surviving general proposed to use the Goo as a weapon against the enemies of Zoraï to obtain more power and terror than even the kitin had aroused.

At that time the Fyros trade caravans began to regularly follow paths through the Witherings. General Kim Jong-Faw percieved this as an additional threat to Zoraï, and broke away from the council having decided to become an insider in the goo. Accompanied by a band of followers, he took up an entrenched camp in the region of the Void to pursue his project. The following year, the Great Sage Hoi-Cho joined the Kamis followed by the Great Sage Fung-Tun to focus on the conflict between the Empire and the Witherings, as at the time they did not consider the Masters of the Goo to be a threat, despite their misgivings about the tribes activities. This had the effect of distracting the Council of Sages from the growth of the Masters of the Goo tribe.

Since then, Bo-Qung Fao who is the son of Kim Jong-Faw, took up the leadership of the Masters of the Goo. He led the descendants of the Masters of the Goo, furthering the research of their predecessors to use Goo as a weapon. Their objective, however, had changed in the sense that realized they must begin taking control of the Witherings before they could realize their dreams of conquest, and spread the Goo as a weapon to control Atys.

Contrasting the Masters of the Goo, are the Antikamis. They are also renegades, having failed to integrate into the Zoraï society and have a decidedly fierce hatred for anything Kami. They do not try to control Kamis as the Masters of Goo do, instead they opt to attempt to destroy the Kamis. However there is one bond that unites them, giving rise to a group where only hatred prevails, making them one of the most petty and pathetic tribes of Atys, whose greatest dream is destroy the Kami Temple of Zora. This tribes hatred is so vile and putrid that they even cut the horns off their masks of kinship in an attempt to escape the purpose of Ma-Duk, and intentionally spread the Goo to affect both Zoraï and Kamis.

Whatever meanness and hate the Antikamis demonstrate, there is a more sinister concealed reality: The Black Circle. Founded in 2507, the precise origins of the Black Circle remain obscure. Their actual leader, Ba'Wity Codgan, arrived at his position by the power of intrigues, and seems to hold a network of contacts in all ancient and new lands. Contrary to the Masters of the Goo and the Antikamis, the Black Circle have their dark fingers encircling Atys, putting pressure on the governments in power to recognize the legitimacy of their research. The exact extent of their influence remains to be defined, but they are the ones who encourage the activities of the subversive and destructive Antikamis. They also serve as instigators, working with Matis to supply them with Goo, and it is known that they welcomed Horongi and his pupil as they were plotting against the dynasty of Cho. Without any doubt they have relations with numerous Marauder Clans. To preserve their power they convert into cash the fruit of their research to acquire the objects they desire.

Finally, the Goo Heads are another group of the manipulators of Goo. Of all the tribes spreading Goo, their philosophy is the one that that stands out the most because they believe they are acting for the good of all. This community is also one of the oldest which can be traced back long before the Great Swarm. They are more of a "philosophical" movement then a community with political objectives. These homins believe and see the Goo a means to enlightenment. The consumption of different drugs made from contaminated raw materials is their main occupation. In a perverse impulse of altruism, they decided to take their next revelation to spread the Goo in a chaotic and disorderly manner to whatever they can, whether homins, animal or plant.

Obviously, there are many other tribes who spread Goo on Atys and quoted here only those with an interest in the Witherings because they are the ones who are able to do extensive harm to the bark. Know how to use wisdom when dealing with them as none of them hesitate to make you taste the evil of the Goo that they are manipulated by everyday.