Drover

*"Wait a second... Weren’t there sixty head counted this morning?"*

## Basic

(RotIQ) Great herds of domesticated animals endlessly cross the wind-swept oblast, escorted from pasture to market, from market to customer. The tireless drovers overseeing these transfers can travel many hundred of miles with their herds, and some even visit distant markets in Ostermark or Ostland. Most drovers employ vicious dogs to help direct and guard the herds, and the distinctive barks and whistles used to control these hounds are a familiar sound on the oblast. In the civilised south there are regular competitions between drovers to see who can best herd animals with their dogs, and the winner is guaranteed the most lucrative contracts.

### Secondary Profile

**Skills:** Animal Care (Int), Animal Training (Fel) or Charm Animal (Fel), Common Knowledge (Kislev or Troll Country) (Int), Follow Trail (Int), Navigation (Int), Outdoor Survival (Int), Perception (Int), Ride (Ag), Speak Language (Kislevarin or Ungol) (Int)

**Talents:** Orientation, Rover or Seasoned Traveller, Specialist Weapon Group (Entangling)

**Trappings:** Drovers all have at least one herd dog and a Kislevite horse equipped with a saddle and harness. They use a lasso to round up errant herd animals. For personal equipment, drovers always have several days of rations and a couple of skins for water or kvas, as well as a yurta for shelter. The often dangerous environment necessitates some armour, usually a leather jack and leggings.

### **Career Entries**

Coachman, Messenger, Outrider, Steppes Nomad

### **Career Exits**

Highwayman, Horse Coper, Horse Master, Messenger, Outlaw, Outrider, Roadwarden, Scout

## A Day in the Life

A drover spends much of his time in the saddle, the pitiless oblast stretching out around him, his eyes constantly searching the horizon for danger. He leads his herd in search of food, scratching what sustenance he can from the barren oblast, protecting his animals against extremes of weather and predatory wildlife until it is time to take the livestock on their long journey to market.

It is a never-ending cycle and one that hones a drover’s knowledge of the tundra and steppes to a razor’s edge. Herdsmen of the Empire would quail at some of the challenges the drover must face during his day. A drover is sometimes forced to push his herd for days at a time before finding a suitable place for his animals to graze.

When drovers meet in the vast lonely stretches of the oblast, it is an occasion for much rejoicing. Often they will have an impromptu feast and spend hours challenging each other to feats of skill with horse and herd. Such meetings last only for a single night, however. Once dawn breaks, the drovers must press on, finding new pastures to graze their herds and new markets in which to sell them.

## A Drover and His Herd

Most drovers tend to favour one kind of animal above all others, whether they are sheep, long-haired cows, goats or another of the many kinds of herd animals common to Kislev. With his animals, horse and dog, a drover forms a tightly knit unit. A drover and his dog, especially, form an inseparable bond, and through the course of a drover’s life, though he may own several dogs, typically they will all be littered from his first one. A drover comes to trust his dog with his life and his herd, and the faithful dog becomes an extension of his mastery over animals and his skill at controlling them.

A drover knows that his herd is his life. It feeds him, gives him coin and provides him at least some small company on the oblast. In the deep of the night, it also keeps him warm; drovers quickly become indifferent to the stink of the herd when it means not freezing to death.

When faced with peril, most drovers run their herds and tackle the danger themselves if they can. However, some especially skilled and daring drovers attempt to use their herds as weapons. With a few well placed yells and whistles, a drover and his faithful dog can turn a mob of terrified animals into an unstoppable tide of snouts, horns and hoofs. This can be particularly daunting for the hapless bandit or predator that suddenly finds themselves facing a wall of fear-maddened herd animals