Baklunish

The Baklunish have skin of golden tones, and straight, fine-textured hair that is universally dark, ranging from dusky brown to bluish black. Their eyes are usually green or gray-green; hazel and gray eyes are rare. They tend to be long of limb and facial feature, with high cheekbones.

The Baklunish once held a great empire on the western side of the Crystalmists and Barrier Peaks. The Invoked Devastation ruined their empire, for which the Baklunish retaliated with The Rain of Colorless Fire, burning the Suel Imperium to ash. Most surviving Baklunish moved north or west, to the borders of the old empire and beyond. The inhabitants of Ekbir, Zeif, Ull, and the Tiger Nomads typify the straight Baklunish strain, while the Tusmites and the Paynims show mixed ancestry. The Wolf Nomads are often darker from intermarriage with the Rovers of the Barrens. The Ketites are the least typical Baklunish, having pale yellow, golden-brown, or tan complexions as a result of Suloise and Oeridian ancestry.

The Baklunish, unlike the Suloise, retained much of their culture after the fall of their empire. Honor, family, generosity, and piety are fundamental virtues. Use of their classical language, Ancient Baklunish, in religious observances, higher learning, and the fine arts has preserved their ancestral traditions. The Baklunish have many customs and taboos derived from their great knowledge of astrology, and their dependence on horses adds many beliefs and traditions regarding their honored steeds, particularly among the nomads. Singing and dancing are widespread in their culture, and trade and exploration are major pursuits.

Settled Baklunish favor bright patterns and gaudy colors in clothes, typically with gowns and robes or else long coats with short breeches. Lower classes use the same colors with a long one-piece garment supplemented with other garb. Nomadic Baklunish prefer clothes with several pastel colors, enjoying fancy garments enhanced with puffs, slashes on sleeves to show contrasting colors underneath, and superfluous trim. When traveling or making war, the nomads instead wear rough items of leather, hide, or cloth, bearing shields or banners indicating clan allegiance.

Many skilled wizards are Baklunish, including experts in elemental magic, divination, and summoning and binding spells (used on extraplanar beings). Cooperative spellcasting is practiced by many of the clergy, particularly among the desert mystics.

## Common Baklunish Regional Feats

**Badge of Bondage** *Ket, Zief--* Your experiences as a slave have made you more resistant to torture and mental manipulation, granting you a bonus on Fortitude and Will saves, as well Bluff checks.

**Bareback Soul** *Paynims, Ull--* You're skilled at riding bareback, meaning you suffer no penalty on Riding checks when doing so, can automatically guide your mount with your knees, allowing you to use both hands while riding, and gain a bonus on ranged attack rolls while riding bareback.

**Blooded** *Ket, Paynims--* You know what it means to fight for your life, and the value of quick wits and quicker reactions when blades are bared and deadly spells chanted. Enemies find it difficult to catch you off guard, granting you a bonus to Initiative and Spot checks.

**Border Watch** *Ket--* Your experience watching the horizon for enemy troop movements has made you a better soldier, granting you a bonus on Spot and Profession (Soldier) checks.

**Elemental Focus** *Baklunish--* The Baklunish folk have always enjoyed a close relationship with the elements, and your skill with elemental spells continues a tradition that dates back hundreds of years before the Invoked Devastation, increasing the DC of all your air, earth, fire or water spells.

**Fiendsign** *Ull--* Your body bears a readily identifiable mark of your traffic with fiends, chosen from the list of physical signs of Fiendish taint. You bond to the denizens of the Lower Planes grants you some measure of control over your fiendish associates, meaning that Outsiders with the evil subtype take a penalty on their saves against your spells, and granting you a bonus to your caster level check to overcome their spell resistance.

**Great Fervor** *Ekbir, Tusmit--* Your overwhelming religious zeal has caught the attention of your deity, granting you an occasional second chance on a failed save.

**Horselore** *Baklunish, Paynims--* You're good with horses, granting you a bonus to Ride and Handle Animal checks when dealing with horses, and raising their initial attitude towards you to friendly.

**Jinnbond** *Baklunish*-- You are descended from the genies summoned to Oerth by the ancient Baklunish in the dying days of the Suel-Baklunish wars. You might bear some physical or psychological mark of your ancestry (along the lines of fiendish trait, but lesser), and granting you a benefit based on your particular ancestry.

**Mercantile Background** *Ekbir, Ket, Paynims, Tusmit--* You come from a family that excels at a particular trade and knows well the value of any kind of trade good or commodity, granting you a bonus on Appraise checks and the Craft or Profession check of your choice.

**Mercenary Background** *Tusmit, Ull--* You've traveled across the Flanaess as a hired mercenary, learning a smattering of local flavor on every mission in a foreign land. Because you've known so many fellow mercenaries from distant lands, you have little difficulty picking up foreign languages, making Linguistics a class skill for you, and granting you a bonus on Kn. Local checks. Additionally, there is always a good chance that you will run into people you know from your time in the mercenary companies.

**Mountain Fighter** *Tusmit, Ull--* You know how to make the most of terrain-inspired advantages when fighting in mountainous terrain, granting you a dodge bonus to AC in such terrain.

**Orc Blooded** *Ull, Zief--* Somewhere in the shadowy boughs of your extended family tree is an orc. The person's influence on your heritage isn't enough to make you a half-orc, but it is enough to slightly influence your features and make you a bit more easy to anger than others, granting your darkvision, making Barbarian a favored class for you, and allowing you to count as an orc for effects related to race.

**Raider's Spirit** *Paynims, Ull--* You're a fearless raider, granting you a bonus on Intimidation check and saves against fear effects.

**Spirit of the Sea** *Ekbir, Zief--* You're most alive on the deck of a ship at sea and know all too well the dangers of open waters, granting you a bonus to Balance checks made on Unstable Footing and survival checks at sea.

**Tongue of Mouqol** *Baklunish, Ket--* You know your way around business negotiations, granting you a bonus on Bluff and Diplomacy checks related to business dealings.

**Well-Read** *Ekbir, Zief--* Your readings have granted your extensive general knowledge about a wide range of affairs, making all Knowledge skills class skills for you.