"How many timess did I tell him that the kindori ssavages eat traders? Turnss out they don't... their sscavverss do though. And the little sscaverss ssucked off our air too."
- Sliith Darkscale, Retired lizardman merchant.
Overview
Kindori are generally peaceful and have been domesticated by a number of primitive spaceborne societies. Such groups, known as "kindor-riders", include humans, dwarves, elves, gnomes, and even halflings, and generally live in symbiosis with the great creatures. The "kindori-riders" either use the kindori for short distance travel between their communities, such as within an asteroid belt, cluster, or ring; or permanently live on the backs of the space-whales as far-ranging space nomads. The kindor-riders do not cut into the flesh of the kindori, but rather secure buildings, weapon platforms, and the like with short hooks that lightly snag the creatures thick hide. Because the kindori do not need to breathe, the kindori-riders often maintain farms and herd terrestrial beasts on the backs of these creatures.
The kindori-riders will not attempt to split up kindori family groups, and a typical pod will number between 2 to 8 kindori, each with a population of up to 20 riders. These people's whole lives revolve around the care and welfare of the massive creatures. The tribe will clean the scavver barnacles from the kindoti's tender underbellies, ward them from possible dangers and and make sure the overgrowth of vegetation does not interfere with the creature's ability to see.
The kindori-riders are able to control the pod except during herding season. The kindori herding instinct that occurs every year causes the kindori population to grow increasingly aggressive as they establish breeding rights. During this month-long period, the kindori-riders can do nothing except hold on. The violent tail-slapping and furious ramming can rip whole villages off the backs of male kindori. This explains the rarity of villages built on the back of males, except for the most venerable of males. The female kindori, which are generally larger than the males, are far more stable and a better choice to establish a settlement.
Kindori-rider's vary in organization and technology level, and range from empires ruled by philosopher kings, to savage degenerate marauders who attack everything in sight. War parties generally consist of warriors armed with the best weapons they can muster, from bone spears and ivory breastplates to bronze armor and short swords, and will usually be led by a captain or a shaman. Kindori will be armed with a light catapult, though the larger bulls are able to carry a heavy catapult. Old solitary bulls are usually deployed on scouting or exploration duties.
Kindori-Riders of Krynn
The Kindori-riders of Krynnspace are a nomadic tribe of primitive humans who make their homes on the backs of a pod of eight kindori who spend most of their time in close proximity to the planet Chislev. Their lives revolve around the constant care and wellbeing of these massive domesticated creatures, spending their time scraping scavver barnacles from their delicate underbellies, cutting back the overgrowth of vegetation so that it doesn't hamper their ability to see, and generally protecting the docile creatures from external threats.
While the kindori-riders have some measure of control over the actions of the kindori, things take a dramatic turn during mating season. As the males go into rut they become increasingly violent as they compete for breeding rights. During this month-long period, the kindori-riders can do nothing but hold on and hope for the best. The males indulge in violently tail-slapping and ramming each other, often tearing entire structures off their backs. As a result, the tribe rarely build homes or other permanent structures on the backs of young males, preferring venerable males and the far more docile and larger females.
Government
The kindori-riders practice a form of democracy using a weighted vote system, where certain high ranking members receive more votes than ordinary members of the community. Chief Stefano, for example, receives 25 votes, while his wife and chief advisor Elke receives 10, and their children receive 5 each. Other tribal leaders get 10 votes apiece, whereas all brave warrior leaders (senior warriors and hunters) get 12. All other adult members of the tribe, both men and women, receive one vote apiece and are required to exercise their vote or lose their voting privileges for the rest of their lives. Disease and injury are not considered valid excuses to miss a vote, unless they are unconscious, or have been granted special exemption as agreed by the tribe.
Trade
The kindori-riders are wary of outsiders and almost paranoid about the safety of their kindori, such that they inevitably react with hostility if an unknown vessel approaches too closely, believing any such intrusion to be an act of aggression. In addition, if the approaching vessel is a whaling ship, they will immediately prepare for war. However, if care is taken not to approach too closely with more than one vessel, then, with a bit of luck, the tribesmen may be induced to trade with a passing ship. Of course they have no money to speak of and rely exclusively on barter (exchanging their goods for trade goods that they consider to be of equal value).
Imports
- Cloth - the kindori-riders have no way of creating cloth, and as such consider bolts of cloth to be an important trade good, offering to barter the equivalent of 10 gp for any available cloth.
- Meat - since they have limited space to keep livestock, the kindori-riders are always willing to barter for the flesh of domesticated animals, such as beef, lamb and pork. They have no interest in the flesh of kindori, scavver, neogi, umber hulks or krajen and consider the trade in the flesh of humanoids, dracon, giff, beholders or dragons to be an abomination and will immediately cease trading completely if offered such.
- Plant seeds - the kindori-riders cultivate their own crops on the backs of their kindori, and as such highly prize plants that can grow in a relatively humid environment with ample sunlight, and unless they have an overabundance they will barter for any such seeds that are available.
- Metal weapons - the kindori-riders are unable to work metal and as such have no interest in metal in its raw form; however, they will purchase any metallic weapons that they recognise and have some experience using, including spears, swords, daggers and halberds.
- Mercenaries / New blood - the kindori-riders are always on the lookout for experienced warriors to bolster their forces, as well as new blood to refresh their gene pool. To this end they are willing to buy out a suitably experienced warrior's contract, and will offer them a position as a war leader (known as a "brave warrior leader") for at least seven years, plus first eating rights, 12 voting privileges and a wife (or husband) of their choice, allowing plenty of time for them to produce children.
Exports
- Meat - the kindori-riders will trade in the flesh of those creatures they hunt, including scavver, neogi, umber hulks, and krajen. The rarely have kindori meat since they will only butcher an animal that has already died.
- Alchemical fire - across the Known Spheres the primary component of alchemical fire (whale oil) is sourced from the rendered flesh of kindori (much in the same way that terrestrial whales are rendered into oil). This is why the kindori-riders hate whalers and the lizardfolk who typically crew such ships. However, when one of their own kindori dies, they are willing to butcher its carcass for meat and render its blubber into oil, which they then sell at a premium.
- Plant foods - the kindori-riders grow various cereals, such as wheat, corn and barley, as well as a selection of fruits and vegetables which they are willing to trade if they have a surplus. The fresh fruit is prized for warding off deadly diseases on long voyages, like scurvy, while the vegetables provide the necessary vitamins and other nutrients necessary to maintain a crew's optimal health.
- Medicinal plants - several of the plants that grow on the kindori are unique and are found nowhere else in the Known Spheres. Many of these plants have healing or other unusual properties if processed correctly, and are used to create healing potions and salves which are sold by the kindori-riders.
Inhabitants
The tribal members of the kindori-riders of Krynn are all human, with ten to twenty men, women and children living on the back of a single kindori. Warriors are typically armed with bone spears and armored with ivory breastplates. The kindori-riders speak a crude form of the common trade tongue which can be understood with some effort, though the tongues spell can prove quite useful when wishing to trade with them.