Kang

The Kang are a tall and fierce warrior race, characterized by fiery red skin, white pupil-less eyes, and brutal features. Both sexes wear their long black hair in a single queue, and they are customarily seen in armor even when off-duty.

Appearance and Customs

• Body Decoration: They favor iron collars, armbands, and kanjiko—a decorative form of body scarring.
• The Queue: The length and adornment of a Kang’s queue is a point of immense pride. It is bound with silver or jewels for festivities and iron for battle. Losing a queue is a terrible disgrace that can only be remedied by killing the perpetrator and recovering the hair.
• Temperament: Kang are aggressive and seethe with wild passions, though their intense military training instills a deep-seated respect for authority.

History and Origins

The ancestors of the Kang were wild tribesmen of the steppes who hunted wild tarkus for sport.

• Unification: In the second century, the tribes united and threatened the Quan Empire.
• The Accord: The Quan successfully bought off the Kang chieftains, absorbing them into the Empire as its primary military force.

Society and Lifestyle

No longer nomadic, the Kang now reside in walled citadels and fortified outposts.

• Dwellings: Their homes are made of rough-hewn stone with rugged hardwood furnishings and a central fire-pit.
• Regalia: Crossed swords and battle trophies are proudly displayed on their walls.
• Upbringing: Education is entirely based on harsh military training from birth.

Kang Characters

• Skills: Language (Quan - native), Cultures (Kang) +5, Cultures (Quan Empire) +2, Weapon (select one) +2, Brawling +1.
• Quirks: Kanquan. [^1]
• Starting Equipment: Quilted silkcloth tunic, strider leather boots, crimson cloak, weapon of choice, 40 gold lumens.

Relations and Ambitions

The Kang serve the Quan as the Crimson Horde, though they maintain complex relations with other subject races.

• Distrust: They deeply distrust the Ispasians who manage the Empire's finances.
• Expansionism: The Kang Warlord constantly lobbies the Emperor for military action against the Suarans of the Volcanic Hills. [^2]

Religion and Language

• Faith: They revere Zoriah, the Red God of War, donating one-tenth of their pay to his temple.
• Rituals: Newborns undergo a "Baptism by Fire." The dead are cremated on pyres whose size reflects their martial standing.
• Language: They speak a harsh, action-oriented dialect of Quan. Names almost universally begin with "K" (e.g., Kuata, Kiyen).

[^1]: Kang characters may replace any armor received from Paths with battle armor at no additional cost. [^2]: The growing power of the Kang is a source of concern for the leaders of Carantheum and the Seven Kingdoms.