The Darine

This information is culled and adapted from the Vaults of Pandius. Any further information found on that site might be true, or it might not. This post represents general knowledge and rumours that an educated Karameikan would know about the Darine. Note that I am giving the characters the benefit of the doubt by assuming they are educated to some extent. Any player taking on a Darine character will be given additional information.

The Darine (singular, Daro or Dara) are the Dom "nation" of Traladara. The Dom are descended from the Traldar that migrated west into Sind during the invasion of the Red Orcs in 1000 BC. Since then they have never quite fitted into the local culture and have wandered ever since. The reason for their inability to settle is lost in the mists of time. Some say it is an ancient curse laid on them by an immortal that they slighted, others that they are just feckless and lazy. As the Darine comprised the bulk of the Dom refugees, they remain the largest of the three Dom nations. Darine may be found not only in Karameikos, but also in Ierendi, the Five Shires, and a few in Minrothad and Vyalia.

The Darine resemble most Traladarans in appearance: dark hair, light to olive skin, dusky eyes. They dress in even more vibrant clothing than their Traladaran cousins, preferring bright kerchiefs, scarves, and sashes, along with embroidered trousers and vests worn with billowing shirts, Both men and women typically wear a great deal of jangling jewellery, and men pierce their ears as often as do women.

The Darine are the bards of Karameikos. They travel widely, with tribes wandering over the whole of Karameikos, and in doing so, they pick up and spread the news. While visiting a town, they perform music, songs and dance, storytelling, fortune telling, healing, and do some trading. They also pilfer a lot, so their arrival is greeted with mixed emotions. Those of Traladaran descent are usually more favourably disposed towards them than the Thyatians are. Although the Darine are officially citizens of Karameikos, they do not acknowledge this themselves unless it is to their advantage. Many Thyatian Lords barely tolerate them in their lands, and from time to time declare them outlaws and thieves for real or imagined crimes. In many cases, problems occurring after a visit from the Darine are blamed on them, regardless of their guilt. For example, a farmer's cow dies the day after a Darine caravan passes through town, so superstitious townsfolk blame the sudden death on a Darine curse.

They earn their living in various ways, mostly through services, trade, fortune telling, and entertaining, although they have a reputation for thievery. They occasionally hire out as guides. They have a knack for guiding parties safely to wherever they wish to go. They are clever, and always find ways to honour their agreements, even if these have been made with conflicting sides.

A Darine tribe consists of a caravan of 5 to 50 members, and is usually an extended family. The Darine travel in wooden wagons called vardos (small wagons with a high arching roof and a door at the back with the driver sitting in front). Vardos are painted in vivid colours and might even have tiny windows of tinted glass, if the owner is prosperous. The vardo travels with a small menagerie of dogs, goats, and crated chickens. A Darine caravan is a colourful sight to see.

The Darine language is actually a dialect of Traladaran. As such, the two are mutually comprehensible, although some words are different and the accents also differ.