Hyena Hijinx
October 4th, 2011
Hello everyone, and welcome back to another exciting Grave Plots, where we bring you new plot hooks and adventure ideas each and every week. A few weeks ago (ok, almost two months), as some of you will no doubt remember, I wrote an article about plain ordinary animals; unfortunately, by the time I had finished talking about why exactly one might wish to have an adventure about animals, I had time for only one short plot about man-eating lions. Feeling sort of guilty for failing to represent the wide array of wonders contained within the whole vast animal kingdom, at the end of the article I mentioned that anyone interested should drop me a email about whatever animal they liked best and I would, in the near future (or, you know, like two months later), write an article devoted to their animal of choice. While I didn't quite receive the outpouring of response I was hoping for, I did receive a number of emails with regard to that article, most simply stating that they also thought animals were cool D&D villains, but also a handful who answered my invitation to submit a favorite animal for article writing. And now the time has finally come to start answering those emails (in no particular order).
Which leads me to the subject of today's article: hyenas. Before I embarked on this project, I knew very little about hyenas except that they were ridiculous in Disney's The Lion King, and that they played a key role in one of my favorite (and I have a great many favorite) episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Hyenas, it should be known, are often misrepresented by popular fiction as being cowardly, feeble, and wholly wicked. This is likely because of their reputation for scavenging their food rather than hunting it. While all hyenas, excepting perhaps the insectivorous variety, do indeed scavenge a fair portion of their food, certain varieties are known to be avid and successful pack hunters. The fact that even hyenas who rely primarily on scavenging for their food will kill and eat prey perceived to be weak or defenseless likely contributes significantly to their reputation for evil. These things, together with the practical experience of living near such creatures, have given rise to a rich folklore surrounding hyenas. Due primarily to the animal’s large geographical range (covering virtually the whole of Africa and a good portion of Asia Minor and southwestern Asia, the beliefs surrounding hyenas vary widely. Though in general these beliefs tend to share in popular fiction's view of the hyena, there are exceptions. For example, in some areas of Africa it is said that the hyena first brought the sun to warm the earth, while in another part, where it is commonly believed that a hyena's laugh can turn a child to a thief, it is also believed that a hyena's dung can cause a child to learn to walk quicker. Along the same lines, hyena's bones and other body parts have long been used in traditional folk medicine in regions where hyenas are common.
But for all the pro-hyena sentiment, the most interesting stories cast the beasts in a very negative light. For example, the early Muslim peoples often considered hyenas to be the incarnation of djinn or other sinister spirits sent to perpetuate faithlessness and treachery, while in Africa they are often associated with witches, serving as mounts or beasts akin to Western familiars. Their gaze is said to have the power to hypnotize a man and force him to obey their foul wishes or paralyze a person on the spot so that the hyena might find his next meal. Legends of men who become hyenas bear striking similarities to legends of werewolves in the Western world; however, when these strange morphic creatures are slain, they do not revert to men but rather remain hyenas, which, to the imaginative mind could have many implications. On the subject of werewolves, a related folk belief states that if the bodies of werewolves or similar creatures were not burned after being slain, then wicked hyenas would haunt the lands where they fell, drinking the blood of innocent bystanders. A great number of other equally fascinating folk beliefs exist surrounding the hyena, but today's plot isn't about the myth of the hyena.
No, this article is about the imaginary analogue of the very real and very exciting hyena. Hyenas are very successful animals, with none of their four existing species rating worse than “near threatened” and fully half their number rating “least concern.” Each species possesses a fairly impressive geographical range and competes extremely well within their niche. They do this by being unapologetic and clever (well, as clever as a creature with an Intelligence score below 3 can be anyway): they eat carrion, hunt in packs, and when approached by bigger, nastier predators like lions or leopards, they play dead or act with overwhelming numbers to drive off or fool their "impressive" competitors. Hyenas are among the species of animals which hunt humans even in modern times; though reported attacks are rare, they are thought to be somewhat underreported, which could lead to some rather frightening figures. Well, I think I had better stop talking about what today's plot will be like and actually write it before I run out of time.
The Other
There were once many clans who lived in the Grey Lands: the Ior, who where great poets; the Kilgol, who where wise; and the Ras, who where men of great virtue, among many others. Then came the Other, and now only the Bruni, who are efficient hunters, remain. As the land warmed they came, strange beasts unlike any the Grey Lands had ever seen, small of frame and borne by four legs, the armless, fur-covered beasts had shorter than normal snouts, overlarge ears, and dull, pitiless eyes. Though their appearance seemed less threatening than the great cats which had hunted in the Grey Lands, something about them struck the men of those lands and put them on edge. The worst thing about these strange creatures was their cry, mocking laughter echoing that of mad men.
At first, the men of the Grey Lands thought little of this creature which played dead or ran when threatened, believing such a cowardly creature to be unworthy of their attention. If only they had understood. The Other brought more than maddening laughter with them: they brought famine. Each tribe in turn began to notice that the game on which life depended in the arid Grey Land became scarce, and even the old dishonored tactic of scavenging the prey of other creatures or the dangerous meat of animals dead from unknown cause was unsuccessful. Over time, it became clear to each tribe they must leave in the face of these sudden and unexplained famines, for surely the gods were no longer in favor of their life in the Grey Lands.
It wasn't until later that the people began to associate the famine with the Other. For while the people starved, the Other thrived in that barren region. Efforts were made to fight the Other, but by then it was too late; though the clansmen rarely lost their skirmishes, the numbers of the Other made their complete removal impossible. The raiding seemed returned by the Other, who were devoid of honor, attacking at night in the very clan holds where the people slept, assured safety by unspoken treaties and a general sense of honor. The Other came for the women and children, for the elders whose wisdom guided the clansfolk. They even killed crippled or wounded to mock the clansmen. In the face of such terror, and unable to put a stop to their famine-creating witchcraft, the clans left the Grey Lands abandoned to the Other until only the Bruni, whose skill at the hunt and lore of the wild had provided them with food even in the face of famine.
Now even the Bruni are in danger of starving as the Other controls so much of the Grey Lands. In these desperate times, the chief elder of the Bruni has arranged for its greatest heroes to find a way to rid their home of the Other once and for all; if they cannot succeed, even they will be forced to leave. Those heroes are sent on a journey out into the hostile, food-scarce plain where the Other roams in search of the magic of the ancestors, which is said to have the power the Bruni will need to survive. While normally timid, the Other has been known to fight fiercely over food or when numbers are on their side.
Well, that’s all for this week; next week will be a return to standard fare for Bandit Week (no one seems to like raccoons), then we will continue with animal week responses with an article devoted to the most popular animal I received emails about. Until then, allow me to wish you all the best in your gaming endeavors.