Los Vaqueros

Valossa is a sparsely populated, arid land, with vast plains of scrubland and desert. The rough terrain has limited settlement - but life finds a way. The lords of the land have taken to using the extensive pastures to graze great herds of cattle, but when these animals are distributed over such a wide area, with settlements few and far between, managing them presents a task of its own. This has led to the development of a particular kind of herdsman - the vaquero.

Though vaqueros have their roots in Taldameer - which possesses a similar climate - it is in Valossa where they grew to become an important class in their own right. The vaqueros are mounted herders, trailing cattle over the plains, herding them from location to location, and defending them against threats. Some vaqueros are subjects of a feudal lord and tend to their animals, while others live a nomadic life, traveling from manor to manor to find work for the highest bidder. Because of the long distances that must be traveled, horsemanship is an important skill to these herdsmen, and their business is often a family affair, with vaqueros raising their children in the saddle from a young age. The bond between a vaquero and their horse is like family, and the animal is carefully trained to obey its master as if they were of the same mind.

Because of the vast amounts of empty space they must travel, vaqueros are self-sufficient people, often living off the land when they are forced to make camp overnight. This, in turn, has shaped their culture. They have a reputation as rugged, fiercely independent outdoorsmen - which can inspire respect and scorn in equal measure, as the nobility of the isles often view them as coarse, barbaric folk. But the vaqueros take this with pride. They drink and sing with one another, boasting of their skills with the rope and rein, and often engage in contests of bravery and endurance - riding bulls, flipping steers by their tails, and jumping from one moving horse to another. Sometimes, teams of vaqueros in service to rival houses may meet in such contests to defend the honor of their lieges, and to show off their own exploits.

This is not to say that vaqueros are never to be feared, of course. Though the nature of their work means they are more free and mobile than serfs, it does little to deter them from lives of crime. Some vaqueros live as bandits and highwaymen, preying on the roads and demanding tribute from the isolated towns of the prairies. But so too do vaqueros often serve in the militias of their masters' fiefs, putting their skills in riding and self-defense to the art of war. They train with many weapons, including the machete, arquebus, scythe, and bola, with many of these being favored for their utility as tools as well as arms.

To some, they are brigands. To others, they are as noble as any knight. But what unites the vaqueros is a common way of life, and one can always recognize another who rides beneath the same sky.

Background: Valossan Vaquero

Suggested Names: Spanish names

Skill Proficiencies: Animal Handling, Survival

Tool Proficiencies: Rope, one gaming set of your choice

Languages: Taldameeri

Starting Equipment: 50 feet of horsehair rope, a set of common clothes including a wide-brimmed hat, a riding horse, and a pouch containing 10 GP.

Feature: Code of the Plains. You share a common and unspoken code with your fellow vaqueros, one that all your comrades know and understand. If you ask another person if they are a vaquero, they must answer truthfully. In addition, if you challenge another vaquero to a duel, they are honor-bound to accept the offer and any stipulations you set.