(Brock)

The Barbegazi are shy creatures that inhabit the mountainous heights of eastern Chaubrette, the County of Braeburg, and northern Kurland. They prefer to avoid contact with men; few have seen them and accounts of their appearance vary according to the storyteller.

Barbegazi are believed to look a little like dwarfs, with a shock of white hair and long white beards. They differ from dwarfs in having white fur all over their bodies and limbs, and having disproportionately large feet. They are said to sometimes wear simple tunics, braies and heavy belts, but always go barefoot.

The term 'Barbegazi' comes from old Chaubrettan for 'frozen beard', a name derived from the Barbegazi making their homes in the frozen mountain tops. They travel across the mountain snowfields using their huge feet as snowshoes or skis. In summer, they retire to caves and tunnels where they aestivate; spending their time in a dormant state until the weather turns cold again.

They have been known to be helpful to humans; rounding up lost sheep, digging trapped people out of snowdrifts, and warning of approaching avalanches. Barbegazi love to 'ride' an avalanche as it thunders downhill, giving a low whistling cry to warn others of the avalanche's approach. Locals will recognise this warning; others may not be so lucky.

Barbegazi do not like to fight and are able to call up a snowstorm to help their escape. Once a day, they can call a snowstorm to engulf the area they are in, dropping the temperature to well below freezing and reducing visibility to barely more than 5 metres. The snowstorm approaches rapidly, striking within 1d6 Combat Rounds, covering an area about 30m across, with a duration limited by a Spell Expiry Roll. When the snowstorm abates, any tracks and many features in the landscape will have been obliterated by a thick covering of snow. Although the snowstorm only has its full effect in the 30m area, snow will also have fallen (albeit less thickly) to a distance of 100m in each direction, making tracking the Barbegazi difficult and, possibly, causing the attackers to lose themselves in the mountains.

Despite their kindness, they are very private creatures. Try to follow one back to its home and they may use their snowstorm to befuddle and lead the pursuer to an unfortunate fall.

The Barbegazi occasionally keep some treasure in their homes; trinkets and other lost items they find in the dangerous mountain passes.

Treasure: 1-3 none, 4-5 meagre, 6 poor.

This article first appeared in the Casket of Fays Issue 3.