The Afridhi (or, the "Children of Fire") are a tribe of savage hill-men who dwelt for centuries in the Goblin Kush, a frozen mountainous land, west of Blackmoor.
Their warrior culture was built upon the raiding and looting of the adjacent lowlands, and the indiscriminate slaughter of any who were not of their kind.
Most Afridhi men are short and square-bodied with curly black hair and long beards.
Afridhi warriors (Lance & Laser Miniatures)
Fire is venerated as a gift of their god "Zugzul the One", since it permitted the Afridhi to survive in their frozen, harsh environment.
The high priestess of Zugzul is the Afrdihi head of state, also known as "the Mistress of God" in recognition of her special relationship with Zugzul.
The worship of other gods is forbidden, as are usury, displays of public drunkenness, dancing (except on religious holidays), and secular art.
The Handmaidens of Death:
The Handmaidens of Death are an elite cadre of male soldiers, who serve as bodyguards for the Afridhi leadership as well as for key religious installations.
They are extremely ferocious and virtually incorruptible - religious fanatics who are forbidden to marry or have children until released after 20 years of service.
Handmaiden of Death, illustration by Dave Dorman.
Their oath forbids them to grow hair on their faces or cut their hair (which is usually plaited into a single long braid, coiled inside a headcloth).
They dress in long, brightly colored silk kaftans and slippers, and wear lots of jewelry (such as heavy drop earrings and thick gold necklaces).
Their "dance of death" is a combination sword dance and ritual combat in which each dancer allows himself to be wounded at least once.
The Sisters of Fire:
The Afridhi are governed by female judges, known as the Sisters of Fire, recognizable by their flame-red, hooded robes of office.
The Sisters of Fire live apart, alone or among themselves, and take vows of piety, poverty, and chastity. All possess a natural resistance to fire, a gift of their god.
The Children of Zug:
The Children of Zug are a secret society of Afridhi males, who seek to undermine the present matriarchal form of government.
They believe that the current worship of Zugzul in his "Zul" aspect ignores the dual nature of the god as both "Zug" (ice) and "Zul" (fire).
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Zeitgeist Games version:
The Afridhi were modelled after fire giants in the Zeitgeist Games core campaign book (pg. 185), where they are described as:
"a dark-skinned people with flaming red hair" who are "slightly shorter than other humans, only 5 feet on average, but make up for their vertical shortcomings with great physical power."
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