Rhenne (Greyhawk)

Exiles from another world, the Rhenne are so culturally unintegrated that there is limited contact. It is speculated that they fled from some oppressive force or that they simply outstayed their welcome on their previous world.

Real-World Models

Gypsies (or a travesty thereof).

Alignment

Rhenne value freedom above all else and are chaotic to a fault. At the same time, they value friendships and clan loyalties very highly, but such loyalties can change quickly if honor is at stake. A stable society with well-defined laws is anathema to them, as is the stable servitude to a higher power, even one of chaos. Whatever the powers of their old homeworld were like, they have left deeps scars and an even deeper distrust among the Rhenne.

Cultural Traits

Clannish, Laid back, Chauvinistic, Manipulative.

Practices

Adoption, Birth control, Promiscuity (and prostitution) outside clan and culture.

Casual sex outside the group is encouraged to renew the bloodlines within a clan. The child of such a liaison is the responsibility of the mother's clan, tough a gift from the possible father is appropriate. This has nothing to do with marriage and relationships, and is sort of a civic duty. This translates very easily into prostitution when in contact with other cultures.

Taboos

Incest (very wide definition).

Family

Clan. Couples often live as married, but arrangements are casual and the responsibility of family is shared in the clan. Clan elders keep track of lineages and enforce the incest taboo, which is very deeply and subtly ingrained in the culture. Adoption (even to the point of kidnapping), breeding outside the culture, and inter-clan transfer are seen as healthy ways to avoid incest problems.

Magic

Rhenne refuse to use divine magic and are very careful with arcane magic. Their preferred magic is not magical at all, fooling the unwary with sleight-of-hand and legendarmain. Only women have genuine magical gifts; they are bards or sorcerers and focus on the arts of divination, enhancement, and illusion.

Pantheon

None. The Rhenne honor ancestors and former tribal leaders, but they do not worship them. They disdain gods of all stripes.