Vimary Sourcebook

Chapter 1:

-- The Fallen's Refrain.

Visions, a Testament for the Present

It is night. The chill spring air flows through my room as I write these words. It was winter when last I wrote my Testament to the Fallen, and change is in the air. With spring came new banishments and now, as I look below into the bustling streets of Hom, I see a tribe in the making. We are young and full of energy, and a new destiny stretches out before us. These are the first steps in the journey that will take us from the past to the future.

We have grown much in the last few seasons, anarchy and violence giving way to unity and vision. But there is still much to do. Not all of us see our future in the same light, and this is our greatest weakness. We are still reveling in our freedom too much to care about politics or the present. So we all strike out along different paths, hoping that the one we are on is right. Visionaries like Veruka and Kymber try to bring us together, but few listen and some even plot against them. Others, like that thug Baal or sly Hal, seem driven to corral and lead us, to bend us to their wishes. I fear that only a great and grave challenge will bring us together and force us to understand that we all have a role to play (and this is only a faint hope).

In truth, I fear we are more dangerous to ourselves than we think. The fervor of the Doomsayers only augments my own worries. They claim that a great change is on its way, a sign and portent of still greater things to come. Even the Herites appear unnerved, but are saying little themselves. Joshua's warning of "Blood and Sacrifice!" always seems to be ringing in my ears.

And yet, as I sit here pondering the dark future, I cannot help looking across the river to Vimary, the signpost of the past. From here I can see the lights of Bazaar, busy as well on this spring night. It seems that no matter how far in the coming seasons the Eighth Tribe goes, Vimary will always haunt us -- a memory that will always be painful. We all grew up there: we ran through Sanctuary as kids, played with Agnes, worshipped Joan and Her Warriors. We feared Baba Yaga and hid from Tera Sheba's gaze -- but that was the past. Our families still live there, never casting a glance to the small island we call Hom. Wherever our destinies take us, Vimary will never let us forget her.

The Seven Tribes teach that Vimary is the only place that counts; that it is the core of a world defined by the Fatimas' love. On nights like this I wonder if they aren't right after all.

The Tribes

The sounds of Hom filter into my room, Junks is bustling and I can hear Deus' voice in the next room talking to the recently banished Evangel Black. As I write I am sure Tera Sheba and Her judges are plotting against us. Her judgments have become more stern -- and Her punishments even more severe. Of all the tribes, and mark these words, it is the Shebans who we'll have to confront if we are ever to change things. I hear rumors of an alliance between the Judges and the Evans, headed by the foul Cylix Seth'on -- surely this cannot bode well for us. Mek has heard that the Templars of Joan are about to call a crusade against the Beasts. It has been summers since the last one, and I am sure there are some Joanites who would rather fight us than the Z'bri.

Despite the threat of Tera Sheba and Her lackey Joan, the Three Fates worry me the most. Their silence and apparent lack of interest must only hide their true purpose. Baba Yaga and Her death priests cast an evil eye towards us, and I am sure more than a few Fallen have succumbed to their magic. Magdalen, of all Three Fates, seems to favor us the most. Yet, I am sure this attention is only because we serve some role in Her machinations. Magdalite Concubines and Diplomats are traveling to all the tribes, but seem most interested in the goings on of the Warrior Joan. I think Magdalen wants to usurp Tera Sheba's control of the tribes. Finally, Eva is growing impatient with us. More and more Evans are being banished. Eva blames us when she forgets the very forgiving and loving essence that is Her. A vengeful mother is always a dangerous foe, especially one who feels rejected by Her children.

Agnes, that sweet Child, is our one key to the tribes. To Her older sisters, Agnes claims she has no interest in us, but in truth She enjoys spending time with the Fallen. Yet, I sense a change in my former tribe, they grow restless, tired of being ignored by the others. I fear blood with flow as they prove their worth and maturity to the other tribes.

And the Trickster Dahlia? Strangely, She's been rather quiet. Her caravans have ventured far and wide in search for something, but not even the Dahlians themselves seem to know what is it they looked for. Dahlia's secrecy is always a bad sign, for both the tribes and the Fallen. Is She merely playing a game or does She have a darker motive in mind? I suppose that only time will tell, but I doubt anything will come easily to us.

The Z'bri

No testament of the present would be complete without mention of the Beasts. Mek, who knows such things best, says that they are growing restless, but the tribes are ignoring the warning signs. Serf encampments are popping up all over the north of Vimary, including Duskfall, and the Keepers' tunnels echo with strange noises and screams that even has them worried. Of all the shadows cast upon our future, it is the Z'bri that most clearly demand both sacrifice and blood. If we are to be the Eighth Tribe, then we must no longer hide from the Beasts, even if the tribes stand idly by. Much is to change in the coming seasons.

And so I end my Testament of the Present. Hom has grown quiet; most have returned home and settled in for a night's sleep. I can hear Deus closing the outer door and heading to the bedroom. In the distance Vimary and Bazaar rest, solemn and still -- a peaceful sight were it not for the dangers lurking in its shadows, both tribal and inhuman. Vimary is where it all begins, for the future starts here...

-- Altara Ven, member of the Eighth Tribe

Vimary sourcebook

The Vimary Sourcebook is the first sourcebook for the Tribe 8 roleplaying game. Within, you'll find all the information needed to set and run a Tribe 8 cycle on the island of Vimary. It not only expands on the material found in the Tribe 8 Rulebook, but also adds a new dimension to the birthplace of the tribes.

The Vimary Sourcebook's organization follows that of the Rulebook. The first four Chapters present Vimary through the eyes of its inhabitants. Chapter Two: Living History details the history of the tribes as they ventured fourth from the camps and reclaimed Vimary. Chapter Three: Vimary Revisited, provides information on the various locations of Vimary, including the tribal lands, Duskfall Forest and the H'l Kar (the Z'bri lands). The final chapter in the World Section is Chapter Four: Faces in the Mirror, which gives Weavers a cast of characters to populate their cycles, including the foul Z'bri. Chapter Five: Beyond Myth offers Weavers additional facts about the tribes, the Fallen and hints on running and staging cycles in Vimary.