3. Gypsy Camp Background Info

Gypsy Camp Background Info


  • This thread is two-fold. The first section is what outsiders would know about the camp prior to visiting there (obviously you can pick up additionaly information about them in game and in character). The second section is what a Camp Member would know about this area and it's people. This information should ONLY be used IC by Oath Takers and former Oath Takers (again, unless you have found out more IC and IG).


  • What a Camp Member (Romani or gali) would know (continued):

    Camp Life for PCs

    If you are thinking that the Gypsy Camp is simply a carefree place to hide from the Law without responsibilities… or that it is a place to sack out after you have done adventuring... or that it is a convenient spawning point for your PC and you ignore Camp life... then the Gypsy Camp is not for you.

    It is a combination of business and family. Similar to the idea of an Israeli Kibbutz or commune. I will use the circus analogy again, since that fits pretty well. They will certainly take in strays, but if they are not useful, they are not welcome.

    As part of that, of you should come up with a way you would fit into this family business. As far as particular industries... it doesn't much matter, so long as it makes money for the family. Scrying and fortune telling, the circus that is The Great Green and Red Extraordinary Amazing Troupe.

    The Rom's as expert wine makers with cellars and vineyards and a winery. They could also make excellent cheese from the secret ingredients that are fed to the cows they have acquired and the herbs that they gather. They could be musical instrument makers as well as making silk cloth from spidersilk, so great clothiers as well.

    Now those are just some ideas for how the camp makes money from outsiders. There is also a responsibility to each other as a communal style village. It is not just about giving gold.

    If you are a cleric... then you could check the inhabitants for disease or cure them of minor injuries. If you are a bard... you should be teaching the children through storytelling of oral traditions. If you are a fighter... you should be training the guards in techniques they may not know.

    If you are a crafter... you should be making arrows and repairing the swords and leather armor... making boots and axles for wagons... sewing rips in tents and bringing in deadwood for the central fires. If you are a druid… herbs for cooking should be gathered. Just about any class out there should be able to think of SOMETHING you could do to add to the Camp.

    You all have talents that you bring with you... and a lot of them may not be combat related. THESE TALLENTS are why you were admitted as an Oath Taker! If you do not use them... you are not fulfilling your duties to your new family.

    This is not an adventuring town similar to a gold rush town where you go out and adventure and then roll into town to spend your hard earned loot and live it up. This is a home. The front camp is like the living room where one brings guests and entertains, the back camp is like the private parts of a house... like the bedrooms.

    Finally... the Romani work hard during the day and drink and dance and sing and laze about the fires at night. If you are seen sitting around the fires during the daytime... you will be told to find something to do.


  • What a Camp Member (Romani or gali) would know:

    still working on this…

    • History. The Romani race are a people without a homeland, but as close as thier elders have found… these canyons are their ancestral home. It is considered a holy place by Romani and many members of thier culture that wander Faerun come here on pilgrimages. Their origins are still a mystery and many Romani and thier gali friends search the ruins for clues about thier past. It is believed that the Rom people may have been slaves and labourers for the ancient Nars Demonbinder Wizards (known as Nentyarchs) that once ruled this land.

    • Race. Romani are all human. To be considered a Romani… a person must have more than 50% parentage that is of Romani blood. Meaning if a person whose parents were a gali and a Romani and a pureblooded Romani were to have a child... that child would be considered Romani. Otherwise, they are still gali.

    • The King. A lot of the elders of the camp have been part of the King's entourage since he himself was a child. Baba Katya may have been his nursemaid. The King's tribe is VERY well travelled and has been to most lands in Faerun in his lifetime. That he decided to stop travelling and set up an almost permanent residence here means that he thinks this action is the best for his people.

    • Skills. There is a strong tradition of music and prophecy in the Rom blood. They are also excellent craftspeople, dyers, herbalists and winemakers. They have an oral history passed on around the campfire and are good story tellers.

    • Gods. Historically, the Romani have a wide range of gods they worship. They tend towards gods with realistic and grounded goals. Some more rogue styles worship Tymora. Amongst the young especially they Shaundakul for wanderlust and travel. The ones who drink and are merry around the fires Llira and Sharess and Milil. The witches and prophets favor Selune. The general merchants worship Waukeen. The blacksmiths with Gond. The winemakers, Chauntea. The woodmaster, Silvanus. The tanner and the Woodscouts follow Gwaeron Windstrom and Mielikki.

    • Traditions. Romani law is simple in words but complex in usage. Don't confuse law with government. The Romani are like a large family… with strict traditions. They have no jails, as they don't see confinement as something that will teach an offender to better thier ways.

    The Oath: 1) I will protect the camp from anything that threatens it's survival. 2) I will not harm anyone of Rom blood or sworn by the Oath. 3) I will not bring in anything that can harm the camp.

    Those are the three big ones. But they use common sense when interpreting those traditions. There are no Gypsy Lawyers… so don't try to find a loophole. There is also duplicity in thier outlook. Outsiders can be fleeced for everything they are worth without any stain of dishonor... but do the same to a Romani or gali and you have shamed yourself and broken your Oath.

    Giant spiders are not welcome in Camp or the Gypsy Pass. Companion or not... they will be killed on sight. There are children roaming around and even if they are considered a PCs pet... they are vermin and poisonous.

    • Gifts. There is a tradition that gaji must bring gifts if they expect to be guests of the Rom or gali. Once a gaji is a guest, thier host is resobsible for thier actions. If they break the Oath that the host has taken… the host has ALSO broken thier Oath. The gift is given to the host and is usually balanced with any special treatment that is given or expected from the host. The more the host does for the guest... the large the gift should be. To not give a gift is a serious insult not only to the host... but ALL of the Romani and gali of the camp.

    • Inner Camp. The inner camp is like your own home. Your family and children live there. Treat it like a home. Anyone who has not taken an Oath can potentially be dangerous… so ALL gusets should be escorted at ALL times by thier host.

    • Camp Elders. Swordmaster Tero leads the defense of the Camp. Dart speaks for the merchants. Tara administers the Oath. Baba Katya is the sprititual leader of the Camp. The three Crafting Masters are the other Elders of the Camp. These are all the closest advisors and companions to the King.


  • What an Outsider (or gaji) would know:

    • The Gypsies wandered into the area a long time ago and seemed to settle in to a wooded canyon in the foothills of the Giant spire Mountains and just on the northern edge of the great Rawlins wood.

    • They are a private and suspicious bunch, who are excellent wine makers, producers of fine dyed silks, and herbalists.

    • They are mostly related to one another and human, although they have outsiders (of various races) who have taken an Oath as part of their extended family.

    • Their inner camp is off limits to all outsiders without being a guest of an Oath Taker (and being escorted at all times). If you are a guest, it is expected that you give a gift to your host. To not do so is a grave affront.

    • There is a rumor that an old Rom witch in the camps is able to see things from afar, and even into the future.

    • I thought I would put out a post for what all Gypsy Camp player should know about the native Gypsies (all human, called Romani… or Rom), the traditions/laws, the history, the Oath that outsiders take to become part of the Gypsy Camp (who are called gali), and finally how they generally look upon gaji (who are outsiders that have not taken the Oath).