CULTURAL LIFESTYLE AND FAMILY DILINATIONS

Most Gypsies live in traveling wagons called vardos. The typical wagon is a small wooden caravan wagon with a high arching roof and a door at the back. The driver sits at the front in an outdoor seat. Vardos are painted in vivid colors and might even have tiny windows of tinted glass, if the owner is prosperous. The vardo travels with a managerie.

Horses and faithful mongrel dogs trot alongside. Crates of chickens may be strapped to the side or beneath the wagon, and a tethered ox or goat may bring up the rear. Sometimes a trained bear accompanies the caravan ready to amaze and entertain the villagers at each stop.

The campfire is the center of Gypsy family life. Each night the men build roaring fires and play violins, violas, and the like, as young women dance and recount the oral history of the family. Older members recall important legends of these nightly gatherings.

Beyond travelling in caravans called campania, which are usually one tribe but can be several travelling together for protection and or profit. The Gypsy clans are loosely united into a number of tribes. The tribes are further united into three great Gypsy nations, called Natsia. While each nation has its own variations in manner of dress, appearance, and traditions, they all recognize each other as fellow Gypsies. Each nation has certain crafts and services in which its members traditionally excel, although these crafts and services are not exclusive to these groups.

The three distinct nations of the Gypsy are the Lowara, the Ursari, and the Kalderasha.

THE LOWARA NATSIA

The Lowara are "camp followers": tinkers, smiths, horse trainers/breeders, and healers. They pride themselves in their ability to supply armies, trade caravans, and adventurers and others with the proper tools needed to defeat enemies, as well as needed healing after a battle. The Lowara have been known to supply both sides in a conflict, not really caring about the disputes of non-gypsy, but more interested in making a living.

Tribes include:

Argintari - silversmiths

Aurari - goldsmiths

Boyash - Vintners

Costarari - tinsmiths

Kurpachi - coppersmiths

Lowara - horse traders, trainers, and breeders

Salahori - wagon builders

Ungaritza - weapon smiths/blacksmiths

THE URSARI NATSIA

The Ursari are consummate entertainers. Their camps are rife with bards, dancers, musicians, and con men. Ursari are also known to hire out as smugglers on occasion, taking great delight in pulling one over on the gaje. Like the Lowara, the Ursari might accept such assignments from all sides in a conflict, performing what they view as necessary preordained tasks.

Tribes include:

Gabori - jewelers and evaluators

Gitanos - dancers

Lautari - musicians; specializing in fiddle

Linguari - singers and bards

Mystere Lacatuchi - masters of keys, locks, and traps

Ursari - bear and animal trainers

THE KALDERASHA NATSIA

The Kalderasha are the rarest of the major tribes, and are seldom encountered in numbers larger than a single family. They are the most mysterious and reclusive of the Gypsy and the ones closest to the oldest legends of the race. They are tinkerers in the arcane: amulets, charms, potions, and lore. Rumor says that they know much of ancient evils and how best to ward off or escape them. It is believed they guard the other Gypsies from the return of their age-old enemy. It is also this group which boasts the biggest number of hunters of necromancers.

Tribes include:

Churara - rune smiths

Kalderasha - healers and potion makers

Kavachi - alchemists

Machwaya - astrologers and lore masters

Rudari - celestial casters and scroll makers