World of Tékumel


Pygmy Folk

“To bargain with a Pygmy is to lose one’s purse” Tsolyani proverb.

from Empire of the Petal Throne by M.A.R. Barker, ©1975 TSR

(Tsolyáni:Nininyal ‘the Little Ones’; Yán Koryáni: Nyenu)

The Pygmy Folk are generally friendly to man, but can sometimes be cruel, are often capricious, and are reknowned for their greed and avarice. They are ferocious opponents if attacked and will fight to the death, but will resort to traps and ambushes to avoid battle if faced with a larger group.

Physical Attributes

Small (.43 to .91m) and rodent-like, the Pygmy Folk possess a sharp-featured face, large ears, greyish or blackish fur, two muscular rear legs, two upper arms with three-fingered claw-like hands (plus a thumb), and a vestigal tail. Their sight and hearing are excellent—they can see easily in pitch darkness. There are three sexes: males (55 percent), females (15 percent) and hermaphrodites (30 percent), who dwell in families but produce no offspring. Their communal life is both complex and intense.


Subterranean burrow-like towns in the northern plains of Yán Kór.

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