In the northern Realms, the tale of Oli-
thard?s Tune is well-known and often
heard around a taproom hearth or
barracks-board, when the night is old and
the drink running low. Elminster tells me
he lacks the proper storyteller?s flair, and I
can't even come close to  his melodious
voice and the perfect mimicry of various
beast calls and accents he used, so here?s a
bare-bones summary of the tale: 

Olithard was an indifferent bladesman
and a capable but half-hearted thief ?
who longed to become a bard. His tongue
was nimble, his wits quick, he could carry
a tune, and he loved to pipe airs on his
flute. Often, he sat in gardens or woody
glades and piped for hours, lost in
thought, barely noticing the occasional
curious stare, copper piece, or kick aimed
his way, He dreamed of entrancing courts
and serenading ladies by moonlight with a
magical harp, being called on by kings to
write the lays of their lives, being looked
up to by other harpists, and having his
name writ in the Roll of the Remembered
after he was gone. ?That song was written
by the great Olithard,? he often said to an
imaginary audience as he set down his
flute. Yes. He would be a bard, and a great
one.

When he at length scraped together a
fistful of gems (enough, he hoped), he set
out from Silverymoon south into the vast
forests, seeking a college of bards that he
had heard of, determined to learn all the
old songs and how to play the harp. He
walked alone, awed by the beauty of the
woods but unfamiliar with their ways ?
and was soon hopelessly lost. Weeks
passed as he wandered in the unending
shade, until he lost track of his journey
days.
One night he sat playing his flute while
he pondered (for he was too naive to fear
attracting attention to himself), when he
found his song answered. He was playing
along, working harmony, before he fully
realized that another flute was being 
played nearby!


He trilled, and the other flute answered,
echoing his own. Then it piped short,
sharp, rapid calls, like an anxious bird ?
followed by silence. Olithard matched the
piping, and was answered again, a little
faster. He stayed with the unknown piper
this time, faster and faster, falling into a
rapid, swirling rhythm of little runs and
slurs. The tempo picked up again, and
another piper joined in. Olithard thought
with leaping hope that he had stumbled
upon the bards he sought, and played on
like a man possessed, as more pipers
joined in and the music rushed its crazy
tune to pounding speed. Olithard?s head
swam, he breathed in hoots and gasps,
and his fingers hurt and yearned to fall off
? then the music rose into one eerie 
shriek and ended. Panting, Olithard let fall 
his flute, head spinning, exhausted ? too
exhausted to run when suddenly he was
surrounded by bearded, grinning faces ?
belonging to cloven-hooved creatures no
higher than his belt, with blue-black hair
hanging in wild manes all about their
heads. He groaned as the weird creatures
loomed over him, cudgels in hand, and fell
into darkness.

When he awoke, with a splitting head-
ache, it was morning. Of the horrible
creatures there was no sign ? but in front
of his nose was a pile of gleaming gold
shears, daggers, bowls, and coins. Atop
the pile was his flute. And scratched in the
dirt was an arrow and the words: ?Silvery-
moon ? go.?


It is generally agreed that Olithard (who
went on to become a respected and skilled
songsmith and bard) met with a band of
dancing korreds, the strange ?dancing
folk? of the forests. Little is known of
them, but I put Elminster to work and
have boiled his findings down to the notes
below.

Korreds are curious folk indeed to hu-
mans, who tend to lump them together
with the fey, dangerous creatures of the
woods and wilderlands (like satyrs, gru-
gach, leprechauns, and pixies) that are
best avoided. This is wise policy, for
korreds dislike and fear intruders, and
entrap them (usually in deadfalls, pits, and
snares, but sometimes in ambushes ?
then, korreds favor rocky places where
they may use stones as both weapons and
shields through use of their spell-like
powers over stone). Intruders who are
favored, who are considered dangerous to
harm because of retaliatory consequences,
or who are obviously harmless are carried
away to some lost, remote place and set
free (usually separated from captured
companions, if any). Captives are always
shorn of their hair, which the korreds use
to make ropes (see below).

Korreds prefer to live in woodlands or
rolling, rocky, forested country, and dwell
in well-hidden underground caverns and
lairs, which they can literally seal off
whenever intruders come near. If in-
truders persist, the korreds magically dig
themselves away from the area without
ever emerging aboveground. It is very
rare for the precise location of such a lair
to be divined, because there are always
guards posted to watch for intruders.
Korreds may dwell in colonies of up to a
hundred, but almost always a hunting
band of 1-4 adults is encountered, for
these range far afield in search of food.
Female korreds, like female dwarves, are
bearded and maned with hair, and are
difficult to distinguish from the males
(although a korred can readily tell the
difference). Korreds trap small game with
animated hair-snares and club it to death,
and slay bigger game by animating rocks
as weapons. Korreds pair to have a child
and remain together until birth is immi-
nent, whereupon the mother-to-be literally 
?goes to earth.? There she is fed by the
hunting of others as she rests under-
ground until the child is born. In large
communities, elders take care of the
young korreds and educate them, and the
mothers return to hunting. Korreds may
pair with several other korreds over the
years to produce various children, or
remain together in a stable pair. Korreds
often do not hunt or live directly with
their chosen mates.

Korreds are primarily hunters and fish-
ermen, using magical nets of woven hair
in lakes, coastal waters, and rivers or
mountain streams. They also collect the
edible fungi of the deep caverns as a sta-
ple, and gather woodland berries of all
sorts to mash and ferment (in large stone
vats) into a potent red wine.

Korreds are independent, but all obey
without question the commands of their
god, Tapann (see below) and his servitors
? Jambul, Hrressek, Tishlun and Bresk
are four of the most famous of these. They
also respect and revere the thoughts and
advice of community elders, but are only
punished for disobedience to elders if such
disobedience seriously and willfully endan- 
gers other korreds.

Korreds worship Tapann, the eldest and
wisest  of  korreds ? Tapann the Undying,
the Father of the Dance ? but they do not
have an organized priesthood with sha-
mans, clerics, or spells granted by Tapann.
Instead, once every seven days (or more
often in times of gratitude or need), com-
munities of korreds worship Tapann
together through dance. 

Korreds dance in solitude as a form of
self-calming and relaxation, or in asking
Tapann for a sign to guide them in making
a decision or plan, but once a week they
gather with all other korreds in the vicin-
ity and join in a religious, magical ?circle
dance.? Korreds unable to dance due to
infancy or infirmity are carried along to
observe. 

A circle dance is performed in a wood-
land glade, clearing, or hilltop, or where
there are none to be found, in circles
created by raising stones of great size to
stand in an open circle. The circle may be
of any size, depending upon the number
of korreds, and the dance is performed to
the music of the slap-drum (an instrument
of hide stretched over a circular frame,
struck with a fist or open hand) and bone
flute (hollow bones holed so as to produce
a variety of tones when differing combina-
tions of holes are covered with the fin-
gers), and the humming and exultant
wailing of the korreds themselves (the
korred musicians always dance unless
physically unable). The dance begins casu-
ally and builds as more korreds join in and
the tempo and noise increase. Elder
korreds of a community serve as leaders,
and after casual, free-form beginnings to
the dance, the dancers begin to move in
unison, following the leader?s movements
with (to human eyes) uncanny precision,
building to a wild frenzy that always ends
with a unison shout (often heard echoing
across wastelands at night by travelers)
and a collapse to the ground. After a time
of rest, the dancers usually dine on berry 
wine and the roasted flesh of livestock or
forest creatures such as bear, deer, and
wolf, slain by bands of korreds hunting or
animating rocks as deadfalls.

Contents of a korred pouch

Item	Chance of finding in pouch
Hair (of various creatures and differing quantities)	80
Shears* (of iron, steel, bronze, or silver-plated iron)	70
Dagger* (varying quality and makes)	30
Whetstone* (rough, irregular)	90
Skin of water, 1 quart	96
Skin of berry wine, 1 quart	40
Berries, 2-6 cups	50
Berry bowl, wood or stone*	99**
Meat (various sorts)	30
Cheese (goat's or cow's)	10
Coins* seized from captives (1-20, all types possible, usually mixed types)	10
Gemstones* (uncut, 1-12, all types possible, found in rock by korreds)	35
Slap-drum (circular wooden hoop covered with stretched hide)	52
Bone flute (hollow bone pierced with finger-holes)	73
Leather thongs, 1-4 in number, up to 3' long	62
Hide (cured or uncured, one large beast, uncut)	22
Hide (cured, small scraps or complete hides of small creatures)	53
Bone needles, 1-6 in number	19

* Potentially of alunrum (33% chance)
** (100% if berries carried)

The circle dance drains vitality from
korreds; indeed, aged or mortally injured
korreds strive to ?dance to death,? consid-
ering it an honor. Each turn a korred
dances, 1 hp is lost ? and even more is
lost (1 hp/round) from non-korreds who
join the dance (including captives). This
life-force is used to raise a sending to
Tapann, who may appear to aid his people
by healing the sick, advising korreds, 
fighting for them, or working with them.
(Forest folk such as satyrs, pixies, brown-
ies, and the like are drained by a circle
dance as korreds are, not at the greater
rate suffered by non-woodland creatures.)
There is a base 4% chance that Tapann
will appear at the ?shout? of a circle dance
(8% if more than 66 korreds are dancing
in unison). If a korred is slain while in a
circle dance, Tapann is 33% likely to ap-
pear; destruction of the circle by moving
or destroying a stone or stones (or causing
a tree to fall into the glade) adds a further
5% probability of his appearance. Unless 
prevented from doing so, korreds always
bury any korreds who die or are slain at a
circle dance.

Korreds speak their alignment tongue,
common speech, and usually a smattering
of other woodland tongues (brownie,
centaur, dryad, satyr, sprite, sylph) and
dwarvish or gnome. Tapann and his servi-
tors can employ  tongues  at will. Korred
have an average strength range of 19-21
(typically 20); elders have a strength of 19.
Their intelligence range is  11-12  (elders
usually have 13).