# Introduction to Glorantha ![[CB - Glorantha - Players Background.pdf]] --- # MYTHOS & HISTORY ![[CB - 6SiS - Black Stage Vale.png]] _**Every year has its seasons That mirror the ages of the gods I sing to you now of those that bring the days of the Svarthjort To a close…**_ *The Saga of the Svarthjort, Book One, Verses 31 to 32* HIGH IN THE MOUNTAINS of Sartar, a narrow, V-shaped vale stretches between Mounts Quivin and Kagradus. Since the days of Vingkot this has been the _tula_ of the Svarthjort, the Clan of the Black Stag. The following section presents the clan in the classic “cult” format, focused around the Black Stag wyter. ## Before Time The entity that would eventually become the clan wytr, the Black Stag, is one of the many children of Hykim, Father of Beasts, and the mountain goddess Kero Fin. He laid claim to the mountain valley bearing his name long before Time, when he challenged the Seven-Tailed Wolf for dominion over it. Victorious, he drove the Wolf and his pack away, and married Running Doe, the rushing mountain stream that cuts through the vale (today called “Deer Run”). Together they made the Vale a safe refuge for their children, the albino Ghost Deer unique to the region. During the Lesser Darkness, Jarstakos Forked Spear and his warband wandered into the Vale. One of the many sons of Heort, Jarstakos and his men fought long and hard in the war against Chaos. One of his followers was Ungbar Zak Bak, a Dark Troll warrior. Tired and hungry, the band were shocked to find a place in the wasted world where game was plentiful, and decided to hunt there. It is said Jarstakos himself shot the arrow that killed the Martyr Faun, and the wrath of the Black Stag was terrible. The earth shook. The entrance to the Vale squeezed shut. To placate the Stag, and spare his followers, the sons of Jarstakos swore that after Chaos was defeated they and all their line would remain in the Vale, replacing the child the Black Stag had lost. The Stag agreed, but Running Doe was not so easily appeased. She cursed Jarstakos, saying that he would indeed return to the Vale, but it would be to be buried alongside her slain child. The curse was a true one. Jarstakos fell during Darkness, and his sons carried his body back to the Vale and raised a mound over him. This was how Heortlings came to dwell there as the Svarthjort, the Black Stag Clan. ## Since Time Began After the Dawn, the Svarthjort lived a quiet life of relative isolation in the Vale, farming, herding, and trading with related clans in the valleys below. They worshipped Orlanth and Ernalda, and true to their word never wavered from the vow to honor Black Stag and Running Doe as their own ancestors. In these early days there were some skirmishes with local Telmori, urged on by the Seven-Tailed Wolf, who felt the onset of Time was the perfect chance for a proxy war to regain the Vale. The Svarthjort proved their claim to the Vale time and time again by driving the Telmori off, just as their wyter had in the God’s Age. As the Empire of Wyrm’s Friends slowly rose around the clan, their wyter answered divinations concerning the EWF by counseling against the lies and deceptions of dragons. As a result, the Svarthjort stayed free of draconic mysticism, even as many clans around them embraced it. This was the start of the clan’s reputation as staunch traditionalists. For centuries, the clan continued to stay true to the Old Ways, maintaining (mostly) cordial relations with draconicized neighbours. But mounting pressure from these neighbours, and dire warnings of impending doom from divinations, eventually forced the Svarthjort into self-imposed exile. In 1118 ST, after more than a thousand years in the Vale, they burned their homes to the ground, gathered what they had, and went south. A year later, the Great Dragons came in wrath and killed every man, woman, and child in the Pass. ![[CB - 6SiS - Dragonkill.png]] The years in exile were difficult ones. Bound to the Vale, the clan wyter was unable to accompany his human kin south. In his place he sent one of his sons, White Hart, to serve as the Svarthjort wyter in their exile. These years were the beginning of the White Hart shamanic tradition that persists among the clan to this day. Without the protection of the Black Stag and his Vale, however, the clan struggled to survive. Heortland was filled in those days with destitute refugees fleeing the Dragonkill, and the Svarthjort were forced to wander from place to place selling their labour, their swords, and sometimes even themselves to survive. This changed when Jornun Shadechaser challenged Barnor Son of Grudd for the position of clan chieftain. Shadechaser was one of the “Troll-touched,” a Svarthjort clansman born with pitch black hair and eyes and tied to the Darkness Rune. This was the legacy of Ungbar Zak Bak, who died alongside Jarstakos and many of his men and was entombed with them in the Vale. Ever after, a small number of Svarthjort were born Troll-touched, and Jornun was among these. Once he was leader of the clan, Jornun took his people to the court of Ezkankekko, the Only Old One. It is said the Old One recognized Jornun as troll-marked, and his clan as friends of the race. He employed the clan as mercenaries in his armies, and gave the women and children homes. For nearly two centuries the Svarthjort had a new home, and flourished in Ezkankekko’s service. ![[CB - Return to Dragon Pass.webp|right|1000]] The death of the Only Old One at the hands of the Pharaoh in 1318 ST ended this time of refuge. Divinations were performed and the White Hart consulted by shamans. It was time, at long last, for the Svarthjort to return home. It was not an easy homecoming. The clan returned to find the Telmori had taken the Vale in the name of the Seven-Tailed Wolf, who now ruled the Vale at last. The Black Stag and Running Doe were imprisoned, their children hunted and in hiding. Before they could settle in their ancient homeland, the Svarthjort had to retake it. The battles that followed were violent and costly. In 1328 Stag Hill was won by the clan, enabling the chieftain and his ring to perform a heroquest re-enacting the Black Stag’s triumph over the Wolf. This liberated the wyter, and for the first time in centuries a Royal (see below) was born to the local ghost deer population. The tide had turned, and the Telmori were driven out once and for all. This began a new era of peace and prosperity. A century after the return, the Svarthjort were part of the Colymar Tribe and eventually supporters of the Prince of the People, Sartar. They had revived the Old Ways, and once again honoured the Doe and the Stag. It is even said that the Prince had a particular liking for the Vale, and spent an unusual amount of time there. But a baleful new orb hung crimson in the sky, and its spawn, the foul Lunar Empire, came south in invasion. At the Battle of Grizzly Peak the Black Stag followed the Colymar king Kenstrel against Lunar forces and lost their own chieftain, Kentrel Bargarson. It was a sign of the doom to come. A generation later saw a Lunar puppet on the throne in Boldhome, and foul Lunar ways spreading through the lowlands. ![[CB - Sartar and the Feathered Horse Queen.webp|1000]] In the years since the Svarthjort have grown more isolated as they cling to the Old Ways. To Colymar king Kangharl Son of Kagradus, a Lunarized Sartarite, they are something of an embarrassment. He habitually refers to the Colymar as “the twelve clans,” with the Svarthjort small enough and remote enough — in their mountain valley — to be conveniently forgotten. ## Runic Associations The people of the Black Stag have worshipped the Storm Tribe since before the Dawn. Their Runic ties to this pantheon run deep. Thus Air/Storm (![[PK-Rune-Orange-Air.png]]) and Earth (![[PK-Rune-Orange-Earth.png]]) are the two most common Birth Runes; 85% of men are tied to Air and 85% of women to Earth. The exceptions tend to be men who are tied to Earth and women tied to Storm, and a small percentage of “Troll-touched” tied to Darkness (![[PK-Rune-Orange-Darkness.png]]). Svarthjort characters are thus required to select one of these as one of their initial Elemental Runes. The clan wyter, the Black Stag, is itself associated with Air, Beast, and Earth (![[PK-Rune-Orange-Air.png]]![[PK-Rune-Orange-Beast.png]]![[PK-Rune-Orange-Earth.png]]). He is not worshipped alone, but rather receives a portion of sacrifices made to the Storm Tribe and clan ancestors. The shamanic White Hart tradition (see below) has the Runes of Air, Beast, and Spirit (![[PK-Rune-Orange-Air.png]]![[PK-Rune-Orange-Beast.png]]![[PK-Rune-Orange-Spirit.png]]). # NATURE OF THE CLAN ## Reason for Continued Existence At its heart, the clan is a coalition of allied families, bound by shared culture and history. Like any community, it exists to teach, support, and care for its members. It passes on its knowledge and experience from one generation to the next. Just as a clan serves its members, its members serve the clan. Clansmen are generally expected to spend most of their time in service to the community, performing tasks such as farming, herding, maintaining infrastructure, manufacturing necessary items, guarding the borders, etc. In addition to these tasks, all able-bodied men will be expected to serve in the _fyrd_, or clan militia. Women will be expected to cook, sew, care for children, and to treat sickness and injury. In return for all of this, the clan feeds, shelters, and clothes its own. It also trains and educates them. ## Social/Political Power and Position Prior to the Lunar occupation, the clan’s claim to Black Stag Vale was ancient and undisputed, supported by the spirit of the land itself and respected by all neighbours. There were of course tensions with other clans, including the time-honoured sport of cattle-raids, but all acknowledge the Vale was theirs. Despite being one of the smaller clans in the Colymar tribe, the Svarthjort were respected for their adherence to tradition and their loyalty to both the tribal king and the Princes of Sartar. With the arrival of the Lunars, however, political “power” in Sartar amounted largely to keeping your head down and going unnoticed. Fortunately this is something the Svarthjort, in their isolated mountain fastness, do very well. The terms of the occupation, for example, demand a tax of one cattle for every two free adults in the community each year, but Lunar estimates of the Black Stag’s population are at least a third short, the clan being adept at fading into the hills when the census takers come. Likewise, Sartar’s conquerors have forbidden the worship of Orlanth. In the lowlands the temples are closed. The Svarthjort, however, continue to worship as they always have. So long as it goes unnoticed. ## Particular Likes and Dislikes On the whole the Black Stag are a conservative mountain clan devoted to the Storm Tribe, to time-honoured traditions, and to keeping to the Old Ways. They avoided the lure of draconic mysticism under the EWF and resist the lure of Lunar mysticism now. The clan expresses many of the likes and dislikes one might expect of a traditionalist Orlanthi people. To reflect commonly held characteristics, Svarthjort characters should have at least some Passions drawn from; _Devotion (Storm Tribe deity or Earth Goddesses), Loyalty (Svarthjort), Loyalty (Colymar), Love (Family), Hate (Chaos), Hate (Lunars)._ More on this on _Creating Your Character._ # ORGANIZATION ## Inter-Community Organization As mentioned, the Svarthjort are the 13th member of the Colymar tribe, a confederation of clans sworn to a single king. The Colymar are, in turn, one of the 24 tribes of the Sartarite nation. The tribal kings all owe allegiance to the throne in Boldhome. While the Svarthjort keep their clan oaths of fealty, most consider the current occupant of Sartar’s throne, Temertain a Lunar puppet. Since 1602 when Boldhome fell to their forces, however, the Lunar Empire has been the true power in Sartar. Temertain rules at the pleasure of the Governor General of Dragon Pass, currently Fazzur Wideread. ## Intra-Community Organization The Svarthjort are one of the smaller clans, with about 450 members, similar in this respect to the Varmandi and Anmangarn. Their lands are cantered around Black Stag Vale, some 15 kilometers from Boldhome, high in the mountains between Quivin Mount and Kagradus Peak. The Vale runs a length of nearly seven kilometers, stretching from the narrow southern opening where the Svarthjort maintain a fortified palisade, all the way to High Deer Falls at the northern end. It is seldom wider than half a kilometre, and the mountains enclosing it are heavily forested and very steep. A creek known as Deer Run flows south from the Falls, the entire length of the Vale. To the north the Vale is bordered by the forbidden Dragonewt citadel of High Wyrm. The Antorlings and the Enjossi, two fellow clans of the Colymar, border the Svarthjort to the west. The eastern border consists of the wilder and untamed Quivin Mountains in the north and the warlike Sambari to the south. These thrall holders are famed for their ferocity and aggression, and a source of constant trouble for the Svarthjort. The Telmori Wolf-Folk, driven from the Vale, infrequently come down from the Quivins to raid as well. ### The Steads A dozen steads, each belonging to a single extended family, can be found spaced out along the banks of Deer Run. These are the homes of the Carls, or “cattle men,” the middle-class of Orlanthi society. Families will include paternal grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all living together in longhouses (and in the winter with their cattle). Each nuclear family head (and there are on average 3 to 5 or these per longhouse) will have his own team of oxen and a plow. Each is granted a “hide” from the clan, as much land as he can plow in two seasons. Counting wives, children, and grandparents, each stead will have about 15 to 20 people, and 30 to 40 cattle. They will have twice as many sheep, pigs, geese. While children, of course, know who their parents are, it is traditional to refer to all aunts and all uncles as “mother” and “father” and parental duties are shared by all adults. Once the children are old enough, they are expected to help tend the livestock and the fields. All adult males also serve in the clan militia, or _fyrd_. The head of each stead holds Thane, or “horse man” status, and is considered a community leader. The walls of the longhouse are made of wattle and daub and timber planking, with a grass roof. The floor is typically flagged with slate and beaten earth. Typically, these longhouses are between 15m and 30m long and 5m to 10m wide. The central area of the hall is used for eating and entertaining around a large, central hearth, with a chimney above. It was often raised up from the ground to prevent people from accidentally falling into it. Benches are built into the walls, providing areas to sit, work and sleep. Sheep skins provide cushions for both sitting and sleeping, while woollen blankets keep the inhabitants warm when asleep. > [!Info]Bothy > A bothy is a shelter from wind and rain available for anyone to use. Usually a bothy has one room with a hearth, a raised sleeping platform (to keep residents dry and out of drafts) and some tallow candles and firewood. Typically, a bothy can sleep between 2-8 people. Bothies can be found in highland areas as emergency shelter for herders or travellers in poor weather, but can also be found in lowland areas as temporary accommodation. Many are ruins made wind and watertight to serve as shelter, in other places they may be wooden cabins, or built from un-mortared stone. Local people usually maintain a bothy, aware that their own life could depend on others doing the same. Bothies are particularly common in the lands close to the Telmori, as people often need to seek safety on Wildday. Many date from the Years in Hiding, when Telmori war parties threatened to drive the humans from the lands along the Creek. In Colymar lands, bothies may be surrounded by a ditch and bank enclosure, topped with a wooden wicker fence. A narrow entrance funnels into the enclosure. The perimeter wall is to keep livestock in but more importantly to keep Telmori wolfmen out. No one ventures far from such shelters on Wildday. Those who use a bothy should replace the firewood and candles that they consume. There is no limit on the time that a traveller can stay in a bothy but custom dictates ‘first-in, first-out’; those who arrived longest ago should make way for newcomers who may have greater need. Long stays are discouraged because the bothy is intended for travellers. The undisputed leader of the longhouse is the eldest matriarch, and it is understood that within its walls the women make the rules, not the men. This is the domain of Ernalda, not Orlanth. The central hearth fire, which is never allowed to go out, is the Lowfire Mahome. She provides light, warmth, and comfort, and is the purifier that cooks the food. “The hearth is the heart,” the Orlanthi say. A house in which the hearth has gone out is a dead place, and must undergo purification rites to be made habitable again. Aside from the longhouse and the hides of land, each stead has a Loom House. In some cases this is annexed to the longhouse, but in most cases is a square, separate structure situated nearby. This is a place for women and girls, where cloth is woven and garments made. Men do not enter. There will also be stables for horses, work sheds, and a large beehive-shaped stone oven used for baking bread. The fire within is also sacred, and a manifestation of Mahome. The names of the steads as are follows. Individuals will be known as “(X) (Son/Daughter of Y) of (Z stead). For example, “Wulvann Son of Skilfil of High Water Stead” or “Frania Daughter of Verani of Riddle Watch Stead.” ![[CB - 6SiS - Black Stag Vale Map - Color.png|right|800]] From south to north, the twelve steads are: 1. **Vale Gate**, named for its proximity to the Palisade at the entrance of the Vale. While all clan militia can be assigned to the Palisade, by tradition the youths and vingans of Vale Gate always have guard duty there. 2. **Twin Stones**, named for a pair of nearly identical standing stones about 15 meters from the stead. Legend says these were a pair of twin brothers who bickered and quarrelled so often they were turned to stone by their furious mother, an Earth priestess. Mothers bring their children here to show them the stones and tell them the story if they argue with their siblings too much. 3. **Bear Fallen**, named for Dordath Bear Fallen, an Odalyan hunter who spent years pursuing an elusive brown bear that terrorized the Vale. When he caught the bear, the legend goes, she assumed human form and he was smitten. He built the stead for her, married her, and thereafter she terrorized only him. Throughout the Vale, “the bear got him” is slang for “he has gotten married.” 4. **Red Rock,** named for the curious reddish stain that covers the sheer cliff face of Kagradus behind the stead. This stain is 100 meters high and 30-40 wide. Legend has it that it was the blood of a giant slain there. Young men and vingans sometimes chip a piece of this stone away and carry the “red rock” for courage. 5. **Cliff Shield**, named for a massive (150m diameter) round depression in the foot of Quivin behind the stead. It looks like a titanic shield was carved and removed from the stone. 6. **Riddle Watch.** It is generally assumed this stead was named as it watches over the Riddle and protects it. If the real reason was ever different, by the Third Age the reason for the name has passed from memory of all save the Earth priestesses. 7. **Hill Base,** named for its position at the foot of Stag Hill. It is one of the largest and wealthiest steads in the Vale, with the most cattle and hides. 8. **River Bend,** named for obvious reasons this is the only other stead that can contend with Hill Base for land, cattle, and wealth. A (mostly) friendly rivalry has existed between the two for centuries. 9. **White Bark,** named for the woods that cover the mountain slopes behind it. While most of the surrounding forests are pine, spruce, maple, and ash, only here is the entire wood white birch. 10. **Twice Blessed,** while there is no specific story how the stead got its name, the soil at Twice Blessed is inexplicably the richest and most bountiful every harvest, leading other steads to grumble how they are “twice blessed” there. 11. **Glass Cave,** named for the Glass Cave just about 250 meters away up the slopes of Kagradus. This small cavern has to be crawled into on hands and feet, but the entry opens into a geode some 10m in diameter. It is said if you bring a lamp and spend the night, any dream you dream in the Glass Cave is a true one. 12. **High Water,** named for its proximity to High Deer. From the stead, the sound of the falls can be heard year round, save Dark Season when the falls occasionally freeze. ![[CB - 6SiS - Black Stag Vale Map - 3D - 1.jpg|600]] ![[CB - 6SiS - Black Stag Vale Map - 3D - 2.jpg|600]] ### The Cottars Between these steads are scattered two dozen cottages, usually in the hills at the base of the mountain peaks. These are the homes of the Cottars, or “sheep men.” They are the lower class of Orlanthi society. Their cottages are usually round, consisting of one room with a thatched roof, and home to one or two nuclear families. Cottars have their own flocks of sheep and often pigs, and tend small gardens around the cottage. Most are huntsmen who supplement their diet with rabbit, boar, or pheasant. It is forbidden for the Svarthjort to hunt deer. Naming conventions for Cottars are the same as for Carls, but they exclude the “stead” portion of the name as sign of lower status. ### The Village The Village lies in the centre of the Vale, spreading out beneath the Hall. It is a cluster of about 14 homes around the Issaries market, the Smithy, and the community meeting hall. The householders living in the Village hold Thane status. Six are members of the Inner Clan Ring (see below), including the Chief Priest and Priestess, the Chief Weaponthane, Lawspeaker, Champion, and Skald. In addition to this is the trader Borkar Son of Gudinn of Riddle Watch, who ensures commerce between the Vale and the capital in Boldhome runs smoothly, and Harvarr Son of Horvik of Cliff Shield, the master red smith. The remaining six are other priests and officials. The Villagers are supported by their families out in the steads, and by the chieftain in the Hall. #### The Chieftain’s Hall Resembling one of the longhouses, but 50m long and 20m wide, the Chieftain’s Hall sits on a low, conical hill overlooking the village. It is protected by a wooden palisade with four simple watchtowers at each of the corners. The Chieftain and his or her family dwell here, as do the housecarls when on duty. The Clan Ring meets to advise the Chieftain here as well. In emergencies, the Hall can be used to house and sleep nearly a full third of the Clan. Like a longhouse, the Hall has a central hearth that is always kept lit. There are feast tables around this, and at the far end of the Hall opposite the entrance a raised dais for the Chieftain and the Ring. Behind this dais are private quarters for the Chieftain’s family. Designed to receive guests, the Hall is more for “show” and less functional than a longhouse, hung with tapestries that tell the long history of the clan from its founding to the present day. Shields hang here that once belonged to the greatest warriors of the clan. Unlike longhouses, cattle are never kept here. Beneath the Hall are cellars, one holding stores of wine, beer, mead, and food and the other for holding prisoners. The hall as a whole is a shrine to Orlanth Rex. #### Borkar's Trading Post Just besides the Red Smith's Forge lies the trading post of Borkar Son of Gudinn. An initiate of the Temple of Issaries in Boldhome, Borkar — like his late father — is a member of the merchant's guild in that city. The Svarthjort are, for the most part, self-sufficient. They manufacture and weave their own cloth, the women make their own pottery, and the red smith forges and maintains the arms and weapons. Still, there are things they cannot make for themselves, and specialty goods only available through trade. Borkar brings what little the clan can export to market twice a year in Boldhome and returns with what supplies the clan needs. His trading post has built up an assortment of such goods over his years and those of his father. The trading post also serves an important internal clan function. It consists of a wide, flat yard of bare earth, with four carved wooden posts marking off the space. Each of these are carved with the bearded likeness of Issaries, the Trading God. The space created by these posts is sacred, and serves both as a shrine to Issaries and a marketplace. Svarthjort clansfolk can come here to exchange goods with each other, and know that such exchanges will be blessed and equitable. Thus cottars from the apple orchards at the north end of the Vale come in Earth Season with bushels of fruit, carls from the Vale's steads can butcher and sell off extra meat, and the red smith can offer bronze farm implements and weapons. Under the watchful eyes of Borkar and his god, they can be assured all trade in the Vale is fair. On one end of the market space is a three-sided wooden structure where Borkar sells his own goods. Across the marketplace is his cottage. Borkar's goods contain many oddities; finely crafted amphorae from the Potter's Guild in Boldhome, armbands and bracelets from the capital's jewelers, even the rare bolt of silk from far distant Kralorela, brought by maritime trade to Nochet in Esrolia and then up to Sartar. #### The Forge of Harvarr, Son of Horvik The Red Smith's Forge stands near the centre of the Village. Enclosed by a palisade wall three meters high, the ground is hard-packed, bare earth. There is a single entrance, flanked by two rough square pillars. These are carved with the Workfire Runes (Fire ![[PK-Rune-Orange-Fire.png]] and Man ![[PK-Rune-Orange-Man.png]]). Across from the forge is the red smith’s cottage, and between the two is a wide garth where the smith’s spouse, Affar, keeps chickens and tends an herb and vegetable garden. Stepping inside the forge, one finds a workspace to their immediate left. A low roof of wood and slate extends from the palisade wall and is supported by wooden columns, but there are no other walls and it is exposed to the open air. Here is the anvil, the grindstone, and the well. The smith’s instruments are kept here wrapped in oiled cloth (the oil is made from boiled sheep’s fat). Across from this open air workspace is a beehive shaped oven. This is the sacred heart of the forge and within this oven Gustbran dwells. There is a low stone altar beside the oven, where offerings are laid. It is customary, in addition to paying the smith his fee, to bring food and drink for him and his family and to leave some of that on the altar for the god of the flame. The entire forge is considered a shrine, and visitors treat it as such, removing their headgear before crossing its threshold and bowing their heads slightly to the Workfire Runes. There is a sense of magic here, the sacred mysteries of drawing weapons, tools, and armor from the bones of dead gods. Only the foolhardy would dare profane it. #### The Chieftain and Ring The Chieftain is a position held by election and mutual consent. The Clan Ring is a council of advisors selected by the Chieftain to advise, usually made up from the most powerful and influential members of the community. Technically there are two Rings; the “Inner Ring” consists of seven positions, in honor of Orlanth and the Lightbringers. The “Outer Ring” consists of the leaders of each stead, as well as the Issaries merchant Borkar Son of Gudinn, and the master redsmith, Harvarr Son of Horvik. The Outer Ring advises the Inner, and the Inner advises the chieftain. As of Sea Season, 1619 ST, the Inner Ring consists of the following members. * ***Chieftain:** Gordangar Son of Kenstrel of Twice Blessed, Rune Lord of Orlanth Rex * **_Chief Weaponthane_**: _Jorgunath Bladesong Formerly of Red Rock, Sword of Humakt_ * ***Chief Priest**: Savan Son of Kenstrel of Twice Blessed, Storm Voice of Orlanth Thunderous * **_Chief Priestess_**: _Morganeth Daughter of Jarlarant of High Water, Priestess of Ernalda_ * **_Lawspeaker_**: _Jodi White Hart of Riddle Watch, Lhankor Mhy Sage_ * **_Champion_**: _Erinina Copperaxe of Bear Fallen, Babeester Gor Rune Lady_ * **_Skald_**: _Keladon Blue Eye, Bonded Eurmali Trickster_ In addition there is an informal “eighth” member of the Ring. He does not usually attended meetings unless they are of the utmost import. He is the Royal. **The Royal:** The Royal is the Son of the Black Stag; a massive 12-branch stag with a mane of milk white hair and antlers the colour of bleached bone. He is the Chieftain of the Beasts, the leader of all animals in the Vale, and considered a member of the Clan Ring. It is uncertain if every Royal is the _same_ Royal, reincarnating as a new fawn when the previous Royal dies, or if magical powers and sentience are somehow transferred to a fawn when need arises. Seldom seen by the humans of the Vale, when encountered he commands all the deference owed the chieftain. The Royal is also the master shaman of the White Hart Tradition, created when the Svarthjort fled from Dragon Pass and the Black Stag sent his spirit-son White Hart to act as Wyter-in-Exile. ![[CB - 6SiS - Royal's Grove.png]] ## Centre of Power, Holy Places Technically, the entire Vale is the centre of the Black Stag’s power, but there are specific centres where it is concentrated. The centre of the human community’s power is the Village and the Chieftain’s Hall. Five other important centres must be mentioned. ### Stag Hill ![[CB - 6SiS - Stag Hill.png]] **Stag Hill** is a mound of earth 20 meters high and 70 meters in diameter. It is capped by a ring of seven standing stones, each marked by a Rune (Air ![[PK-Rune-Orange-Air.png]], Harmony ![[PK-Rune-Orange-Harmony.png]], Disorder ![[PK-Rune-Orange-Disorder.png]], Truth ![[PK-Rune-Orange-Truth.png]], Communication ![[PK-Rune-Orange-Communication.png]], Man ![[PK-Rune-Orange-Man.png]], and Fate ![[PK-Rune-Orange-Fate.png]]) signifying one of the Lightbringers. In Storm Season, lightning strikes against these stones are common, but never harm them. Those who have witnessed such strikes say the stones glow an eerie blue for some time thereafter, as if they capture the lightning. This tumulus contains the ancient graves of Jarstakos Son of Heort and the original war band that founded the Svarthjort, including — it is said — Ungbar Zak Bak, who is the source of the Darkness Rune some in the community are born with. The worship of Orlanth and the Thunder Brothers is conducted from atop the Hill. The barrow can be entered a small square entrance on the east side and has only been opened once before: when the Svarthjort returned from exile after the Dragonkill, a heroquest was performed to reclaim the abandoned valley. This required the sacred weapons and relics of Jarstakos and his company. After the heroquest the items were dutifully returned and the graves resealed. Stag Hill serves as both a Wind Shrine to Orlanth Thunderous and a shrine to Orlanth Adventurous. This sort of “double duty” is not atypical in the rural regions of Sartar. Orlanth Thunderous is the Rainbringer. He fertilizes the Earth and causes it to burst with seed. He is a primal deity, associated with virility, masculine fertility, and the elemental forces of wind and storm. This aspect of Orlanth is the patron of the Farmer, who relies on Orlanth for the harvest. Outside of Sartar’s cities, the cult of Orlanth Thunderous is by far the most widespread. It is led by a priesthood of Storm Voices like Savan. Orlanth Adventurous is the patron of the Warrior. This is the Orlanth who both engaged in the wild young misadventures of his youth and later took up arms to correct his mistakes and defend the things he loved. He is the god not only of weapon thanes but of Orlanthi hoplites, the citizen militia, as well. He is also the god of the warband, those (usually young) warriors who band together for a common cause. Jarstakos Son of Heort is viewed by the clan as a sort of ideal avatar of Orlanth Adventurous, making his burial mound the perfect place to honor the god. This cult is led by the Wind Lords, and in the Vale, by Gordangar the chieftain. Though cattle graze all around the hill, none are ever seen on its slopes, as if they consciously avoid it. Alynxes, on the other hand, are often seen atop the hill lazing amongst the stones. ### The Riddle ![[CB - 6SiS - The RIddle.png]] A perfectly square entrance way is carved into the base of Kagradus, reached by a thickly wooded slope, and dates back before Orlanthi times, possibly back to the Green Age. At the foot of the entrance, steps have been shaped from the living rock, and on either side are twin carvings of Babeester Gor, each three meters high, glaring down at those who would dare enter and holding axes menacingly. The feet of these statues are spattered with gore, for any and all sacrifices to the Earth goddesses offered by the Svarthjort are performed here. Beyond the entrance lies a labyrinth, a maze covered in perpetual blackness. Torches will not burn within. Fires flicker, sputter, and then are extinguished. Sounds are muffled by some force in the very air, and quickly silenced a few meters within. The Svarthjort call it ‘the Riddle,’ but whether the name comes from the way it bores into the mountainside or the enigma of its creation is unclear. The women of the Svarthjort are initiated here, taken immediately after their first menstruation and led inside by the Earth priestesses. No man is allowed inside the Riddle (save for the Nandan, who enters a man but emerges a woman). When a woman of the clan passes away, her body is carried inside the Riddle by initiates of Ty Kora Tek and left inside one of the many tombs that line the stone walls. While every rural hill clan has its Earth Temple, the Riddle is utterly unique. The typical Earth Temple is first and foremost to Ernalda, the wife of Orlanth and the source of feminine fertility, sexuality, and family. Most include smaller shrines to the other goddesses, surrounding Ernalda’s main temple space. Esrola is honoured as the grain, Asrelia as the source of Earth’s riches, Ty Kora Tek as the Queen of the Underworld and Voria as the Maiden, the spirit of innocent youth. Babeester Gor is not worshipped so much as propitiated, always ready to jump forth in vengeance. But the Riddle contains no worship space, no votive image of Ernalda, no separate shrines. All the goddesses are instead revered by gatherings at the mouth of it. It is at the mouth of the Riddle—never within it—that sacrifices are offered and worship conducted. The only times the Riddle is entered is when a girl goes within to die and return a woman, and when a woman departs this world for the Queendom of Ty Kora Tek. On either side of the Riddle are shrines to Barntar and Uralda. That the Riddle predates the Storm Age is certain. Svarthjort lore recounts its discovery by Jarstakos and his warband upon discovering the vale. “This place is not for us,” the Son of Heort is recorded as telling them. “This is the Old Magic, from when goddesses alone ruled the world. Do not defile it.” In the reign of Prince Jarolar (circa 1560 S.T.) a delegation of scholars and priestesses from Esrolia came north to Black Stag Vale to study this holy place. Ancient records at Sacred Ezel apparently spoke of it: "_At Ezel, Asrelia lived with her three daughters: Maran, Esrola, and Ernalda. They shaped the earth. These girls made all the hills, rivers, crags, and fields. The Three Daughters were often together, and they had their favourite places. They went to them many times, so their ancient innocence, purity, and power imbued the spots. These include places like the Stags Battleground, the Broken Grass ground, the Talking Sinkhole…_" In the estimation of the Esrolians, Black Stag Vale was the “Stags Battleground” of this text. As guests of the Svarthjort they remained in the Vale over a year, finally concluding the Riddle did indeed originate in the Green Age and was not the work of mortal hands. The reason the Svarthjort could worship so many Earth goddesses there, they said, was because it channelled a magic “from before the goddesses separated, when their powers were all one.” The Riddle belonged then to Asrelia and Ty Kora Tek as much as it did Ernalda, Voria, or Esrola. ### The Royal's Grove Not inside the Vale, but overlooking it from atop a cliff face rising some 600 meters, is the Royal’s Grove, a circular clearing under a massive, spreading oak. This is the Wytering Oak, and it contains the spirit of the Black Stag. The branches of the tree are encrusted with moss and lichen, and hang heavy with mistletoe. A stag’s skull, bleached white in the sun, hangs on the trunk of the tree. This is the head of the former Royal, and when the current one dies his head will replace it. A ring of one dozen standing stones mark out the boundaries of the Grove. Careful inspection reveals smooth round river rocks planted in the ground at two or three feet apart, forming a line from each standing stone back to the tree. In late Sea Season to late Earth Season, these are partially concealed in high grass. In Dark Season, by snow. It is believed the lines are meant to represent the Web of Arachne Solara. At the northeast edge of the Grove, where it borders the cliff’s edge, a set of precarious steps has been carved into the cliff face. Descending these, one finds a ledge jutting out from the cliff about five meters below the grove. This wide, flat shelf is called the “Spirits’ Dance,” and is marked off by spirit posts carved with Spirit and Air Runes and each capped by a bleached deer skull. The winds are strong here, tugging at the clothes and hair. The shamans of the Svarthjort usually sit upon this ledge when they discorporate, their spirits sent out upon the winds. When a Royal dies, or one of the White Hart shamans, their bodies are left here exposed to the elements until only bones remain. These are then gathered and placed in a _teka,_ buried in the Bone Field. From the Grove the Royal holds court over the beasts of the Vale. Every Wild Day of Fertility Week, the beasts gather in revel here, growling and howling and roaring their hymns and their prayers as they dance through the night. Humans are forbidden to witness this, and those who have tried have been torn to pieces. Those seeking to walk the White Hart shamanic path come here to seek the Royal’s approval and instruction. He is the chief shaman of the Svarthjort. The process of awakening a White Hart shaman’s fetch begins here as well. Thus it is not unusual to find shamanic assistants in the area of the Grove. ### The Bone Field Between Stag's Hill and the slopes of Mount Quivin the Bone Field stretches. Nothing will grow in this field. The earth is black and hard, and in Sea, Fire, and Earth seasons a ground mist clings to it. This is where the male dead of the Svarthjort clan are laid to rest, beside the mound that houses the remains of their mythic founder. At the base of Stag's Hill is the Pyre, a rectangular slab of granite scorched black and always dusted with ashes. An ancient stone cross—the Sword of Humakt—stands behind it. When a clansman dies, his remains lie in state for seven days to see if his soul returns and then on the eighth are burned here upon a bed of Rune-carved logs. What is left—bone fragments and ash—are gathered and interned in urns (_teka_) to be planted in the Bone Field. The Pyre serves as a shrine to Humakt. While tradition holds that all men lie in state for seven days, this is not always the case for the destitute who cannot afford elaborate funeral rites, or criminals found unworthy of them. These men are buried (rather than cremated) at the far side of the field, face down in case their restless spirits try to rise. Sometimes a bronze spike is driven through their skulls or hearts to pin them down to their graves. There is usually one Humakt initiate on duty standing watch here in case something like this should occur. On days sacred to the Sword God, the Humakti of the clan gather here as well. Beside the Pyre is the Sword Ring, a circular patch of earth where duels and sparring are conducted. ##### High Deer Falls and the Deer Run The Deer Run is the physical manifestation of Running Doe, the mate of the Black Stag. She emerges at the far northern end of Black Stag Vale, a rushing underground stream that bursts from a high (500m) cliff face and plunges down into a crystal clear pool. Both the pool and the falls are called “High Deer.” The stream that rushes away from the pool, the Deer Run, travels the entire length of the Vale and exits through a gate in the wooden palisade wall. The Deer Run is an important source of fresh water for the Svarthjort, who claim it tastes purer and cleaner than “other” waters. While the Vale gets ample rain, and the Run is not used for irrigation, it is still connected to the fertility of the land. In times of drought, when the stream runs dry, each week inflicts a cumulative -10% on the Harvest Results roll. While the Run is not used for daily bathing or washing, there are a number of sacred traditions surrounding it, most connected to fertility and healing. New-borns throughout the Vale are washed in the Run soon after birth, and its waters are the first any Svarthjort is ever bathed with. The water is also used to wash girls before they enter the Riddle, as is the water used to cleanse women just prior to their elevation to the priestesshood of Ernalda. Women attempting to conceive drink nothing else but water from the Deer Run, and those attempting to catch the eye of a male suitor are known to anoint themselves with drops of Deer Run water in the same manner as perfume. In Sea Season, salmon swim up the Deer Run to spawn in the pool at High Deer. When caught and eaten, these salmon are believed to give men virility and sexual stamina. Finally, those Svarthjort who are grieving the loss of a loved one often travel to the pool at High Deer and pour their grief into a small stone. When tossed into the pool, this is believed to start the process of healing. Running Doe receives no direct worship, as she is intertwined with the Black Stag and the White Hart and receives a portion of worship from them. There is, however, a shrine to the Doe at the base of the High Deer. Each year, a young woman of the clan is selected to tend it. She is always the first girl to undergo the Riddle initiation into adulthood that year. Her duties involve going to the shrine each sunset with offerings of flowers and honey and singing a hymn to the spirit of the waters. ## Holy Days, High Holy Day Most Svarthjort men are initiates of Orlanth Thunderous, revering him as the Rainbringer and fertilizer of the earth. Thus Windsday of Movement Week is a holy day each season, with the men gathering atop Stag Hill and its upper slopes to offer worship and sacrifice. Savan, or one of his two junior priests, leads these rites. Before the ritual begins the hill becomes crowned in cloud and mist to conceal it from the eyes of the profane, though thunder is often heard throughout the Vale and the sky is lit by lightning. Windsday, Movement Week, Storm Season is the High Holy Day, with rituals beginning at sunset the night before and continuing though the next day. The Windsdays of Sacred Time are equally holy. The women are nearly all initiates of Ernalda. Every Clayday women worship around the hearth while the men are away in the fields, and though young children are often underfoot during these ceremonies they do not participate. Minor offerings are made, and prayers for health and fertility given. On Clayday of Fertility Week, however, the women of the clan all gather before the Riddle for seasonal rites, led by Morganeth and her priestesses. These rites are forbidden to the eyes of men and children. On Ernalda’s High Holy Day (Clayday, Fertility Week, Earth Season), Morganeth actually leads a procession of women _into_ the Riddle, and rites of worship and sacrifice are performed in darkness and secrecy. # The Storm Tribe ## Themes The central theme of Glorantha is the relationship between man and god, between the mythical and the mundane. The Orlanthi believe the deeds of ancient gods and heroes define our present world and that these deeds will be repeated, for good and ill, in the future. Men were not created to serve the gods, and instead have entered into ancient oaths and pacts with them for protection and benefit. Another important theme is the conflict between freedom, with its attendant requirement of personal responsibility, and submission to outside forces. The Orlanthi are a proudly independent people but have been conquered by the powerful Lunar Empire. They chafe under the Lunar yoke and have rebelled several times, albeit unsuccessfully. The Sartarites prophesy that a great Rebel King, the “Argrath,” will lead the Orlanthi to shatter the Lunar Empire and begin a new Gods War, called the Hero Wars. At the core of most games set in Sartar will be the hero’s community – most likely his clan. The hero will always have a tension between his desires and the demands of his clan. Orlanthi society expects that the needs of the clan take precedence over the wishes of the individual; all members of the clan are collectively responsible for the deeds of their fellow members. The clan may end up fighting with entities that the heroes wish could be allies, or perhaps forbidding the heroes from picking new fights. The hero may have to repeatedly choose between the demands of his clan and the interests of his friends and companions. Such tension is the making of epic and tragedy alike. A final theme is between change and tradition. The Orlanthi, like many Gloranthan societies, are profoundly traditionalist, cleaving hard to the ways established by their ancestors. New ideas and innovations are viewed with fear and loathing. Yet, Orlanth is a god of Change; he changed the nature Glorantha itself so the world might survive. ## Cultural Traits ### A Culture of Gifts and Loyalty Gifts carry powerful obligations and responsibilities in Orlanthi culture. The receiver of a gift is obligated to reciprocate, if not with a counter-gift of equivalent value, then with deeds and service. Gifts are commonly thought of as debts the receiver must repay. This exchange of gifts for loyalty is central to Orlanthi society and blessed by the god Orlanth. Because gifts always carry obligations in Orlanthi society, the Orlanthi view claims of altruism with extreme suspicion. > [!Info] Orlanthi Rings Orlanth and Ernalda showed people a ritual that bonds individuals together and makes a community greater than the sum of its parts. Orlanth called this his Ring and with it he bound the gods together. He formed the Lightbringer’ Ring with his companions and they rescued the world from destruction. The Unity Council was a Ring composed of representatives from all the peoples of Dragon Pass and brought the message of the Lightbringers to the rest of the resurrected world. Every clan has a Ring, made up of clan members chosen by the chieftain, who leads the clan in peace and war, act as judges, and wield the authority of the clan. The most common clan Rings are the Traditional Ring or the Lightbringers Ring. A tribe is a Ring of clans. Warriors sometimes form Adventurer’s Rings or Warrior Rings, who protect each other like close kin. Heort the Founder said that a clan is like a suit of dwarven mail and made of interlocking Rings that bind the community together into a fabric that can resist the strongest foe. A rural stead defended by a thane or huscarl. Sartarites are very suspicious of strangers until the stranger has placed himself under the sacred rules of hospitality. The ritual granting hospitality to a stranger is called The Greeting. Sartarites place great importance in taking care of their guests, often giving them the best food and drink the host has. A good host would rather personally go hungry than be thought a skinflint by those he has extended hospitality. When a chieftain gives a man a sword or golden ring, the recipient is obliged to serve and support the chief (unless he can give the chieftain a gift of equal value). A successful chief must be generous in giving gifts to his supporters! The same dynamic is present when the clan gives land to its members; in doing so, the clan binds the recipient closer to the clan. The Orlanthi carry over the logic of gift-exchange to concepts like feud and vengeance. Wrongs done to someone, like gifts given to him, make the injured party a debtor who must repay the “gift” in kind. But in the world of feud, unlike the world of gift-exchange, the debts are debts of blood. > [!Info] Wergild Wergild follows a general pattern across all Orlanthi clans, though variations always exist. It is based upon status, wealth, importance, and other measures of social status. Nobles have the highest wergild. A Clan Chieftain, selected by his folk, a Priest or Priestess dedicated to the gods; worth 100 cattle; a Tribal King, whose tribe has a ring and a wyter of its own, worth 200 cattle; and a High King, who rules all peoples and withstands divine scrutiny, worth 2000 cattle. Thanes have the next highest wergild, worth 50 cattle. A Thane who lives in a noble’s household and is sworn to fight for the noble; the Head of any bloodline recognized by the clan; a God-Talker, chosen by the gods; the Lawspeaker, who can recite the clan's law. Freemen, or Carls, are worth 25 cattle. Any one with a stead, a herd of 42 cattle, a full plow and plow team, and hands enough to harvest it, as long as he has weapons as well; a Skald; a Healer. The lowest wergild is given to Cottars, worth 10 cattle. Half-carls, with half a plow and half a team, or a full plow, or a full team; Makers, who build and craft; Cabbagefolk, who scrabble in gardens; Traders, who count money; Stickpickers, who gather fallen wood in the forest; Jugglers and other vulgar poets; and Beggars, every one a thief if your back is turned. Thralls and outlaws have no wergild, although the owner of a thrall may seek compensation for the destruction of property. > [!Info] What is a cow worth? Under Orlanthi law, “cow” is a milk cow that has successfully given birth to at least two calves. Although the laws specify payment in cattle, people commonly accept other things of equivalent value, especially when they know the other party does not have the cows to give. This is never required, however, and a plaintiff may demand actual cows. He might do this because he gains status from owning cows, or simply so he has an excuse to not accept wergild. Certain items are worth more than a single cow, such as a trained ox being worth 1 1/2 cows and a horse being worth 4 cows. The exact ratio of trade goods to cattle varies depending on craftsmanship, materials, and scarcity. The following equivalencies are average for most Sartarite clans: 1 milk cow = 20 bushels of barley = 5 hogs = 7 ewes = 20 silver coins. Tribute paid to a tribe is set when the clan joins. It is usually set in cows, but often includes other things based on the clan’s agreement with its fellows, including sheep, grain, horses, defense, and even magic. ### Gender The Orlanthi view the genders as being different but inseparable. Despite the external appearance of masculine dominance, women maintain social and personal equality. All adult women can speak in clan assembly, and if a clan “Weapon Taking” vote is called any meat cleaver, spoon, cooking pot used for three meals or sewing kit qualifies women for a vote. Men, by contrast must provide a shield, long knife, large spear, sword, and “strong hat.” Gender roles are divided and typical. Thus plowing, wood crafts, hunting and smithing are masculine tasks, while cooking, sewing, weaving, and household management are feminine. Men perform most jobs requiring heavy physical work, save for the perennial need for all hands to tend the harvest. Women manage the domestic economy of the hearth and household, negotiate marriages, and rear children. Almost all women are weavers; weaving is not generally considered a specialized craft. Orlanthi men are feisty, unpredictable, and passionate, while Orlanthi women are cool, calculating, and self-possessed. Emotional expression is common to both genders, but is more common among men who habitually burst into rage, grief, happiness, fervor, or gloom. The contrast is expressed in the poem, “Orlanth’s Wooing of Ernalda,” wherein the earth goddess manipulates her wooer to ensure the rights of women among the Orlanthi. Men are expected to protect women, especially women of their clan. The Orlanthi are open minded concerning individuals choosing the alternative gender role. History and legends include several famous women warriors associated with Vinga, Babeester Gor, or Humakt. Likewise, one famous male cook, Geo, has been enshrined as a minor but important cult figure. Compared to many Gloranthan cultures, the Orlanthi have relatively few sexual taboos. They prohibit sex with people who have not been initiated as adults; with married people; with members of their own clan; and with not-people such as foreigners, Elder Races, animals, rocks, and the dead. Even those few taboos may not apply to members of certain cults or during certain religious rituals. > [!Info] Orlanthi Tattoos The Orlanthi mark their bodies with magical runes of the gods, cults, ancestors, clan, tribe, and sacred events. Each clan and tribe has its own tattoo; at initiation, you were marked with those signs as well as the marks of your gods and your runes. Your status, profession, and important life events are also marked with tattoos. Orlanthi tattoos can be located on many places of the body: the face, the shoulder, the arms, the back, the abdomen, and so on. The tattoos are magical foci, sacred to the Orlanthi gods, and place you under their protection. ### Cultural Sayings The Orlanthi live in an extremely dangerous world and their culture is extremely violent by our modern standards; the god Orlanth acknowledges this with his first law: “Violence is always an option.” Orlanthi will kill impulsively over insults and slights to honor, to avenge wrongs done to them or their clan, in anger, or for any of a thousand other reasons. Indeed, killing a person who is not of your clan is not a crime under Orlanthi law – it is rather akin to a type of property damage and is in theory compensable by paying wergild to the victim’s kin! And yet, the Great Goddess Ernalda provides the Orlanthi with their second divine law: “There is always another way.” Orlanthi society provides alternatives to violence: community, clan, and tribe. Orlanth asserts the power of the individual; society functions because of Ernalda. ### Land Farm land is gifted by the clan to each free farmer in small field strips about the size a plow team can work in a day or two. A team of four to eight oxen pulls the plow, guided by the plowman (usually a carl) and the ox-driver (often his wife or a son). The fields of a single farmer are typically scattered throughout the clan lands and marked by low walls built from the stony ground. Many clans also have small fruit orchards and vineyards that are worked by individual families. ### Housing Most Orlanthi farms, called steads, consist of sturdy, all-purpose log houses (called a “hall” or “longhouse”) designed to withstand the cold, snowy winters of Dragon Pass. A typical stead includes a couple of long houses, each housing one or more nuclear families and their livestock. Other buildings include sheds for animals, hay, and other storage, workshops and other outbuildings. Furniture is home made. ### Villages and Towns Most Sartarites live on their farms or in small villages with fewer than 500 people. Each village is the center for a local clan or group of clans and has shrines dedicated to the gods of the local clan or tribe. A small weekly market is held in every village. Most of the residents are farmers or herders, but some are local crafters such as thatchers, carpenters, potters, coopers, and redsmiths (workers in bronze). Others are the mercenaries and retainers of the clan’s chief and thanes. Earthworks and other fortifications defend most Sartarite villages. There are a number of towns with 300 to 1000 residents scattered throughout Sartar. Most are tribal centers, where the various clans of the tribe can assemble for trade, worship, and assembly. Towns support a wider specialization of crafters than villages and some towns even have an ironsmith. The typical Sartarite town is defended by a combination of earthworks, stone or wooden walls, gatehouses and towers. ### Food Barley is the staple grain of the Orlanthi, supplemented by wheat and oats. Beer is the staple beverage, sometimes flavored with hops. Many clans grow fruits such as apples, berries, cherries, and grapes. Wine is a drink favored by the wealthy. Lamb is the most common meat, followed by pork. Cattle are used mainly to pull plows but extra animals are avidly eaten. Goats are considered religiously unclean and are never eaten, and rarely even tolerated. Wild game of all types is common. Horse, bear, and bison are considered luxury meats. Poultry include chickens and the smaller Singing Hen. Meat is roasted or boiled. Every man, woman and child has their own knife, and spoons of horn or wood; otherwise, they eat with their fingers. ### Livestock The two most important livestock for the Orlanthi are cattle and sheep. Cattle are draft animals, and to a lesser extent, a source of meat and milk. Sheep are a source of fleece, meat, and milk. Sheep are less valued than cattle, if just as important. Sheep are typically grazed in the hills, while cattle are more typically grazed in the lowlands. Bulls and rams have great religious significance for the Orlanthi: both animals are associated with manifestations of Orlanth. Sheep and cattle are targets for raiders, although a cattle raid is generally more prestigious and lucrative than a sheep raid. The Orlanthi raise other animals as well: horses, pigs, and poultry. Horses are highly valued but not as useful; the rough, rocky terrain of Sartar is treacherous for all but their sure-footed Galana ponies. Pigs are widely raised and are the second most important source of meat. Poultry is commonplace and most families keep a small brood on their stead to supplement their larder. ### Alynxes The Orlanthi make use of a domesticated feline called an “alynx” for tasks that are given elsewhere to dogs – especially herding and hunting. They vary from the size of a housecat to that of a large dog. Sacred to the god Yinkin, alynxes are noted for their silent movement. Domesticated alynxes come in distinct colors and patterns, but wild alynxes are usually dark in color, occasionally with darker spots or stripes. They mate seasonally; both parents tend the young, and separate afterwards. Alynxes are very intelligent animals, with an unbreakable alliance with the people of Orlanth. Although they are easily trained, alynxes always remain somewhat willful, and will do much as they please, regardless of the inconvenience to nearby humans. ### Clothing The common Orlanthi has both everyday, practical clothing and some special clothes for important events. Everyday clothing is usually leather or wool to resist the rugged daily tasks of farming, herding and hunting. Dress clothes are usually made of fine leather and linen decorated with furs and, occasionally, feathers. Linings, exotic cloth or furs, and fancy stitching or brightly dyed cloth indicate wealthier clothing. The Orlanthi normally use thong ties or metal clasps (fibulae) to hold things closed; they do not have buttons. Commonly, men wear trousers and a long tunic. Over this is customarily worn a leather or quiltedwool jerkin and a wool cloak to resist cold and wet. Some powerful Orlanthi holy men go “skyclad” (no clothes) or wearing only blue woad body paint. Women typically wear a long tunic to the ankles with a double apron dress pinned at the shoulders by a pair of brooches. A woman of authority wears the keys of the household on her belt. As with men, a wool cloak is worn to resist cold and wet. Most people wear heavy-soled leather sandals with a long lace that is wound up the wearer's leg. The poor go barefoot and wear no footwear, as do members of certain cults and religious societies. Headgear is common. Among men, a stout broadbrimmed hat or a felt cap is most common. Women commonly wear a fillet, a hood, or more elaborate headdresses. Many priests and godtalkers have distinctive headgear, the most distinctive being a high, conical hat with ram’s horns sewn in, often associated with Orlanth cults. Jewelry is common to men and women, including broaches, fibulae, bracelets, finger rings, necklaces and neck rings. Only women wear ear rings. Only men wear arm rings. > [!Info] Poetry The Orlanthi hold poetry in high esteem. Poetry comes in several different forms, distinguished by meter and purpose. Depending on form, poems can be spoken, sung, or chanted. > [!Info] Music The Orlanthi love music and dance. Two of Orlanth’s four contests with the Emperor were challenges of music and dance. A wide variety of blown, string and percussion instruments are used, including the circular trumpet, pipes, harps, drums, bells, rattles, and tambourines. Orlanthi dance range in style from the graceful and fluid dances said to come from the goddess Ernalda to the vigorous and brisk dances of the storm god Orlanth. All Orlanthi festivals and ceremonies incorporate both music and dance. ### Weapons and Armor The basic arms of the Orlanthi are a bronze-tipped spear, bronze axe and a shield, to which the wealthy might add a sword, a helmet, and bronze armor. Bows and slings are common missile weapons. Shields are usually wooden with leather facing, round or oval in shape. Rare shields are faced in bronze. Shields are usually brightly painted and decorated. The Orlanthi learned the art of metal-working from the dwarfs (who taught Gustbran). They are skilled red-smiths with a distinctive and highly ornate style. Bronze is commonly used for spear heads, axes, swords, helmets and, more rarely, armor. Spears are extremely common amongst the Orlanthi and nearly every free adult male owns one. The Orlanthi use a wide range of spears, some designed for throwing, others for thrusting. Axe head styles are equally diverse; one and two-handed axes are both common. Orlanthi swords are normally long and leaf-shaped, equally suited for thrusting or cutting. Long slashing swords are popular amongst horsemen. Well-made swords are intricately decorated and often given names. The Orlanthi have an amazingly varied array of helmet styles. Some have cheek pieces, and guards for the nose and neck; others protect nearly the entire head with slits for the eyes and mouth. Orlanthi decorate their helmets with inlays, crests, plumes, and feathers. Some cults use special helmets with ram or bull horns to signify their gods. Metal armor is rare and very valuable. Coats of bronze scales or chain mail are worn by chiefs and thanes, as are cuirasses of bronze plates. Greaves and vambraces protect the limbs. ### Community Only the most lost and forlorn character is alone in Glorantha. To be alone is universally considered the ultimate calamity. People are expected to be a part of society, usually as a member of several different communities within it. In return, an individual can reasonably expect assistance from his communities. This chapter describes the most important communities your character is likely to be a member of and presents guidelines for creating your character’s most important community – his clan. ### The Household For help, people usually go to their family first, usually because someone in the family is close, either emotionally or physically. This kind of advice or help is utterly informal and personal. It has no intrinsic meaning in terms of political or spiritual law. “A family has no secrets.” Whatever happens to one person happens to the entire household. It must be brought to the attention of the household to be addressed. If it is not, the issue is considered to have been a secret and therefore dishonorable. The household head usually makes some decision on the issue at hand. Maybe the entire household agrees; they probably sit around, discuss the issue, and decide whether to support it or not. The household goddesses protect the household. The sacred hearth is the domain of the senior woman of the household. ### Household Members The average Orlanthi household (or “hearth”) contains anywhere from six to forty individuals, residing in a single farmstead. At its center are normally a married couple, their children, grandchildren and other descendents, their dependents and guests. The membership of a household is always changing, for individuals move from hearth to hearth in response to the needs of the agricultural year or simply to follow the wind. Many households have non-bloodline members such as cottars, guests, or fosterlings; some households own thralls (a type of slavery practiced by a few clans). Some important or notable households may have specialist retainers like mercenaries or crafters. #### Household Support The household owns little of anything to call its own. The clan owns the lands and herds. Individuals own private property. They are not obligated to share it, although the may choose to do so. Advice is the best thing a household has to offer; plus, whatever friendship and personal obligations an individual has acquired. These are usually individual allies, followers, or other NPCs and best not handled as “community resources” as their collective strength is much weaker than that of the clan or tribe. #### Bloodline The bloodline is a means of kinship identification, not an organization. Although a very important part of a person’s identity, the bloodline has little to formally offer its members. The bloodline’s most significant resource is Morale. It may also have property, wealth, advice, or secret knowledge, as contained by the individuals within it. #### Bloodline Members The number of people in an Orlanthi bloodline varies widely. Bloodlines range in size from thirty or forty to several hundred adults. Each bloodline has a founder and members know their relationship by descent from that ancestor. A bloodline usually includes everyone descended from a common greatgrandfather (or sometimes great-great-grandfather). ### The Clan The most important community any Orlanthi belongs to is his clan. Individuals are expected to go to their clan for most help that they need. Moreover, the clan is invested with the primary power of interacting with those outside of the clan. #### Clan Members The clan consists of between 500 to 2000 people (the average is 900), organized by bloodline. People become clan members by birth, or join a clan by marriage or adoption. All adult members of a clan are marked with distinctive tattoos that identify them as members of that clan. #### Clan Territory The clan is a social unit, not a geographical boundary. Lands belonging to one clan overlap with those of another, more than one clan often share villages, and members of different clans interact on a daily basis; disputes between clans occupy much of the business of the tribal assembly. Every clan controls sacred places – called the clan tula – that belong exclusively to that clan. These places are holy to the wyter and ancestors, and are zealously defended. #### Clan Support Clans have five resource abilities: * **War**. The War resource represents the clan’s ability to defend itself from outside threats, and to aggressively achieve its own aims through force of arms. This includes the clan’s military ability to fight large scale battles and smaller scale raids, as well as the skill of its champions in duels. The actual military might of a clan is a composite of its various military forces – the thanes, mustered free men (“fyrd”), and skirmishers. * **Peace**. The Peace resource is the clan’s ability to extract favors from other communities, while minimizing the cost of its reciprocal obligations. This can include marriage agreements, alliances, healing, and even military support from other clans or the tribe. * **Wealth**. This is the clan’s material resources. Given the pastoral, agrarian nature of most Sartarite clans, this is counted primarily in cattle, sheep, and grain. This wealth can be employed on the behalf of its members. For example, the clan can simply agree to outfit someone as a thane, with all the accoutrements. They might grant food, supplies, money, or other treasures to help its members. * **Morale**. This is the clan’s belief in its ability to achieve its goals, and its willingness to follow the directives of the clan leaders. If the clan is willing to back an individual’s actions, then it adds a tremendous strength to his cause. * **Magic**. The clan wyter is the conduit for the community’s magic rating (see the chapter on “Orlanthi Religion”). The wyter of each clan manifests as a lesser god associated with one or more Rune Affinities #### Clan Advice In addition to the Five Resources, a clan can always provide advice to its members. The clan has specialists and experts in all normal facets of everyday Orlanthi life. A character might be advised by the clan priest or perhaps given sage council by the full clan Ring. The free members of the clan gather several times a year for a clan assembly (“moot”). At these meetings, legal disputes between clan members are resolved and major decisions involving the clan are decided. The clan chieftain and his ring of advisors meet more frequently, often weekly. ### The Temple Individuals are expected to go to their cult for specialized magical resources (see Chapter “Orlanthi Religion”). The cults are very specialized in the application of their energy to Magic resources. They will normally have no part in issues dealing with War, Peace, Wealth, or Morale – unless, of course, the cult specifically addresses those issues. Thus, the Humakt combat cult could provide War resources, but would be helpless to intervene in cases of Peace, Wealth, or Morale. For most Orlanthi, the resources of the Temple are controlled by the Clan (and simply reflect the Clan’s Magic rating). However, there are a few tribal and inter-tribal temples that are not subsumed within any one clan. This is often the case of minor cults such as Humakt, Lhankor Mhy, Issaries, and so on. ### The Tribe Tribes are much larger than clans, and so have a wider reach across the lands, as well as a much larger population-base to draw on. However, tribes suffer from being further removed than your clan – it is normally much easier to call upon the support of your clan than the support of your tribe. #### Tribal Members A tribe is a federation of clans led by a king and protected by a powerful magical spirit (“tribal wyter”). Sartarite tribes range in size from the Colymar with twelve clans and over fifteen thousand members to the tiny Amad tribe with only three clans and about two thousand people. Descriptions of each Sartarite tribe appear in Chapter “Tribes of Sartar.” Tribal membership is not necessarily permanent. Clans are known to join and leave existing tribes, and tribes have collapsed from external pressure or internal strife. The oldest tribe in Sartar is the Colymar, some three centuries old. Many older tribes mark their members with distinctive tattoos; all tribes have unique and distinctive symbols. #### Tribal Support A tribe can offer the same types of support as a clan but usually in much greater magnitude. For example, the Colymar kings can equip and support at least 60 thanes from their resources and many more dependents. Tribal magical rituals dwarf that of individual clans, and tribes possess far greater diplomatic resources. However, most campaigns will only need resource details for clans. **War**. The tribal War resource is the tribe’s ability to fight battles and wars, as well as the skill of the King’s bodyguards and thanes. The military might of a tribe is composed of its military forces: the king, his personal thanes and mercenaries, and the military forces of those clans that muster with the tribal king. **Peace**. The tribal Peace resource is the tribe leaders’ ability to extract favors from other tribes, cities, and temples from across Sartar and beyond. This can include marriage agreements, alliances, religious obligations and agreements, healing and even military support from other tribes. **Wealth**. This measures the tribal king’s material resources. This can be in livestock or food, or it can be silver, gold, and other luxury or prestige goods. Typically, a tribal king has vastly greater material resources at his disposal than a clan chieftain. **Morale**. This is the support of the tribe within the clans and ability of the tribal leaders to keep the clans of the tribe united to achieve tribal goals. **Magic**. The tribal wyter is the conduit for the tribe’s magic rating (see “Orlanthi Religion”). The wyter is manifested as a lesser god associated with one or more Rune Affinities. #### Tribal Assembly Disputes between clans or between members of the tribe and foreigners are resolved by the tribal assembly (or tribal “moot”). The tribal assembly is typically an annual gathering of the clan chieftains and their thanes and supporters, priests and interested freemen. The tribal king and his ring preside over the tribal assembly. ### Organisations and Customs #### The Individual *“No one can make you do anything.”* — Heort's Laws. Orlanthi society recognizes personal identity and individuality. It acknowledges a sense of self, but nurtures it only in a societal setting. The Orlanthi culture recognizes the biological urge of the single, lone rebel but subsumes it under the collective good. The mythology of Orlanth places the god in both the position of lawless outcast and as rule-making centre of the collective. It simultaneously allows each person to do exactly what he wants, and demands that they bow to the general will. The social conflict inherent in this system almost defines the turbulent Orlanthi society and barbarian politics. However, the actual weight of practice among the Orlanthi finds almost everyone as members of society. Human beings are social creatures, and membership in the community accrues many long and short-term benefits that are impossible for an individual to obtain by working alone. When offered the chance to be alone (an outlaw) or be a part of society, most people remain within the traditional practices of the group into which they were born. These practices define the place of an individual within their community. The benefits of belonging to Orlanthi society, according to tradition, are five: * Recognition * Participation * Protection * Direction * Justice. The responsibilities of membership are also five: * Maintain personal honor (integrity) * Aid in the feeding and defense of the community * Obey chosen leaders * Support Justice * Honor the laws of hospitality. The balance of loyalties seems to work best at the tribal level, where a number of bloodline-related clans jointly rule a geographic region. Nonetheless, both smaller and larger groups will be explained since they inevitably impact upon a person's involvements. Individuals among the Orlanthi are defined by their age, gender, marriage status, legal status, initiatory status, and occupation. #### Age *“Respect is owed to the elders, for they are the memory of experience.”* — Heort's Laws Orlanthi are ranked according to their age. Wisdom, one of the basic Orlanthi virtues can be accumulated only by personal experience. People are ranked, according to their experiences, into these classes: children (“not-adults”), adults, parents, and elders. Not-adult status is for children, or people adopted into the clan. It is conferred upon all children born of Orlanthi parents, or is granted to outsiders who are sponsored, and who meet various criteria to remain within the society. A not-adult has few responsibilities and minimal privileges. The basic requirement is for the not-adult to be obedient, and in return, they get protection and sustenance. Not-adult membership is begun while the child is still in utero, and is granted 7 days after birth in a simple ceremony that is an occasion for great joy among participants. Mature foreigners who wish to become members must undergo a First Rite, a period of instruction of at least 6 months, and a Birthday rite that makes them not-adult members of the clan. Children become adults after a formal initiation ceremony, parts of which are the most closely held secrets of the clan. The adulthood initiation rites are offered to not-adults between the ages of 15 and 19, depending upon local custom, the availability of initiators, and other on-going circumstances. On the average, initiations occur every five years. The process includes a preparatory period of guidance and education, a period of time spent with only the initiators, a solemn test of the individual, and a final ceremony which transforms the not-adult into a full member of society. In the old days, failure at a fierce wilderness initiation test resulted in the death of the youths who failed. Among modern Sartarites, with mixed gender rites and desanctified ceremony, failure results only in the expulsion and outlawry of the child. Adulthood confers full privileges and responsibilities. The welcoming of the reborn child is a true “initiation,” for it initiates a person's life as a member of society. Details of this are below. >[!Info] The Ordeal Years Traditionally, new adults in Orlanthi cultures go through a period of cult training or apprenticeship, often called the “Ordeal Years”. The newly initiated young men (which include those women chosen by Vinga) are brought to Orlanth Adventurous and given weapons, a cloak, and a broad hat. This is sometimes done by the clan, more often by the tribe; in some cities, the young men live in the temple or guild house; in other traditional clans, they live in the wilderness. For the next two years, they learn to fight alone and as part of the militia. They raid and hunt, learn to run long distances, how to climb cliffs, and other physical training. Most importantly, they learn the songs and dances of the Orlanthi gods and heroes, how to speak with spirits, and of sex, the bonds of friendship, and the duties of men. Similarly, initiated young women are brought to Ernalda and given a appropriate weapons (linked to the sub-cult, most women receive only a dagger but a Babeester Gor initiate would receive weapon like young men), a dress, a belt, a hooded cloak. This is sometimes done by the clan, more often by the tribe; in some cities, the young women live in the temple or are hosted in steads as "adopted daughters"; in other traditional clans, they live in the wilderness. For the next two years, they learn the place of their cult (and sub-cult) in the society. Most importantly, they learn the songs and dances of the Orlanthi gods and heroes, how to speak with spirits, and of sex, the bonds of friendship, and the duties of women. Now during the Lunar Occupation of places like Boldhome, New Pavis, or the other Sartarite cities, this had to be more circumspect. Young men and women were often sent to relatives in the countryside to learn how to be Orlanthi - for example, many went to Garhound in Pavis County, where they were under the protection of the clan chieftain. In Boldhome, many had kin among the tribes. Ironically, this may have created a stronger and more defined Orlanthi cults identity among the Sartarite communities and one often more loyal or devoted to the Orlanthi cults to their own city. Parents are adults who have born or fathered a child. Marriage age is around 20, but can be at any adult age. Parenthood does not confer any special legal status. Instead, it grants those things that come with being part of a bloodline, and its inherent concerns, responsibilities, and blessings. Anyone who has not become a parent by age 37 may, whenever they desire, undertake the Wanderlore rite, after which they too, are Parents. Elders are anyone over 60 years old. Elders, the repositories of wisdom, are widely respected, sometimes merely for the fact that they have survived in a life which is usually unstable, and often violent. Anyone over 85 is considered very old, and over 100 is ancient. Occasional extraordinary individuals have apparently limitless years of life, but this is rare. #### Gender Men and women are appreciated for their differences. Gender differences that are biological in origin, including issues of reproduction and sexuality, are accepted and enjoyed. No judgment is borne with the acknowledgment of gender differences; neither is better. Competition between sexes is expected, and channelled through social processes. These accepted methods include: in sacred ceremony; in social conventions; and through jest and humor. But accepting biological norms does not restrain the Orlanthi to impose them as absolute standards on all members. Daily occupations and lifestyles are not gender-determined. Thus among the Orlanthi most political and many sacral positions are not limited to one sex or the other. Warrior women and cloth-weaving men are both found and accepted. Nonetheless, 85% of the people follow mainstream gender lifestyles. #### Marriage Status *“Sex is easy. Marriage is hard, and the Gods bless the sworn bond.”* — Heort's Laws Marriage among the Orlanthi is a mutual bond between participants; it is both exclusive and monogamous. Since sexuality is relatively open and unmarried sex not frowned upon, the marriage bond is significant. Since marriage is sanctified by divine oath, adultery is frowned upon and sometimes dangerous. Divorce is common and available to husband or wife. Traditional law oversees the division of shared property in a divorce. The wife always returns home with her dowry, and the groom always recovers the brideprice, except in cases of marriage breach. Seven classes of marriage are recognized: 1. **Husband and wife**. Both participants have equal property, status, and responsibility. The woman moves to her husband's house, and the children belong to his clan. 2. **Husband and Underwife**. The husband has more status and property, and consequently more say in what goes on. The woman moves to her husband's house, and the children belong to his clan. 3. **Wife and Underhusband**. The wife has more status and property, and consequently more say in decision-making. The man moves to his wife's house, and the children belong to his clan. 4. **Esrolian husband**. The wife has more status and property than the husband. The man moves to his wife's house, and the children belong to her clan. 5. **Year-wife or husband**. This is a temporary marriage, renewable after a year, subject to terms listed above. 6. **Bed-wife or husband**. No property changes hands save for that publicly granted with witness. The children are raised by the individual who is not named in the title. Thus, a bed-husband is not responsible for raising the children. 7. **Love-wife**. No property changes hands, even unto going to the children of the pair. A vow of monogamy for its own sake, or the sake of romantic love. Children go to the father's clan. #### Legal Status Membership in society is a prerequisite to obtaining its benefits. If someone is “one of us” then they are expected to believe what we believe, and to operate by our laws and customs. The Orlanthi system recognizes different levels of status within the clan, each with its own qualities of life. This status is conferred by the clan upon someone. It is not determined by the personal property that an individual or his family/bloodline has (though such things are influential.) **Nobles** are the highest rank. They are leaders. Several ranks of noble exist. The lowest is that of Clan Chief. Ranked above that is Tribal King. In a normal clan, only two noble families probably exist: the clan chieftain, and the high priestess. **Thanes** are the next rank. They are tribe folk who have leadership roles, secular, military, or sacred, and have undertaken unusual responsibilities. They are the heads of households, the god-talkers who lead sacred functions, leading merchants or craftspeople, bodyguard huscarls for the chief, and members of the clan council. They receive, for their troubles, increased status, and wealth from the clan. An older version of their name means “horse men,” denoting their status. **Carls** are next, the free class of farmers. Carls have the widest range of legal rights and responsibilities. This rank is sometimes called a “Cattle man.” To qualify, a man must have a whole ox-team and a plow, and he receives as much land as he can plow in two seasons, or a “hide.” Carls are also expected to own a minimal set of military equipment, and use it to defend the community whenever the chief says to. **Cottars**, also called “Sheep men,” are the next class. They are the people who live in cottages, and/ or make much of their livelihood from sheep herds and garden plots. (There is a half-carl, but there is no point in going into that here. They must own “a half-team [4-oxen] or a whole plow.” They generally receive 27 acres of plow land that they work with other people's oxen and plow.) **Thralls** are the lowest class of person, mere slaves without any legal status at all. They are considered to be their owner's property, as if an alynx, cow, or horse, but not identified as people. Among the Dragon Pass Orlanthi, the status is recognized, but has long been out of practice, especially to emphasize their love of freedom, and to differentiate themselves from the slave-owning Lunars. Most of the thralls we know about are either debt slaves or criminals, though there is also the occasional recalcitrant war prisoner. Traditionally, the children of Orlanthi slaves are not slaves, and are adopted into the clan that owns the mother. **Outsiders** include all people who do not belong to Orlanthi society. In other words, it is the biggest sense of them that a tribesman can have. Outsiders are classified in different ways, according to how far outside of Orlanthi society they are. **Guests** are from someplace outside of normal society, but are temporarily protected by someone inside. A ceremony, properly witnessed, is necessary for someone to get this status. The sponsor and his kin are responsible for everything the guest does. **Strangers** are people who are from outside of the immediate group (usually clan or tribe) but who are still members of Orlanthi society. They can be trusted to follow normal rules and beliefs. **Outlaws** are those people who have been cast out of society, either because they have behaved without justice or honor, or have chosen to depart. Although sanctioned by the blessing of Orlanth, outlawry is a lonely, dismal, and often fatal way of life. An outlaw has been stripped of his obligatory connections to kin, chief, and tribe. He is utterly free, but has no social system to draw support from. If he is an outlaw, and hunted by enemies, he is usually doomed. **Foreigners** are people who are not Orlanthi, distinguishable by their different language, traditions, religion, or other characteristic. Many people who were Orlanthi peoples in ancient times have become foreigners through the adoption of foreign ways. **Elder Races** is a term that includes all of the intelligent non-humans that are not chaotic. In the Colymar tribal area live dragonewts, and the elusive dryad of Tarndisi's Grove. Nearby live Aldryami (wood people), Mostali (stone people), Uzko (darkness people), and half-beasts such as centaurs and intelligent ducks in nearby Beast Valley. **Chaos** is evil. Chaos is a force that manifests in many different forms, all of which are anti-life and work to harm the Orlanthi and others. Chaos can be things, beings, forces, or actions. No compromise is allowed with any type of chaos. Those forms of chaos which are most similar to Orlanthi beliefs are those which are especially abhorred; for instance, the unbridled violence of Urain is chaotic, but not the controlled violence of Urox. Likewise, Lokmayadism is chaotic, which is the reformation of both society and cult around an individual for his own aggrandizement, but not the “Foundation Ritual” which Orlanth taught, and is used every time a new tribe, clan, or nation is founded. #### Initiatory Status The immanence of gods and spirits in Orlanthi life makes a relationship with them essential to the tribesman. The tribe recognizes that different people have different levels of commitment, understanding, and consciousness about spiritual matters. The highest religious status is given to people who have an intimate association with a deity, called a holy person. Holy people can be of several types, but most often found is the clan god-talker — normal people, except when they lead magic for the clan. A priest or priestess is also a holy person, but has a full-time occupation at leading magical activities. They often have colourful or descriptive names — “Swords,” among the Humakti, and “Doctors” among the healers, for instance. Sometimes an old-fashioned spirit-master can be found, a Kolating, with his drum and feathered alynx costume, copper bells, and death-defying leaps and fire-tricks. Other types of non-Orlanthi holy people are the “Shadowed,” who work with very powerful, personal spirits that live outside of the Orlanthi pantheon. Another type of magician is the “Emptied,” also called sorcerers and wizards. They work entirely without divine or spiritual co-operation. Those who have never been initiated into the ways of Orlanth are called “4-ways,” a derogatory term describing their normal 4 directions of viewing the world. Initiates in any cult of the pantheon are the next level. This includes almost every Orlanthi adult. More important than simply being initiated, which everyone does, is the particular deity to which a person is initiated. All of the gods of the pantheon can be worshipped, and most of them show up someplace in the tales, often in a somewhat rough-and-tumble way, as victims, or simply witnesses. But mainstream Orlanthi culture does not view the initiate of the god of Death in the same way that they view the initiate of the goddess of Healing! Because most people wish to belong to the centre of society, Orlanth and Ernalda are ordinarily the deities that are worshipped; they are the “normal” deities. People within these cults may be associated with some minor aspect, such as bringing the thunder, calling to the barley, singing away the ice, raising children, or calling in the cats, but always as Orlanth or Ernalda initiates. Initiates of the deities who are closely associated with Orlanth or Ernalda are thought to be unusual, but totally acceptable. These include: Odayla the Hunter; Mahome the Hearth Fire; Eninta, goddess of childbirth; Minlister the Brewer, and so on. These cults are normally subsumed within the larger cults of Orlanth or Ernalda. Many other deities are known to the mythology. The bulk of Orlanthi society considers their initiates to be eccentric, strange, exotic, or dangerous. Around them normal people are at least curious, perhaps uncomfortable, if not downright frightened, depending upon the deity. Nonetheless, many of these find devout followers. These deities include: Issaries, Chalana Arroy, Lhankor Mhy, Eurmal, Yinkin, Humakt, Elmal, Kolating, Urox, Boneman the Smith, and others. An observer can be admitted to some rituals. Most of the larger, social rituals allow observers. These people must be friendly, or at least open, to the proceedings. Outsiders call these people lay members, though the use of this term is discouraged as probably being of God-Learner origin. Though they can watch what is going on, they never participate in the magic, and never get to see anything other than the mundane results of the rites. #### Occupation Occupations include all the manners of supplying oneself and family with sustenance. All occupations are, theoretically, equally worthy. But since the Orlanthi also judge a person on their wealth, and some occupations provide more income than others, certain occupations are unofficially, but de facto, less exalted. Further, the heroic warrior tradition of the rulers provides a further differentiation between professions. An approximate list of occupations for most Orlanthi can be found in the story of “The First King.” It is a story about Heort, but without ever naming him. In it, the King is a demigod who goes among the Second People and begets the first royal Orlanthi dynasty. Concurrently, his companions, enemies, and others create the Eighteen Occupations. The rankings in this list are commonly accepted as the highest to lowest status, although local needs determine the precise setting of the “Four Providers,” marked with an asterisk(*) below. Listed, the Eighteen Occupations are: king (warlord), prince, noble, god-talker, thane, high entertainer, weaponthane, farmer*, hunter*, herder*, fisherman*, craftsperson, gardener, merchant, low crafts such as charcoal burner, low entertainer, beggar, thrall. The same list, using vulgar nicknames for each class, is given in the “Ring of Labour.” *“Our upper class is those who do special things. They are: Warlord, who leads us in battle; First, who speaks to the Outside; Leader, who stands in front; foreman, who stands among us; worshiper, who speaks to the gods; fighter, who will die for us; poet, who remembers and sings;"* *“We are the rivals for Voria: farmers and hunters and fishers and herders. We share dinners, and leathers, and are brothers and sisters."* *“There are also the workers: Makers, who build and craft; Cabbage-folk, who scrabble in gardens; Traders, who count money; Stickpickers, who gather fallen wood in the forest; jugglers, and other vulgar poets; beggars, everyone a thief if your back is turned; and slaves, animals.”"* #### Society *“No one is more important than those with whom they live. Solitude is for the outlaw, holy person, and madman.”* — Heort's Laws An individual is far more important, and influential, as a member of society. Society is organized in a series of concentric rings of influence. At the centre is a person and his bloodline. Around that is his household (though this is relatively insignificant in terms of involvements), then his clan, which is the largest permanent organization. Finally, most clans are part of a larger tribe, too. (In your father's time, there was also a larger Kingdom, called Sartar, but that is now a thing of the past.) #### Benefits *“We provide Recognition, Participation, Protection, Direction, Justice, and Revenge.”* — Heort's Laws. Members of Orlanthi society receive many benefits: ###### Recognition Individuals have an officially defined, divinely sanctioned place in the universe, and everyone acknowledges it. Each person is guaranteed a place in society as him or her self. Further, that place in society can change, and is expected to change. Those who are willing and able to take on larger responsibilities have the community vehicle to assist them, and to participate as followers, and to admire or begrudge the leadership. ###### Participation Each person is guaranteed a part in the daily work of survival, and also guaranteed a return of sustenance for their work. This provides guidelines for behavior in the larger society. ###### Protection Everyone needs protection in the troubled world of raw Nature, recently polluted by the presence of the Imperial army. By working together, everyone can use their particular skills to help protect others. Thus, the clan is protected from the Seven Dangers: strangers, foreigners, enemies, hostile gods and spirits, disease, hunger, and chaos. ###### Direction The world is always changing, and no guarantee of much is given. But membership in the Orlanthi society always provides a possible way out for its members. It allows a person to maintain a harmony with the changing seasons, the moving herds, the rush and rage of battle, and the rotated fields of grain. ###### Justice Justice is a virtue of Orlanth. It provides the process through which individuals in conflict can achieve a fair and nonviolent settlement. Since violence is always a possibility among the volatile Orlanthi, this is the primary method used to maintain peace in a clan, and (when possible) among clans. ###### Revenge Revenge is what Orlanthi can resort to if Justice fails, or if they disagree with someone outside of their society. Individual tactics vary. “Violence is always an option,” says an Orlanthi proverb. Some say this proverb justifies violence, while other say it elevates revenge into a type of divine justice, while others say it is just a simple statement of obvious fact #### Responsibilities *“Among us, we must always hold true to the Six Social Virtues: Honor, Provision, Defense, Obedience, Justice, and Hospitality.”* — Heort's Laws. In return for the many benefits of membership in society, the Orlanthi way of life makes certain demands upon its members. ###### Honour Members must be honourable with each other. This means to be honest, to keep one's word (whether under oath or not), and be willing to keep the laws of Orlanth with each other. Honor also includes repayment of debts and avenging insults and injuries. Lack of honor means one is untrustworthy. This is a realm where mutual assurances are necessary for survival. If someone is personally unreliable, society does not want them in it. The Orlanthi model of justice relies on honor and the obligation to repay all debts. Spears thrown at someone are “gifts” demanding repayment, as are broken bones and injuries. Wrongs done to an Orlanthi are “gifts” given to him, which must be “repaid” in kind. The Orlanthi do not consider forbearance of such “gifts” to be honourable. Quite the contrary, those who are not willing to avenge insults and injuries made against them are often viewed as dishonourable cheats. ###### Feeding and Defence Everyone must contribute to the welfare of the clan, to the best of their abilities. Methods of doing this are three: nurture, leadership, and defence. Far more people are committed to occupations that nurture than to leadership or defence. In proverbial terms, “We are all farmers, each of us with other skills.” ###### Obey Chosen Leaders All Orlanthi (except thralls) have a voice in their local government, and are expected to participate to the fullest. One of the responsibilities of members is to select their leaders. Anyone is theoretically eligible for office, although in practical terms leadership has often devolved to certain self-perpetuating bloodlines. But everyone is obliged to obey their chosen leaders in all community affairs, once the selection is done. Protests can be lodged in Just ways, but it is shameful to endanger the community with inappropriate conflict over leadership once a decision has been made. An amusing example of this virtue in action is in the story called “Karallan's Plight.” In it Karallan cannot decide on “something-right-and-wrong.” He asks his father, who gives him an order, and sends him to the clan chief. The clan chief countermands his father's order, and sends the lad on, through a series of important people. He carries the message to, and gets conflicting orders from, the clan high priestess, the berserker, the champion, a thief, an ancestor, and finally from Orlanth himself. He solves it by deciding which people were his chosen leaders, and settling with the obvious compromise between them. ###### Support Justice Membership in the community assumes that members will obey its laws, and do what is required to help justice succeed. Many things are done without really noticing: new livestock must be left in the village common for a week before it can be brought home, with local jurors as witness to ownership claims. When a criminal is sought, most people work to hound him out. ###### Hospitality Rules of hospitality originate with Orlanth himself. They help provide guidelines for personal interactions. They provide a way for people to meet, and rules of behaviour in the house of another. The Meeting Formula gives a prescribed way for strangers to determine each other's commitment to nonviolence. Once at ease, the rules of guesting provide the framework to prevent inadvertent insults that might bring shame to either the host or guest. #### Bloodline, Family, Household *“Everyone should know their father, and respect the head of their hearth.”* — Heort's Laws. Each person has a bloodline. It is the smallest social unit that can be isolated in terms of law, custom, and tradition. Bloodlines are exogamous, which means that members of the same bloodline can never marry or have sex with each other. Most Orlanthi clans are patriarchal clans, and trace their bloodlines through the male side. Each bloodline has a Founder, and the paternal genealogies start with him, and continue on to all descendant members of the clan. Membership in a bloodline is, in fact, normally determined by descent from the founder. The variety of marriage arrangements offers many exceptions. Family is an informal (non-legal, practical) term that includes the immediate relatives of an individual. It always includes his wife, parents, siblings, and children. It often includes any uncles, aunts, or first cousins who live within the same stead. Families have no official legal standing, and are a matter of biology and affection rather than law and custom. A household is a settlement that often includes members of more than one bloodline. The families live co-operatively, each receiving their official allotted part of the stead from the clan, and with daily management handled by the household head. #### The Clan *“Orlanth had the first clan. We will have clans, like Orlanth.”* — Heort's Laws. The clan is the basic operative social unit. Smaller units, whether bloodlines or households, and larger units, whether tribes or kingdoms, all come and go, but the clan is steadfast. It may prosper or diminish, but it does not change its requirements and definitions. The clan is the “overfamily” of several bloodlines that trace their origins to a founding event, spirit, or other occasion that forged the clan. The clan shares responsibility for a traditional geographic region. The clan is also responsible for overseeing marriages within its bloodlines, justice among them, and distributing the land commonly held by them all. A clan ranges in size between 500 and 2000 people. It is organized by bloodlines, with decision-making cantered in the Clan Ring, a council of 20-30 members, 7 of whom serve as officers, or the inner ring. The council has a permanent structure, and its positions are filled by members as the need arises. The precise structure of any clan council varies in the number of members, precise function and duties of members, and its own history. Nonetheless, great similarities exist and can be noted. The clan council is responsible for maintaining justice among its members. It is also responsible for negotiating with people who are outside of the clan in such matters as justice, trade, war, and obtaining wives for marriage. A clan has a small army. The hardy members of a clan form the basic Orlanthi military unit. In case of local disaster, any and all able-bodied men and women can turn out and fight, but such emergencies are avoided if at all possible. Most of the time, about half of the male population is considered to be available for local defence. From a typical 1200-person clan, 250 or so are adults (85% males and 15% females) who are ready for a fight. The same pool can be drawn upon to raid neighbours, though only rarely would all the able-bodied fighters of a clan go raiding at once. In reality, the well trained and equipped fighters are far fewer. First, and most splendidly outfitted, is the clan chief. Always near him in battle are his ten loyal huscarls, ready to defend him or die. They are most likely to be well equipped and efficient. Clans own herds, and are the caretakers of territory. Each clan territory is divided into fields, grazing lands, and wild lands whose usage is assigned by the leader each winter as part of the Sacred Time celebrations. The territory of one clan usually overlaps with other clans. Most of the time, each area in a region has its traditional allotment of animals that go along with it. Reallocation of fields and grazing grounds is the way that the chieftain honours a bloodline and increases their standard of living. The core territory of a clan is its tula. Within the tula are always several places. These include a meeting place where the clan moot meets, a market centre, and both a public sacred area and at least one secret site for men, another for women. However, most lands controlled by the clan are outside of the sacred tula. ##### The Chieftain The chieftain is the leader of the clan. He has the responsibility of being spokesperson and decision-maker for all members, especially in times of emergency. His success as community leader depends upon the support of the council and the folk, both of whom have separate methods of removing him from office, should the need arise. The violent ethic of the Orlanthi lifestyle makes the chieftain de facto a warrior. He must also be just, to balance the many needs of his people; and strong, to represent them to the outside world. According to “Andrin's Words,” a chieftain must meet certain requirements: *“He must be initiated into the clan secrets of Orlanth, and have participated in the Four Yearly Rites, and the Lightbringers Quest in Sacred Time. He must be healthy and spontaneous, just and hospitable. He must have two good horses, a metal helmet and byrnie, two good swords, and six spears. He must know the name of his ally, and know men's magic, and have a magical item of his own. Furthermore, three clan folk vouch for him, and relate deeds of honor, judgment, and courage that they have seen. Finally, he must prove his skills against all other candidates for the office in the Chief Tests."* As long as someone meets those requirements he (or less often, she) may vie for the position when it is available. It may be available when the chieftain retires, dies, is killed, or is removed by either the council or the folk. All candidates give their speech and after everyone has been examined, a general election is held. All adult members of the clan have a single vote, regardless of their other rank. Usually the candidates are brought forward, starting with the youngest, and a voice vote is taken. If a verbal vote is not sufficient to differentiate the winner, an election is taken with each person placing a spear head into the ceremonial election basket of their favoured candidate. The winner must have a plurality of votes. After a single candidate has been chosen, he is acclaimed by a wapentake — all members shout and bang their weapons on their shields with as much noise as possible. After this acclamation, the priests and priestesses obtain a vow, then bless him. Then all retire for a great feast of celebration. ###### Duties of the Chieftain The clan chieftain must know and recite the laws of the clan, or know someone who can. He must work with the council for the good of the clan. He must know all customs of giving and gifting to members of the clan. He delivers all gifts from the clan to the tribal king. He must lead the defence of the clan against any foe. He must schedule, open, and oversee all clan markets, celebrations, battles, sacrifices, and movements. He must oversee food harvest, storage, and distribution. He must interact with all strangers and foreigners who enter clan lands. He must adopt all minor orphans of the clan, and assign them as appropriate. ###### Privileges of the Chieftain The chieftain of the clan receives all gifts from the king, or other outsiders, to keep or to redistribute. He receives one part in 20 of all grain harvests as his own. Of all triplets born, animal or human, he receives the third for his own fold or household. He receives the usual gifts for leading sacrifices and ceremonies. He receives the prestige, status, and glory of being the representative of his clan to the world. ##### The Clan Council The clan council has two parts. The Outer Ring is large and, except when it meets, vague about membership. It might be, at one time, all the thanes of the clan; at another, the 25 heads of households of any rank. (Under other circumstances, the Outer Ring members are often addressed, ceremonially, as the Thunder Brothers.) The Inner Ring, usually seven in number, are officers chosen by the Chieftain from among the Outer Ring. They are the decision-making and advisory body of the clan. They wield authority, borne in some sacred clan object, often a sceptre, sometime a crown. They lead in peace and war, act as judges, and perform any other political functions needed. The officers' positions are likely to follow one of three models: Traditional, Lightbringer, or Local. ###### Traditional Council members occupy positions of power that relate to various deities of importance. Orlanth the Chief heads the traditional clan pantheon, and is supported by other life-providing deities, and so the council is a mirror of that. Traditional councils usually have seven members: Orlanth the Chief, plus three gods and three goddesses. Typically, these are: Barntar the Plowman, Voriof the Shepherd, and Odayla the Hunter; and Ernalda the earth, Eiritha the Cow Mother, and Esrola the Grain Goddess. They could also include Heler the Rain god, Humakt the War god, Urox the Storm Bull, Harst the Merchant, Yinkin the Alynx, or others. Not unusually, also, Orlanth is assisted by one or more of his “sons,” in various societal role positions: Adventurous, Champion, Lawspeaker, Goodvoice, or Thunderous. They are often collectively included as the Thunder Brothers. ###### Lightbringer The clans with a Lightbringer council are much less varied than the traditional clans. They have seven special officers. The heads of the households are collectively called Ginna Jar. Five of the seven officers are predetermined. They occupy the places of: Orlanth the Chief, Issaries the Guide, Lhankor Mhy the Sage, Chalana Arroy the Healer, and Eurmal the Thief. The other positions have some flexibility, often being filled by the clan ancestor, who is titled Flesh Man, and Vinga the Adventuress. ###### Local Some clans have their own variation on the traditional council. Where the land is poor and the people few and are widely spread out, they are sometimes barely distinguishable from the primitive peoples. #### The Tribe *“In dangerous times, obey the King of the Tribe.”* — Heort's Laws. Tribes are federations of clans that work towards a common goal. In theory, all tribal associations are temporary and voluntary. In practice, tradition in Sartar has established tribes whose membership varies, but which are more or less stable due to geographic, historic, or mythological circumstances. Tribes provide the framework for inter-clan cooperation, especially in matters of justice, mutual defence, marriage issues, trade, and specialized cults. The simplest tribes are those bound together in Triaty. This simply means that the three exogamous clans take wives only from one other clan. Thus, the three clans are bound unusually tightly together by links of kinship. This is an old form that usually disintegrates under social pressure. Now considered to be an archaic form, the Triaty is sometimes found within a larger tribe. ##### Justice Normal justice occurs within a clan, and concerns only its members. Sometimes clans clash, and rather than subjecting each other to war, seek Orlanth's Justice. A tribe provides the vehicle through which justice can be manifested to bring about such a peace. If both clans are within the tribe, the council oversees judgment. If only one clan is within the tribe, then the tribal council negotiates with the tribal council of the opposing clan. ##### Mutual Defence Whatever can be achieved by a single clan is often easier with many clans. The violent world of the Orlanthi tribal lands makes mutual defence desirable among clans that share a geographic area. ##### Marriage Issues Clans are largely exogamous, and the wives must come from someplace else. Wife negotiations, blessings, and transferal of dowries are overseen by tribal officials. When a serious problem arises in divorce, tribal officials must do their best to settle it without combat. All clans have a list of prohibited clans, with whom marriage or sex is forbidden, in order to prevent unwitting incest. Most clans have a second list of prohibited marriages, due to ancient feuds and other historical events. Many have a select list of possible clans to marry, perhaps vague (all animal clans) or specific by clan name. Most have a traditional set of nearby clans with which they hold close connections. Some have no concrete guidelines, other than the normal prohibitions, and the clan's collective acceptance. ##### Trade Interaction with outsiders, especially the merchants from outside the tribal area, is the prerogative of the tribal council, which provides protection to the guests in return for certain trading rights, such as first choice of the items sold. ##### Specialized Cults We know that our Gloranthan deities are reflective of their worshipers — if more initiates sacrifice at a sacred place, the god's presence and ability there are also increased. A few worshipers get some contact, but really huge gatherings can cascade into grandiose affairs. Everyone judges the size of gatherings by comparing it to their clan. To get the best effects, clans normally direct most of their magical work to everyday tasks of survival, and so most of their god-talkers are dedicated to gods of everyday tasks: Orlanth and Ernalda, and their household. Some Orlanthi deities are important, but not important enough to be represented in a normal clan. For instance, a healer of Chalana Arroy is a great asset, able to heal wounds, cure diseases, regrow body parts, and sometimes bring the dead back to life. But for a priestess to be assured of getting her magic back by fully contacting her deity during the periodic rites, she must have the formulaic “7x7x2 participants.” Otherwise, her greater magic, which sets her apart from other god-talkers, is not guaranteed. She must, therefore, try to go to a larger gathering of her cult whenever possible. Tribes provide the organization through which the initiates from many clans can gather and combine their efforts. Thus, the lesser deities of the pantheon receive their portion of worshipers, but a gathering nets a larger population for the meeting. The shrines for the special deities are usually associated with a specific clan, either because their ancestor made the association, or because they are custodians of a place sacred to the deity. On holy days, initiates from clans throughout the tribe gather there to raise the manifestation of the deity, but the clan is often the recipient of some advantage. For instance, the three Runegate clans are said to have a way with horses since they are descendants of Hyalor Horsebreaker. The most common of these specialized deities include: Issaries, Chalana Arroy, Lhankor Mhy, Eurmal, Urox, Odayla, Yinkin, Humakt, and Elmal. ##### The Tribal King The tribal king must epitomize the Orlanthi ordeals. His life should be a continual statement that imitates and communicates the great god Orlanth from his lofty heights of myth into the daily lives of the farmer and his wife. The king is presence and power, and the power he receives from the clans can be used to great ends. According to “Andrin's Words,” a tribal king must meet certain requirements: *“He must be initiated into the secrets of Orlanth, and have participated in the Four Yearly Rites, and the Lightbringer Quest in Sacred Time. He must succeed at a Crown Test.”* The “Crown Test” is a re-enactment of “How Orlanth Became King.” The expectations of the tribesmen vary according to the tenor of the times. In peaceful times, a dramatic re-enactment and symbolic combat with the local Elmal representative is sufficient. In war times, ambitious kings usually lead a raid against the enemy and let the destiny of their reign rest on the results. Once this test was used aggressively. Among the Colymar the candidate was named Leika Ballista, and she reached far during desperate times. She undertook an old-fashioned journey to destroy Chaos in its own lair. She succeeded a harrowing invasion of a mad poet's test, and was acclaimed Queen by her joyous people, without any preliminary legal preparation, despite the other rivals. ###### Duties *“The king must protect the weak. He must lead in dealing with all issues of justice through the force of law and arms. He must choose a tribal council. He must muster the people against enemies, and divide all plunder among the clans. He must employ a master smith and a master brewer.”* — Andrin's Words ###### Privileges *“A King can stop into any household of his subject, and stay for a Day-feed. He is always welcome, with his household, in the home of any noble or full priest. He is the guest of his clan council.”* — Andrin's Words ##### The Tribal Council Thirteen members usually make up a tribal council. As with most Orlanthi customs, variants are common, but usually minor. The High Thirteen are: 1. Orlanth, the Chief; and 2-5. Orlanth's kin, Humakt, Urox, Thunder Brothers (adventurer, thunderer, lightning, snow, thief) 6-9. his 4 thanes: Issaries, Lhankor Mhy, Chalana Arroy, Elmal, 10. Ernalda, his partner; and 11. Her family member Asrelia 12. Her family member Voria; and 13. Eurmal, the Trickster This flaunts the (unlucky) number of thirteen by including the Trickster aspect consciously into its membership. The inclusion of this unreliable priesthood is strictly ceremonial, as can be noted by the regular mistreatment delivered upon tricksters at high council meetings. No one likes or trusts Tricksters. They are regularly lynched, partly because no one trusts them, and partly because murderous idiots, who are normally restrained by law, have no law to restrain them from murdering Tricksters. Thus, Tricksters live utterly outside the law, and can do anything that they want. However, they are not protected by law at all either, and most tribes lynch anyone proven to be a trickster. Thanks be to Orlanth for the loyalty pledge. If the Trickster will swear absolute obedience to an Orlanth initiate, then that initiate must protect the Eurmali from unjust harm. In this way, some Orlanthi tame a trickster enough to allow them into sacred ritual. ##### Tribal Spirit A tribe always has a protective spiritual entity. It is a collective entity or group spirit of the type called wyter. The tribal wyter is analogous to the ancestral clan spirit. It is a literal esprit de corps. Like all spiritual entities, the health, magnificence, and power of the tribal spirit varies with the number of individuals devoted to it. A similar type of entity is named Ginna Jar in the Lightbringers Quest. This name is a term of unknown derivation and impossible translation, but is apparently the Lightbringer Wyter. ###### Selecting Tribal Officers Tribal Officers are selected by the council of clan chiefs. Usually the King presents his candidates and the chiefs approve of some of them. Then the chiefs must present their own candidates, and the final selection is made. A tribe is not such a large body that many surprises occur in these choices. ##### Justice Orlanthi justice is based upon a long-standing oral tradition. The most important laws are ascribed to Orlanth (who established the current state of the universe), Heort (who established the current state of the culture), and Sartar (who established the local kingdom). Lhankor Mhy, in his tribal form (Orlanth's Lawspeaker Companion) is the memory of all these laws, as well as other oral information. All free people have the right to avenge harms against them and their clan. Aggression against one member of the clan is an attack on the entire clan. Failure to avenge an affront against oneself or one’s kin is a grave dishonor and endangers the other members of the clan, for if a man does not take steps to retaliate he has proven himself to be in the wrong. A man who does not take vengeance will likely be shamed, ridiculed and humiliated by the women of his clan. The difficulty with vengeance is that it can spiral out of control. Each act of wrongdoing requires retaliation, which in turn requires retaliation. These blood feuds can bring entire clans and tribes to war and destruction. The law provides a method to settle disputes without violence and way to settle blood feuds. When a conflict must be settled, the case is taken to court. >[!Info] Duels Anyone injured or offended can challenge the other party to a duel as a direct method of resolving the dispute. This could be a matter of honor, ownership or property, demand of restitution or debt, legal disagreement or intention to help a wife or relative or avenge a friend. A duel is typically fought several days after the challenge at a place specially prepared for the fight. Refusing the challenge means one is without honor and can result in outlawry. Another member of the challenged person’s clan can stand in during the duel without a loss of honor. The winner of a duel will likely owe wergild to the loser’s kin; participating in a duel does not exempt one from wergild. ##### Court Procedure A plaintiff initiates the action. He has a gripe, just like everyone. But unlike most people, he decides to make it into a legal issue. The plaintiff takes it to his local juror, who is probably a relative of his living on the stead. The juror is usually, for practical purposes, a person knowledgeable in the traditions and laws of the people. Lhankor Mhy is the patron god of this knowledge. Larger settlements, like towns, have several jurors, while cities have many. It is an unofficial position — no one ever qualifies a person to be one. But it is one of great importance and vital to the system. Any honourable tribe member can be a juror, but it is usually the most responsible, intelligent, or wise person who is selected. To be rejected by a respected juror who has heard your case is a serious rebuff. Plaintiffs should quit, and be glad they did not make fools of themselves. Of course, there are ways to force jurors to work, and to bluff or fool them, or force them through subtle means. But those are exceptional actions, and the workings of sagas. To begin a case the juror takes an oath that varies in precise content among different tribes, clans, and regions, but always pledges the juror's honor and soul to uphold Justice, then asks Orlanth, Lhankor Mhy, Heort, and/or Sartar to guide him. This is called the Legal Oath. He then makes a judgment. This judgment gives the juror's opinion on the complaint, based upon the information that he knows. The result of this judgment depends on whether the recipient of this judgment, called the defendant, cares about it at all. Most of the time the ruling of this juror is accepted if it is close by — typically within the stead, for everyone is under the same rules there. But if it is outside the juror's sphere of influence, further steps must be taken to get a settlement. If the defendant is outside of the juror's area, and the issue is to be pressed by the plaintiff, it goes to formal Court. The juror and plaintiff must find a juror with authority over the defendant. The juror then swears the Legal Oath again, and then states the complaint. The new juror must take his own version of the oath, then restate the complaint and ask the plaintiff if this is true. Upon hearing affirmative, the juror and plaintiff both select two more jurors each. These might come from nearby, or have come along with the plaintiff. The six jurors, plaintiff, and defendant must then convene at the next meeting where a court of judgment has jurisdiction over both parties. In the most typical case of two feuding clans, this is usually the quarterly tribal moot if they are in the same tribe, or either the annual or the traveling royal court if they are from different tribes. But the rule is that any honourable person with access to and experience in the legal rules, cultural traditions, and native gods which are relevant, and who is mutually acceptable to both the plaintiff and defendant, can oversee the proceedings of the court. At the court a judge presides, whose word will be the final statement on the issue. His job is to find as much justice for all involved parties as can be found. If his ruling is disobeyed, the judge is obliged to summon all the jurors, their kin, and his own kin to uphold it. At the selected court, the second juror states the case. The plaintiff then tells his story. The defendant then tells his story. The judge asks for advice, usually from one or more Lhankor Mhy seers. Their job is to tell what precedents exist, the story of when the law was made, and other facts that they might know of relevance to this judgment. The Lhankor Mhy people have magic that can tell them the truth, and they can decide whether to use it in any case they desire. Also, either the plaintiff or defendant can ask for it, at an expensive rate in cattle or trade metal. The judge can order them to do so, also, though it costs him less. The judgment includes fines and penalties, perhaps including outlawry. Orlanthi law rarely calls for a death penalty. Afterwards, the jurors are responsible for spreading the word on the judgment, and remembering it. Another responsibility of the jurors is to act as witnesses for livestock exchanges, and for notable commercial transactions in general. When a person brings livestock to the town or stead, they put it in the common pasture and get the juror. The juror witnesses the ownership, and helps spread the word about it. If no one else claims it within seven days, the new owner can take it home. If anyone else claims it, then the court procedure starts. > [!info] Wergild and Outlawry Orlanthi law provides two types of remedies – fines (wergild) and outlawry. A man’s wergild (“man debt”) is how much his life is worth under Orlanthi law. When an Orlanthi evaluates a person from outside of his clan, his calculations always includes the outsider’s wergild. The intent of wergild is to prevent feuding. If a clan accepts wergild, it means that they agree not to take vengeance for the killing. Accepting wergild is considered just and honorable to the Orlanthi. Wergild is paid by one clan to another clan – it is rarely a transaction between individuals. Wergild applies only when a person kills or assaults a person from a different clan; it never applies when one member of a clan kills another – such murder is kinstrife and is beyond the scope of Orlanthi law and custom. The amount of wergild is determined by the status of the victim. A chieftain or a chief priest has a wergild of one hundred cows; a thane fifty; a carl twenty-five; and a cottar ten cows. There is no wergild for the death of a foreigner without clan or an outlaw. Outlawry is typically reserved for actions that start or seriously escalate a blood feud, and is divided into “lesser” or “greater” outlawry. Lesser outlawry is temporary, bringing a sentence of 3 years exile from tribal lands. Greater outlawry is permanent and is tantamount to a death sentence. #### The Combat Option *“Violence is always an option.”* The Orlanthi always recognize the right to fight for what they want. But mindless violence for selfish ends is not acceptable. Orlanth has made laws on the just use of violence. The clan nature of the society allows a champion of the clan to do all the fighting for everyone in it. It need not always be the same person in a clan — the best candidate in a fight to the death might not be the right guy to have in a wrestling match. If a plaintiff or a defendant wishes, they can go to their champion at any time and ask them to back up their claim. The champion usually goes to the juror involved and asks an opinion. Other people (the clan) are also asked for advice. If everyone agrees, then the champion appears at the proceedings. This is a significant escalation in the stakes. It automatically raises all court costs for the side with the champion. The other party either quits, or calls their own champion for defence, which is expected. They then continue the court proceedings. If, at any time, the plaintiff or defendant or the champion feels that dishonour or lies are prevailing in testimony, or whenever any dishonourable action is taken by anyone involved, the champion of the offended party may declare an offense, state the reason, and claim the right of combat. At that point the presiding official, whether juror or judge, is supposed to give advice and judgment on the justice inherent in the champion's challenge. Often this formality is ignored in the heat of the moment. This pronouncement is supposed to be the last warning, because in fact anyone who initiates unjust combat will be severely affected by Orlanth during the subsequent fight. Unjust defenders also suffer, of course, but not as severely since they did not initiate the judicial fight. In the cases where both parties are just, no divine interference occurs. #### Making Peace *“There is always another way.”* Alternatives to the champions killing each other are encouraged. The litigants, jurors, and champions are all supposed to ask the advice of knowledgeable people of the community. If they do not, it is sometimes possible for the community to disavow their member's foolish action (always with a hefty fine). Outside influences are a popular way to settle disputes. The Princes of Sartar were popular because they always offered to contribute something to deadlocked cases that could be settled by someone with outside judgment and a touch of generosity. #### Crimes ##### Bloodlines There can be no crimes against one's own kin of the bloodline. Bloodlines must maintain their own internal standards of behaviour and maintain obedience to the family well being. An individual who is not an outlaw is inseparable from his family. No laws govern the treatment of an individual by his kinsmen. Common sense and good will bend the actualities towards familial kindness, but it isn't laws that determine this behaviour. Bloodlines are responsible for all their members. The group shares in the punishments incurred through the actions of its members. The group also shares in the rewards, such as judgments awarded to them. ##### Capital Crimes The following are crimes for which a person can be put to death: secret murder, rape, regicide, betraying cult secrets, consorting with Chaos, desecration of Orlanthi holy places, and deliberately breeding disease. #RQ