Apologies for not keeping up with this thread, life suddenly got very hectic. WreckTall, would you be alright with an Id Rager taking the Pride emotional focus? I ask because Pride was published after the Id Rager so isn't explicitly mentioned in the list of options.
Ok, fluff added as well for himself and his tribe. Feedback welcome.Again I like the flavor and detail. Can I assume some of your slaves are of the academic variety? (Like the Romans use to do) Your fluff implies that tactics and education are highly valued. Is your tribe considered literate? Do they have a type of primary school? Do Orcs teach? or are such tasks relegated to slaves?
On Schooling:
On Slaves:
I really like this concept, but I haven't had time to pull together a full submission. I think I will have to withdrawal. Makes me sad but such is life.
I like the flavor and detail. Does your tribe have any annual celebrations? Any rituals of child to adulthood? Are all conflicts within the tribe solved with combat or are some offenses brought to Tribal leader for judgement? Are there any taboos at all?
Oooh, good questions. Okay, let's see.
- There's a celebration for procreation. Not like an orgy as much as "It'll be more efficient to have all our children within the same few weeks." It helps the tribe to plan for when they will be at their weakest, what they need to have prepared.
It also works as a way to teach the children - Since they all tend to be close in age (on a year by year basis), from a young age the children basically act as their own "tribe" within the tribe, settling disputes and having people to spar with and learn from. It helps them with understanding the roles and importance of everyone when they get older. The adults are (generally) fairly hands off.
- The ritual from child to adulthood is at around age ~12. The child has to go out into the sands and find a worthy enemy (typically a large scorpion, giant wasp, things like that.) If they're a warrior, they have to bring back its corpse. If they're a spellcaster, they have to bring it back changed (typically tamed). If they're a thinker, they have to trap it and bring it back alive. The children are typically allowed very few supplies and little training for this, as one typically has little preparation for things in life.
- Very few conflicts within the tribe are actually solved with physical confrontation or violence. They're mostly discussed and voted on. Sometimes things will be brought before the leader, but the tribe actively tries to not be so divided on things. One of the tenets that goes with the Tribe being the only thing that they have is the understanding that everyone is doing their best to try and improve the tribe.
- Along those lines, the only taboos are around hurting or killing another member of the tribe. The tribe will certainly put someone down if they are dying or suffering, but you would never sneak attack a brother or attempt to kill a sister. Such behaviour is incredibly shameful as it weakens the tribe. There have been different ways this has been handled over the years - from tribe-sanctioned murder, to exile, to imposed suicide, to atonement. Often it comes down to the severity of the offense.
In such cases where the offender dies/is killed, their bodies are not eaten, as they are believed to be tainted. In most other cases, the tribe will eat their fallen comrades. It is a sign of respect. That goes with enemies as well, as they believe they will gain the strength of their opponents. For an enemy to not be eaten is a symbol of great disrespect.
For your entertainment, I give you Whiskey's submission: Skûn of Many-Voices. Feedback very-much welcome.
The Keening Bones Tribe firmly believes that the afterlife, all afterlives, are hellish places filled with torment compared to the waking world. So, to save themselves and their ancestors from passing on, they ritually bind their fallen brothers' souls to their bodies through ritual. In other words, they eat them, mimicking the scavenging psychopomps that carry a warrior's soul from the battlefield. Each and every member of the tribe has parts of the souls of the preceding generations flowing through their bodies - the worst punishment the tribe can issue is the refusal to devour a members soul, the highest honor it can bestow on an outsider is the consumption of his.
As a side note, this practice also changes how schooling works in the tribe. Rather than use traditional methods the tribe's shamans will, with mind-altering smoke and a convulsing dance, strengthen the souls in their student's bodies so that their ancestors can teach them. All wisdom comes from the dead.
This ephemeral bond draws the tribe very close together; there are far fewer internecine killings in the Keening Bones than expected. Unfortunately, this also means that there are far too many of them - absent the death of a chief the tribe has no real population control and periodically pours out of their mountain home to raid richer lands.
Born screaming along with the wailing wind, Skûn's first taste of flesh ignited a burning surety that he would one day taste the flesh of the chief. Coached by his ancestors, he showed an unusual skill in manipulating other orcs - a skill which served him well when Chief Torbaz Bright-Eyes realized he was a threat. He was able to stave-off assassination until Torbaz fell in a raid; his discipline held him back from the tiring initial infighting and his rage won him the title of 'Chief' - if he could survive the ritual.
The drinking of the ritual stew was like chewing a lightning bolt - the collective souls of over two-hundred strong-willed orcs nearly drowned Skûn's mind in their mad rush to dominate the new chief. If Skûn had failed, if the chiefs had subsumed him, he would have been killed by his tribe's shamans on the spot. The dead chiefs overwhelmed his political savvy, his discipline, and his rage until all that remained was his pride. And it remained. He would be chief, and from his soul's final bastion Skûn re-took his body and was named Skûn of Many-Voices - the echoes of his rasping voice returning timbers not his own.
Since Ulroch Longtusk and Urlok Slimetusk are pretty similar, if it helps you could call my character Jonas Longtusk. It's the human name he adopted and is using at the start of the game anyway.
Interesting. What kind of transgression would earn the worst punishment? Can and do enemies use this against you? Is there a way for a outsider to kill one of your tribe and prevent the soul from being consumed?
Cool. I'm interested. How far away is the deadline?
Recruiting is closed. Now comes the hard part. Selection.
@legoguy: Check two posts above yours :-/
gubdarnit! oh well, good luck!
@WreckTall; I will have full details on the tribe in my bio by tomorrow. Work has been insane but I've been chipping away at it
Done! Added tribe info.