Tribal Society

When humanity was liberated from the camps the people followed the Fatima who had saved them - some for each of the eight and thus the tribes were first formed from a shared suffering at the hands of the Z'bri.

They had been under the dominance of the Z'bri for so long that they had no notion of how to move forward. How to truly live again was unknown to them. It was here that The Mother, Eva, guided her children to be an example to the other tribes and taught them the ways of kinship.

To herself, Eva gathered the wisest women of her Tribe and these became the first clan matriarchs. From these Matriarchs were many children born and as the number increased and as the families grew up, the daughters of the first Matriachs left to start their own families under the mantle of the original Matriarch. And thus was the tribal kinship established - that each belonged to a family and that each family belonged to a clan.

This model was spread to the other clans who each imbued it with their own nature.

• Terashebans and Joanites follow the clan system much as the Evans do - with their Guilds and Cliques operating separately to the family units.
• Yagans and Magdalites conflate Guilds with Clans and thus a daughter will no only be part of her Mother's clan but will also inherit her craft and her role within the tribe.
• Dahlians and Agnites have completely rejected the clan system. Dahlians replace the clan system with caravans and when you come of age you choose which caravan you wish to join. Agnites are kept according to their age and have little sense of 'kin'.

A tribal's name will, in general, contain three parts to it according to the clan system.

• First will be their given unique name.
• Second will be their clan name, based upon the name of the first matriarch of that clan - it ends with the suffix 'on e.g. Aria'on or Thaim'on.
• Third will be the family name based upon the name of the woman who currently leads the family and thus will change every generation. This ends in the suffix 'kin e.g. Grav'kin or Bethn'kin.

• Agnites tend to only have one given name.
• Dahlians have a given name and are identified as being part of their caravan. E.g. 'of the Players Guild' or 'of the Sail'

N.b. Please feel free to create your own clans or caravans from which your PC's have come from.

• Fallen are stripped of their clan and family names or their caravan association. They tend to keep their Given names (but this is by no means absolute) and also sometimes take on an appropriate epithet or a surname. E.g. Verruca the Wraith or Hal Ninver.

Each tribe fulfils several functions within the overall Tribal community. Some of these functions are practical and some are more spiritual and Ritual is an important part of Tribal society.

Yagans are entrusted with looking after the records of the history of the Tribes as told through the preserved skins of the dead and are also responsible for the death rights of the tribes. It is only they who are qualified to see that a person is correctly treated after their death to ensure their soul is carried safely by Baba Yaga across the river of dream to a future paradise. Without them you are doomed to an eternity in the sea of the Lost.

• There are roughly 7,500 Yagans in the tribes.

Evans are the great healers of the tribes but also its farmers and its gardeners. Much of the food production for the tribes is undertaken by them and their lands are the breadbasket of the tribes. At least one Evan is present at every birth, not only to oversee its safe delivery but also because through Eva is the Goddesses gift of life most manifest.

• There are roughly 13,000 Evans in the tribes.

Magdalites are the diplomats and the ambassadors. They oversee agreements between people as well as catering to the soul of the tribes. They are present to oversee every marriage as Magdalen deals with matters of the heart.

• There are roughly 2,600 Magdalites in the tribes.

Terashebans are the judges and the advocates and the lawmakers. They interpret the will of the Goddess into the laws of the land and ensure that they are overseen correctly and that justice is done. Because all Laws come from the Fatiam's and thus from the Goddess, the application of justice is a very spiritual matter.

• There are roughly 3,900 Shebans in the tribes.

Joanites provide the main military might of the Tribes. Although all the tribes contain people who are capable, it is the Joanites who train most to form the guards and warriors and defenders of the tribes from outside threats. They also provide the physical arm of internal Terasheban law enforcement and are some of the best weapon and armour crafters in all the tribes.

• There are roughly 6,100 Joanites in the tribes.

Dahlians spend time moving around the other tribes, trading whatever is needed and moving goods around as required. They are also known to trade occasionally with keepers and squats. Spiritually they encourage the outward looking part of the Soul (compared to the Magdalites inward focus) and are responsible for most of the plays and entertainments put on across tribal lands.

• There are roughly 5,200 Dahlians in the tribes.

Often Agnites will be found fulfilling minor roles around Vimary (messengers, field hands, traders etc.) but the tribe as a whole does not fulfil any practical purpose. Spiritually however they represent innocence and this is not lost on the rest of the tribes who tend to tolerate and look after them.

• There are roughly 1,100 Agnites in the tribes.

The Fallen perform no function, physical or spiritual, for the tribes and yet they rely in part upon tribal assistance (un-acknowledged of course) for continued survival and also tend to trade more easily with the Squats and Keepers than the tribals themselves.

They organise themselves into five philosophical outlooks which can be found here

• There are roughly 130 Doomsayers
• There are roughly 400 Herites
• There are roughly 300 Jackers
• There are roughly 100 Lightbringers
• There are roughly 120 Children of Lilith