VotankiClans

Hunter/Gatherer Plains Clans?

Hunter/Gatherer Forest Clans?

Fisher/Gatherer River Clans?

CitadelClans?

Service Clans?

Clan Social Structure

Clan Laws

The Balazaring Nation

Membership of the Balazaring nation is determined by ancestry from Votank, the common ancestor. All members of the nation can call upon the common ancestor and gain certain privileges and abilities from his spirit as well as responsibilities. In order to become a Balazaring, you would need to undergo an spiritual rebirth as a descendant of Votank and would then be eligible to access the special abilities of the spirit. Losing this status is effectively exile from Balazar?, no Balazaring would recognise you as an equal or hunt with you.

The Tribes

In a similar way, each tribe a common ancestor spirit. Interestingly, tribal membership is quite a weak feature in Balazar and as a result the tribal spirit is called upon much less frequently that the clan or nation spirit.

Clan Totems

Each clan has a totem spirit that protects the clan and is a focus for the unity and survival of the clan. The power and strength of these clan spirits can vary, but all of them will have at least one clan rune priest that will act as the focus for their worship. This spirit gives benefits and obligations to all members of the clan. The clan totems can be divided into three groups:

The hunter totems

Spirits that are worshipped alongside the Foundchild Spirit, these clans take traditional hunter animals as their clan totem and worship them in order to emulate their success. Often the totem animal will be sacred to the cult and they will avoid killing it under any circumstances, and may be hostile to outsiders that kill it as well. They have a more aggressive attitude towards prey animals and will hunt any animal anywhere that they can, much like their totem animal. They are more traditionally hunter types. Their rune from the Foundchild Spirit is the Death Rune. These clans are:

The prey totems

Worshipped alongside the Foundchild Spirit, these clans take a traditional prey animal as their clan totem as worship them in order to ensure that they are always available to be killed. The clan will emphasise management of the clan animal and the rituals necessary to ensure that it's spirit survives in order to enter the next generation. They will often resent members of other clans killing the prey animal, especially if they do not use the proper rituals. These clans are in many ways very close to semi-domesticating their totem animal and following the Praxian model of survival. Their rune from the Foundchild Spirit is the Harmony Rune. These clans are:

Special

The other totems - these clans fulfil different ecological niches in Balazar? and are the most differentiated and in a way the most advanced of the clans.

Griffin Clan worships a very powerful spirit - King Griffin. They have become a military rather than hunting clan, occupying lands in Dangerground and raiding trolls and other clans for food rather than hunting and gathering themselves.

Tree Ghost Clan? worships a powerful nature spirit - the Tree Ghost?. It is the ruling clan of Dykene Tribe? and survives by trade and industry in the citadel.

White Goat Clan? - worship a spirit that showed the clan a great source of flints that they mine and knap and trade with other clans.

Silver Hawk is the trickster spirit of Balazar?, and embarrassed Black Dog? at some point. Silver Hawk Clan? fulfil a role as emissaries and heralds, settling disputes between clans and tribes.

Clan Structure

Each clan is headed by a chief, who is a Chosen of the clan Spirit and of Votank. He is assisted in his decision by a council of elders of the clan. These elders are:

There may in addition also be other holy men outside the council of elders.

The rest of the clan is made up of a number of hearths which are extended family groups that will normally hunt and gather together. A hearth will normally span 3 generations, and when the eldest ancestor dies, the hearth will split to form a number of new hearths, each with a new common ancestor, normally the daughters of the eldest ancestor. Men join the hearth of their wife when they marry. Some hearths may not split up entirely if the parts would be too small to be viable - normally there are at least two hunters in a hearth and two women to gather and look to the children.

Common Balazaring Names

Balazaring is an inflected language on the Pelorian model, based on Old Pelorian and Firespeech, such that speakers of New Pelorian can understand it with a -25% modifier. There is no written version. The Balazaring names are however derived from the older extinct Votanki language, but now have Balazaring endings, which are -i for a male name and -a for a female name. The ending -ing on a male name is indicative of an individual of high status.

Male

Altazari, Varari, Banari, Goomori, Rylenthi, Orori, Vazaari, Kolari, Bobandi, Gordri, Voori, Yalarni, Vylonthi, Morari, Wulgari, Tarkari, Krillandi, Allani, Polonthi, Ruhklari, Sylvanthi,

Female

Allyria, Starnia, Willarnia

Epithets

Running Dog, Twelvespear, The Rock, Hawkeye, Goldtongue, Skyspeaker, Sabletoe, The Sly, Tigerteeth, Oathbreaker, The Snake, The Swift, Leatherskin, Greyeyes, Bullstopper, Oneshot, Thundercaster, Dog Friend, The Pup