Joining the Clan explanation
Here is the explanation to the world behind Joining the Clan. It's not very clear yet but I'm working on it slowly... very slowly.
Here is the first this I came up with for this world. Be aware I say elves and dwarves but haven't actually decided what the other races will be yet.
---
They were a human warrior race feared by all. The elves would calmly leave when news of them reached them, the dwarves would borrow and raise defenses, humans would desperately wish to be left alone.
No one understood how it came along, not really. Humans, while individually could be strong, were overall the weakest race. They had the most diversity and the potential overall to be the best, but most just didn’t live up to it. They defeated themselves with their wars and government structure.
So when a small group of explorers ran into a society of humans they weren’t too worried. For all that humans were so chaotic, they tended to be nice overall. They were graciously accepted into homes and fed well and when they left the next day they felt pretty good. Until they came upon a destroyed town not half a days walk. Thinking back they realized the ‘town’ they had stopped in before had been temporary, nothing more than a camp. The people they thought of as so kind was a war party, the scout wave.
They turned and ran home, spreading word as they went of a new fierce race.
---
So the above happens after my short story I posted before this. Also, I'm not quite sure on the scout party actually destroying the town, for all they appear savage they aren't so this is still under thoughts.
---
***
So. The new race is in actuality just humans. Deadly, fierce humans, but just humans. They have a form of government unknown to the rest of the world, where everyone in the community comes forth and gets their say, everyone listens to the laws they help put in place, women are equal and are treated as such, and criminals are harshly punished. At first, it is the fact that criminals are so harshly punished that people believe the system works - but that’s not it. The entire community works together and does not take advantage of the rules or system, though outside of politics everything seems to be fair game.
---
No, this does not play out as nicely as I make it seem, but you need to read most short stories (that I haven't written yet) to really understand what I'm saying.
---
They start training to fight at an extremely young age, but at age 12 they make the choice of leaving the fighting force or staying with it. Male and female get the same choice and neither is pressured either way, people just don’t see it that way. There is a higher concentration of males in the continued fighting force but there is a pretty good amount of females each year as well. Children are raised together as a community - no one has one particular mother or father, instead the entire town is their parents and so everyone starts of with an equal foot. Marriage is also a simple deal. While it is not required of partners to hook up, it is generally frowned upon to jump between beds nightly. The majority of the community is married however, and they stay faithful amazingly well.
Their homeland isn’t very healthy. It is extremely cold and mountainous and there is no farming land except in small packets in hard to get places. So, the entire culture has picked up and decided to move. They move extremely slow and conquer wherever they go, only to leave that town or set of towns within a year or two. First they send forth a scouting group with definite plans to conquer a town. It is up to the group how they will go about it. Usually they ask for land first but they are almost always told no. So when they are refused the group attacks and kills all over the approximate age of five, men or women, child or old. They fight to the death, usually killing of the majority of the town depending on how good the town’s garrison is. After the fighting is done they give the left over people choices; death, enslavement that ended when they left town, or citizenship. By citizenship they mean they join them and their way of life. If they are untrained then every morning, from sunrise till suntop, they learn to fight with the youngest of fighters or wherever their skill places them. Then, after noon, they have to carry on with whatever their old job might have been. That of course depends on what it was. If it was whoring, nothing, or simply getting drunk then they get two choices - continue training or find a new trade. If it was a trade that they already have and have a lot of then they may join as an apprentice to become a working partner at the discretion of the master of that trade.
In many respects, the citizenship is the hardest choice. Slaves get the disgusting jobs and the most boring, but it isn’t that hard of a life. They didn’t believe in pleasure slaves or harsh punishment (though an occasional slap or missed meal is accepted) and they would be set free to return to their old lives once they moved on. Death was exactly what it sounded like - a fast, quick death for those who lost entire families and couldn’t go on, they were given a respectable death and sent off with the rest of their loved ones. Citizenship though, a lot was expected of them. They were worked the hardest and while they got the best rewards, many dropped out and became slaves. Those who make it as a citizen till the end are offered a chance to travel with them when they move on.
---
And that is part of the reason their culture works and survives. Because there is a testing period where they do weed out those that would break the peace or those who argue a different philosophy.
---
They value strength most. But strength is not just the one best with a sword or one who could lift the most. Strength was getting up every morning despite knowing you would just be beaten by those half your age with no effort. Strength was standing in front of your fallen husband with a dull kitchen knife when your society raised you to be meek. Strength was standing up after you had fallen or knowing when to move and when not. Strength was wisdom, courage, and power all balanced out.
Many said no when asked if they wanted to join them, but many said yes as well.
---
There you have it. You know have a weaker understanding of what I have. It is not the perfect world I paint up there, but it's the ideals of them. The reality is just that, reality. You won't get to see exactly what I mean by that until I write it out though.
Here's some explanation on the names.
Dai is the title of the leaders
Ove is the title of the highest warriors.
When the people decide citizenship they are given the option of taking on a new name, like Jacek did, or keeping their old one. Most keep their old name.
Karisa is the wife, Rachar is the husband, Risawi is the daughter(age 8), Charsa is the son(age 6).
In Karisa and Rachar's culture it is the habit to keep the last two syllables (four letters really) of their parents name and add on two of their own. usually the parents choose at the children's birth. It is not uncommon for them to have nicknames of the first four syllables. For Risawi, Risa, for Karisa, Kari.
Here is the first this I came up with for this world. Be aware I say elves and dwarves but haven't actually decided what the other races will be yet.
---
They were a human warrior race feared by all. The elves would calmly leave when news of them reached them, the dwarves would borrow and raise defenses, humans would desperately wish to be left alone.
No one understood how it came along, not really. Humans, while individually could be strong, were overall the weakest race. They had the most diversity and the potential overall to be the best, but most just didn’t live up to it. They defeated themselves with their wars and government structure.
So when a small group of explorers ran into a society of humans they weren’t too worried. For all that humans were so chaotic, they tended to be nice overall. They were graciously accepted into homes and fed well and when they left the next day they felt pretty good. Until they came upon a destroyed town not half a days walk. Thinking back they realized the ‘town’ they had stopped in before had been temporary, nothing more than a camp. The people they thought of as so kind was a war party, the scout wave.
They turned and ran home, spreading word as they went of a new fierce race.
---
So the above happens after my short story I posted before this. Also, I'm not quite sure on the scout party actually destroying the town, for all they appear savage they aren't so this is still under thoughts.
---
***
So. The new race is in actuality just humans. Deadly, fierce humans, but just humans. They have a form of government unknown to the rest of the world, where everyone in the community comes forth and gets their say, everyone listens to the laws they help put in place, women are equal and are treated as such, and criminals are harshly punished. At first, it is the fact that criminals are so harshly punished that people believe the system works - but that’s not it. The entire community works together and does not take advantage of the rules or system, though outside of politics everything seems to be fair game.
---
No, this does not play out as nicely as I make it seem, but you need to read most short stories (that I haven't written yet) to really understand what I'm saying.
---
They start training to fight at an extremely young age, but at age 12 they make the choice of leaving the fighting force or staying with it. Male and female get the same choice and neither is pressured either way, people just don’t see it that way. There is a higher concentration of males in the continued fighting force but there is a pretty good amount of females each year as well. Children are raised together as a community - no one has one particular mother or father, instead the entire town is their parents and so everyone starts of with an equal foot. Marriage is also a simple deal. While it is not required of partners to hook up, it is generally frowned upon to jump between beds nightly. The majority of the community is married however, and they stay faithful amazingly well.
Their homeland isn’t very healthy. It is extremely cold and mountainous and there is no farming land except in small packets in hard to get places. So, the entire culture has picked up and decided to move. They move extremely slow and conquer wherever they go, only to leave that town or set of towns within a year or two. First they send forth a scouting group with definite plans to conquer a town. It is up to the group how they will go about it. Usually they ask for land first but they are almost always told no. So when they are refused the group attacks and kills all over the approximate age of five, men or women, child or old. They fight to the death, usually killing of the majority of the town depending on how good the town’s garrison is. After the fighting is done they give the left over people choices; death, enslavement that ended when they left town, or citizenship. By citizenship they mean they join them and their way of life. If they are untrained then every morning, from sunrise till suntop, they learn to fight with the youngest of fighters or wherever their skill places them. Then, after noon, they have to carry on with whatever their old job might have been. That of course depends on what it was. If it was whoring, nothing, or simply getting drunk then they get two choices - continue training or find a new trade. If it was a trade that they already have and have a lot of then they may join as an apprentice to become a working partner at the discretion of the master of that trade.
In many respects, the citizenship is the hardest choice. Slaves get the disgusting jobs and the most boring, but it isn’t that hard of a life. They didn’t believe in pleasure slaves or harsh punishment (though an occasional slap or missed meal is accepted) and they would be set free to return to their old lives once they moved on. Death was exactly what it sounded like - a fast, quick death for those who lost entire families and couldn’t go on, they were given a respectable death and sent off with the rest of their loved ones. Citizenship though, a lot was expected of them. They were worked the hardest and while they got the best rewards, many dropped out and became slaves. Those who make it as a citizen till the end are offered a chance to travel with them when they move on.
---
And that is part of the reason their culture works and survives. Because there is a testing period where they do weed out those that would break the peace or those who argue a different philosophy.
---
They value strength most. But strength is not just the one best with a sword or one who could lift the most. Strength was getting up every morning despite knowing you would just be beaten by those half your age with no effort. Strength was standing in front of your fallen husband with a dull kitchen knife when your society raised you to be meek. Strength was standing up after you had fallen or knowing when to move and when not. Strength was wisdom, courage, and power all balanced out.
Many said no when asked if they wanted to join them, but many said yes as well.
---
There you have it. You know have a weaker understanding of what I have. It is not the perfect world I paint up there, but it's the ideals of them. The reality is just that, reality. You won't get to see exactly what I mean by that until I write it out though.
Here's some explanation on the names.
Dai is the title of the leaders
Ove is the title of the highest warriors.
When the people decide citizenship they are given the option of taking on a new name, like Jacek did, or keeping their old one. Most keep their old name.
Karisa is the wife, Rachar is the husband, Risawi is the daughter(age 8), Charsa is the son(age 6).
In Karisa and Rachar's culture it is the habit to keep the last two syllables (four letters really) of their parents name and add on two of their own. usually the parents choose at the children's birth. It is not uncommon for them to have nicknames of the first four syllables. For Risawi, Risa, for Karisa, Kari.