A Guide to the Hidden Valley
Geography
The Hidden Valley is located in the Hawkshold Mountains, approximately six days' hawkback flight north of Tower Mountain. The Valley was formed by glacial scouring during the last several ice ages, and had been free of glacial ice for less than a thousand years when Meiron's tribe discovered it. Remnants of the glaciers can be observed on the mountains surrounding the Hidden Valley, which never entirely lose their snow caps. Elevations in and around the Valley range from 6,000 feet above sea level at the valley floor, to over 15,000 feet at the highest of the peaks surrounding it. Temperatures in the higher meadows are typically 10F to 20F (5-10C) degrees cooler than in the Valley proper. The high country receives several feet of snow per year, though summertime
thunderstorms also occur.
Hidden Valley is an oval, slightly wider north to south than east to west. It has an area of approximately 20-25 square miles. Spreading into the center of the valley bowl is a glacially formed lake; deep and cold, fed by several beautiful waterfalls and an underground aquifer. The Hidden Valley is completely enclosed by sheer rock faces, mostly natural, but in many places modified by rockshapers in order to make them more difficult to scale. The outlet for the lake, originally a waterfall flowing through a narrow cleft in the valley walls, was closed off and the river forced through an underground tunnel by Lord Meiron and other of the original elven inhabitants. A wall of stone was raised to close off the the cleft. From outside the rock wall, it is virtually impossible to tell that the valley exists at all, unless one is scouting from hawkback.
While there are several narrow and treacherous paths up the valley walls which lead to adjacent valleys (often used for additional grazing land) the only entrance which can be used by large numbers of people or by pack animals is the Trade Tunnel, a passageway originally burrowed under the rock walls by the Hammer Hall trolls, who invaded and sacked the Valley in TWR 641. The later inhabitants of the valley have enlarged the trolls' tunnel significantly.
The majority of the valley's floor is gently rolling meadowland, used for farming and grazing. During the abandonment of the valley, forest encroached over much of this area, until the expanding population of the second wave of inhabitants forced the cutting of most of it for fuel and farmland. The Hometree Grove is a small patch of remaining forest in the southwest corner of the valley, along the cliff face. Many treehomes were originally shaped there by the treeshapers among Meiron's people; the Deathwater Falls elves have taken it as their home and currently inhabit the treehomes.
The eastern side of the Valley is inhabited by the Nieali'Cin, a human tribe who consider Beliel and Doleera (and later Twilight) to be gods. They provide most of the Valley's farmers, warriors, and grunt labor.
The High City is in the northern area of the valley. Unlike the Tower, it is a cluster of rockshaped villas and outbuildings rather than a single structure. Many of the buildings have graceful spires or minarets rising as many as five stories tall. Many are girded with balconies; several of these spires are connected at various levels by stoneshaped walkways. The High City's architecture is mainly of Lord Meiron's devising, though Lord Beliel and his family made some significant later alterations. The villas are surrounded by terraced gardens, 'lawns' for strolling, and natural vegetative screening to provide areas of privacy. It is widely admired by visitors as an example of elven architecture at its finest. Lord Beliel's court is held on the ground floor of the central and tallest spire; his private quarters, and those of many of his children, are in the upper levels of this building.
The Brightcolor Desert elves have their village along the western side of the Valley. They live in family huts and have some garden plots in this area, as well as contributing labor to the main fields to the east.
The eyries are set in the cliff wall almost due west. There are four chambers to the Hidden Valley eyries; the 'main eyrie' is nothing more than an assembly point. The actual nesting is in three chambers that connect to the main one. Each chamber has an opening to the outside, but that is kept blocked by a combination of framing and natural growth; they are only to be used in the event of an attack that requires a quick escape. The main eyrie is also a trap, with an archer's gallery around the rim of it. There are guards in each of the tunnels, and a passage from the eyries to Doleera's Keep so that riders can get to mounts without danger of being shot, if the valley is attacked.
Stormrider Keep is just to the north of true west. Originally it was a villa for one of the families that liked to be away from the city center. Those humans who enter service with Doleera there stay there until they are retired. The courtyards have been altered into training areas, and living quarters have been made out of larger rooms. The Keep is a multi-storied structure, probably shaped out of a natural rock formation, one that butts up against the western cliffs, where the eyries are. At the base it is rectangular, the long dimension running N-S. In front of the structure is a large lawn, surrounded by a treeshaped privacy wall. The lawn is training areas. The rectangle has inwardly sloping walls, and is divided into thirds; the center section is 3 stories tall, the north and south wings are 2 stories. The center is meeting halls, the northern wing for her servants and workshops (leather working, harness mending, weapons research...), the southern for her riders. She has the rooms atop the spire, of course. The tower is about four stories tall. From top to bottom are bedchamber, then her 'living room' for entertaining, meetings, gaming, etc. The lowest level is where her personal servants and guards live. There is one surrounding balcony on the middle level, and a private one on the top level.
The decor is definitely neo-barbarian; rough shaped furniture, bagged rushes for a mattress, lots and lots of small, plain pillows, door hangings and drapes are either woven mats or tanned hides. A big fireplace on the middle floor, a small one on the sleeping floor.
The spire is a double tube; the stairway runs between the inner and outer tubes. You can't fall off of the stairs. The inside of the inner tube is open down to the meeting hall below; both ventilation and gliders access.
Social Setup
The Hidden Valley has been occupied at two separate times by two separate groups of inhabitants. The original settlers of the Hidden Valley were a group of elves of the same stock as the Tower elves, led by Tyaar's brother Meiron. This settlement was sacked by trolls in TWR 614. After the sack, the Hidden Valley remained uninhabited until it was discovered by the Exiles (a small group of elves who left Tower Mountain after the death of Lord Tyaar). The Exiles and their followers have rebuilt the Hidden Valley into a stronghold to protect them from outside enemies, and from which they can strike out at those they believe have wronged them.
Beliel and Doleera are the two elves with the greatest amount of personal power in the Hidden Valley. Beliel was styled Lord of the Hidden Valley, while Doleera is the chief military leader and is known as the Stormrider. The High City houses the "court" of Beliel, as well as those elves responsible for the administration of the Hidden Valley as a whole; it also contains various craft halls, an infirmary, and the like. Doleera, her elite Stormriders, and their hawks live and train in Stormrider Keep and the adjacent eyries.
There are three tribes living in the Hidden Valley, two elf and one human. The elves are the Brightcolor Desert elves and the Deathwater Falls elves; the humans are known as the Neiali'Cin. Each of the Hidden Valley tribes retained their own leaders and government. Beliel , as Lord of the Hidden Valley, had an authority authority superceding that of the chiefs of the various tribes. He considered Doleera to be merely his war leader. Early on he was not a bad ruler; his energy and talents as a rockshaper were vital in restoring the High City to a livable state. He was also a canny enough politician to get the leaders of the various tribes to work together when necessary, and his habit of bringing favorites from each tribe to serve together at his court promoted more intertribal contact.
Doleera, on the other hand, considered herself to be, at the least, Beliel's co-ruler, and at the most his secret master, depending upon her wit and her sexuality to lead him where she wanted him to go. While it's impossible to tell for certain, it seems likely that each of the Hidden Valley's "High Ones" badly underestimated one another at several points. The balance of power between them was in constant flux. Doleera's followers were mainly drawn from the Brightcolor Desert elves who chose to enter Stormrider training, and from the Nieali'Cin women. The elitism of the Stormriders, and the radical changes in tribal custom which Doleera insisted upon to enforce that elitism, alienated the more conservative Brightcolor elves, and they, along with most of the Deathwater Falls elves and the Nieali'Cin males, tended to give their loyalty to Beliel.
Warriors were the favored class in the Hidden Valley, both due to Brightcolor and Nieali'Cin tribal tradition and to Beliel and Doleera's emphasis upon warfare. Crafters and farmers were lower on the totem pole, and saving a few exceptions like Afterglow, whose position as Beliel's son allowed him to pursue art for its own sake, there was no class of full-time artists such as existed in Tower Mountain.Inhabitants:
Elves
The Deathwater Falls Tribe
The Deathwater Falls elves are a forest tribe, originally form northeast of the Tower. They are primarily hunter-gatherers, though they are familiar with gardening and have expanded this activity in the Hidden Valley. Since their preferred dwellings are shaped treehomes, they have taken the Hometree Grove of the first Hidden Valley settlement for their own.Appearence:
Physically they tend to be small and lightly built. Their average height is about four feet, and there is a much greater variation in height among them than there is among he Brightcolor elves. Heartseeker (originally from this tribe) is considered notably short at 3'5", while Treetall, at 4'8", is unusually tall. They are fair-skinned as a rule, with hair and eye color varying widely.
Magic:
Sending (and the use of soul names) is universal among the Deathwater Falls elves. Treeshaping crops up very frequently in the tribe, as does animal bonding, and there is usually at least one healer. Other talents such as firestarting, weather sense, etc. occur more rarely. Gliding was unknown to them until meeting the "High Ones" and the Brightcolor elves.
Social Setup:
They are ruled by an hereditary chieftain; Redmane is the current chief. The chief is advised by the tribal elders. A chief normally selects his (or her) heir from among his offspring, but it is not unknown for another relative to be chosen. It is also possible for any tribe member who can claim descent from the first chieftain, Rionn Long Shaft, to challenge for the chieftainship; challenges are settled by a battle of wills.
The Deathwater Falls elves as a tribe are not naturally aggressive. They will fight fiercely to defend their own territory and, by extension, that of their allies -- many of the Hidden Valley's border guards and scouts are drawn from the Deathwater Falls tribe -- but relatively few of them become raiders. Most prefer the peace and quiet of their woodland home.
Trades and crafts:
Many Deathwater Falls elves are proficient in various hunting weapons, and they also have a variety of crafts. Pottery, basket weaving, woodworking and other carving, leather working, and some limited metal working (mostly with copper) are native to the tribe, and they have not been behindhand in picking up additional crafts (such as weaving) from their neighbors in the Hidden Valley.
The Brightcolor Desert Tribe
Appearance:The Brightcolor Desert elves are usually strongly built with dark skin (ranging from a "fair" cafe au lait to dark chocolate). Hair color occurs in all ranges, with blonde, white-blonde, pale brown, and brown being the most common. Red and black are rare, but not unheard of (they run in some families). The predominant eye colors are blue, with brown and hazel also being common and green popping up every so often. As with hair, black eyes run in families. The average height runs between 4'1" to 4'5", and they are not shrinking any (they reached their "leveling off" period long ago); elves up to 4'9" have been noted in the last several generations. It is common for males to have facial hair. (Note: This is not caused by "animal blood." It was the conscious desire of one of the High Ones, who thought it looked snappy. )
The oldest elf in the original Brightcolor Desert village when Silara arrived there was Colorsky, the Dreamberry Keeper; she was just over 600 or so in Twr. Yr. 1280. Many of the elves who left the desert to come with Silara are occasionally startled to realize that they have not only outlived Colorsky, but stand to live a whole lot longer.
Magic:
Magic is a valued commodity in the Brightcolor Desert elves. Most commonly occurring talents are sending, gliding, rockshaping, and healing. The Dreamberry Keeper must have a deep sensing ability, and usually the ability to "go out" as well--this last is taught sparingly and only to those who show aptitude for it, as deep sense is a relatively common magic and there can be only one Dreamberry Keeper at a time (there may be any number of apprentices for the position at any one time, of course; but even if one has the abilities, this may not be the direction anyone with deep sensing ability wants to go). Dreamberries are not used for recreation! They are an important symbol, a link that the Dreamberry Keeper uses to speak to the Ancestors, the High Ones, in religious ceremonies. During drought the entire tribe is expected to give over a part of their water ration to keep the dreamberries alive. Other magicks are extremely rare, and some (like treeshaping and fire-making) completely unheard of before the tribe began to intermingle with other tribes.
Family:
The Brightcolor Desert family unit is matriarchal, as one can always tell who one's mother is. The mother is the center of the household; she can have a lifemate, a lovemate (or several), and several lovers at any one time living with her, in addition to any children she may have had with any of them. The father is only the one who is acknowledged by the mother as being the father. Recognition is the only sure way of knowing one's father, and it's entirely possible that he doesn't live with one's mother, anyway. Many BCD elves feel that everyone has lovers, almost everyone has lovemates, but a lifemate is something to be Taken Seriously, and if you lifemate with someone, it had better be for life. When a male decides that he wishes to be the father of his lovemate's children, and they begin to talk about lifemating, he will be adopted into herfamily, and no longer be considered a part of his mother's.
Family is an important part of BCD culture, and even if you've moved from your mother's house, your brothers, sisters, cousins, etc., remain important--most BCD think of themselves as "related" to just about everyone else in the tribe, through adoptions and through blood, and to trace out just exactly how one might feel about their lifemate's father's brother--or adopted Uncle, through your lifemate's mother, who is also your own mother's cousin, is something that most members of the tribe can do without even pausing to think about it.
In the distant past, one of the High Ones ancestral to the Brightcolor tribe determined that the low birthrate of most elves was, in the long run, insufficient for the race's long-term survival on a hostile world. This distant ancestor , a healer, made changes in her genetic structure which ensued that her descendants are more fertile than most elf tribes. Births in and out of Recognition are far more numerous than is usual, and it is not at all uncommon for families to have six, seven, or more children over the course of a typical BCD lifetime (which, due to their warlike tendencies, averaged somewhere between 400 to 800 years). In the Hidden Valley, this excess fertility is slowly declining as they adjust to a longer and ess dangerous life, but is still notable.
Education
From birth it is assumed that a child will want to become a warrior, so as soon as they are able they are given instruction in the sling, bolas, atl-atl, rope, and the bow as soon as they can bend one; a spear as soon as they're tall enough. Instruction in the sword occurs only when an adolescent has decided he will take the warrior's path, and apprentices to a swordsmaster. Swords are valued highly because the Brightcolor elves do not work iron or steel, and rely solely on blades stolen from the trolls. Stealth and various underhanded things are taught, too, such has where and how to place thorns in the path of an enemy. Light, quick fingers are highly valued, too (children are taught to steal from the enemy, never from their family. While sometimes inter-family filching goes on, it is always good-natured as the BCD, with a few exceptions as noted above, consider all property save clothes and weapons community property.
War and raiding is a part of their everyday life--they play war until they are old enough to go to war, which is a part of their puberty rites. When their bodies start to change, they are deemed old enough to accompany the warriors on a raid--very often, if they perform well and are commended by the war chief or their elders, they can and do win their adult name very swiftly thereafter.
If they show no aptitude for the warrior's life, a young elf will be apprenticed to a crafter--the craft can be chosen either by what the youngster is interested in, or by family; most families have at least one crafter in their ranks--many crafters also go on raids or fight in battles, as well. If the youngster does not show any aptitude for a craft, then his apprenticeship goes to the farmers. While it is not a shame to become a farmer, there is a distinct sense of "class" between the warrior's ranks and the farmer's, and it is considered a great humiliation for a warrior to have to work in the fields.
Weapons teaching only takes up a relatively small part of a child's day. Children are expected to learn their lessons in the mornings; the rest of the day is their own. Popular games include a version of "hopscotch" played by drawing out squares in the sand, toss-bones, pick-up sticks, wargames, a handball-like game played with a ball made of deerhide (the ball is batted back and forth with the palm of the hand--anyone allowing it to drop loses points), and hide-and-seek (very important for learning how to hide); also popular with young and old alike is a sort of lacrosse game played with long, cupped sticks and a deerskin ball called "net-stick ball." It's largely accepted that childhood is short, so "kittens should be kittens" while they have a chance, although anyone who attempts to hold on to childhood past, say, the age of twice-eight, would be considered beneath contempt).
Naming:
When a child is born he or she is usually given a "baby name," which will stick with them until puberty. These are often simple, either based on the parents' names or simply chosen at random.
After a child's first raid, they are then under some pressure to find themselves a niche and win themselves a name. This name can come from many places--if they are distinguished in battle, or are talented in some special craft, or if they show the characteristics of an animal or plant they are named for the spirit of that creature. Rattlesnake was named for his swiftness to strike and his peculiar cry just before that strike. Lizardtongue was named for his crafty manner of speech.
When a child has done something that earns them their adult name, they are given a dance and the War Chief and Peace Chief and Dreamberry Keeper collaborate and agree that the child has earned his adult name. If there are many who have earned a name that day, the dance will often be accompanied by a feast, and the newly named adult receives new clothes or new weapons. It is considered a mark of shame to reach thrice-eight without earning an adult name.
While property and possessions, on the whole, are owned by one and by all, the one thing a Brightcolor Desert elf owns outright is their soul name. They find their soul names in a variety of ways--either just after puberty during periods of self-study and meditation, or often much later in life, when Recognition or Death shows them the window they'd been missing. Many warriors of the Desert don't take the time to contemplate on finding their name. If the do, it is a very secret, very private and very personal thing that only one's Recognized lifemate has a right to.
Children may wish to share their name with their parents, but that is rare and usually happens only if someone has had a vision of their own death. The Ancestors are known by their Names through the visions of the Dreamberry Keeper--to give one's Name in public is to bring oneself closer to the Spirit World. An elf who speaks his Name aloud is inviting his own death.
Warriors:
The warriors of the Brightcolor Desert are the "nobility," the elite; while everyone is considered able to enter these ranks, not everyone has the temperament or ability to do so. Not making it is no shame; but it is something all strive to attain.
A warrior is well versed in all weaponry, strategy, and tactics, although he or she may only become an expert in one area. After completing the first successful raid, a warrior continues the process of training, learning stealth, cunning, defense, guerilla tactics, and begins to focus on the weapons that he/she wishes to excel in. A warrior's training focuses on strength, courage, self-confidence, and disciplined self-control. A warrior that cannot remain in control becomes a danger to himself and to others.
Crafters:
Whether the warriors acknowledge it or not, the crafters are truly the backbone of the tribe. Weapons have to be made for warriors to use, and it's the crafters who handle that. They make bricks for houses, work the clay for pottery, weave baskets and cloth, tan leather, and so forth. While all of the tribe members have some hobby or another that would be considered a craft, it is the crafters who do the majority of the work, and build their lives around making life for the tribe.
Those who wish to apprentice to a crafter have the opportunity to "test the waters" by observing individuals at work and find where their niche best is. Generally a new crafter goes to work at the kiln, first, making and firing bricks, or in the dye huts learning to combine colors. From there they can try out other things, such as weaving. Eventually, they find their place. A Master Crafter is highly prized by the entire tribe.
Farmers:
While they are considered the lowest "caste" of the tribe, without the farmer the tribe would be in dire straits. The farmers provide the bulk of the daily diet, growing corn, beans, and squash, which are the main staples; because of the long growing seasons these crops are timed to be harvested at different times so there is fresh vegetation for a good length of time. Relatively few farmers came with Silara, and due to the shorter growing season and unfamiliar plants in the Hidden Valley, had a great deal to learn all over again in their new home. This led to
They are also the only group that can demand that the rest of the tribe assist them, such as during harvests or during droughts, when even warriors are pressed into tending the parched fields.
Dances:
Ceremonial (Medicine) dances are held for a multitude of reasons--a good harvest, a long rainy season, a battle well-fought, the passing of warriors to the High Ones, and so on--the belief of the Brightcolor elves is that the dance works good magic gained from the success that is being celebrated. This good magic is thought to last for some time after the dance.
Dances are formal events, usually performed by selected dancers who specialize in the spiritual part of the dance as well as the physical--sending pictures and deep sensing is used to blend with the music of the dances, as well as chants and the rhythm of the feet.
Dancers usually dress sparingly, paint their bodies in vivid colors and designs, shake rattles (usually seed-gourds on sticks), wear feathers, beads, and other ornaments; simple, slip-on moccasins are worn on the feet.
Medicine dancers are highly prized performers that come from all walks of life--warriors, crafters, and farmers are often medicine dancers; a good sense of rhythm as well as a strong sending ability are the major prerequisites.
Vocals at the dances are also extremely valued; those who can sing are always asked to lend a voice. Drummers and other musicians play their parts, and all are as important as the dancers. Again, these are drawn from all ranks, warriors, crafters, and farmers.
Clothing and Jewelry:
The most common outfit is a simple loincloth and leggings, stitched up the outer seam and held up by a belt. Female warriors wear a halter top with a wide strap running around the torso to support the breasts, usually with a choker collar. Boots are tall enough to be drawn over the knee when running or riding, usually scrunched down around the ankles; other common designs are tight to the leg with lacings, or fringed sides and top; long skirts and blouses are common among female crafters, while farmers will wear light, soft, long-sleeved shirts that keep them from being sunburned.
Clothing is simple in design, but everyone indulges in clothing painting, beadwork, and cactus-quill or horsehair embroidery. Beads are made from glass (originally stolen, until the northern elves traded them the ability to make them) or clay from the river bottom. Everyone has a favored design for their clothing, from sun symbols to animals or favored plants. Clothing is generally made from leather, hemp cloth, and wool (both buffalo and mountain goat). Wool yarn is often crocheted--called "hooking"--into warm winter wear.
Face-and-body painting is a favored method of ornamentation; jewelry is usually made of leather or horsehair, decorated with beads, quills, bones, teeth, or rattlesnake rattles. Some gold or silver jewelry might be in evidence, stolen or traded for (likely the former). Beaten copper isn't uncommon; there is copper everywhere and as it's a very soft metal the elves can work themselves. Turquoise, coral, shells, onyx and quartz are also used in jewelry or drilled for use as beads. (Copper and stones are usually simply gathered from the riverbed or the hills; the most "mining" that is
done is the ore will be picked from surface veins with a hand-pick. The elves do not have a mining culture, and if they need serious metals, they will steal or barter them from the trolls.)
Tribal Organization:
The leadership of the Brightcolor tribe is traditionally held in common by three people, each of whom is responsible for a different area.
The Dreamberry Keeper: The heart and soul of the tribe. The Keeper is the spiritual leader, the connection to the Ancestors and the Spirit World. He or she soothes hurts of the mind, buoys the weary spirits, draws the living closer to those lost. She makes the living understand the importance of life and the connection to death. She leads worship, gives thanks to the Spirits and to the land, blesses meals and the hunts, welcomes new births, sows the first seeds of the new season, leads the weather dances, comforts the sick and dying, and numerous other small tasks. She is the one that tribal members go to if they want advice on career moves, unburden themselves, or just talk. She can be found at all times of the day or night giving advice or listening to problems.
A Dreamberry Keeper will generally have one or more apprentices in training who will take his or her place in the event of his or her death. The current Dreamberry Keepre of the BCD in the Hidden Valley is Amberhawk.
The War Chief: The War Chief is selected by the warriors, usually by a consensus of the majority. He or she is chosen by strength, courage, skill, cunning, and, very often, sheer charisma. A War Chief can be, at any time, challenged by a warrior who wants the position for himself; if he is defeated in a series of combats to test all the abilities that warriors look for in a Chief, he will lose the position to the challenger--in most circumstances. There have been times when the loser of these challenges remains Chief simply because the warriors wish to follow him and not the other. At the times when a War Chief is killed, several may then "campaign" to take over, unless there is a popular favorite that is acknowledged as the new leader. A War Chief is only in authority during raids and in battle, and then only as long as the majority of the warriors wish to follow him. If a War Chief makes too many mistakes, a change can be made right in the middle of a battle, especially if someone else is showing great prowess.
If someone wants the position of War Chief, then he/she makes a challenge to the current holder of the position. If no one is currently in the position, then anyone can answer. A series of contests, involving strength, courage, strategic ability, agility, concentration, and physical control are waged, generally involving several different sorts of weapons in hand-to-hand physical combat, and a test where the challenger and challengee must balance on a pole with chosen weapon while the tribe tosses items at them: stones are attacks to be avoided, wood or clay rings that have to be caught and kept, and balls of fur that are "beasts" to be "killed." Anyone in the challenge must be able to keep their balance, be able to recognize all of the items being flung randomly at them, be able to parry, dodge, and catch the correct items until their opponent, or they, either fall or are hit by one of the stones. It is a difficult and demanding contest and certainly the most telling of the tests. No one can win without a tremendous ability to think and act at the same time, keep focused and in control.
No magic is permitted in the War Chief Challenge--all abilities must be even, and fair, to all contestants.
A potential war chief must not only win against all challengers, but must also be able to command warriors. Should the warriors decide not to follow the winner of the contests, then none of it matters. It isn't common for the winner of the challenge to be overturned by popular concensus, but it does happen.
If a war chief is killed in battle, frequently the title will fall to his/her acknowledged second-in-command, soul-mate, lifemate, or other close, like-minded warrior. This is considered a "field promotion" of sorts and generally only lasts until either a challenge is put forth or the warriors chose a new War Chief.
The position of War Chief of the Hidden Valley BCD has changed several times. Lionclaw was the first. After his death, Doleera took the position and held it for some time. After the debacle of the Hostage Crisis and her subsequent illness, the position was declared open and put up for general challenge. Rattlesnake won this challenge and remained war chief until he left the Hidden Valley to lead Mink's band of outlaws after her death. It is not known who holds the position currently.
The Peace Chief: The one who runs the tribe on a day-to-day basis. Taking direction during battle times from the War Chief, he is the one who says when and where they will fight. Taking direction from the Dreamberry Keeper, he decides when dances will be held, what ceremonies shall be celebrated, and when naming ceremonies shall be held. In central, he makes sure that food is plentiful and if not, where to ration. He makes sure that water is available, and if not, where it gets rationed. He moderates disputes and generally makes sure that people do their jobs. Generally not a warrior, usually one of the Crafters, but good with weapons if the need arises. Must be clear-headed, impartial, fair-minded, and rational. Often a hereditary position, though not strictly father-to-son (often uncle to niece, cousin-to-cousin, brother-to-sister, etc.). When Silara arrived, the Peace Chief of the Brightcolor Desert had been Eagle's-Son for about three hundred years. He was about 480 in Twr Yr 1280, and inherited the position from his aunt Hiddenspine, who had no living children when she was killed in a flood. One of his numerous children, Birdlure, was chosen as Peace Chief to lead the part of the tribe that went with Silara.
Tribal Myths:
The Ancestors came from the sky along the sky path, made of stars and water. They are the children of the Sun. Coyote was a favored son, but was devious and mischievous, and played pranks on the stars, the moon, and the Sun Himself, until at last the Sun grew angry with Coyote, and his people, and hurled them from the sky to the ground. There they would stay, until Coyote learned his lesson, and they could at last come home. . .
The Brightcolor Elves believe that the Ancestors--the "High Ones"--were the children of the Sun, thus they give the Sun, the Rain, and the Animals a personification; the Owl is wisdom, the Coyote stealth, and so forth; the Sun is the giver of life, the all-father, the ultimate Ancestor. As he was Coyote's father, and all are descended from Coyote, they believe themselves children of the Sun. Because rain falls from the sky, giving life as the Sun does, the water and all that live within it have a certain sacred nature, thus fish are not a part of the Brightcolor diet. The sky is the Ancestor's home; the stars their huts. Elves with white skin are the children of the Moon; they were asked to come down to the world below to keep an eye on the children of the Sun, for Coyote's children were known to be as devious and mischievous as their father was. The children of the Moon can be both lover and enemy, as Coyote himself found the first tribe of Moon children and brought home a Moonchild for a lifemate, thereby forever binding the two people. Still, battles have broken out between them, as the children of the Moon never seem to understand the children of the Sun, or their ways.
While the events of the years since Silara came to the desert, not to mention the connections to Firecliff and Misty Water, have changed these stories from fact to fiction, most of the Brightcolor traditionalists still hold to their ways, swearing by and praying to the Ancestors for wisdom and guidance; most will still not eat fish, and regard large bodies of water with a certain awe.
Humans
The Nieali-Cin Villages
1. HistoryThe Nieali-Cin are a Neolithic human civilization, followers of Doleera and Beliel, and are currently housed in the Hidden Valley. Their legends hold that their ancestors were enslaved (possibly by proto-Kepetalicz or proto-Taiakaari?) at some unspecified time in their past and brought north with their captors. The ancestors of the present-day NC are descendants of a band that escaped those slaves, fleeing into the deep forest to establish well-hidden villages there.
2. Ethnography/Appearance
The Nieali-Cin tend to be bronze-skinned with straight or wavy coarse black hair and brown or black eyes. They are rather shorter than the average Mraal, with a tendency to stocky builds and short, wide hands and feet. Their faces have almond-shaped eyes, broad cheekbones and flat, downturned noses. Epicanthic folds are present in some percentage of the population, but they are not universal and when present are not always pronounced.
3. Geography
The Nieali-Cin live in five small, widely separated villages within the Hidden Valley, with 40-70 adults per village. In all cases there are many more children and babies than there are adults. Each village looks, from above, like a communal dwelling; in fact each family builds, inhabits and owns its own house, producing the `one building' effect by extending the common roof to cover it.
4. Government
The Nieali-Cin society is organized around these principles: kinship relationships, descent from ancestors, marriage exchanges between kinship/descent groups, and the transient charisma of distinguished headmen who attempt to keep order in the village. This last is an example of a somewhat firmer structure than appears among pure foragers.
The headman can, by his personal wit, wisdom, and charisma, become an autocrat; but most of them are largely "greaters" among equals; lacking formal authority, they rely upon mostly upon personal charisma, supportfrom kinsfolk and a reputation for ferocity. They, too, must clear gardens, plant crops, collect wild foods, and hunt. They are simultaneously peacemakers and valiant warriors. Peacemaking often requires the threat or actual use of force, and most headmen have an acquired reputation for being fierce.
It is also the headman's responsibility to determine the village's relationships with those in other villages. This is no small task, since the Nieali-Cin conduct inter-village warfare; this phenomenon affects all aspects of their social organization, settlement pattern, and daily routines. This is not simply 'ritualistic' war: at least one-fourth of all adult males died violently before they came into contact with the Exiles,and "accidental" deaths are still not uncommon occurrences.
The patterns of alliance between villages shift continually: AB vs. CD with E neutral; ACE vs. BD; AD vs. CE; et cetera.
The Nieali-Cin lack the modesty often ascribed to people living the primitive life, believing themselves if not the only people on earth then at least the finest, any other races being no more than degenerate copies. This does not lead them to reject the technological advances demonstrated by the elves or, later, by the Taiakaari.
Aggression is very important in the NC culture; both individual vindictiveness and collective bellicosity. They will deliberately push and threaten people of other tribes and races to see how far they can go before a line is drawn. They respect people who push back and have only disdain for the timid. Among their own people, a regular series of degrees of violence has been institutionalized; it ranges from chest pounding through side slapping (both more likely to cause injury or death than the phrases suggest) through club and axe duels to all-out warfare, complete with treacherous massacres.
Warfare appears as a main interest supported by a set of beliefs urging strong villages to take advantage of weaker ones, coercing them into handing over women. Intervillage warfare affects all aspects of their social organization and daily routines, and the need for alliances largely decides the location of settlements, although it is not unknown for "allies" to be known for ought but treachery.
Before Doleera and Beliel took charge of them, at least one-fourth of all adult male Nieali-C'in died violently. Doleera has been using her influence to make inter-village warfare more ritualistic, and less often fatal (e.g. using weapons is forbidden except against the HV's enemies) but things still sometimes get out of hand. In time they pick up the idea of counting coup from the BCD, and extend these ritualized raids come to BCD territory as well....
5. Politics
The Nieali-Cin have little interest in politics outside of their own village or that encountered in the service of the Stormrider and the Earthshaker.
6. Economy and Technology
Much of the Nieali-Cin daily life revolves around gardening, hunting, collecting wild foods, collecting firewood, fetching water, visiting with each other, gossiping and making the few material possessions they own: baskets, hammocks, bows, arrows, and colorful pigments with which they paint their bodies. Since coming in contact with the Exiles they have been introduced to some iron tools and new techniques in plant cultivation; this may help to explain the rapid growth in population. In their original forest home in the western foothills of the Hawkshold Mountians, it was not unknown for the Nieali-Cin to take holidays by going off on camping trips, "times of fun and relaxation" during which they live by hunting and gathering. Doleera curtailed this practice severely after bringing them to live in the Hidden Valley.
7. Art, Literature and Science
Other than body enhancement (painting, tattoos and piercing) the Nieali-Cin had very little art before their exposure to the Exiles; items were made strictly for functionality, not beauty.
The Nieali-Cin have no writing, but they have a rich and complex language. They have only three numbers: one, two, and more-than-two.
8. Religion
The Nieali-C'in worship a variety of gods and spirits, the most important of which are Eishu (the Earthshaker), a male earth-god and fertility figure, and Maskali (the Firebird), a female goddess of fire and warfare. Beliel and Doleera are identified by them as Eishu and Maskali respectively. Eishu and Maskali have many children (with each other and with other gods and spirits) which preside over various aspects of the natural world and of Nieali-C'in life. Among these lesser spirits are Yamna, the Green Daughter, a vegetation spirit, and Yueialu, the Whisperer, a spirit generally associated with madness, inspiration, and shamanic possession. (The N-C guards whom Rahirah convinced to aid the hostages' escape assumed that the "voices" which prompted them came from Yueialu.) Exact details of the religion are still under development.
Possible Legend of Maskali: At one time, men and women were separate but-equal under the gods. Somehow the women did something to grievously insult Maskali, and She left them. This caused a great loss of status among the women of the NC. Women became essentially property, subject to being beaten and worse by their husbands for insignificant offenses, captured and gang-raped in the course of raids, given away to other men in marriage by their fathers or even their husbands. With Her return, of course, women regain their lost status...leading to a major cultural shake-up... also still under development.
9. Marriage and Inheritance
The Nieali-Cin have no formal marriage ceremonies. Marriages are arranged for pre-adolescent females (and many young males) by their older kin; after the young woman's first menses she moves from her family's hut to that of her new husband.
Each man tends to be highly aware of his kinship status to every woman in his and surrounding settlements, since it is considered "incest" for him to marry anyone but his cross-cousin (mother's brother's daughter or father's sister's daughter). Not to say this law is invariable; but it takes a strong, fierce man to buck it, even in order to marry a woman to whom he is not related in any close degree.
The Nieali-Cin tend to be polygamous. Divorce is rare to non-existent; if a female is ill-treated, her recourses are to: a) count upon her brothers for protection; b) flee from her village to take up residence (and a new husband) in another village (this is risky business since her prior husband may pursue her and forcibly take her back, leading to inter-village war); c) flee to the protection of the Stormrider and the Earth-shaker. (Thus, Beliel gets willing candidates for his "brides.")
The kinship system of the tribe is complex. Your father and your father's brothers are referred to as "father." Your mother and your mother's sisters are your "mother." Your father's brother's sons are your brothers.
The Taiakaari Consulate
The Taiakaari consulate is a complex of several connected villas in the High City which houses trade representatives and diplomats from the human kingdom of Taiakaar. Established in HVII 195/TWR 1375, it was originally established for the use of Arteuran and the Taiakaari monks in his service. At its height, during the researches into the causes and possible remedies of the Hidden Valley's famine, the consulate housed twenty to thirty humans, plus Arteruran himself and his elven assistants, Masque and Lodestar. (It was rather crowded.) After Arteuran returns to Taiakaar in HVII 230, the consulate continues in use but with far less staff. After the Hostage Crisis, its usual staff is a senior diplomat, two or three aides, and five or six servants, messengers, and/or scribes. Unlike Arteuran's staff, these people are answerable to Her Radiance, the secular ruler of Taiakaar, and are generally not monks.
The consulate building(s) consist of the current ambassador's suite (probably the same one Arteuran used, though completely redecorated) several small apartments for aides and any high-ranking guests, and a bunkroom for the common scribes/servants. There is also a complex of rooms, formerly those used by Arteuran for his researches, used as offices and a scriptorium, plus a small kitchen and dining area and a bathing room. The kitchens and bathing room are on the ground floor, the offices and reception area/dining room on the second floor, and the sleeping quarters on the third floor.Arteuran's Quarters
While in residence in the Hidden Valley, Arteuran's quarters were as follows:
The main room of the suite, where Arteuran generally receives people, is large enough to assemple Arteuran's entire staf if they crowd in. Virtually all the wall space not taken up by doors or (one very large) window is taken up by armoires, shelved cabinets, trunks or open shelving. An assortment of curios, ranging from incredibly beautiful and delicate to utterly absurd and even downright weird, is arranged in no readily discernable order on many of these shelves. One cabinet shelf is stuffed, rather higglety-piggelty, with scrolls. Some colorful tapestry pieces are displayed on the walls above the shorter items. A mated pair of blue-grey pigeons reside in a cage hanging from a stand. The floors are covered with ornately patterned rugs. There a a lot of plants.
A low round table with seating space sufficient for eight or thereabouts dominates one end of the room. One seats oneself on cushions in order to eat or work. There are a lot of floor cushions in the room, of varying heights and sizes to accommodate a variety of body forms. At the other end of the room is a sort of three-sided sofa made up of folded futons, with a rectangular table in the center. Lamps, of course, and lamp hangers. It's a cheerful room.
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