- | - The Ka'ar Lifestyle - | -
The Occupations and Importance of the Herdsman Class
Most Ka'ar live a pastoralist or otherwise agriculturalist lifestyle, and as such, most Ka'ar are of the Herdsmen status. While the Ka'ar are known mostly as horse breeders and horse tamers, other herding professions including goatherding, shepherding, reindeer-herding, and cattle-rustling. These Herdsmen are knowledgeable in not only the raising of these animals, but also know how to use every part of their animals; from the wool and meat to the bones and skins. Community members who do not deal in raising herd animals supplement the community by utilizing the raw materials or by taking up some other trade, such as hunting, fishing, or farming. Such duties might even rotate throughout the year, depending on how property is distributed amongst the clan or tribe. As such, specialization in the overall Ka'ar economy is low, as almost every Ka'ar knows how to do what everyone else can do. Once someone in the community learns how to say, work bronze, it is their job to teach everyone, just in case they are away. There are exceptions in the case of high-quality craftsmen, like jewelers, weaponsmiths, armorers, teamakers, and brewers. Further, if your class allows you to control other Ka'ar, you might allocate some of your duties or herds to the rest of your community through some sort of agreement; perhaps a Daichid allows every fifth lamb to be given to the people who shepherd his personal flocks.
While (nomadic) pastoralism is practically cosmopolitan amongst the Ka'ar, full-time farmers do exist. If the territory a community lives in is stable enough, the less-movement inclined members of that community might become farmers. Generally, the windswept plains of the west do not allow for many crops, so potatoes and root-vegetables are most common. However, if a Ka'ar clan finds themselves in possession of a warmer, more temperate land, a farmer might find himself growing rice, ginger, onions, and other crops. Such crops are in high-demand, so an enterprising farmer will generally try to grow as much as they can before their community returns to collect the harvest. There is a catch, however, as farmers are generally thought to be taxing on the land that Mother Bear provided to them. Because of this, more conservative Ka'ar find farmers to be an unnecessary distraction and temptation in life.
Generally, trade agreements are made through the Herdsmen class, and are generally done via bartering. If two Erkhem agree to trade, for example, six herds of goats for twelve flocks of geese, the Herdsmen are told to collect these animals from either their Bastynchy's personal herds, or from their own herds. They will then transport said animals to the respective recipient and return home. It is seen as sacrilegious if someone "steals" their labor in any exchange, be it as a polity or between friends. If a community does not have the materials or animals at hand immediately, Herdsmen will instead deliver bone tablets depicting a certain amount of that good or that animal as an IOU. These bone tablets are cracked and discarded or marked as "Used."
A crude bone-tablet honoring an agreement between two or more parties, in which someone will receive four maral deer.
Warriors and Warfare
The Ka'ar do not always get along with each other for a variety of reasons; resources can be scarce and populations too close together, or vice versa, personal squabbles can spiral out of control, or shamans can get into arguments with each other. Warfare tends to be on a smaller scale compared to the warfare of settled individuals, though clashes between Ordond almost always end in a large, full-scale battle or even raids of the "main" settlement of an opponent. Generally, once an Erkhem is under the control of an Ordon, in-fighting is intensely discouraged and heavily policed by the Ordon's enforcers, though raids against external enemies- be they Ka'ar or Settlers- may be allowed, depending on the circumstances.
When war does strike, though, all the members of a community become involved, regardless of age, gender, or class. Herdsmen generally carry on with their daily tasks, but with the added work of supplying their fighting force with whatever food and materials they might need. Herdsmen also take on roles as Bambarchin, meaning "torchbearers", and are responsible for burning enemy settlements, looting the dead, robbing other Herdsmen, and raiding cattle. Other duties of the Bambarchin involve creating siegeworks in the event that the enemy has created some set of fortifications, or even espionage. Meanwhile, shamans tend to remain unarmed, and assist their Erkhem by acting as diviners and as mouthpieces for their ancestors, whom may have good strategic or tactical advice for their descendants.
Yet amongst all the Classes, none are so more obviously important in Ka'ar warfare than the Daichid class. Without the Daichid, Herdsmen live in fear of marauders, Shamans have no one to give counsel to, and Erkhem have no one to send to settle disputes. Indeed, Daichid are one of the most powerful cornerstones in Ka'ar societies, so much so that even peaceable communities will have at least one capable individual to help protect them. Daichid are the only professional fighters in Ka'ar culture, so as a result, members of this class are expected to know how to conduct themselves in almost every combat situation and to do so in an honorable fashion. It is not just enough to know how to ride and shoot a bow, or toss a javelin, or how to brace one's lance or glaive on the back of a horse, they must also know when it is appropriate to praise and insult their foe. Such "honor" will be covered later (See: Etiquette.)
Honor aside, Daichid are expected to be experts in the Four Weapons before anything; the Bow, the Two-Handed Axe, the Sword, and the Lasso. Archery, specifically, horse-archery (Morin Kharvaa) is an art form for the Ka'ar, who have learned to loose their arrows from the back of their horse and as soon as all four hooves have left the ground in each gallop. It is said that a masterful Ka'ar horse-archer can loose at least six arrows from their quiver in the span of ten seconds; a feat that becomes much harder when one realizes that a warrior's recurve bow has a draw-weight of at least 170+ pounds.
The second weapon, the Two-Handed Axe or Sükh, which can actually be defined as any weapon requiring the use of both hands, but mainly means spears or lances, two-handed scimitars, dane axes, bardiches, glaives, and halberds. Such weapons are generally used on foot, of course, but as the Ka'ar are a deeply equestrian folk, it is also expected that a good warrior can utilize such weapons on horseback. Two-handed weapons are the preferred choice when warriors take part in ritualized combat, such as Honor Duels and Champion-to-Champion Combat.
The third weapon is the Sword or Selem, which- unlike in many Settled cultures- the Ka'ar do not see as a status item, meaning that anyone can carry a sword, regardless of their part of the caste system. Ka'ar prefer scimitars and sabers when on horseback, but also use straight, short swords as secondary melee weapons when on foot.
The fourth and final weapon is the Lasso, is used less as a lethal weapon more than it is as a way of humiliating and terrifying one's enemies. The Ka'ar lasso can double as a whip for their horses (though it is not used to actually sting the horses more than to tap them), but also as a way to lash out at opponents, ensnare them, and drag them across the muddy plains. Crueler warriors may use a war-lasso, which is a lasso with sharp barbs attached to the entirety of the rope.
Only when one has mastered these four weapons can they then be considered a full Daichid, until then, they will remain a Dagaldgach, or an apprentice. Dagaldgach are not allowed to take part in actual combat until they have finished their training and instead are relegated to taking squire-like duties to the Daichid they are assigned to. Other weapons a warrior may be seen using include the sagaris axe, war hammers, horseman's picks, maces, lances, javelins, and even their own horses, which can be trained to bite and trample and some warriors even bard their horses with spikes to prevent infantry from getting too close!
In terms of armor, many Herdsmen go to battle in tough, rawhide lamellar or in thick, fur-lined gambesons, while the Daichid can be found in steel or bronze lamellar, brigandine, mail, or plated-mail. Materials available to Daichid include rawhide, wrought iron, bronze, and steel, depending on their community's wealth, with steel being the most extravagant material and rawhide being the cheapest. Helmets vary from full-face lamellar helmets, lamenellenhelms, open-faced, lamellar bascinets, or spangenhelms, all of which might be lavishly decorated with colorful strips of cloth, bronze and bone bangles, and even functional, fearsome, warmasks.
- | - Mythology and Religion of the Ka'ar - | -
Ka'ar Creation Myth
While the religious beliefs of the Ka'ar are not uniform across every community, the basic tenants are essentially the same. Firstly, the Ka'ar do not believe that the Pantheon is composed of separate gods and goddesses. Rather, they believe that in creating the world, the Mother Bear (Shalherana) created various avatars out of the different facets of Her personality in order to more easily carry out Her Will and guide all mortals. After plants, animals, and mortals were created, Mother Bear gave life to the rivers and rocks. Meanwhile, Ignis gave life to the fires and storms of the world, as well as molding her Brother, the Sun, out of a burning ball of beeswax and yak tallow, and Sister Moon out of a ball of ice with a candle in it, and finally, the Eternal Sky out of a sheet of the silk of a giant goat, known as Ichilai.
The Eternal Sky then watched over the world and told Mother Bear what beauty there was. Hearing of this beauty enraged the envious Crusade (now Valiant) who then lit the heart of every being on fire, giving all beings an unquenchable rage. Mother Bear tempered this anger by creating Sallana, who imbued the world with the ability to love, and when the world began to crowd, she created the Grey Lady (Mother Death) so that plants, animals, and mortals would suffer the consequences of eternal life with all of its strife. To ensure that life on Altera would thrive and not simply extinguish themselves through the rage of Valiant, Theodra was born, and given dominion over the instincts of all life. With instincts, all plants and animals would live in a balanced, ever-moving dance of life and death, growth and decay; no living thing would be able to dominate the rest of the world. To further enrich and temper life, Mother Bear created Rahas (Uncle Temperance) to help arbitrate disputes between life, and Silas (The Great Owl) who gave mortals and animals alike the trait of curiosity, so that existence would consist of more than just fulfilling their basest instincts.
As to the creation of the wicked gods, the Ka'ar believe that they were created when Mother Bear- in the throes of rage and sadness- cried into a puddle of oil, which accidentally splashed onto the other Gods. Visage sprung from Uncle Temperance, Skraag from Mother Death, and Jishrim from Sallana. These beings were furious that they were created on accident and when they were mocked for their hideous appearance, they all vowed to taint the land wherever they went. Humanity in particular would be in constant danger of being corrupted by the allures of the so-called "Wicked Gods."
With the world and Her avatars created, Mother Bear went about finding the most virtuous of mortals and teaching them how to thrive in accordance with Her Will, which would help them attain happiness in this life and the next. Yet, when she began her search, she did not know who to look for, and so she instead watched the world for many generations, disguising herself as various animals and travellers to ask questions. These questions and conversations have been immortalized in many Ka'ar Long-Songs, in which shamans take the roles of Mother Bear and the people, plants, animals, and natural features she queries. She discovered that those who travelled much and gave back to the earth were often the happiest, as were those who followed a code of honor and moral integrity. Mother Bear then gathered these people and told them all she could about good living, and when she was done, she called them "Ka'ar", meaning "Virtuous People." Thus, to this day, the phrases "it is not of the Ka'ar" or more simply "it is not Ka'ar" are used to express disapproval about a particular behavior or practice.
Shamans and Their Rituals
Shamans do not have a uniform set of rituals between various tribes, clans, or even within local communities. As such, it is difficult to describe every practice, ritual, or holiday amongst the shaman caste. That being said, there are often many similarities in ritual practices across Ka'ar communities, such as their usage of drums, mantras, sensory deprivation, and throat-singing. Many rituals are centered around mundane events like harvests, the births of animals and people, the passings of seasons, and mourning the dead. Unlike many Settled cultures, shamans or medicinemen generally make no distinction between themselves and laypeople in terms of executive power. However, only those who have been deemed to be "with spirit" can become shamans. To be with spirit often comes in the form of having had visions or preternatural knowledge as children. Further, shamans do not go through formal seminary schools like priests or other Settled clergy; they are usually chosen as being "with spirit" by other shamans or are self-appointed. Apprentice shamans generally form their own practices by combining their experiences with the traditions and lessons of older shamans. This means that rituals are less based on theological doctrine and more on what the local community believes to be true.
With this in mind, it should be noted that the usage of hallucinogenic or oneirogenic substances is a controversial matter amongst the shaman class. Some shamans rely on fasting, ecstatic dancing, mantras, and general meditation to reach a vision-state, maintaining that the usage of mind-altering substances create less discipline in one's mind, meaning that the resulting visions are less accurate to the outside world and instead reflect one's inner psyche. Regardless, oneirogens, special teas or brews are occasionally used by some shamans or as folk medicine. Alcohol such as vodka and inhalants such as scented smoke are also used more rarely. Other times, shamans will induce hallucinations by breathing in smoke from sacred fires, although these are caused by oxygen-deprivation and not necessarily by any property of the smoke itself.
Other common ritual practices include:
- The spreading of milk, alcohol, or soup into the air as a libation to the Gods or to local spirits.
- The imitation of animals to increase the chances of a good hunt or cattle-migration.
- The imitation of warriors in battle to guarantee victory in battle.
- Blessing newly born animals and people and the gers that they live in by calling on their ancestors to speak their wisdom to them.
- Bone-casting or bone-readings, in which shamans toss bones into a fire and read the cracks to predict the future or simply tell someone's fortunes.
- Creating Ovoos; shrines made of stacked rocks and prayer flags. These are created by circling a particular area and throwing rocks into a pile until they are as tall as possible. Blessings on the land, spirits, animals, and people in the form of mantras are often spoken while these ovoos are constructed. These structures act as "homes" for the ancestors of the community who travel with them in death. They also act as points where local spirits can attach themselves during rituals, as well as sites for annual ceremonies.
Traditionally, shamans who worship good or neutral spirits and deities (such as Shalherana, Ignis, Theodra, etcera) are known as "white shamans" and are considered to be the most trustworthy, safest shaman to approach within a community. Those who worship Jishrim, Visage, Skraag, or Manggusses (demons) are known as "black shamans." Those found to be practicing black shamanism can often face dire consequences, such as exile, torture, or death.
Settled People and the Ka'ar
The Ka'ar practice of nomadism goes beyond simple necessity and into the realm of doctrinal beliefs. Such beliefs might vary slightly between tribes, but ultimately they revolve around two main ideas. First, there is the belief that the natural world does not recognize the superiority of any form of life, as every being plays a necessary role in keeping Altera in a state of constant balance. For example, a bear who slays a man is simply playing its role in the world with just as much impunity as a man who slays a bear. Further, to take revenge on that bear would not disrupt the balance so long if it is within reason. Lastly, it is thought that settled life is a product of mortalkind's higher intelligence, but also of their greed. Their ability to sense what role they need to play in maintaining the world's vitality can be lost if they are separated from their roots. Settled life puts a barrier from mortals to the rest of world, and because they do not wish to leave the confines of their cities or towns, they never come to understand their roles, and instead, continue to grow like a cancer as they sap the lands of their resources without ever giving back. Trees that are cut down are not replanted, water that is used is returned contaminated with slag and waste, and those who die try to keep their bodies preserved forever rather than letting it return to the earth. Some semblance of balance might be present, as Mother Bear will always have her due, but due to the cunning of mortalkind, it is more difficult for her to restore order in settled lands. It is for this reason that Settled Peoples are regarded by some Ka'ar as greedy, underhanded, and wasteful.
This distrust of "Settlers" (meaning permanently settled people) while certainly not universal amongst all Ka'ar- can quickly chafe relations between local clans and permanent settlements. While many Ka'ar might simply try to isolate themselves, other clans might seek to "cleanse" their herding grounds of Settlers. This might mean destroying dams on drinking rivers, collapsing mines set on sacred mountains, stealing cattle, burning fields, and of course, outright warfare or even massacring Settled peoples. Furthermore, most traditional clans or hordes attempt to remain as self-sufficient as possible by having many members of their community take on multiple trades. If nearly everyone can help mend your horse's ailment or smith basic tools, then why visit a settled person and risk falling into their ways?
However, many, many more Ka'ar are more open-minded, recognizing that Settlers have goods, ideas, and tradesmen that may be more difficult or even impossible for nomads to produce. Usually, these Ka'ar will attempt to live in peace with them and participate in simple trades. For example, if a Shaman cannot heal a sick person, tribes might ask a settled doctor for their assistance in exchange for some other service or good. Such transactions almost never use money, as it is relatively useless in the nomadic economy (except perhaps to be melted down into jewelry) where trading takes place on an as-needed basis. Oftentimes, Ka'ar will even intermingle with settled populations, resulting in further positive relations. All in all, it should be understood that the "proper" relationship the Ka'ar should have with settled people is a matter of controversy and debate, and that most Ka'ar communities prefer to remain friendly with Settlers and enjoy meeting strangers.
If a clan finds themselves unable to create something- such as a siege engine- then they may either consider it not necessary to their way of life (there are no walled settlements amongst the Ka'ar) or they may learn from a settled person, volunteered or otherwise so that they can replicate it later on (to besiege a walled settlement) if and when needed. Sometimes, things like precious metals* or valuable plants may not be easily found in a clan's particular location, in which case a similar choice is presented; move and find it elsewhere and remain true to the tenets of Mother Bear, or ask settled peoples for it. For those clans who feel conflicted about encouraging settlers to profit from their ways, a good compromise is to claim that it is the right of the Ka'ar to take from their enemies by force.
*It should be noted that most Ka'ar clans do, in fact, set up small mines that they return to when needed. Others are able to find surface-level ore deposits in abundance. Like farming, there is much debate amongst the Ka'ar as to whether this is acceptable behavior.