Liontaurs in the Outback
Liontaurs that are born and raised in the outback regions of Liontaur Island are very different from their townie cousins.
Traditionally, liontaur family groups are called prides. A pride is usually an extended family, living in yurts which house the married adults and their cubs. Marriages are usually arranged at The Gathering, a bi-annual festival for all the tribes, but sometimes tribes and clans meet during their migrations. Once mates are chosen, they usually move in with the families of the husbands, joining an existing pride.
Prides combine to form tribes. Each tribe consists of five to 10 family units, jointly sharing responsibilities for safety and sustenance. The size of a tribe is limited to the population that a region can sustainably support by wise hunting, herding, and gathering. Each tribe is governed by a tribal council, which includes one liontaur from each pride in addition to a shaman. What the tribal council decides is the law for that tribe, unless the clan council countermands it.
The shaman of each tribe plays a special role. Shamans keep an eye out for strange goings on, and they try to magically protect their tribes. They also keep a lookout for youngsters who show a gift, whether magical or not. They take an intrest in these youths and quietly aid them, so they can become what they are meant to be. This is how the tribes keep they fighters in position to protect the tribe during their migrations. Shamans are also responsible for the Coming of Age tests that almost all youths pass before gaining adult status. Usually these tests are not all that hard, like living off the land for a season, retrieving an object from a distant place, or counting coup on a rival tribe without getting caught. On very rare occasions, a cub becomes an adult by killing a hell hound.
And tribes combine to make the great clans. In Chessford, the division into pride and tribe are less meaningful, as merchant houses form trading clans. In the wilds, a clan is made up of three to five tribes. These clans councils can make the decisions for the tribes, and they meet every six months, except for the meeting that coinsides with The Gathering. They can either support or revoke any tribal council decision. A clan council is made up of the shamans of its tribes and one other voice from each tribe, so a clan council has six to 10 members, depending on how many tribes are in it.
Each tribe chooses one of its council members to sit at the Grand Council, which is the main reason for The Gathering. In addition to the Grand Council, each shaman from the tribes meets meets secretly in the Shaman Council. Both Councils discuss recent events and news, as well as new laws they've decided on during their tribal and clan councils. During The Gathering, unmarried males and females mingle and often find their mates during the festivities. Once they are married, the female moves to her husband's tribe and spends the rest of her life with her new family. A lot of tales and stories are told around the campfires, shared meals, and the general ruckus of The Gathering. There are dances, contests of skill, strength, and (sometimes) magic.
Pride and tribal feuds are set aside during The Gathering, and these rules are strictly enforced. The Grand Council has been known to make those who offend the rules pay heavily for breaking them, up to banishment, from a year to a lifetime, depending on how far past the rules the offender has stepped.
(Return to the rules and notes on Liontaurs.)
