Post by jackygirl on Dec 13, 2016 3:38:23 GMT
The Great Forest is a massive wooded area roughly the size of the Sahara desert full of a wide variety of plant and animal life. The dominant civilization in the forest is the Manticon Tribes (see character sheet for appearance of Manticons) but they are by no means united as they spend most of their time at war with each other.
Culture:
The tribes cultures revolve around three main points the life-liquid, the Icthions and the spirits of their ancestors. The life-liquid is secreted by every Manticon around about when they are 15-years old and is considered the mark of adult-hood. Each Manticon is advised by the shaman before the mold and harden their liquid into a tool that both decides their caste and serves them for the rest of their lives. Home-keepers forge their liquid into pots, ladles, etc whilst hunters forge it into limbs for their bows and warriors forge it into their weapon(s) of choice. Shamans dissolve their life-liquid tool in Ithicon acid when they are chosen to show that they have thrown off their previous caste. A Manticon who has lost their life-liquid may not return to their village till they have retrieved it. There is no law about which gender should be which caste but traditionally females are home-keepers and males are warriors and hunters.
The Ithicons look like giant stag-beetles and range in size from an elephant to a blue whale (the larger ones being much rarer and more highly prized). Underneath each Manticon village is an Icthion cave where the village's Icthion are kept and milked for their acid which. The acid is used to honorably dispose of corpses (either of their own clan or a worthy foe) the deceased tool is dissolved with them. The acid is also used to brew Agryl the Manticon's only alcoholic beverage. Finally the acid is used by shamans to speak with their ancestors. An average village will own five Icthions which are taken as eggs from the Deep Caves beneath the forest as Icthions cannot breed in captivity.
The Manticons do not believe in any gods instead choosing to venerate their ancestors whom they believe live on in spirit form to watch over their tribe and insure they do not stray from the true ways. It is the duty of the tribe's shaman to speak with the ancestors and care for the Icthions.
Warfare:
90% of these wars are "friendlies" for honor or to settle some small dispute (eg. if two males from different tribes wish to marry the same female and she declares no preference a small "friendly" may be fought to determine the outcome). In "friendlies" casualties are kept to a minimum and warriors are to encouraged to surrender when they lose rather then fighting to the death. Surrendered warriors will be honor-bound to remain out of the battle until it is over and indeed often defeated warriors from both sides will get together to feast and comment on the progress of the war.
When Manticons fight they use speed, agility and co-ordination to wage highly mobile battles among the tree-tops. They operate in squads of around twenty warriors each led by a Senior who answers only to the Chief Warrior. If a war becomes serious hunters are often conscripted into the battle and if it becomes necessary the tribe's shaman may use a potion brewed from Icthion acid to control a domesticated bull Icthion bringing them out of the tribe's pit and using them as a sort of mobile siege platform. This is only done in the direst of circumstances or if the tribe actually intends to destroy a rival village as the Icthion's acid renders large parts of the forest desolate for decades.
Culture:
The tribes cultures revolve around three main points the life-liquid, the Icthions and the spirits of their ancestors. The life-liquid is secreted by every Manticon around about when they are 15-years old and is considered the mark of adult-hood. Each Manticon is advised by the shaman before the mold and harden their liquid into a tool that both decides their caste and serves them for the rest of their lives. Home-keepers forge their liquid into pots, ladles, etc whilst hunters forge it into limbs for their bows and warriors forge it into their weapon(s) of choice. Shamans dissolve their life-liquid tool in Ithicon acid when they are chosen to show that they have thrown off their previous caste. A Manticon who has lost their life-liquid may not return to their village till they have retrieved it. There is no law about which gender should be which caste but traditionally females are home-keepers and males are warriors and hunters.
The Ithicons look like giant stag-beetles and range in size from an elephant to a blue whale (the larger ones being much rarer and more highly prized). Underneath each Manticon village is an Icthion cave where the village's Icthion are kept and milked for their acid which. The acid is used to honorably dispose of corpses (either of their own clan or a worthy foe) the deceased tool is dissolved with them. The acid is also used to brew Agryl the Manticon's only alcoholic beverage. Finally the acid is used by shamans to speak with their ancestors. An average village will own five Icthions which are taken as eggs from the Deep Caves beneath the forest as Icthions cannot breed in captivity.
The Manticons do not believe in any gods instead choosing to venerate their ancestors whom they believe live on in spirit form to watch over their tribe and insure they do not stray from the true ways. It is the duty of the tribe's shaman to speak with the ancestors and care for the Icthions.
Warfare:
90% of these wars are "friendlies" for honor or to settle some small dispute (eg. if two males from different tribes wish to marry the same female and she declares no preference a small "friendly" may be fought to determine the outcome). In "friendlies" casualties are kept to a minimum and warriors are to encouraged to surrender when they lose rather then fighting to the death. Surrendered warriors will be honor-bound to remain out of the battle until it is over and indeed often defeated warriors from both sides will get together to feast and comment on the progress of the war.
When Manticons fight they use speed, agility and co-ordination to wage highly mobile battles among the tree-tops. They operate in squads of around twenty warriors each led by a Senior who answers only to the Chief Warrior. If a war becomes serious hunters are often conscripted into the battle and if it becomes necessary the tribe's shaman may use a potion brewed from Icthion acid to control a domesticated bull Icthion bringing them out of the tribe's pit and using them as a sort of mobile siege platform. This is only done in the direst of circumstances or if the tribe actually intends to destroy a rival village as the Icthion's acid renders large parts of the forest desolate for decades.