Muskal

Roveni Kin: All Muskals must be born in or accepted into a Roveni to gain their position as outsiders who do not know their ways can never lead them.   Virtuous: Muskals are often chosen for traits that the Ruskev hold in high esteem, known as the Virtues of The Free: courage, duty, and guile, with having one or more giving them a spot for being selected.   Military Trained: All Ruskev are trained in their style of warfare and know how to hold their own in the face of danger, man and beast alike.   Right of Riders: All Ruskev are taught to ride a mount before they can even learn to walk, and a Ruskev that cannot ride cannot be considered one of them.

Both men and women can be given the role of Muskal, so they are deemed old enough to take up the role, which can be the beginning of adulthood to their elder years.

All Muskals are elected by the leadership of the clans and their members by majority vote or by the Clan Bearers if they consider them adequate to take up the position. There can be more than one Muskal who can lead a Roveni should it be desired in times of struggle and war, as more than one head can solve problems more efficiently.

Protection: A Muskal must ensure that their Rovani is protected from the wilderness, beasts, and invaders with the courage to face them head-on without hesitation.   Survival: All Muskals must feed and shelter their people as they wander their harsh homeland, which is a duty more than a task.   War: When invaders must be driven away or shows of force are needed, a Muskal will head off to war using guile to drive off their enemies to ensure they never return.

Inspiration: A Muskal is the true example of leadership for all their people to look up to and strive to be for their people.   Decision Making: All disputes, both civil and political, are brought to the Muskal to decide the best course of action for the good of all in the host.   Diplomacy: The Muskal is always in charge of meeting leaders of other Roveni and other groups to promote peaceful relations with one another before raising their weapons at them.   Military Training: It is a common practice for a Muskal to ensure that all a Roveni's warriors can fight at a moment's notice and follow through on tactics when needed, whether it is for hunting or battle.

Tribute Ceremony: It is a common practice for each clan within a Roveni to give a gift to a newly appointed Muskal to aid them in their leadership role, ranging from weapons to a new mount.   Political Immunity: Due to specific roles a Muskal must make, they must make decisions that seem questionable to those in the rest of their host. So long as they are for the good of the Roveni, they are allowed to rule punishments for criminals as they see fit, take resources without permission, place restrictions on what can and can't be done in camp, and overrule rulings done by the Clan Bearers over inner clan policies.

Muskal Ropka: A Muskal can easily be distinguished by the particular piece of headwear known as a Ropka, often seen as a sign of authority. Ropka varies amongst Roveni depending on traditions, but all are made of animal fur or feathers with detailed patterns and colors used to create them.

A Muskal can be removed from office at any time should they be considered unfit to lead due to their behavior, sickness, injury, or incompetence. This would endanger it if they could not meet the role of leading the Roveni. A Muskal can willingly relinquish their position should they no longer wish to lead their Roveni. This is done through a majority vote of Clan Bearers to see if they will keep their status or be set aside for another.

Founders of the Free People

  Not much is known about the early Muskals, who led the Derugi Rovani under them as they wandered the steppes. As oral tradition states, the role was first made when the first one who held the title over a feat of great courage by hunting down a Mammoth, then fed his people first be he could eat as it was his duty and finally with guile used its fat to create a great fire to ward off predators from stealing their food. This individual became known as the Protector of Virtue, which translates to Muskal in Ruskevich, and would lead to the founding of the Virtues of the Free that is held today for all Ruskev to follow. This led to the rise of strong leaders who guided the Ruskev and kept them on the right path over the centuries, long after the fall of the Derugi Rovani. All those who took the title and failed to live up to it did not hold it for long, as weakness and self-interests only lead to death in the wilds for a community.  

Leaders of Burden

  It is not uncommon for a Muskal to face hardships constantly, as nothing is ever easy on the steppes and the danger inside and out to preserve the freedom of their people. Every choice often needs a strong will to see it through, no matter how hard it may seem. The Muskals have been fighting long and bloody conflicts over their homeland for centuries from many invaders, who have held them back countless times, often at the brink, yet their people, if not all of them, still live another day. From the time of the Warlock Dominions to the end of Northern Wars of Unification the Muskals continue to maintain their watch over their people to ensure that they do perish from the struggles the time brings them. So long as strong leaders lead over the Roveni Hosts, the Ruskev still have a fighting chance for their people to stay free.

Chosen Leaders of the Roveni

  A Muskal is honored and respected by their community for their leadership of their community, often putting others over themselves when hard choices need to be made for the sack of all. Nothing is easy when living in the wilds of the Icebound Steppe, for it takes strength and will to live upon it. That is why the leaders of the Roveni Hosts are elected by those who can endure those hardships. Being a Muskal is not a luxury but a burden, as they must look for all the people within the camp to clothe and feed. It also means they must be willing to lay down their lives should they have to for the sake of their people from wild beasts and those that wish them harm. Through them, the Ruskev's way of life is preserved, ensuring they never lose their way of who they are, no matter their challenges.   Since then, a Muskal has led a Roveni across the steppes to guide them through everyday life and the times of hardship that many follow. It is rare not to have one elected to lead them, often a sign of instability with a Roveni between its clans. A Muskal's time in office frequently contributes to the mood of their people, as they will always want strong leadership to guide them, and another one can easily replace those who cannot meet the demand at any time. This can also result in having several elected Muskals running a Roveni when a Roveni is far too large for one leader to maintain on their own or in a time of crisis to ensure that their leadership is not crippled should one of them die suddenly. This has made any host greatly dependent on these virtuous leaders to see that their people do not fall to ruin.