Steppe Crocotta Dictionary
Familial Terms-
- Cub: a baby or child
- Clan: The traveling band one is born into or adopted into, either as a child or taken in as an adult. Clan names often refer in back to the nature spirit the clan prays to (ex: Clan Spotted Tusk prays to the Boar, Clan Swift Hoof prays to the Saiga, so on and so forth). These bands average at around thirty Crocotta, and exceed no more than fifty individuals.
- Kinfolk: a catch-all term for a member of one's clan who is not an immediate family member (i.e. parent, uncle, aunt, cousin, etc.). This term can also describe members of a different clan who honor the same balbal. (All other family titles remain the same)
- Clan Mother- The leader of each respective clan. Held only by female Crocotta, the Clan Mother is chosen by the clan's ancestors in an elaborate ceremony following the death or retirement of the preceding Clan Mother. Even the lowest born females of the clan have a chance to become Clan Mother, and if elevated, their family's place in the clan is also elevated. Their duties include conflict mediation within the clan, dealing with outsiders, and providing the final word on any matter which may affect the clan as a whole.
- Bone Singer- The shamanesses of each clan bear this title, even if they do not practice necromancy, for beyond their beyond their duties as spiritual advisors for the clan, they also oversee the complex death rituals surrounding Crocotta burials. Multiple females can hold this title at once, though the most senior is referred to as Mother Bone Singer. Bone Singers also act as the primary healers of their clan.
- Song Keeper: The cultural heart of the clan. These individuals are the living repositories of clan knowledge, able to recall every legend and story important to the clan's lineage. They also oversee the decoration and upkeep of the clan's kurgan (burial mounds). Males and females can hold this title, and it is often passed down in a single bloodline from parent to child. Post-Unification Song Keepers are the most-likely to be literate in remote clans, and have taken to not only recording clan stories and songs on paper, but also tracking bloodlines in incredibly detailed family trees.
- War Leader- A title held by the most dominant female in the clan, and is almost always passed on from mother to daughter in a direct line. War Leaders oversee the combat training of their clanmates, and advise the Clan Mother in all matters of physical conflict.
- Weapon Keeper- A more modern title, held only by males. Weapon Keepers are the clan blacksmiths, responsible for everything from weapon forging to upkeeping the metal components of saddles and other equipment. In larger clans, the Weapon Keeper may have multiple apprentices just to keep up with demand.
- Plague Fence- Usually made from tall stakes driven into the ground, connected by ropes strung with black steamers and bells. This fence is only erected around a Crocotta encampment in times of great sickness, grief, or starvation. It is a signal to all passersby that the clan is unable to provide for guests.
- Euolo- A two week long coming-of-age ritual in which a juvenile Crocotta must survive alone and with minimal supplies in an isolated region. These individuals are marked by red face-paint. If they manage to survive, the juvenile is no longer considered a cub but a full adult member of the clan.
- Hoof Breakers- Founded during the First Gorgorian March, these splinter clans of Crocotta now pray to the Gorgorian god Nesdaione and hunt the Steppes for weak clans to prey upon, and shun traditional aspects of Steppe Crocotta life, even refusing to ride horses. Their name comes from their tactic of scattering caltrops around their encampments to prevent attacks by mounted warriors.
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