Tenorii (Culture)

Tenori, the Tenorii Peoples (Long ”e”)

(From Update 0)

"Natives of the West" who were annexed or forced to flee due to massive Kanori invasion due to separation from Formor. These 'natives' moved South-East, and settled forested areas there. Whilst taking fertile land away from weak Razgod people, they also took over some of the Razgod  traditions.

Tenori live in female lead communities, there children are grown and thought of ideas of Tenori. When male children mature, they are sent into outlying villages, which are usually inhabited only by males. These villages form a defensive 'pack' around the 'Nurseries' and provide Nurseries with raw supplies of meat, agriculture and whateverelse female might need. When Pack and Nursery inhabitants meet, then (usually religious) massive orgias follow.

Tenori, having pushed out from their native lands and conquering Razgod lands, have been in constant warfare with Razgods, even tho their cultures share many similarities. Main reason for these wars seem to be, that in Tenori society, male do the hunting, While in Razgod society female are the corner stone of ... well everything. Meaning whenver Razgod hunter parties meet with Tenori hunting parties either massive orgy or massive slaughter follow.

Created By: Terrance 888 Starting Location: South of the Lake between Formor and Kanor NOTE: It is important note that Tenori society is divided between the “Nursury” towns, dominated by Women, and includes children and elders, and the “Pack” villages/nomadic tribes, dominated by Men and includes “prizes”, AKA adopted boys

Society:
In the Nursury, the religious title goes to Most Fertile Woman, or someone who has given successful birth three years in a row. If more than one achieves this, then the younger one wins the title unless the other has went on to four successful births. In the case of no new Most Fertile Woman, then either the most fertile daughter of the last Most Fertile Woman or the youngest Council of Mothers is chosen to represent the Nursury. A Council of Mothers manage the town policies. Tradition (and thus age) is more important than ability, although often the older ones use the cunning of the younger instead of fighting it to support their causes. The most influential Mother, and usually the oldest as well, is recognized as Matriarch. Below them is the generic hodgepodge of merchants, craftswomen, ect, although in the Nursury a skillful craft is held higher than a nonskilled craft. Then, everyone else who is not a slave is the lowest class, although they often have other privileges. This includes boys no “Pack” has adopted, men a “Pack” has abandoned, cripples, ect. These are not allowed to breed (unless it is a cripple of heroism) and are given tasks seen “fit” for them.

In the Pack, the Wolf-Chief is the mightiest of them all. Every year during the vernal equinox three men from within a pack can challenge him for control; generally throughout the year the men have already divided themselves according to strength with other duels. Although duels to be among those to challenge the Chief are generally to first blood, duels for the Chiefdom are to the death to minimize true opponents to the Chief’s rule. There is no loss of honor for not challenging the Chief; it shows that a strong man respects a Chief’s authority. Usually such duels are common only when they suspect a Chief’s weakness such as sickness, or even *gasp*, mercy. To speak against the chief’s leadership itself, and not just individual decisions, without deciding to fight the next duel is paramount to death, however, via a thousand duels. Any man is allowed to fight their way to Chiefdom. Mirroring the Most Fertile Woman, the oldest man who can still keep up with the Pack on their daily run is the Foremost Wise Man. The rest of the men are divided by ability more than tradition. An able youngster is given more respect than any Foremost Wise Man, or even a Chief.

Generally, each Nursury and Pack has several agreements with other Nursuries and Packs for certain meetings and ceremonies. These will start with trading and other mundane things, and will climax with a midnight religious ceremony where the Most Fertile Woman and the Foremost Wise Man couple in public. After that; orgy for the next generation!

It should be noted that in the Pack, the skilled has physical and the elder has religious authority while in the Nursury, the skilled has religious and the elder has physical authority.

Lineage:
All names are generally prefaced by the name of the Pack or Nursury when talking to outsiders. A Women’s place in society is skill and knowledge, and they are known for what they are most skilled at, most knowledgeable at, their mother, and the Most Fertile Woman at the time of her birth. So Sarah Sword smith Darrenhold Sara Sarai; Her name is Sarah, her mother is Sarai and she is born during the leadership of Sara. She is a skilled sword smith and knows a lot about the Darrenhold. One’s place in the social ladder depends on the number of children, especially those adopted early, as well as the relative importance of the skill and knowledge to the community they are in. High-ranked women heading for the Matriarchy are necessarily skillful and fertile. A Man’s place in society is might and ability, and they are known by their rank, livelihood, largest game (generally with a knife), big brother and Foremost Wise Man. So: Jon Gamma Rabbit John Jonah is a man named Jon in the Gamma ranks, whose largest kill with the knife is a Rabbit and is adopted by John during the reign of Jonah. One’s place in the social ladder depends on the number of victorious duels, but also one’s largest game and the rank of one’s Big Brother. A strong man wishing to be Chief would necessarily have defeated at least a Wolf and be among the top five fighters of a pack.

Values:
The central value of Tenori society, whether the Pack or the Nursery, is Community. The entire Community is your family; your adopter is your Big Brother and your mother is your Mighty Mom, but these are the only “intimate familial” bonds; the social network generally encompass the entire group, with preferences within but still. Nurseries praise Tradition as their secondary value. Even when cunning new generations of ambitious women become mothers, older Councilors usually co-opt them into their own schemes and sides instead of directly opposing their radical ideas, eventually turning them into a mirror of themselves. Packs praise a mixture of Cunning and Bravery as their secondary value. If you kill a fox with poison, you get no glory. But if you kill fox with poison by letting it chase you down and shoving it into an earlier cut wound in close combat gives you applause for your ingenuity after you lost your knife.

Religion(s):
The Nursuries worship Attulud, Goddess of Order, and the Packs venerate Goranul, God of Chaos. During the ceremony, the rite of coupling between the MFW and the FWM symbolizes the combination of Order and Chaos to create life, represented by a newcomer god, the Great Mother Wolf.

There are records of omens and such based on the different types of coupling between MFW and FWM during the ceremony, the intensity of cries and grunts. As they are the religious leaders, these are generally made by the Wolf-Chief or Matriarch while enjoying their temporary religious influence.

Other omens that the people ascribe to are the growth patterns of religious trees in Nursuries and the flight patterns of migrating animals for Packs.

Past:
The Tenori has always been here, and so has the system of wandering hunting bands interacting with female camps providing clothes and shelter. However, the migration of slighty more advanced Tenori from the southeast, fleeing from the Kanori, brought ideas such as agriculture and metalworking. The divide between the homecamp and the hunting pack became greater and greater until it became stabilized and permanent, with Nursuries having various influence among the Packs that they rely on for food, raw materials and protection, while the Packs rely on shifting Nursury loyalties for new members, tools, and shelter.

Economic Base:
The Average Women spends her time working at perfecting her craft. The Average Men spends his time gathering raw materials, usually through hard labor such as agriculture, hunting, mining ect. The interconnection of the Nursury and the Pack is necessary for the survival of them both; exotic trade goods travel by interpack trading, or as heirlooms moving through towns and packs hand by hand.

Nations
Tas'Dedai

Mor'Uli