Plainsrunners: About the Tribe

Tribe name: Plainsrunners

Basic Characteristics
Naming Conventions: sound names or descriptive names. An elf may change their name to reflect which "side" they identify with more, if they wish.
Soul Names: for wolfblooded elves, yes
Life Expectancy: immortal, 3500~ for pure Wolfriders, much, much longer for mixed.
Height: 3'7" - 4'3"
Skin/Hair: skin of all natural colors. Hair of all natural colors, small variance allowed.
Leadership: determined by the Head, Hand, and Heart ceremony, taken from the long past.
Bond Animals: Those with wolf blood can bond with jackwolves, who live in a pack near Stoneholt. Pony riders tame ponies in the Valley holt.
Feelings towards other elf tribes: There is a lot of anger towards those who stayed with the more war-like Plainsrunner tribe. There have been stories of other tribes, but they have not been seen in all of the years the Plainsrunners have been in the new land.
Feelings towards humans: Usually either fear or resentment.
Feelings towards trolls: Usually either fear or resentment.
Diet: A combination of hunted game and cultivated crops. While traveling, the Plainsrunners usually eat stored food and fresh game whereas at either end of their journey they eat stored food, smaller game, and fresh crop-based food.
Weapons: usually ranged and can include arrow whips, bow and arrows, spears,atl-atls, bolas, and chakrams. Hunting can also be done with traps, though the group primarily sticks to small hunting groups with jackwolves/ponies. The groups are occasionally in competition with each other to bring back the most, biggest, or best game for the Tribe.


Technology: The group is not entirely disinclined towards technology. They use simple machines, including carts/wagons with wheels that are akin to a Vardo (Romani wagon). Metalworking is limited to gold and silver (or other soft metals such as copper) and is primarily performed at either settlement. The tribe does not forge, but their ability to work soft metals without actual forging is exquisite.

Dwellings: The tribe lives their life in quarters of the year. One quarter is spent at each home,and then the other two are spent traveling between, and the type of dwelling they live in is dependent upon where they are.

Valley Holt: homes that are dug from the hillsides in such a way that they are difficult to see from even close distances. Some of the hillside homes are connected by tunnels inside, though after travel many families choose to have separate dwellings.

Stoneholt: Stoneholt is built into the base of the cliff side to the south west, and contains several levels of natural and magically shaped caves. While families may choose to share their chambers, the amount of space available allows for each individual to have personal space should they need it.

Travelling: while traveling, Plainsrunners stay in yurt-like tents that can be packed up and put into the caravans. See below for a longer description.


Magic: While magic is still fairly rare, the new land awoke hidden talents in the elves that had lay sleeping and dormant while they lived complacently in Sun Village. The elves have also grown more adept at sending than their Sun Village ancestors, but those who do not have wolf blood are often not comfortable with it.

Tribal Roles and Magic
Chief: Tusk
Baker: Kata
Carpenter/Builder: Malaki
Cheese/Butter Makers: Bihon
Counselors: Saleen
Entertainers: Blackash, Dawnbringer, Dusksinger, Malaki, Vixen
Foalsitters: Leyna, Nivali
Fire Keeper: Blackash
Gatherers/Pastoralists: Kata
Goat Herders: Bihon, Kata
Healers: Leyna
Herbalists: Feisal, Leyna, Saleen
Hunters: Blackash, Dawnbringer, Dusksinger, Kithrian, Malaki, Nyota, Redsand, Talon, Tusk
JWRs (7): Blackash, Dawnbringer, Dusksinger, Frost, Redsand, Talon, Tusk
Jeweler: Redsand
Navigators: Nyota
Pony Warriors (7): Kithrian, Malaki, Nyota, Vixen
Pony Herders: Kithrian
Potter/Clay Crafters: Kata, Kithrian
Skin Painters: Ava
Tailors: Ava, Nivali, Vixen
Tentmaker: Mermiah
Waterfinder: Nivali
Weavers: Nivali, Vixen
Weapon-Crafters: Malaki, Tusk

Boneshaping:
Healing: Leyna
Finding: Nyota
Fireshaping: Firebrand
Lightshaping: Dawnbringer
Magic Feeling: Ava
Masking: Dusksinger
Metalshaping: Malaki
Plantshaping: Saleen
Rockshaping: Ashfinger
Soilshaping:
Windshaping: Blackash

Elders (1000+ turns): Kithrian, Saleen
Adults (300 - 999 turns): Ashfinger, Bihon, Blackash, Dawnbringer, Dusksinger, Firebrand, Kata, Leyna, Malaki, Mermiah, Nivali, Redsand, Talon, Tusk, Vixen
Young Adults (25 - 299 turns): Ava, Jezra, Nyota
Cubs/Kitlings (0 - 24 turns): Longhowl, Ottoe, Wildwind

Beloved Dead: Feisal, Honeycomb, Ursa, Zaski
Dearly Departed: Frost
 

Celebrations and Games

The Firekeeper & the Undying Flame: The Firekeeper is an important figurehead of the Plainsrunners. The flame is from the first bonfire ever lit once the first Plainrunners reached the new land. It has been carried and tended as a symbol of hope and a beacon to all elves that there is always a home among the Plainsrunners. The Firekeeper’s main duty is to keep this fire going; it is carried with them on their travel from Stoneholt to Valley Holt; it is the fire that lights the hearth at each village, it is the fire that is used to kindle the bonfires during their travels and to keep their campfires going. Though the Plainsrunners KNOW the secret of spark-stones, the symbolism of tending the “First Flame” represents a sense of pride for their people, and is a symbol remind them of those who have suffered through long and harrowing travel, endured grueling storms of sand, sea and rain, suffered many losses and many setbacks, but whose spirits are as resilient as the flame. This flame also reminds them of their past, and the symbolism of leaving Sorrow’s End. Their fires burn bright, and even when it seems all is lost, with a little coaxing, the Plainsrunner people will reignite and always return to burning bright and proudly displaying their existence to the world. During travel, the glowing coals are kept inside of a special hollowed-out wooly-goat horn and carried by the Firekeeper at all times.

Feast of Colors: (Spring festival) A boisterous festival that heralds the arrival of the tribe at Stoneholt. It begins with the Firekeeper returning the “Flame” to the central hearth and singing the song ”From Sand to Sea to Green fields”, the tale of the Plainsrunners’ beginnings, from Sorrow’s End to the vast deep and their voyage to the New Land. Everyone sings and dances and wears their brightest colors. Though there is a feast, the dry stores are limited; the people are instead encouraged to fish, hunt, and gather during the early evenings and share meals. The tribe rests and replenishes itself and cleans out the stone chambers for the next handful of days. Once the festival concludes the labor intensive planting season will begin.

Festival of Flood and Flower: (late Summer festival) An intense festival that can last up to five days; it is signified by the end of the Great Harvest and is a time of bounty for the tribe. This is a tradition carried over from their Sunfolk ancestry though the meaning is quite different now. For the Plainsrunners, the growing is complete, the harvest is done, and they may enjoy the fruits of their labor. This festival is usually held after the first rain of the season. There’s quite a bit of drunken revelry that goes on during the Festival of Flood and Flower. It is a time of plenty and a time of giving for all of the tribe.

Feast of Flame: (early Winter festival) A raucous three day festival that heralds the arrival of the tribe at Stoneholt. It begins with the Firekeeper returning the “Flame” to the central hearth and singing the song ”The Undying Flame”, which tells the story of the Plainsrunners first near death experience with the season of wildfires in the plains. They found the safety of the southern cliffs, with less potential for growing, but raw materials are plentiful for the crafting professions. Plainsrunners traditionally wear reds, oranges and yellows, to signify they are the flames returning to the hearth. Similarly to the Feast of Colors, the tribe rests and replenishes itself for a handful of days, while Stoneholt is cleaned out and settled into. After that, the crafting season begins.

Festival of Candles - (late Winter festival) Held at Stoneholt, unlike its counterpart, this is a more somber festival, one of introspection and remembrance which lasts a day and a night. It occurs during the mid-winter, on the shortest day of the year. Candlelight flickers against cave walls, songs are sung, and at the end of the all day event, all lights are extinguished to represent the sun returning to the skies again. The only light that remains is the central hearth, tended by the Fire Keeper. The entire tribe sits around the main hearth together, remembering those who have gone to the palace in the last turn of the seasons. As the sun comes up in the morning again, the other hearths are lit from the main hearth, symbolizing the lives that are still being lived.

Pony Taming (rite of passage for pony riders) - This occurs in the Valley Holt; upon the tribe’s arrival, the tamed ponies are allowed to rejoin the wild herd from which they came.

When a young elf decides to become a pony-mounted hunter, scout, or warrior, they must tame their own pony at Valley Holt, or raise a colt or filly from the travelling stock. In order to claim a pony, they must first understand and respect the creature. Because the pony riders are not bonded to their mounts like the jackwolf-riders, taming a pony is a crucial step in their rite of passage and success in training their new mount. An elf doesn’t have the right to claim a pony as their own if they have not brought it to heel and have found a mutual understanding with the proud creature.

While the same can be said for the jackwolf-riders bonding with their first jackwolf, there is no ceremony involved in the bonding process as often the jackwolf will still be a pup and need to grow up for nearly a full change of the seasons before it is able to bear the weight of an elf. The jackwolf-riders do not feel the need to involve ritual with their bonding, which they feel is already deeply spiritual.

Surroundings and Defenses

Valley Holt: (http://www.goulburnvlyflyfishing.com.au/images/Services/swampy/raft/swampy_plain_07_L.jpg) a lush green valley that runs through a hilly section of the plains to the north east, before they turn into deep forest and then mountains. The elves have burrowed into the hills and live inside of them, near the river that keeps their land fertile. (http://cdn.freshome.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/hobbit-4.jpg) This is the home in which they do the majority of their plant cultivation since the soil is so rich. The Feast of Colors and Festival of Flames are held here. The ponies the tribe uses to pull their wagons or train for defense are from a wild herd that lives here. It is at Valley Holt that hopeful young riders will attempt to tame new mounts if the tribe’s working ponies need to be replenished. Fishing, hunting and salting/preserving of food is done here, as well as gathering materials for crafting (such as certain types of clay, reeds, etc).

Stoneholt: (http://www.interior-idea.com/images/home/Cave/cave-house19.jpg, ed.files-media.com/ud/book/content/1/146/436241/8.jpg, upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Mesaverde_cliffpalace_20030914.752.jpg) Stoneholt is built into the base of the cliff side to the south west, and contains several levels of natural and magically shaped caves. It is located at the other end of their annual journey. Much of the crafting work the tribe does is done here, as the land is not quite as fertile as it is at Valley Holt. Stoneholt also houses many heavy tools for a variety of crafts, tools which would be impractical to travel with. When the tribe leaves, they provide interesting “evidence” of an abandoned settlement, warding off curious humans. Here is the best place to teach new crafters their skills and oversee them as they work under their mentors. One of the major features of Stoneholt is the hot spring that is located deep in the cave system. Not only does it allow for quiet contemplation or companionship while bathing, but it heats the caves naturally where they would normally have to be heated by hearths in every chamber.

Travelling: during their two travel seasons, the Plainsrunners form a slow but efficient moving caravan; scouts and jackwolf-riders range far to keep eyes out for potential danger while pony warriors stand sentry over the caravan and their precious people. The caravan consists of the wooly goat herd, the carts of the crafters and those who do not ride ponies, and the myriad of belongings that the Plainsrunners bring with them. When stopping for rest, they pitch yurt-like round tents (http://www.yurt.bg/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/picture-1.jpg) around a central hub, usually the Chief’s tent. Tents are shared between families and are constructed of a wooden frame and either wooly-goat felt exteriors, or preserver silk. In some cases individuals might have their own small tent, which helps to cut down on tension between jackwolf- and pony-riders. However, as it can take up to two hours every night to pitch the tents cooperatively, sharing is encouraged and dividers are put up between sections to maintain privacy. During the warmer evenings, some of the guards might opt to sleep outside with their mount so they can be ever vigilant about keeping an eye out for predators. During the day, the tents are packed up and put into one or more of the carts. The group will normally travel between areas with water, and set up around the water holes or streams for up to several days at a time.

History

After Kahvi attacked the Sun Village in an attempt to steal the Little Palace, followed by the volcanic eruption and subsequent slaughter of the Sun Villagers by the Go-Backs, a group of Sunfolk and Jackwolf-riders decided to break off and find somewhere else where they could be free and at peace. They understood the volcanic eruption to be an omen that they were not meant to dwell in Sun Village any longer. They took their jackwolves and a few tamed zwoots and headed for the Vastdeep Waters.

Once they reached the waters, they were unsure of where to go. The location did not feel like “home” to them, only a stop on their journey, and a newly awoken far-seer insisted that there was some place better waiting for them somewhere else. It was not long before they encountered a pod of Wavedancers.

In the beginning there was only mistrust between the two groups, but after staying near each other for several turns of the seasons, they came to a mutual trust and understanding. A small group of seafaring Wavedancers eventually agreed to ferry them across the ocean to other lands to continue their journey. However, they were only able to take the jackwolves along with them since the zwoots were far too large and undisciplined to take on the small boats that were available.

In the new land, the jackwolves were able to spread out and continue their lineage. While some of them mated with wolves from the new land, they generally maintained their jackwolf ancestry. The Sunfolk who had not chosen to ride jackwolves soon found that ponies were an excellent (and in many cases, better) substitute for zwoots; they were easier to tame and more intelligent. Some of the tribe became pastoralists as they discovered a type of woolly goat that provided them with meat, milk products, and wool with which they created beautiful woven and felted clothes.

10,000 years have now passed since they left Sorrow’s End and while they have not forgotten their roots entirely, a new culture has developed. Some of the Plainsrunners use carts drawn by ponies. Some are herders, and there are both jackwolf and pony warriors that take the safety of the tribe very seriously. They live a life of duality; the warriors are seen as more progressive, protective members of the tribe, while the gatherers are generally more concerned with recreating the feeling of what it was like in the legendary Sun Village. This leads to conflict between the two "sides."

We find our Plainsrunners long split from the tribe of their birth; Tusk, then the Hunt Leader, decided he could no longer accept the harsh and foolhardy rule of Chief Araf, who insisted on aggressive and warlike ways. Despite losing the challenge for leadership, Tusk and his followers split from Araf’s tribe to live their lives the way they wanted. Even though these elves left the Sun Village long ago and have developed their own cultural norms due to the mixing of Wolfriders and Sun Folk, some cultural roots still fight for dominance. They found it safer to move back and forth between two settlements – one in a lush river valley and the other shaped into the side of a cliff. Logically, if something ever happened to the first home, there was always somewhere else they could go. For a human century, Tusk’s new tribe thought they had all they wanted, but some of the more traditional members of the tribe find themselves disgruntled once more over some of the wolfier aspects of Tusk’s leadership. How will the tribe come together in harmony again? Will Tusk be able to win, again, the hearts of all in his tribe, or will they choose to rally behind another?
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