Post by DMITRI on Jul 23, 2017 1:16:05 GMT
--the ravager character type is an original character type made for this site, not based on Pernese customs, but as a type that arose as a result of plot events.
ORIGIN
The Ravagers began to appear and organize themselves as the Weyrs began to fail and the Holds fell into disorganization. The Holds became less desirable places to live as dangerous power struggles began, and were unnecessary because of the Long Interval, rendering outdoor living safe and arguably even safer than life contained in a Hold.
The Ravagers and Scavengers are a similar species with similar goals (independence and survival), but the Ravagers are more brutal, more organized, and prey more on Holds and travelers. They have an especially strong presence in the wild midlands, where they can disappear easily into the jungle and are not easily found even by Dragonriders.
HOARD STRUCTURE
A group of Ravagers is just 'a group of ravagers', but a massive organized group of Ravagers is a Hoard. There is almost exclusively a single man or woman at its head called a Lord (a jab at the Lord Holders and their floundering status). This single individual has earned their position typically one of three ways: casual inheritance (their sire or dam ruled, died, and their were accepted in their place), a fight with the current leader to prove superiority, or by founding a Hoard. The second is the most common. No ravager is obligated to follow a leader or remain in a hoard, so a Lord must prove themselves reliably to keep their followers.
After the Lord is typically a ring of trusted companions and equally powerful and respected individuals. They may fight alongside the Lord, may lead temporarily in their absence, or may be relegated to specific tasks (i.e. one individual is in charge of hunts, another in charge of scouting for raids, etc). The status and roles of these individuals fluctuates wildly and generally comes down to the whims of the Lord.
CULTURE
The cornerstone of Ravager culture is that no one is obligated to follow anyone, that they are less an organized, hierarchical clan and more of a conglomeration of individuals who are mutually beneficial to each other. The most sacrosanct right of a ravager is that they have the freedom to leave. That being said, the majority of people stay in their Hoard for its entire lifetime (as hoards occasionally dissolve or reform in different ways based on events and leadership) and take up roles befitting their person. Some become hunters, some active hold raiders, some childrearers. Most do some hunting and foraging as all are expected to contribute and have value to the hoard. That being said, even those who cannot contribute (the disabled, the very young, the very old) are treated with exquisite care.
Child-rearing is communal, and similar to the Weyr, where actual parentage is often shrugged off. Once a child is weaned, they may be raised by just about anyone, or just raised in the community in general. When they reach puberty they often undergo some sort of initiation. This initiation varies from Hoard to Hoard and is more common in the larger and more established ones, but often involves tests of will and a permanent physical marking to show their loyalty to their people. Some ravagers have gone through multiple initiations and bear multiple marks due to the dissolution of hoards. This is not stigmatized.
Gender roles are treated as moot, as well as regard for sexual orientation. It's actually fairly common for men & women reaching maturity to have their first sexual experiences with someone of the same sex, because it's simpler given the mutual understanding of how genitals work, and to avoid the risk of bearing children at a young age. Sexual harassment is considered deserving of severe punishment (often perpetuated by the group, think 'walking the gauntlet' or 'everyone is allowed to hit this person with a stick every time they see them for a while month') and rapists are casually castrated and often killed.
Ravagers use runners and dogs routinely for hunting and raiding. They are more likely than Holders or Dragonriders to locate fire lizards and their eggs, so there is more of a phenomenon of fire lizards paired with humans, although it is still rare.
CURRENT EVENTS
The Hoards are gaining more and more power as the Holds struggle to defend their resources. This complicates things, as it leads to competition over those undefended resources, and leads to conflict between Hoards. They are becoming increasingly differentiated from one another (it's less simple to slip from one group to another) and they are beginning to draw borders, typically using midland and jungle rivers to demarcate territory.
They know little about the conflict between Weyr and Holds, and many of the younger ravagers have spent their entire lives secluded from even the stories of dragonkind, let alone having seen a Dragon or a met a rider. Nor do they tend to care. They have their own priorities and lifestyles. Their main contempt is for the chaotic Holds, who leave themselves as easy targets.
ORIGIN
The Ravagers began to appear and organize themselves as the Weyrs began to fail and the Holds fell into disorganization. The Holds became less desirable places to live as dangerous power struggles began, and were unnecessary because of the Long Interval, rendering outdoor living safe and arguably even safer than life contained in a Hold.
The Ravagers and Scavengers are a similar species with similar goals (independence and survival), but the Ravagers are more brutal, more organized, and prey more on Holds and travelers. They have an especially strong presence in the wild midlands, where they can disappear easily into the jungle and are not easily found even by Dragonriders.
HOARD STRUCTURE
A group of Ravagers is just 'a group of ravagers', but a massive organized group of Ravagers is a Hoard. There is almost exclusively a single man or woman at its head called a Lord (a jab at the Lord Holders and their floundering status). This single individual has earned their position typically one of three ways: casual inheritance (their sire or dam ruled, died, and their were accepted in their place), a fight with the current leader to prove superiority, or by founding a Hoard. The second is the most common. No ravager is obligated to follow a leader or remain in a hoard, so a Lord must prove themselves reliably to keep their followers.
After the Lord is typically a ring of trusted companions and equally powerful and respected individuals. They may fight alongside the Lord, may lead temporarily in their absence, or may be relegated to specific tasks (i.e. one individual is in charge of hunts, another in charge of scouting for raids, etc). The status and roles of these individuals fluctuates wildly and generally comes down to the whims of the Lord.
CULTURE
The cornerstone of Ravager culture is that no one is obligated to follow anyone, that they are less an organized, hierarchical clan and more of a conglomeration of individuals who are mutually beneficial to each other. The most sacrosanct right of a ravager is that they have the freedom to leave. That being said, the majority of people stay in their Hoard for its entire lifetime (as hoards occasionally dissolve or reform in different ways based on events and leadership) and take up roles befitting their person. Some become hunters, some active hold raiders, some childrearers. Most do some hunting and foraging as all are expected to contribute and have value to the hoard. That being said, even those who cannot contribute (the disabled, the very young, the very old) are treated with exquisite care.
Child-rearing is communal, and similar to the Weyr, where actual parentage is often shrugged off. Once a child is weaned, they may be raised by just about anyone, or just raised in the community in general. When they reach puberty they often undergo some sort of initiation. This initiation varies from Hoard to Hoard and is more common in the larger and more established ones, but often involves tests of will and a permanent physical marking to show their loyalty to their people. Some ravagers have gone through multiple initiations and bear multiple marks due to the dissolution of hoards. This is not stigmatized.
Gender roles are treated as moot, as well as regard for sexual orientation. It's actually fairly common for men & women reaching maturity to have their first sexual experiences with someone of the same sex, because it's simpler given the mutual understanding of how genitals work, and to avoid the risk of bearing children at a young age. Sexual harassment is considered deserving of severe punishment (often perpetuated by the group, think 'walking the gauntlet' or 'everyone is allowed to hit this person with a stick every time they see them for a while month') and rapists are casually castrated and often killed.
Ravagers use runners and dogs routinely for hunting and raiding. They are more likely than Holders or Dragonriders to locate fire lizards and their eggs, so there is more of a phenomenon of fire lizards paired with humans, although it is still rare.
CURRENT EVENTS
The Hoards are gaining more and more power as the Holds struggle to defend their resources. This complicates things, as it leads to competition over those undefended resources, and leads to conflict between Hoards. They are becoming increasingly differentiated from one another (it's less simple to slip from one group to another) and they are beginning to draw borders, typically using midland and jungle rivers to demarcate territory.
They know little about the conflict between Weyr and Holds, and many of the younger ravagers have spent their entire lives secluded from even the stories of dragonkind, let alone having seen a Dragon or a met a rider. Nor do they tend to care. They have their own priorities and lifestyles. Their main contempt is for the chaotic Holds, who leave themselves as easy targets.
