Note: The following text describes the society and lifestyle of a majority of wolven, yet it is not fit to hold for all of them. In regions where the wolven are a minority (a minority not dominating the rest of the society that is), the wolven have adapted and their habits have changed. Besides, the wolven have existed for over thousands of years, and there are wolven tribes out there which still hold on to social structures and habits, which the majority of the wolven have long forgotten. So, read up, but don't take it for fixed in concrete. Take it as an advice and a possibility to play wolven characters consistently.
Wolven Organization.
Wolven have two social groups they belong to: The pack, and the tribe.
The Tribe
The usual wolven tribe consists of 10 and more packs (the biggest tribes count around 50 packs), yet the Tribe as a whole plays a relatively little part in the wolvens everyday life, and thus, speaking importance, takes a place beneath the pack in the wolvens mind. In times of peace wolven barely ever think about the tribe, even though they automatically respect other wolven from different packs of the same tribe as some of their own. Yet the tribe simply has no practical relevance, as long as there is no threat of a war, no pack is in dire need of help, or no conflict between packs threatens the inner peace of the tribe. .
In these occasions, the wolven gather. A formal tribal meeting, a thing, is arranged, calling the different packs of the tribe together, either on a place which has spiritual meaning to the whole tribe, or at a place which is strategically advantageous to wolven. In either case, decisions will have to be made, and this means that there has to be a tribe alpha. The alphas of each pack then gather and decide, or fight for, who shall take the position of the tribe alpha. Because wolven like decisions to be made quickly, this process seldom takes longer than the first day of the thing. When the alpha of the tribe is decided, the other alphas become his representatives or generals, depending on the occasion which called forth the thing, and the reason for the thing is brought before this council of alphas and their trusted shamans. Each pack is allowed to speak, before the Tribe Alpha decides: Be it either to go to war (which he then consequently leads), be it that he reconciles or decides the argument that stands between the pack, or be it that he decides to grant the help of the tribe to the pack in need, or deny it.
The Pack
Wolven are organized in loose packs of up to thirty adult wolven (not counting children, halfbreeds or slaves), even though the pack might grow to up to twice this size. Yet this only happens before the pack splits, thus creating two packs which roam the territory of their tribe. Splitting up is a necessary consequence of the aggressive and dominating nature of the wolven, because in a working pack every wolven has its place in a clearly defined hierarchy. In times of peace though, every wolven might be challenged by another wolven for his rank, and it often happens. When the pack grows too large, this habit becomes a stress on the overall efficiency of the pack. When the place of a particular wolven in the pack becomes blurry, because there are too many wolven competing for the same rank, they become uneasy, even more aggressive than usual, until the alpha and the shaman of the pack decide that it is best for the pack to divide. If this happens, the secondary shaman of the tribe, for there are always two, becomes the new primary shaman of the new pack and proclaims the “Path” (meaning the wolven god) which the new pack is going to follow according to the will of the gods. Then both shamans pick a new student from their remaining packs, to prepare for the next division or for the death of the primary shaman, and the division of packs is complete, while the wolven of the new pack immediately begin to compete for the ranks in the hierarchy.
Hierarchy of the pack:
The Alpha
No one knows where the Word "alpha" originated, yet it is a common name for the rank of the leading wolven in a pack, and fix part of the wolven language. The alpha wolven may be a male or female wolven leading the pack.The wolven have, due to their polygamous nature, just one leader, instead of a leading couple, as it is the case with wolfs and in the strong superstition of humans about wolven. The alpha wolven leads the wolven in times of war, and this is the only time when he cannot be challenged by other wolven for his rank. In times of peace, the alpha decides where to hunt, and were to roam and also about wolven law. He may seek counsel with the shamans, and, in difficult cases even the warriors (yet never the godspeakers, their perspective is too skewed because they are too close to the ideal of one particular wolven god).
The shaman and the secondary shaman
The rank of the shaman in the wolven society, together with the rank of a secondary shaman or a godspeaker, cannot be achieved by a challenge. Given the wolven beliefs (see religion) it is also not a rank to strive for, at least for most wolven. When a wolven pack splits, or the old shaman dies, the former secondary shaman becomes a fully recognized shaman, either in one of the new packs (if the packs divided), or in the old pack itself. The role of the shaman is to give advice to the alpha and to the pack, about the will of the gods.
It is an important role, and almost immediately after a wolven becomes the primary shaman of a pack, he searches for a secondary shaman to train. If a wolven pack loses its primary shaman, without there being a secondary who has finished the training, the pack has to rely on other packs of their tribe. When a secondary shaman loses his teacher, before the time is right, he seeks out the Alpha and asks for a formal tribe meeting (a Thing), in which he presents the case and asks for assistance, Often a secondary shaman of another pack will then join the asking pack as a new primary one, or, if there is no fully trained secondary shaman yet, the other packs allow the asking secondary shaman as an additional student to their primary shaman. Of course this means, that the pack, which lost their primary shaman, will roam the lands completely without proper spiritual guidance for at least some time, and the first solution remains the preferred one.
For more information about the role of the shaman see Wolven Religion
The warriors (beh'ta) and the godspeakers
The warriors , called "beh'ta" are the "second in command", the officers of the alpha. They may represent the alpha in decisions which do not affect the whole pack, they enforce his decisions, if necessary, and they are leading wolven on the hunt and in battle. Most packs will have five or six beh'ta which lead on the rest of the pack.
Of similar social recognition, but without the permission to decide practical issues, due to their strong dependency on just one wolven god, are the "godspeakers", those wolven which channel the will of the wolven gods, and who are considered to be candidates for the ascend to godhood in the End of Days. This being an unofficial rank, it cannot be taken from them by a challenge.
The subordinate wolven
These wolven form the main body of the wolven society in a pack. Though they are no less warriors than the beh'ta, and they are hunting and fighting just like every wolven would, it is expected from them to take care of the everyday tasks, or see to it that they are taken care of. Most wolven who care for the children are subordinates, and they are also the ones which look after the weapons. They do not tan the leather though, because this is, due to the reek and the sensitive wolven noses, work for the omegas, who are of even lesser standing in the wolven society.
The omega wolven.
Form the viewpoint of a particular omega, he or she may be the most insignificant being of all, part of the pack, yet only because they are tolerated by the wolven in better ranks. They are not of any value whatsoever.
But this is not true. From the viewpoint of the pack as a whole, the omegas are almost as important to the functionality of the pack, as the alpha is. This is due to the fact, that arguments are natural part of the wolven every day life, but wherever there is a winner, there is always a loser, a frustrated loser with bottled up emotions. If there was no possibility for the wolven to get rid of these emotions, they would endanger the very structure of the pack.
The omega is this possibility.
A wise wolven alpha will know this, and care for it, that the taunt and the cruel games, which the omegas are subjected to, do not get out of hand and endanger the omegas life. Though then again, this brings shame on the omegas, because they have to rely on the alpha to protect them.
A wolven alpha who does not heed to wisdom will at first lose his omegas, be it because they die, or because they run away. And then he will have to watch how his pack tears itself apart.
The work of an omega does not differ greatly from that of a slave, which comes as no surprise, as the rank is only slightly better. (halfbreeds are born into this rank, but due to them not being allowed to challenge a wolven, they are stuck with it). Work which is dull, time consuming or unloved by the other wolven is set to be done by omegas and slaves. The tanning of leather for example is a job traditionally associated with omega wolven, because of the reek, which is even less bearable for the fine wolven noses.
(Note: This rank could be used as an explanation for playing a submissive wolven. Most wolven will not be sumissive wether they were omegas once or not. But some may, because it is what their life was before they left the pack. Make something of it.)
Wolven Society
Wolven Lifestyle
Living in a Caer
…As we walked towards Caer Winterrage, my guide and friend Conr Irongrip pointed at the human, elven, orcish and wolven corpses, which bordered the path which led up to the entrance. They were thrusted on spikes and spears, sometimes complete corpses, sometimes only the heads, all of them still wearing their armors, or at least their helmets, which gave them away as being soldiers once. Flies were swarming them, some of them already crawling with white maggots, yet most of them seemed to be dead only for days. The path between them was tinted in the color of dried blood. All this sent a clear message: Mess with us, and you end up like this. No second chances. The Caer itself was basically a wooden fort, or better… a fortified village. I saw wolven in crude leather armor patrolling the ledges of the fortified walls, staring down on us, as we approached. The exchange of a short nod between Conr and the two grey furred wolven guarding the entrance gave us the permission to enter. But as soon as we passed this magical border, everything changed. I saw smiling wolven women, carrying embellished wooden baskets with food. I saw humans and elves, I knew already they were slaves, talking and even joking with their wolven masters, and I saw children, humans, halfbreeds and wolven, playing in the dirt. I saw all this, just a few footsteps away from the corpses of slain enemies which were still visible through the closing wooden gate behind us. It confirmed what I learned years ago with my friend. To wolven, death was an eternal companion.
The growling voice of Conr pulled me out of my thoughts. “Three packs of Tribe Winterrage live in this Caer, Eldoriel, together with their slaves and children. We have to apply to the Caer Alpha, to get the permission to stay for longer than a day. Follow me.”…
Excerpt from the book “Traveling with Wolven” by Eldoriel Hawkflight, elven emissary and later mate of Shanra Spear-that-Kills, known as Eldoriel Mammothkiller.
For several centuries now, the wolven society is undergoing a massive change. The immense pressure of human and elven settlements, invading territories formerly belonging to the wolven and the, though slowly, growing numbers of wolven in the wolven territories have led the wolven to overthink their nomadic lifestyle. While the wolven of the central wolven territories still hold on to the nomadic life of single packs, living in tents and following the migration routes of their prey, the wolven which live at the borders have recognized the strategic value of fortified settlements. The wolven call this form of settlement a “caer”. While still much smaller than the human cities, the biggest caers bear up to three hundred people, which breaks down to four to five packs of the same tribe, their slaves and their children. Spoken in wolven terms, these settlements are equivalent to a permanent partial thing of the tribe, and therefore one needed another form of alpha, which would lead these caers. This alpha is the so called “Caer alpha”. While each pack of the caer still has its own alpha, this caer alpha stands, hierarchically spoken, above them, turning it into another rank which a wolven can (and will) strive for. The responsibilities of the caer alpha are the same as those of a tribe alpha, with just the exception that this rank is constantly taken, instead of being assigned only when the necessity arises, and the caer alpha decides only for the packs of his caer.
A typical caer will have a nave (wolven word for house or long house) for each pack which lives in the caer, the so called "pack naves" and a central, often bigger nave, which is called the "caer nave". The pack nave is where the shaman of the respective pack resides, together with the secondary shaman, if there is such. Counsels of the pack alpha with his beh’ta take place here, and here is where wolven come to declare the “Path” which they are going to follow (see religion). The caer nave is the place where newcomers, be it wolven of other packs of the tribe, or guests like merchants, have to apply to the caer alpha, who resides here for the time of his reign.
The wolven themselves often live in naves surrounding the pack nave, which naturally leads to the formation of pack districts within the caer.
Nevertheless, caer wolven have a much tighter relationship to their tribesmen of other packs, than the nomadic tribes do, and often there is at least one “inn” or some equivalent, where the wolven of different packs can meet. If present, this inn will usually be found in close vicinity of the caer nave or the market place. Relationships between wolven of different packs are common within a caer.
Often, but not always, there will also be a central marketplace, where the wolven of the pack may barter for goods, be it with the wolven of the other packs, or with the traveling merchants, who have recognized the wolven settlements as good chances to earn money by bartering things wolven need or want (steel, beer) against things they are known to provide in good quality (leather, meat, ingredients for beer).
It has even become a joke to expect at least one haggling dwarven merchant in this place, mostly because the inn is not far away, where he can rely on the quality of the beer, because it was him who sold it to the wolven.
Every Caer is surrounded by a wooden palisade, where the wolven of each pack take turns on the watch. The wolven themselves haven’t found the patience yet to delve deeper into the secrets of stonemasonry to construct stonewalls. This may also be a reminder at their nomadic ancestry and their experience that, what may be a good strategic position now, may become a deathtrap another day, such that it would be a waste of working power to erect those walls. And wolven do not waste anything.
Nomadic Life
…“The pack has roamed this area long enough. We have to leave and return next year, when the hunting grounds have replenished.“ The pack alpha nodded to this statement of his shaman, and stepped out of the tent. I followed him.“Ulfar is right, this region has nothing for us to gain anymore. Let Gaea do her part, such we may return next spring”. His gaze wandered about the 27 tents which were the home of his pack before he turned to me: “We will leave this area now, and move to the north, to hunt for mammoth. Your way leads south, but I encourage you to stay for a little longer, and share one last evening with us. We will feast and then we will mate, and it seems as if Shanra has found quite some interest in you, “Elven Emmisary”.
I never had any regret about staying for the evening. I saw the impressive efficiency, with which the wolven took down their camp, taking half a day for something which I estimated as at least two days work. And when the evening came…
I did plan to wander south, meet with my kin, and write the book I had been researching for 2 years. But this last evening, this evening with Shanra, made me change my plans. It is only much later now, that I write these letters, yet I still recall every minute of this fateful day, and I shall never forget it, as long as I live”…
Excerpt from the book “Traveling with Wolven” by Eldoriel Hawkflight, elven emissary and later mate of Shanra Spear-that-Kills, known as Eldoriel Mammothkiller.
When talking to a human about how he thinks wolven live, the traditional picture that comes to his mind is somewhat like this: A number of tents made of fur, either somewhere on the grass plains of the northern steppes, or on a glade in a dense oaken forest. For centuries it has been like this, and many wolven still follow this ideal.
The traditional wolven camp is organized as follows: Located in the center is the tent of the shaman and, if there is one, the secondary shaman. It is surrounded by the tents of the wolven alpha and the beh'ta, which then again are surrounded by the tents of the subordinate wolven and the omegas. The slaves share the tents of the wolven they belong to.
Not being bound to a specific location, like their cousins that live in a caer, the nomadic wolven packs often follow the migration routes of their prey. And while the days of equinox are still of spiritual meaning to the wolven which live in caers, they hold a very practical meaning to the nomadic wolven. Often it is these days when the wolven, after a long hunt, and an equally long orgy, take down their camp and begin their trek for the summer- or wintercamp.
The lifestyle of these wolven is often less advanced than that of the caer bound wolven, mostly because they lack the trading possibilities, which those wolven have. Steel for example is a sought for commodity, and while spears are relatively common, weapons which are almost entirely made of steel (swords) are almost never to be seen. Another difference between nomadic wolven, and caer wolven is the importance of the hunt. While all wolven value the hunt as something special and important, being a successful hunter has a very practical meaning to the nomadic tribes. If the hunters fail, the pack will starve. This, among other things, leads to it, that wolven of the nomadic tribes are often better hunters, while wolven which live in a caer are usually better warriors.
Wolven Names
The first name of a wolven is a about what his mother wishes for him. Because Wolven can rarely be sure about the identity of the father, this name is given to the wolven by the mother. Over the centuries this has become a tradition, and nowadays it is considered her sole right, which cannot be taken from her. Wolven names have three forms: A neutral, a male form and female form. In wolven scripture they are written the same, even if they are pronounced different. Sole male nameroots and sole female nameroots exist, yet they are seldom, because every name means a quality which the wolven mother wishes for her child to have, and most qualities apply to both sexes. Strength (ulfr) for example
Wolven male names are short, usually two syllables long. Three syllable long wolven male names are seldom, (Vekannar). Same holds for female names, there are just more three syllable names due to the female flection.
When coming up with a wolven name, it is a good practice to look at list of ancient german, Slavic or gaelic names, take away some letters, such that one finds a somewhat Nordic sounding neutral form, and then extrapolate male and female form from this wordstem by adding some new letters. Or… if someone has a cool name already by looking at the lists, use that, and extrapolate the written form (neutral form) from it.
Neutral: Aenr male: Aenir, Aenor, Aenar, female: Aenra, Aenira, Aenora,
Neutral: Adrn male: Adaran, Adaron, Adren female: Adrena, Adrona
Neutral: Avr, male: Avar female: Ava, Avra
Neutral: Avn male: Aven female: Avna,
Neutral: Albn male: Alben, Albon female: Albna, Albena
Neutral: Alfhr male: Alfhor,Alfher female: Alfhera, Alfhira
Neutral: Audr male: Audar, Audur, Audro female: Audera, Audara, Audra
Neutral: Berngr male : Berengar, Berngur female: Berengra, Berenga
Neutral: Caln male: Calon, Calen, Calni female: Calna, Calne,
Neutral: Conr Male: Cronn, Conner, Conar female: Conera, Conra, Crona
Neutral: Crix Male: Crixen, Crixan female: Crixa, Crixi
Neutral: Davk male: Davak, Davek female: Davika, Dakva, Davkha
Neutral: Fenr Male Fener, Fenor female: Fenra, Fenora
Neutral: Garn Male: Garon, Garan female: Garna, Garena
Neutral: Gark male: Garoakh, Garak female: Garka, Gareka
Neutral: Ulfr male: Ulfher, Ulfar female: Ulfhira, Ylfra
Neutral: Shanr male Shanar, Shanor female: Shanira, Shanra
Neutral: Veknr: male: Vekannar, Veknor female: Veknara, Veknora
This list is by far not exhaustive, and there are wolven tribes which do not give names at all, but describe a wolven solely by what he can do best (Scout, Runner, Slayer), or other features (Fang). The list just describes usual wolven names. Again: This list is by far not exhaustive, and if you have a wolven name with a cool sound to it, then use it. It will work somehow.
Most wolven then will have a second name which will describe attributes of the wolven, or things he or she had done once. This name is called "honor name". Wolven who have yet to show a trait which is worthy to be described in an honor name, are called "Son of..." or "Daugther of..." followed by the mothers name.
Examples for Honornames: "Sharpfang, Razorclaw, Bloodfang, Morningkill, Thunderhowl, Silentstrider etc...
Yet again there are regions where this tradition is lost (usually those close to more civilized regions), and where the wolven keep a family name, in most cases the family name of the mother, or of the father, if he is known, and the mother complies with it.
Typical wolven sentences
The following words, sentences and exclamations are almost solely used by wolven. The exception here is the word orc, which has found its way into the common language, yet hearing one of the other expressions almost certainly means that a wolven is nearby.
Fenr`s (Garn`s) Testes , Arha`s Tits, Fenr’s (Garn’s) cock.
Used as swear words sometimes, but usually to emphasize a sentence, they were originally exclamations of astonishment and respect. The number of adjectives emphasizing the impressiveness of the respective body part scales with the astonishment which the wolven wants to express, with two adjectives being the maximum.
Examples:
"Fenr’s testes, this blade is as sharp as the butt of a mammoth."
"Arhas firm tits… this is a large Horse you have their…"
"Garn’s long, veined cock…" (remains speechless)
He/she has gone Hogwards
The wolven use this to express, that, in their opinion, a person has gone too far on the path of forbidden knowledge. The source is of course the god Hog as the deity of forbidden knowlegde. Used for all mages which refuse to stay under the "protection" of the pack. (for more information about the relationship between wolven and mages, see wolven religion)
Orc (used instead of Goblin)
Wolven word for goblin, which has found its way into the common language
Gaean
Wolven Word for Mage
Gaeode
Wolven word for Druid
Grey wolf
A common nickname for Garn, referring to the alleged fur color of the first wolven Garn’s soul took hold in.
Vhach!
Obscene Wolven Swearword. In the meaning somewhat similar to sexual abstinence.
White wolf
A common nickname of Fenr, referring to the allged furcolor of the first wolven Fenr’s soul took hold in.
Wake the (white) wolf
A wolven proverb that means readying oneself for a fight, by unleashing the inner beast that is part of every wolven. When speaking specifically about the white wolf, it means to prepare for a war, referring to the alleged fur color of the first wolven Fenr’s soul took hold in.
Also the title of a melodious yet primal battle hymn, incantated when the wolven go to war, first sung when the wolven had to defend against the first human settlers, who came over the sea.
Wolven, Sex and Procreation
Wolven do not have many children. They explain it with the intricate and complex designs of several gods which influenced their creation, instead of being just one, as it is the case with the other races (see wolven religion). Of course this may be only their own explanation, yet nevertheless the fact remains that wolven are not blessed with children very often, and, rumors aside, never with litters, as many humans may think, extrapolating their experiences with wolfs. When pregnant, wolven women rarely ever give birth to twins, actually having twins is even considered a wonder. Having twins means in the wolven society usually, that the parents actually had been host to the spiritual essence of two wolven gods, and must be considered candidates for the ascend to godhood in the End of Time.
Given this, wolven would have become extinct long ago, if it were not for the strong sex drive which drives these beings. In a wolven society, sex plays such a big role, that it is even unfit to work as a political tool. If one alpha would try to abuse his powers to dictate mating partners… he would die a swift death at the claws of his pack. But he (or she) doesn’t have to. It is nothing one could enforce, but the natural attraction that wolven feel towards the strong, will always lead to more sex for the leader.
Given the strong wolven sex drive, they have little to no understanding at all for the concept of “staying faithful” Each adult wolven in a pack may have more than one sexual partner, and it is not frowned upon. Therefore it becomes quite hard to tell which child belongs to which father, but the wolven solve this dilemma by raising their children by the pack.
In fact every wolven of the pack feels a strong obligation to do this, and the protection instinct of wolven concerning their children has become close to legendary. This protection instinct even transcends to halfbreeds and, oddly, to the children of other races too. It is said that one does not know rage, who didn’t dare to threaten a child in the presence of a wolven.
Be it as it may be, this community effort to raise children also benefits the pack as a whole, because it allows wolven females to take on their role in the pack shortly after weaning the children, thus mobilizing necessary resources in the usually harsh environments wolven live in.
Halfbreeds
Often humans think that wolven will not allow halfbreeds to live, that they consider them a disgrace to the wolven legacy, and a waste of a perfectly good chance to father a “true” wolven, yet this is the result of superstitions, false myths, and probably even projection of what humans would do (that’s how wolven rationalize this stupid belief.) In fact wolven often take slaves, not just for hard labor, but to satisfy the ever present hunger for sex, and sometimes children are the result of these intercourses. Given the false myths, one might think that this brings disgrace to the wolven who owns these slaves, but it doesn't. The wolven who owns pregnant slaves shows that wolven women are not waisting their time, for he is not shooting blank, and wolven women who have just shown their fertility by giving birth to a halfbreed, will be wanted partners, shortly after they weaned it.
Nevertheless, there are differences between halfbreeds and full wolven. While full wolven are allowed to challenge another wolven for a place in the hierarchy, this opportunity is never given to halfbreeds. Thus they are always bound to the lowest rank, the rank of the omega wolven, yet, even worse, they have no chance to escape it, like ordinary wolven do.
Slaves
"You thought of Mr. Muragi as weak and old, useless as a slave. Thats why you gave him to me. But he isn't. He is a great warrior, and taught me his art"
Corag Son-of-Danjel, former wolven omega, and later wolven alpha, lateron known as Corag Ironfist, after challenging Dunjak Swiftfang for his rank as Beh'ta and applying the "Stance of the Terrorcrane" on him.
"Yes, Danjel-Son. Never show any mercy. Mercy is for the weak. That is the secret of my art. Now beat him up"
Mr. Muragi to Corag Son-Of-Danjel, before the aforementioned fight
Wolven take slaves. Some humans may know grisly stories about what wolven did to settlers, about the killing sprees and about humans being torn to pieces, after the wolven were done raping them. This is, depending on the region where the humans stem from, either propaganda, or complete superstition. Wolven are not known to squander. If someone gets caught in a wolven raid, and he is not wielding a weapon, there is a good chance for him or her to end up as a wolven slave after the ravishment is over. There are many tasks, boring or time consuming, in the wolvens everyday life, which have to be taken care of, just like the ever present sex drive of the wolven masters, so why waste perfectly good candidates who can see to that?
Each wolven, be it the alpha or even one of the omegas, may have the amount of slaves, which he is able to take care of and keep in check. Yet nevertheless, even if omegas are allowed to keep slaves, they hardly ever get one. This is due to the wolven habit of dividing the “loot” after a successful raid. The wolven alpha comes first, then the warriors and shamans, then the subordinate wolven. A wise wolven leader will always care for an amount of slaves to be given to his subordinates too, to keep the pack satisfied, but the omegas position is just too low, such that they only get slaves if there is someone which the other wolven simply won’t take, be it because the wolven consider the slave ugly, damaged or unfit for the service as a slave at all.
When a wolvens challenges a superior and wins, and thus his rank in the pack rises, he is given the opportunity to take as many slaves from the loser as he sees fit, or barter them for some of his own. Former omegas which rise in rank often take all slaves from the loser, leaving the new omega with as many slaves as the former one owned beforehand, which means, in most cases, none.
The work of slaves ranges from simple, dull tasks, such as grinding the wheat every morning, or pumping up groundwater with the “Wheel of Life” (which has become infamous as “Wheel of pain” to the slaves themselves), to specialized tasks such being a scribe, if they are able to write and read, and the wolven see a need for such.
And of course it is expected from each slave, to be always ready to please his or her masters carnal demands if desired.
Wolven and animal domestication
Wolfs (wargr)
Wolven tame wolfs for as long as their history dates back. Loyalty, team spirit and the ability to work in a pack make them natural choices as pets, at least to wolven.
Wolven train their wolfs for the hunt, and the hunt in these teams is so successful, that there are even legends and superstitions that wolven speak the language of wolfs. This is of course nonsense, though it is true that domesticated wolfs get along with wolven masters much better, than they would do with other masters.
On a second, but important, note, the wolf is also a terrifying weapon in the hand of a skilled master, and many wolven tribes take their wolfs into the war alongside their battle-boars, even equipping them with the same crude leather harnesses (though suited to them) to emphasize their fierceness. The relationship between a wolf and his wolven master is so deep, that a dead wolven will often be buried together with his wolf or wolfs, because they cease to eat shortly after the death of their master, and it is considered a mercy to end their lives, before they starve to death.
Wild Boars. (horgr)
Wolven have held Wild boars as pets for a long time, yet not as a livestock, but for battle. The view of a wolven holding the leashes of their battle-boars, equipped with sharp metal tips over their tusks and with foam on their muzzles, has made some soldier think twice before charging.
Just like their wolves, wolven train their boars a long time for the battle, and the relationship between master and pet can become very deep during this training, yet not as deep as the relationship between a wolven and his wolf. Boars don’t lose their will to live and don’t cease to eat after their masters death, and it would be a waste of combat strength for the pack to kill them. Therefore it is not done.
With the time most wolven families developed either a preference for wolfs as pets or for boars, and just with the cat owners and dog owners of the humans, there is few understanding between both.
Cattle (burgr), pigs (hurgr) and goats (salgr)
Approximately at the time when the wolven decided to build the first caers, they also adopted the art of livestock breeding from the humans, using the livestock of raided villages as a basis. Today they hold cattle, pigs and goats, just like the humans do, but they use wolves or boars as “cattle dogs”. This has led to the false myth that wolven need no cattle dogs at all, because the one wild boar, that watches over his wild looking but less savage cousins, is hard to tell apart from them, at least for non wolven.
Wolven Law
The right of Challenge
Wolven are a race prone to conflict. And because conflict has the tendency to get out of control, the wolven had to find a way to codify it. Courteousness is a quality in predators. One way to do this is the right of Challenge. Every wolven in a pack represents a rank, and can, in times of peace, be challenged for this rank. The challenge can range from a simple fight, for example when an omega challenges a subordinate, over hunting or weapon crafting contests, which will be decided by either the shaman, or , if present, a godspeaker of Garn or Leki, to standoffs between whole groups within the pack, for example when the alpha is challenged.
This diversity of possible challenges may surprise, but the wolven are not so stupid to believe that a simple fighter could lead a pack. The alpha and his warriors need to instill respect, and thus, besides being formidable fighters of course, need to have leadership qualities, which have to be tested. Thus, the challenging of the alpha, or a high ranking beh'ta is often accompanied by preceeding weeks of forming pacts and alliances. Now... a fight has the tendency to get out of control, and although a fight between two opponents might be decided without unnecessary bloodshed, it is not so simple with fighting groups, and the violent wolven nature would see to it, that many wolven would die an unnecessary death, if it really came to a fight. Thus the challenges for the rank of an alpha or beh'ta often end with the weaker team yielding, and no, or close to none bloodshed at all. If both teams are of almost equal strength and none of the opponents yields, the decision is left to the shaman, who asks the gods for advice. In these rare cases the decision often goes to the challenger and not the challenged one, because it is expected from a leader to have the majority of wolven behind him, and considered a lack of leadership if he doesn’t. This leads to several political results. Though technically allowed, if the pack is not at war, the wolven rarely challenge their alphas, if their pack lost their shamans. The very rare cases in which they did became bedtime stories to chill the young wolven, and teach them not to try it. Unfortunately, because of this, a weak leader will probably try to get rid of the shaman and his student altogether, before he can be challenged. Thus it is in best interest for a shaman to choose the better leader in case he is asked. The one which values the shaman’s wisdom, and knows about the shaman’s importance to the whole pack, that is.
The right of Revenge
„My name is Erek Moonslayer, you probably killed my father, prepare to die…”
“Probably?”
“He was one of the suspects…”
Erek Moonslayer, before slaying Anthila Darkstrider, the Moriel priestess that killed his father’s best friend.
Wolven packs are small, and even a wolven caer will not make a human village look small in comparison. In groups of this size, everyone knows everyone, and has to rely on everyone too. Therefore crimes, or those which are perceived as such, are rare. But they happen, because, for them to happen, it suffices to have two.
Now…the wolvens concept of sin is neither very prone to self reflection, nor is it very clear. What is wrong, or right, depends on the wolven who is asking this question (see Religion), and the mileage of different wolven regarding the “sins” of another one may vary. Now for a human it may seem strange, even impossible to build a civilization under these preliminaries, because… If someone had the right, and the possibility to do anything he wants… without repercussion… he will. Simple as that is it? But this reasoning bears a strong oversimplification. There are always repercussions.
Because wolven value the strength to defend what is theirs, and not being beings of strict, complicated rulesets, they settled for a right they call the “Right of Revenge”.
When a wolven, or the ones he or she hold dearly, becomes a victim to what he considers a crime, he or she may decide to take personal revenge on the wrongdoer, instead of turning to the alpha to settle the matter.
Failing to do this, but instead “running for the alpha” is often frowned upon, considered immature, and brings shame on the wolven, if the case is not particularly dire and against the very nature of wolvenhood. Besides, most wolven will, knowing that the wolven alpha will always decide for the best of the pack, and not the particular wolven, who already devalued himself as a defender of the pack, because he turned for the alpha, definitely make use of the option of taking out revenge by themselves.
Wolven see the thirst for revenge as something natural, necessary and desirable even. If one wasn’t able to feel this strong urge to repay someone for what he has done, to make him feel the same pain (or more)… how could he stand through the efforts to make it happen. To take revenge on another wolven, not being prone to “cold vengeance”, but being of tactical reason, a wolven would look out for a weakness, and wait for his next chance to strike, which could take at least a little. Therefore, at least in the wolven mindset, it is necessary for a wolven, that he is able to keep up the flames of vengeance, until the deed is done.
Therefore, if a wolven is out for vengeance, other wolven will not interfere (except the one it will be taken out on of course). This is a form of respect. If he is strong enough to take it out on the one who crossed him, he earns the feeling of satisfaction it brings when the flames of vengeance are quenched. If not, then he has to learn the hard way, that the ones who are not able to defend what is theirs, will lose it, and rightly so. This even transcends to other races. If it is not a wolven who was the wrongdoer, but one of the minor races… then it is considered natural for a wolven to take care of it himself.
The role of The Alpha, and wolven punishments
The role of the wolven Alpha
Wolven have few fixed priorities to protect, but those they have, are adamant:
1. The Well being of the Children
Wolven have few Children, and they will not tolerate anything, that threatens them. You threaten the Children, and your life is forfeit. There won’t be a call to the alpha, there won’t be a court. The wolven will gather and end you. No pack or tribe will protect you. You are a dead man walking. But not for long.
2. Well being of the pack
The alpha leads his pack and is its final judge. He is responsible for the well being of the pack. The “Eye for an eye” mindset of wolven is prone to lead to feuds, if none of the wranglers yields, and without the wolven alpha there would be no way to keep these conflicts in check. As long as such a feud runs with just two wolven, it’s their matter, yet if it begins to spread and threaten the functionality of the pack, it becomes the matter of the wolven alpha. In this case, as in all cases when the behavior of a particular wolven becomes a threat to the pack, he may decide to end the feud (or the malicious behavior) for good, and, depending on the damage which it caused, punish the wolven as he sees fit.
Wolven Punishments:
Wolven are physical people, and thus their punishments are too.
The Beat up
A wolven who this sentence was imposed upon will be secured, before a number of wolven, depending on the significance of the crime, will be allowed to beat him up until he either loses conscience, or a time predetermined by the alpha has passed. The wolven alpha takes part at these beat ups as a supervisor, and can end the Beat up early, or prolong it as he sees fit.
The Whip
In the last centuries the wolven which live in Caers adapted the punishments of public lashing. The delinquent will be secured in a rack, and then subjected to a number of whiplashs, predetermined by the wolven alpha. The wolven alpha takes part at these lashings as a supervisor, and can end the Lashing early, or prolong it as he sees fit.
Banishments
To protect the pack from further threat through a wolven, the pack alpha may decide to banish the particular wolven from his pack. The wolven must leave the pack with nothing but his weapons, and may not return until either the alpha or (later) another alpha of the pack decides otherwise. A wolven which returns nevertheless is outlawed, and will be subjected to “The Hunt” every time he does so.
The Hunt
The Hunt is basically the Wolven version of an Ordeal. Wolven which are sentenced to the death are allowed a head start on the rest of the wolven, which will hunt them. If the delinquent manages to escape for three nights, he is banished. Wolven which are caught will be killed by the rest of the pack.
The Tearing of the Soul
Wolven whose crimes are so heinous, that they defy the wolven understanding, may be subjected to this punishment, which is based upon the wolven believe of reincarnation. Usually the wolven think, that the reincarnation is a good chance for a criminal to start over again, to lead a new life in which the soul of the wolven has a new chance to make things better, instead of worse. But some criminals are considered beyond this betterment, and the wolven consider it a service to the wolvenhood to clean the Pool of souls from this impurity, which is beyond redemption.
This being a punishement which has a spiritual notion, it is the also only punishment which the wolven alpha may not impose on its own, but has to ask the shaman for the permission of the gods.
If a wolven is sentenced to this kind of death, a Hunt is called for, but the wolven who will hunt him will bless their weapons in a specific ritual, which then allows the weapon, at least in the wolven belief, to tear out the soul of the weapons next victim, and store it. The pack will then hunt the delinquent, but the hunt will not be called off before the delinquent is killed by one of those weapons. Though he may escape, the wolven will never cease to hunt him when they face him again.
Wolven consider weapons which have "torn out a soul" and stored it unfit for work. These weapons will never be used again, they are considered evil, and will, at least in the wolven belief, turn against their master, if they are to be wielded again.