Halgal family

The **Halgal family** are Amir Halgal's blood relatives and Karluk Eihon's in-laws.

## History

The Halgal clan is partially nomadic, travelling with their livestocks during summer time
to search for grazing pastures. They raise goats, camels and horses, obtaining
milk from the animals which are then turned into dairy products such as butter
and yoghurt, and their staple winter diet *kurut,* made from the paste
left from boiling the buttermilk which is then rolled into small balls and dried in the sun. The livestock are
precious for their milk production and are rarely slaughtered for meat, except
for special celebrations. Instead the Halgal consume whatever meat brought back
by their hunters. During autumn, animals that are unlikely to survive the
incoming harsh cold weathers are culled and their meat preserved to last
through the winter. The Halgal also train golden eagles for hunting, taking the female bird from the nest and raising them for four to five years and then releasing them back to the wilderness.

As a hunting
tribe, their bows are stiff, sturdily built and occasionally made out of
animal horns. Outsiders such as Karluk and Yusuf find it incredibly difficult
to use their bows. Another specialty possessed by the Halgal is horse-riding, as they can
easily manoeuvre their horses against any obstructions. Berkhrat
displays this by easily riding his horse over a mound of barricades when he
invades Karluk’s village, and also Azel when he tries to shake off his enemies on
a horseback by side jumping a wide ditch, which his enemies are unable to do.
Raising horses give the tribe a great sense of pride, and they can apparently spend
hours simply observing their horses. Combining their incredible horse-riding and
archery skills, the Halgal is capable of shooting down a moving target with
great accuracy.

## Plot

The Halgal tribe was
initially led by a kind elder who fostered a good relationship with the village
where Karluk came from. After his death, he was succeeded by Berkhrat. Several
years ago, there was also a disease outbreak that claimed many of the Halgal
women. Faced with a massive loss of precious tribe’s members and dwindling
pastures for their livestock, the Halgal’s survival for the incoming winter
months was severely under threat. However, their misfortunes took a more positive turn
when Berkhrat’s daughter, Atelui, married into one of the Numaji tribe members.
Wealthy and in possession of vast lands, the Numaji provided much relief to the
Halgal’s predicaments. The Numaji unfortunately were notorious for their
violence towards women, and Atelui was kicked until her bones broke and later
died from the physical abuse. Instead of seeking justice for the death of one
of their tribe member, the Halgal elders were desperate to re-build the
connection with Numaji so they could continue gaining access to their expansive
grazing lands.

Lacking women of
marriageable age, they turned to Amir, who was only recently married to Karluk Eihon and had yet carried a child, which means her obligation to the tribe was
not yet severed. Berkhrat and the rest of the elders, possessing a more aggressive
streak than the late Elder, were willing to severe their good ties with the
village if it meant ensuring the survival of the tribe. The elders ordered
Azel, Joruk and Baimat to go to the village and bring Amir back but the trio were reluctant, not wanting to put Amir through the same situation as
Atelui (though each of them visibly expressed this on a varying degree), and
instead preferred if the tribe could save up enough money to buy a land. However,
pressured by a sense of duty towards the elders, Azel carried out the order and
demanded the Eihon family to return Amir to his tribe, which were only met with
resistance and ire from the Eihon as they had fully accepted Amir into the
family. Failing their task, the Halgal sent a bigger group in their second attempt to reclaim Amir, with
the trio now being accompanied by their uncles and relatives. They were later driven out by the entire villagers who had prepared for them in advance.

Further backed into
a corner, Berkhrat sought out help from the Batan tribe, hoping that due to
their similar roots the Batan would lend them a hand to invade and overtake
the village. The head of Batan agreed, though unfortunately they had already colluded
with the Russians and in exchange of the advanced military weapons and promises
of official positions, they would in turn exterminate the neighbouring tribes. The
Batan took advantage of the chaos during Halgal’s invasion and open fires
towards not only the villagers, but also the Halgal fighters as well.

Angered by Batan’s
betrayal, Azel killed the head of Batan and several of their fighters. Thrown
into a disarray after the death of their patriarch, the remaining Batan were
supressed by the villagers with the help of Azel, Joruk and Baimat. Though they
were also initially caught by the villagers, the trio were then released when the
village’s women came to their defense after witnessing them risking their lives
to save several of the village members, including Amir and Karluk. Berkhrat,
heavily wounded after being attacked by Batan, vowed revenge on everyone until
he was struck down by an arrow from Karluk’s grandmother, Balkirsh.

With his father's
passing, Azel succeeded his position as the leader of the tribe, and was met
with zero resistance from the surviving Halgal elders who were beaten and
humiliated after the failed invasion. Still facing the same dilemma of finding
lands for their animals, Azel brought his tribe closer to the northern region, where the land
was lusher but with the caveat of being situated closer to the Russian
territories. This did not deter Azel who was determined to get his tribe through the winter.
When winter finally came, the Halgal tribe appeared to be surviving under Azel’s
rule.

## Members

Most of the Halgal members are unnamed and the ones that have been revealed so far are closely related to Amir.

* Berkhrat Halgal (Amir's father)
* Azel Halgal (Amir's brother)
* Joruk Halgal (cousin of Amir on the maternal side)
* Baimat Halgal (cousin of Amir on the paternal side)
* Atelui Halgal (Amir's sister)

## Gallery

The Halgal slaughtering animals that cannot survive through the harsh winter.Preparation of the preserved winter food, *kurut*.Azel showacasing the Halgal's incredible markmanship by hunting a moving target.Berkhrat carrying his composite bow made out horn, wood and sinew (though the design might be purely aesthetic to mimic the ridges on animals' horns).The Halgal live in *yurt*, a circular tent that can be easily folded and carried during their nomadic travels.