Au'rachai

# Au'rachi

The Au'rachi were a Conosvalian Tribe native to the area of the Tharavian colony of Ungezahmtland, who fought alongside the Carihuasari in the Tharav-Carihuasari war.

## Society

The Au'rachi were a tribe of primarily hunter gatherers, and organized themselves into 'bands', each of which laid claim to a specific section of jungle territory where they hunted. Each band was led by an Elangamat, a mentor figure, usually one of the elder members of the band, who was an experienced hunter. They were expected to guide their band during crisis, and help to mentor younger members; acting almost like a societal father figure. The Au'rachi were organized into 15 bands at the time of the Tharavian invasion. 6 times a year, Each Elangamat, along with a select few honored members of their band, would meet at the Au'rachi's central village, Cahua-Akori, one of the only permanent settlements made by the Au'rachi. Here, they would meet with the Au'rachi Chief, and his 'sacred band,' the members of whom were appointed from the best members of each of the other bands. The Sacred Band acted as a impartial go-between and mediator during disputes between bands, as well as a sort of governing council, that would negotiate with other tribes, or the foreign colonists that began to arrive on Conosia. During their bi-monthly summit, the Chief, along with the various Elangamats, would discuss matters of great import, including hunting rights, the creation or dissolution of bands, religious rites, inter-band conflicts, and appointments to the Sacred Band, and would review the foreign policy of the Chief. If a chief was found to be in violation of his or her duty, the Various Elangamats could, by unanimous vote, elect to remove them from power.

### Wartime Organization

During times of intense conflict, particularly warfare, the Chief would frequently appoint from their Sacred Band, three Akelas to act as crisis leaders- generals, commissars, and diplomats. Generally the best of the Au'rachi warriors, the Three would be invested with near total authority, only answerable to the Chief. Akelas were personally responsible for leading bands against their enemies during wartime, and were encouraged to do so from the front.

## Tharav-Carihuasari War, 1874

During the Tharav-Carihuasari war, the Au'rachi allied with the Carihuasari against the foreign invaders.

### Leadership structure during the war:

The Chief of the Au'rachi at the time, Allowat Sakima, appointed three Akelas: Two led armies against the Tharavs directly, while the Third worked as an ambassador to their Carihuasari allies. The Three were known as Nebrien, Karangli, and Beleneu.

### Nebriet:

Nebriet was the boldest of the three Akelas. Son to the Elangamat of the northernmost band, those of the Golden Hand, Nebriet favored bold, ambitious gambits, leading his warriors directly into the fray, often deep behind Tharav lines. His soldiers, though poorly equipped and often poorly disciplined, fought fiercely, and made up for their shortcomings through surprise and speed. His preference for quick battles often was to his detriment however, as he'd often find himself in a poor situation if a battle drew on for an extended period, or attack before his troops were fully prepared.

### Karangli:

Karangli was, in every way, Nebriet's opposite. She favored the defense, playing the role of the spider- a fitting metaphor, given her band, the Black Legs' infamy for using the venom of the jungle spiders to coat their blow darts. She in all ways favored the war of attrition. Her warriors made traps; digging pitfalls, often with sharpened punji sticks at the bottom, rigging snares, and placing improvised land mines. Always exploiting her knowledge of the land to her advantage, and striking from prepared defenses, she was a difficult opponent to break and defeat, but her reliance on these made her troops craven in the face of pitched battle; she rarely went on the offense, and when she did, her performance was mediocre at best.

### Beleneu:

Beleneu was not a fighter. He was however, a wise man. Where his two brethren saw victory in arms, he saw it in allies. During the war, he acted as advisor and go between, coordinating actions with the Carihuasari, and facilitating communication and supplies across the jungle. It was the bands under his command that blazed the hidden trails Nebriet followed to surprise the Tharav convoys, and it was the bands of Beleneu who made the ropes and poison Karangli harrassed the advancing armies with. Beleneu never fought himself, but his skill was in helping others do the fighting for him.