Gatherings

When the Tribes of a region need to come together to resolve issues or discuss the future of the region, they do so through a meeting called a Gathering.

Gatherings are ceremonial as they represent many Chieftains and their Cohorts meeting together to discuss politics or simply their future together. Gatherings are most often hosted within the communal hall of one Tribe within the region, often the most powerful Tribe. Chieftains typically come in person bringing with them any Elders or members of their Cohort that are needed for the planned discussion. Gatherings are not called flippantly as travel in the Great Forest can be dangerous, and as such, there is almost always an agenda to be discussed. Such agendas may include resolving a regional problem such as a rare food, water, or resource shortage. Others may include dealing with hostilities from other Tribes within the region or trying to negotiate hostilities between the Tribes within a region. Gatherings are also called to discuss the transition of resources within the region as Chieftains may deal with each other in terms of trading talent or resources among their Tribes.

## Gathering Ceremony

All gatherings are conducted ceremonially, and they roughly follow the same parameters from region to region. When a Chieftain wants to call a Gathering, he or she will send a notice to the a potential hosting Tribe, or if that Chieftain wishes to host, will simply send invitations to neighboring Tribes. The act of an invitation is also ceremonial. Warriors from the hosting Tribe will travel to neighboring Tribes and introduce themselves formally to the Chieftain and Elder Council. When they arrive in a village, it is seen as good form to immediately call the Chieftain and Elders or to summon them as soon as possible. The Tribe is then also obliged to house the visitors for at least one night, and it is a spoken law among the Tribes that such emissaries are to be treated and protected from harm just as if they were members of the village they are visiting. This exchange will involve the date of the Gathering, and the warriors will return to the hosting village with word of acceptance or rejection of the invitation.

On the day of the Gathering, the hosting village will often decorate their communal building with relics, artifacts, and artwork to showcase the culture and power of the hosting Tribe. Further, on the day or days that a Gathering is underway, all hostilities between those Tribes which have accepted the invitation are expected to cease as often Gatherings are used to negotiate a peace between Tribes. Once arriving in the host's village, the visiting Chieftain and followers will be greeted and escorted immediately to the communal hall where the hosting Chieftain and Elders are expected to be present to greet them. Once they have announced themselves, the visitors are given quarters. Depending on the size of the village, quarters may be the home of a villager or perhaps just an area set aside in the communal hall. Visitors are then free to travel between their quarters and the communal hall, and if relations between the Tribes are good, can visit each other or areas of the village. If relations are not good, then it is expected by spoken law that the visitors will remain either only in the communal hall or their quarters.

Once all visiting Tribes have arrived, the Gathering is convened. All parties meet in the communal hall where they undergo the Rites of Announcement. Here, each Tribe has a nominated speaker who stands up in front of the Gathering and introduces his or her Tribe. They do so with great embellishment and pride, often telling the recent tales of the accomplishments of the Tribe. Once this is completed, the hosting Tribe then takes over the Gathering and opens discussion on the agenda in any order they choose. Formally, on each topic, each Tribe is allotted time to speak their words to the crowd. From there, if there is a vote or need for decision, a hand vote is token from the Chieftains of each visiting Tribe. If more discussion is needed or no consensus can be reached, full on debate may ensue which can often become rowdy. It is at the discretion of the hosting Tribe as to when to end debate and call for a final vote on the issue.

Traditionally, food and drink are provided by the host, but it is only provided as a banquet at the convening of the Gathering. Parties are expected to fast otherwise, except for water. The goal is not only one of respect but also to encourage participants to bring the Gathering to a quicker close so that discussion does not quagmire. Once the banquet is closed, visitors are expected to leave the village the next morning. The following day, the laws preventing hostilities are lifted.

If in times of great turmoil, where the risk of a Tribe violating the laws of the Gathering may be high, it is not uncommon for Rangers to be requested by the hosting Chieftain to maintain order both in the hosting village but also to ensure that Tribes have ceased hostilities. This is a law of the Ranger Outfits that they serve as neutral parties and act to prevent violence and offer protection. If a Tribe is found guilty of violating the laws of a Gathering, this often brings them great shame and even possible reprisal from other Tribes or Rangers.

## Resource Deals and Trade Agreements

The most common cause for a Gathering is the negotiation of resource deals and trade agreements between one or more Tribes. Often this takes the form of negotiated trade of goods from one Tribe to the next to leverage the resources that Tribe has access to. For example, if one Tribe has access to a carpenter of great skill, they may trade furniture or other wood products to another Tribe who has access to a stone or metal worker. These types of trade agreements are negotiated at a Gathering, and inter-Tribe trade is almost always done through barter. Past that, sometimes, members of a Tribe may also be temporarily traded based on needs. If, for example, a Tribe has a need for a gifted structure engineer to construct a communnal hall, they may send along their own master farmer to another Tribe during that six months in trade for their construction expert.

Any type of good or service is on the table for such an agreement. This could be cloth, weapons, furniture, pottery, metal works, or trinkets. In short, the way in which Tribes have an economy is negotiated from Tribe to Tribe in these deals. Trade agreements may also be used as a barter system to negotiate a truce or other deal such as life bonds. Once the basic rules and laws have been established through a Gathering, the Tribes are free to interact within those boundaries, exchanging goods or services.

## Life Bonds

Another common reason for a Gathering is to discuss an arrangement of Life Bonds between village families. A Life Bond is an 8 year long marriage (at the minimum) in which a couple has a child and raises it to the age of 8. After that, the couple can choose to continue or dissolve that Life Bond. If more than one child is conceived, the 8 year bond is renewed. As such, Tribes which are friendly or are seeking to be friendly may arrange Life Bonds between the people in their respective villages. The exact terms of these arrangement are negotiated in the Gathering such as who travels to which village and to which village do the children belong. As a result, setting up Life Bonds, especially among the more powerful families in a Tribe is an excellent way of creating good will between Tribes.

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--Neil (talk) 16:23, 19 October 2016 (AST)