Clan

A clan is ruled by a chief, who may or may not owe his or her position and allegiance to one of the greater clans. If the clan is part of one of the Greater Clans, it is a sept of that clan. Septs often combine the clan name and a descriptor or geographical location: Cait of Glen Hallan, Red Circinn, etc. The ruling clan of each Greater Clan has no descriptor, nor do the smaller, independent, clans.

Clans are the smallest unit of society above the family. The clan chief supports all her clansmen, both in peacetime and in war. In return, all the members of the clan follow the dictates of the chief or her officers: the fiosaiche, the warleader and the tanaiste. A Pict's Loyalty (Lord) passion is generally for her clan chief. Sept chiefs are Loyal to the chief of their Greater Clan. The chief of a Greater Clan need not be loyal to anyone, though a strong king may force them to obey his commands. Pictish knights are loyal to the king of their country, putting aside clan loyalties.

Septs of the same Great Clan generally do not persecute feuds against each other, as the chief of the clan will generally move to keep such feuds from happening. The chief of the Greater Clan may call upon the chiefs of her septs for their warriors, in much the same way that a Cymric nobleman can call upon his vassals. Cymric knights visiting the Picts often make the mistake of assuming that the Pictish clan system is equivalent to the feudal system of the South. They may call a clan or sept chief "Baron," or the chief of a Greater Clan "Earl" or "Duke.

The number of warriors the chief of the clan may call upon is important, as is their armament.

## Clan Spirits

Septs usually have the same samhladh as their Greater Clan, though it fairly common for a sept to claim a different spirit.

## Allies and Outlaws

Greater Clans can aid a sept in a feud, and all clans have traditional friends they can call on in time of need. Alliances may run across the boundary of two Greater Clans, and such friendships may allow ruling clans who are feuding to start peace talks without harming their own honor. Such friendships may come about from deeds performed in the past, marriages between the clans, or even sharing the same samhladh.

Family pride and loyalty require that insults to the clan be answered by all the clan, no matter how small the incident. Even the might of a king cannot stop a feud once it develops; often only the complete eradication of one clan or the other can stop the feud. Even then, the enmity may have spread beyond the original clans. Pictish characters will often find their Loyalty (Lord) at odds with their Love (Family); Justice opposed to Honor. The Honor of a Pict reflects and is reflected more strongly by his family, so Honor and Love (Family) are also often at odds.

When all else fails in a feud, Pictish clans may appeal to the king or queen of their kingdoms to outlaw their opponents. Anyone may attack an outlaw clan and often the king will lead the first raid himself. Outlaw clans are exempt from all normal treatment. As a result, outlaw clans are small, but vigilant. They will generally attack strangers in their land. The clan that approaches the king must be more loyal to the king than their opponents. If the clan they are trying to outlaw has been a thorn in the side of the kingdom, the king may need no more than their claims against their opponents. More frequently, the king will require proof of the other clan's perfidy. The bloodstained shirts of murdered men, or their widows, are usually a good inducement to the king, as are gifts to the king and queen, or their counselors.