The Tribe

The Tribe is an organization of society's outcasts. It is comprised of a variety of people who have found themselves unable to fit into civilized society, such as some rangers and hunters, refugees, invalids, and outlaws.

## Notable Members

* Crow (The Pumpkin King)
* Balraen

## History

The Tribe was originally created to provide some measure of safety to outcasts. The first Tribe members were simply a group of people who agreed to stick together for their own good. But as they continued to accept more and more people into their group, the Tribe became capable of exerting its own influence on the land and cities around it.

Therefore, the Tribe's leaders found it necessary to create a codified set of standards that all members of the Tribe were to follow, based on the common circumstances that had brought them all together. At this time, the Tribe's leaders also created the sub-divisions within the Tribe, which allowed its smaller groups to range farther apart from each other.

#### Codes of Conduct

1. Stand up to injustice and evil in whatever form it takes
2. Provide aid to any in need, regardless of the backgrounds of the people in question

### Origin

The Tribe originated around the year 970 IE in the forests of south-western Saxor, west of the wealthy city of Gamelore. When their numbers were fewer, they stuck primarily to the forest, only leaving it when necessary. But as their numbers grew over the decades, so did their influence, and members of the Tribe could eventually be found throughout the south-western portion of Saxor and the easternmost region of Glantry. Some Tribe members even made it as far west as Argendale in Prael.

### Factum Takeover

However, the Tribe's influence over Saxor began to weaken as the Factum gained in strength. As the Factum continued to push farther and farther into Saxor, bringing more and more land under its control, the Tribe fought desperately to keep both what influence they had and innocents out of harm's way. But as the Factum considerably outnumbered the Tribe, they were forced to give ground. The fall of Gamelore in 1041 IE dealt a serious blow to the Tribe's morale, as it meant they had no other strong allies to stand against the common enemy that was the Factum.

Thus, the Tribe was forced to migrate west into Glantry. Over the next decade and a half, the Tribe struggled to regain some of the influence it had lost in Saxor, and to establish itself again as a protective force for the people of Glantry. This was a slow process, and ultimately did not have the same outcome as in Saxor. The people of Glantry had no "Tribe" of their own to take people in, and so once again the Tribe felt itself on the outside, unprotected and vulnerable.

The Tribe's ultimate goal at this point was to get its members into Prael, which would hopefully provide some measure of security against the Factum, since it and Prael were old enemies. This goal would not be accomplished for some years yet, as the Pumpkin King had closed the border of Argendale, blocking off any knowledge of what lay beyond the forest boundary.

### Mission to Prael

The Tribe leaders eventually decided on a course of action: to send one member in to do reconnaissance and report back on their findings. Their main objective would be to find out what happened to the Tribe members who made it to Prael several decades previously, as the main body of the Tribe had lost contact with them. Hopefully, if this mission turned out successfully, the Tribe would have an easier time convincing the Pumpkin King to let them enter his lands, as there would already have been Tribe members in Argendale for some time.

Balraen of the Darkwood Clan, Horned Owl Family was eventually chosen for this mission, which took place in 1064 IE. The mission was a success, though the result was unexpected. It turns out that the Pumpkin King himself was one of the Tribe members who had made it to Prael more than 50 years ago, and during his adventures under the name Crow, he became aquainted with the adventurers who would later become two of the Wardens of Prael: Lord Embrace of South-Hold and the Dragon Pilgrim of Imbay. These two had, apparently, found Crow worthy of trust, and so named him Warden also.

### Current Influence

Over the next year, following the Lords of Kylia's victory over the Ironmongers at Castle Ferrumguard, members of the Tribe were allowed entrance into Prael, and many now serve in Kylia as Balraen's city guardsmen and official military units. The vast majority of the Tribe still wanders in the wilds of Glantry and Agendale.

### Current Purpose

While originally created to be a refuge for outsiders, the Tribe has evolved over time and now acts as the self-appointed protectors of society. Due to the diverse backgrounds of the Tribe's members, the different divisions within the Tribe are able to serve a variety of purposes. Some of these require a more active approach, like scouting out Factum troop movements, defending a farmstead from attacking monsters, or even eliminating the corrupt government of a small town. Other objectives do not require such force, such as simply provide a safe and welcoming place for newcomers or going on hunting expeditions to provide food for the Tribe.

## Organization

### Clans

The Tribe is divided into 10 groups called Clans. Each Clan accounts for approximately one-tenth of the total Tribe's population (approx. 500 people each).

The names of the 10 Clans are Wildfire, Stonepeak, Rainstorm, Greenglade, Darkwood, Fogcloud, Marshfield, Whitelily, Dewdrop, and Driftwood.

### Families

Each Clan is further divided into smaller groups known as Families, which can have anywhere between 3 and 15 members (meaning each Clan has anywhere between 50 and 100 Families). The composition of Families can vary greatly, due to the various backgrounds of individuals within the Tribe. For example, one Family may be composed of individuals who work well together, like a team of combat specialists, while another Family may contain one or more real, biological families.

Family names are chosen in one of two ways: either by simply using the surname of the Family leader, or by taking the name of some kind of wild animal, plant, or feature. Examples of the latter include the Golden Eagle, Great Oak, and Granite Families.

### Leadership

Each Family has one leader who makes important decisions for the good of the Family.

Each Clan also has a leader, and all of the Family leaders within a Clan report to this Clan leader. Clan leaders are chosen by a convention of all the Family leaders of that Clan, who pick the next Clan leader from among their number. Whoever is chosen as Clan leader is given authority over all the Family leaders within that Clan, but he or she is still to consider their wisdom and insight when making important decisions. New Clan leaders are chosen only when the previous leader dies, and the position is not hereditary.

There is no overall Tribe leader. Rather, the 10 Clan leaders make decisions collectively for the good of the Tribe.