Post by araia on May 12, 2006 14:39:19 GMT -8
The Penguin Clutch is not ruled by a Queen or King, and therefore there are no Mouthpieces. Instead, it is governed by the Lawgiver. Everyone else in the Clutch is a Hunter. The only 'common members' are those too old to hunt, or the impaired. Unlike the other Avian clutches, Penguins do not ritually consume or kill the handicapped, wounded, or dead. The dead are given to the sea; the impaired looked after or work at the Rookery and care for the orphaned young. There are no consorts or wards (comon or Royal) and no Namesakes. Penguins only do mercy-killings, and that is in cases where a fellow member is too wounded or weak to ever hope to recover. For instance, if a Penguin ever lost the ability to move, they would be killed and given to the sea.
The Lawgiver is the most powerful member of the Clutch, not only because they harbor all the souls of the past dead and are the most attuned to magic, but also because they rule the Clutch. They perform all the rituals and scholar young Penguins at the Rookery. Like in the other clutches, the Penguin Lawgiver may never take mate or bear children. They must always remain chaste and pure. Lawgivers also craft the weapons for the Hunters, and double as a healer for the weak and wounded.
Everyone in the clutch is a Hunter. Hunters do not only hunt to gather food, they also hunt the underwater predators that threaten their clutch. They all go through the Rite of Passage, a ritual created where every Penguin of age (equivalent to the human age of 18) must face a trial to prove their ability. The Lawgiver then crafts them a special version of the Krai staff from the bones of their kills. They are also given a special bone knife or spear from their parents after this ceremony is ended.
The bone Krai staff is extremely special. It is a bone fetish that is transmutable. Most often, it is turned into a powerful spear for it's obvious purpose; hunting. But it can also be changed into a rope, staff, net, or other useful paraphernalia. All the Krai staffs are carved by the Lawgiver of the time, but when that Lawgiver dies, the fetish disintegrates and new ones must be carved by the new Lawgiver.
The Lawgiver is the most powerful member of the Clutch, not only because they harbor all the souls of the past dead and are the most attuned to magic, but also because they rule the Clutch. They perform all the rituals and scholar young Penguins at the Rookery. Like in the other clutches, the Penguin Lawgiver may never take mate or bear children. They must always remain chaste and pure. Lawgivers also craft the weapons for the Hunters, and double as a healer for the weak and wounded.
Everyone in the clutch is a Hunter. Hunters do not only hunt to gather food, they also hunt the underwater predators that threaten their clutch. They all go through the Rite of Passage, a ritual created where every Penguin of age (equivalent to the human age of 18) must face a trial to prove their ability. The Lawgiver then crafts them a special version of the Krai staff from the bones of their kills. They are also given a special bone knife or spear from their parents after this ceremony is ended.
The bone Krai staff is extremely special. It is a bone fetish that is transmutable. Most often, it is turned into a powerful spear for it's obvious purpose; hunting. But it can also be changed into a rope, staff, net, or other useful paraphernalia. All the Krai staffs are carved by the Lawgiver of the time, but when that Lawgiver dies, the fetish disintegrates and new ones must be carved by the new Lawgiver.