COUNTRIES AND ORGANISATIONS OF LUNE

Physically, ghelflings are small and delicate-looking. Most have black or dark brown hair, always straight, although red or silvery hair is not unknown. Eyes tend to be bright blue or green, and they have fair complexions.

Rancorans tend to be more reserved and cultured, because of a strong elvish influence;

North Aginoux and Aginoux are passionate and quick to emotion;

Istarins are cosmopolitan, and somewhat suspicious;

Rudanians are passionate and hospitable;

Samarans are typical mining stock, grim and dour;

Tairolans and Estraians are cheerful, conservative, and stubborn, and appear somewhat slow;

Edianins and The Markers are farming stock, close to the earth, and very hospitable; those from the south of Tainrearg are typically hard, grim, and very clannish.

Physically, most Tainrargans have fair to ruddy skin, medium to stocky build, light coloured hair, usually longish, green, grey, brown or blue eyes, and are usually clean-shaven (in north-western Tainrearg a common combination is blonde hair and brown eyes); further south, darker skin and beards become more common. Tainrearg is quite a patriarchal country, so very few women are found in positions of power (certainly it is inconceivable that a women could become a seneschal or rule the country).

Clothing tends to be functional: tunic and breeches or dresses, usually of wool or cotton. The more well-to-do wear similar styles, with made of finer materials and more ornate. In larger cities, varieties of styles abound.

Matal: has a well-known "Crystal Bridge" across the Matal River, supposedly made of a single piece of quartz or milky-white crystal in ages past.

Rancorin: Rancorin is a beautiful city, and was the old capital of the first confederation.

The High Forest: The High Forest is wild and untamed, full of strange creatures and dangerous monsters. Settlements and farms tend to be along the edges or on major roads, which are well patrolled. More and more parts of the forest are being tamed and exploited, especially in the eastern parts.

Within each city, there are many sororities, who have women as their members. There are also many guilds which are generally run by men, but they wield almost no political power.

A citizen is defined as a woman of 16 years old or older who was born in Mereth, or been invited to join a sorority by that sorority's matron. No man can be a citizen, and very few women not born in Mereth are citizens.

The Mereth people are almost always blonde-haired, with blue eyes, and generally tall. This makes it very easy to spot foreigners.

Districts are governed by titled nobles and advised by regional councils of the middle classes. Towns and cities are governed by mayors and town councils.

All people have recourse to the king or queen, whose authority is final.

Grausteyin: This mountain peak in north-west Allemaren is said to be a giant demon turned to stone in a great battle (and indeed, it does vaguely resemble the head and shoulders of a giant humanoid. The seven peaks surrounding it are supposed to be its servants. Legend tells that one day the demon and its servants will awake and lay waste to the region. The area is noted for sudden, violent storms.

The Knoll: Three days travel from Tarenne is the Knoll: the spot where the martyred prophet Clavus was restored to life many centuries ago. It is a holy site for pilgrims, and it is said that miracles occasionally happen there.

The Helva Battleground: South of Helva, this is the site where the Allemars threw off the yoke of the southerners 350 ago. Even today, relics can still be found. It is also the site of a recent battle against the Aelin.

Schaidfell: Fifteen miles from Harabrun, this is the site where the Prophet ascended after his murder by the Yondells many centuries previously. And ancient church marks the site, on a cliff face overlooking the Storm Sea.

The Dark Forest: Settlements are few and far between. Many strange things abound in the parts of this dense forest.

The Aelin currency is a confusing system based on coloured beads and disks strung on coloured strings, with gold and silver being held in large banking houses.

Aelin noblewomen have their arms amputated at the shoulder at puberty, to show that they never need do anything for themselves. This custom, which may seem barbaric to foreigners, is not questioned, but rather welcomed, for it proves the girl's elevation to the status of noblewomen. Noblewomen are considered the equals of men in most respects -- in fact, more than half of the scholars and orators are women. Among the lower classes, men and women have rigidly defined roles.

Aelin clothing consists of wide, comfortable trousers, shirts and blouses, woolen coats or cloaks, and boots or sandals. The differences between male and female clothing are small.

The Aelin folk have olive skin, mid-brown to black hair, and brown, hazel or green eyes. Nobles usually have straight hair and are lighter in complexion, others have curly hair. Generally the men go clean shaven.

The Sharif is the tribal chief. The position is always held by a male, and is basically hereditary. However, each successor to the position must be formally approved by the tribe; thus it may not be the eldest son who wins the title, but ideally the most able. If the Sharif dies without sons, or none is approved by the tribe, an heir is sought firstly among his close relatives (both male and female are titled shalif). This is often a nephew or son-in-law; selection of a brother is unlikely -- he has already been passed over once -- but either a nephew or son-in-law ultimately continues the bloodline. The heir-apparent is often designated early in life, distinguished by his leadership skills, strength of character and popularity. It is in the interests of his brothers to support the heir-apparent in order to maintain the ascendancy of their immediate family; quarrelsome or treacherous shalifs are unlikely to gain the approval of the tribe as sharif, and those that are brothers will rarely be accepted in any case. It is not unknown for a family to be ousted from their position if the tribe feels its best interests are no longer being upheld. Brothers therefore tend to cooperate in a close-knit group, and to support their father, a slice of power being better than none. In the even of a difference of opinion, a splinter group may leave the tribe, but this is most unusual as their chances of survival are generally slim.

The Wise Women are the mystics of the tribe, and the closest the Khosalans get to religious figures. They are venerated and also respected, if not feared, for their talents, which occur irrespective of social station, although the traits appear to run (albeit erratically) in some families. Young girls displaying the early manifestations of the powers of a Wise Woman are fostered by the group, forging strong links between these individuals that transcend those of family and ultimately tribe, although the extent of the bond is known only to the Wise Women themselves and not to any outside the group. The Wise Women thus constitute the only group that operates truly pan-tribally, making them in some instances capable of and responsible for the behind-the-scenes manipulation of large numbers of people through their influence in every tribe in Khosala. The intent of the Wise Women is not necessarily to dominate or control the Sharif, but it is certain that it is very difficult for the Sharif to rule without the tacit approval of the Wise Women of his tribe. One must suspect that many of the "accidents" befalling Sharifs and turbulent shalifs are engineered by the Wise Women, who thus help to maintain the prevailing social structure. On the surface, the Wise Women appear to the tribe as conduits and wielders of mysterious and dangerous forces outside the common experience through the enactment of various rituals which enhance the abilities which are their birthright. They are also funds of knowledge, in some cases of seemingly supernatural origin, including a limited clairvoyance. While clairvoyance is definitely a real power of some Wise Women, it is more usually the result of a secret conference with others of the Wise, presented to the tribe as prophecy. The limited telepathic abilities of the Wise Women, one of the first things that marks a child for fostering into the order, makes them very difficult to deceive, a talent for which they are feared.

Mages: All users of magic in Khosala are male; just as there are no "Wise Men", there are no female mages, and it is believed that this is impossible rather than merely proscribed. No female Khosalan would attempt to use magic, in the same way as no male would think to attempt the rituals of the Wise Women, any more than either would attempt to fly by leaping off a cliff. Unlike the Wise Women, however, Mages are solitary and do not generally collaborate or cooperate except in the case of master and apprentice. This limits their power as a class in influencing Khosalan society, although individual Mages may wield enormous magical powers. They are not bound by tribe, and may associate themselves with their native tribe, any other tribe, or no tribe. A Mage is made welcome and treated with respect wherever he goes; most do not involve themselves overly with tribal concerns, but are formidable allies or opponents should they do so. A single Mage may disrupt the carefully laid plans of many groups of Wise Women, but as they are so few in number, they are very much the wild cards of Khosalan politics.

The Galat'nìr is the group of elite warriors in each tribe. All are female, as, although members of both sexes and all classes are trained in the use of weapons, it is only a few of the women that reach this peak of excellence. This probably has to do with fighting style: Khosalans prefer to fight from horseback, and there is a stronger bond between a Galat'nìr and her horse than can be achieved by any man and a horse (or sometimes between a man and a Galat'nìr, for that matter!) Thus not only do the horse and rider function as a synchronised unit, but the more cooperative nature of women results in a force of Galat'nìr using interdependent manoeuvres with deadly efficiency. The main function of Galat'nìr is as bodyguards, and they are generally very loyal and highly efficient at protecting their ward (and each other) from harm, even against overwhelming odds. Failure to defend a ward or comrades is not tolerated in Khosalan society, so individuals will usually fight to the death to fulfill their duty. Confrontations between the full force of Galat'nìr of rival tribes are generally either stalemates, or blood baths.

In some ways, membership of class in a Khosalan tribe is very fluid. The succession of Sharifs is generally hereditary, and his family are of the shalif class. The Sharif is responsible for the overall welfare of the tribe as an extended family; he makes decisions on internal disputes, on where the tribe should move, and with whom they should trade or fight. Members of his close family are generally involved in advising him and executing his plans. Other families and individuals are on much of a level, differentiated mostly by wealth assessed in terms of livestock (primarily horses) and silver. However, selection into one of the other three power groups is dependent only on talent, so a shalif may not have the aptitude to be accepted into any of these groups, while an orphan of the poorest family may become a powerful mage. In this way an individual may rise to prominence in the tribe through his or her innate superior abilities and be accorded greater respect than an ordinary individual born into a higher social position.

Most Khosalan tribes are nomadic within a home range. They herd animals where possible, and trade with other tribes and also on the borders of other countries. Arguments may develop over trade routes, access to water, alleged raiding of stock or attacks on members of one tribe by another. The environment is harsh and there is little leeway between the survival and ruin of a tribe, with the result that tribes are generally somewhat suspicious of each other, while at the same time having to depend on each other for certain commodities. Any major arguments are mediated by the Sharifs or shalifs of the respective tribes (in which they may be helped or hindered by the Wise Women), with their Galat'nìr escort in vigilant attendance.

Family and group identity is important to Khosalans. In many, but not all tribes, an individual's name will include syllables from the names of both parents. Their full name, though not often used within the tribe, gives the name of each parent in full, the connecting syllables denoting gending, to thoroughly identify the individual and his or her antecedents. The individual's own name is given first, followed by the connection 'ash' and the father's name. For females, this is followed by 'ben' and the mother's name; for males, 'ash' is used again. 'Ash' denotes 'child of', while 'ben' means specifically 'daughter'. An individual may be addressed or referred to by their own name alone, their own name plus patronymic, or by their own name plus patronymic plus matronymic. Naturally, all members of a tribe take a pride in their tribal name.

Some of the clans are Mah'dianah (the Grantain's clan), Cul'ChCul, Treheiill (which was largely wiped out by the Great Plague of 4849, and has now been absorbed into Mah'dianah), Fahann (now disbanded and scattered among the other clans), Behal (only barely surviving after the plague), Fintarinn, Athult, and Sinn.

Although many clans would like nothing more than to butcher each another, they all respect and are represented at the twice-yearly councils in Dobrin.

The political divisions within each clan tend to be as follows: The Tain has his attendant nobles, who are either born to the position or are vassaled. This is a process whereby a man in a lesser position proclaims himself a vassal of a superior, and pays him in some way, in return for patronage and protection. The process is entirely voluntary and may be cancelled at any time by either or both parties. Position, therefore, is a function of wealth and status. Beneath the nobles are freemen and below them the "workers", generally criminals and those performing some penance and captives from other clans awaiting ransom. All are loyal, in the first instance, to the Tain, however. There is no clan hierarchy, alliances and feuds being the order of the day, except that the clan of the Grantain is respected and considered above such feuds and alliances..

All clans are loyal to the Grantain, and the title is so firmly ingrained in Anghain culture that usurping the position is virtually unthinkable. The Grantain himself, however, has little power other than heading his own clan, acting as spokesman before outsiders and arbitrating between clans.

There are wandering priests who are held in great esteem. Magic is used by priests, but is otherwise largely ignored. A darker presence is to be found in the Druidic order, which reveals little about itself and seldom meddles in day-to-day affairs. Should they choose to interfere, however, they are feared and venerated. Their holy sites are in the forests. Many people consider the Druids to be the true rulers of the Anghain, though they involve themselves with people very little.

The Dragannan also worship Baro, an evil aspect of blood and glory. It was his cult that caused The War.

The concept and importance of money is noted, but far more important indicators of wealth are the number and ostentation of personal decorations and items, the amount of land owned and the number of horses on it, and the status accorded the individual by his peers and vassals. Money, therefore, is seldom saved but freely spent.

The Anghain are a volatile, emotional people with a rich tradition of lore, music and dance. Very few people can read and write, although most Tains and their heirs can. The people in the cities, merchants and tradesmen, have a much higher literacy rate.

The Grantain and his family are well educated.

Anghain society is male dominated, but women are in many ways treated as equals; they are allowed to own property, they may divorce their husbands and they rule in the home. The Tiainas and Grantiainas are often advisors to their husbands.

Horses are very important to the Anghain and are very well looked after. The bond between an Anghain and his horse is incredibly strong. To lose one's horse is a tragedy; to lose it through neglect or stupidity is a disgrace. Anghain horses are of a small but hardy breed.

The Anghain are very proud, even insolent and exceedingly fond of bombast and a good fight. The concepts of honour and the "proper forms" is likewise important.

Ridicule and shunning are considered two of the harshest punishments for any Anghar.

Anghar clothing tends to be richly embroidered with brilliant colours and elaborate patterns. Jewellery is common to both sexes.

Male garb is usually tunic or shirt, breeches and boots, sandals or shoes together with sword and knife. Leathers are worn in winter. Beards and moustaches are common.

Women usually wear long dresses and colourful cloaks. Short knee-length dresses or shirts with wide skirts, which are often divided for riding, are also common. Boots, sandals or shoes are worn. Hair is worn long.

Formal clothing follows the same pattern, but is usually white or light, with contrasting items or embroidery in browns, yellows and light blues.

Feasts are popular, with lots of singing, dancing and eating. Hunts and contests of all kinds are organised. Honour is integral to the Anghar way of life, and an Anghar's word is sacred. Contests of honour are often used to settle disputes, and even wars. Usually, the challenger will boast that he can best the other at anything, allowing the challenged party to name the terms of the contest This may be anything from a fight to the death to a poetry or dancing contest. The letter, rather than the spirit, of a promise is often adhered to, though.

Between clans, noble children are often fostered for a number of years to the noble families, where they are taught the skills they will need as adults. This cements alliances and acts as an insurance. They are returned to their families just before adulthood, which for boys is considered to be 18 years old and for girls 16 years.

Between the ages of five and nine, a boy is given a foal of his own with much celebrating. Girls are often given horses at the same ages.

When one warrior saves another, the one who was saved may make the other his blood kin. They then consider themselves brothers.

Bodies are burned, not buried.

The children of a Tain have stylised horse heads tattooed on their left palms as babies, the children of the Grantain have a circle around the horse's head.

The Anghain are highly superstitious, crippled or deformed people are respected as "special" and dreams are paid a lot of credence. Taboos and geasa, which are laid by priests, have much power.

Bards are revered. Although loyal to their own clans, they often travel and are an important source of news as well as being repositories of culture and advisors. They often act as fools, saying things that no one else may say and live. In any conflict, they are left untouched.

The Anghain are fastidious and spend much time on personal adornment. Their domestic surroundings tend to be simple, but the ornamentation is lavish. Culture is very important.