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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neurotic" data-source="post: 7794857" data-attributes="member: 24380">Tabaxi CultureTabaxi live peacefully and in tune with the nature around them. They are natural ambush predators, just like their cat cousins. They are curious, intelligent and playful. Their society differs in many ways from human communities. For one, the cubs are raised communally, the fathers/brothers/other male relatives are discouraged from making to close of a bond to the children. The reason, traditionally given, is that they need to bond like a warriors and live and die as one and not take familial ties into consideration. All warriors are males. The female that decides to be a warrior forgoes her right to mate as long as she fights. She also needs to go through the rite of manhood to become a warrior. If, while on the warpath, she gives in to natural urges during her mating cycle, she must remain a mother in the village. Or give up her cub and leave the tribe. The idea again being, no one is supposed to fight along with the family member. This situation is very rare since the cycle comes only twice a year and no warrior would force himself upon another.The mating is highly formalized. The marital pairs exist, but are uncommon. The duty of each warrior is to breed. The duty of each female is to breed. The breeding rights are the reward for good performance and need the approval of both the female in question and The Great Mother that takes care of the genealogies. The females duty is to make the tribe stronger through the generations and except for occasional love pairing, the mating contract is a reward and enjoyable time without obligations for both partners. The males fight for the attention of females, the females initiate the contract. If the contract is accepted by The Great Mother, the pair moves into one of the huts for the following week. Both are excused from normal duties during that time.In the case of the raids between two villages, if the attackers win (hopefully without killing), the evening ends with festivities and the winners get to enjoy the defeated tribes women. This is part of life of the hunter/warriors, the exchange of blood is necessary in the long run and the females are never forced - the threat of being exiled or forbidden from making future mating contracts enough to prevent even the vilest of warriors from forcing itself on anyone. Each warrior wears his own accomplishments and genealogy and Mothers of the tribe keep taboo matings away. Each person carries its own personal quipu describing his birth time, parents, characteristics, lists any mating contracts in shorthand (knot?) form and any noteable accomplishments. The warriors with rich quipus are sought out for the mating contracts. Similarly, females with good quipus can afford to choose their mates with more offers than unproven, incapable or young ones.The cubs usually resemble local great cats, in Chult these are yellow and spotted great cats known as jaguars. But occasionally, for no descirnible reason, the cub is born with stripes or ear tufts or blunt claws and short muzzle. These are known to the shamans as great cats from other continents and from other tribes (tigers, lynxes and cheetahs), but no one can say why the cub is born that way.Tabaxi society is fairly egalitarian, but with well defined roles. The tribe is ruled by a triumvirate consisting of The Chieftain, The Shaman and The Great Mother. Each person knows its place and the rules and traditions maintain the order and peace among the people. The village is simple with smaller number of buildings than would be common in the human village. Main reason for this is the communal living. The idea of personal space is foreign to the cats and sleeping in a big pile of warm bodies is the best feature of a good den. Sleeping cold and alone is torture.There are several notable buildings. In the center of the village are two small huts facing the biggest one. These are Chieftains Lodge and Shamans Hut facing The Nursery. The Nursery has a door facing the open space toward two leaders huts and another leading to walled backyard in which females can work and cubs can play without bothering the hunters or being bothered by them. Spread around this center can be two (at least) or more big huts, sleeping space for warriors and maidens (sleeping separately), smaller huts for mated pairs, empty (usually) mating huts and one or two storage and sickness huts.Tabaxi are hunters and gatherers. While they can eat vegetables, they prefer meat. Keeping cattle is known to them, but never used. Combination of the dangerous jungle and sheer boredom of looking after docile beasts means that even if tried, the herd would be dispersed and hunted down in a season.The ChieftainThe chieftain is selected through trial of combat. Most of the time, it is ritual combat, dangerous, deadly even, but with the shaman present, usually not fatal. The most often exception is when the chieftain from another tribe comes and challenges the chieftain - that fight is usually initiated because the leader is too strong for his own warriors, but leads the tribe down the bad path. This information can come from the females, from the shamans, even the warriors of the tribe can come to another chieftain and request the hearing. The contacted chieftain can decide to bring that to The Great Lodge or to challenge. If he wins, he puts one of his own warriors as the chieftain and that must be defended at the next Great Lodge.The Chieftain is always male, he leads the warriors and hunters of the tribe. He is in charge of the warfare, raids and defense of the village and of providing food. He is the judge among the warriors.The chieftain is the warrior (commonly fighter/champion or ranger, with occasional rogue or barbarian). Once a year, in the week just following the rain season, chieftains gather in The Great Lodge where they fight, deliberate about current situation, initiate new members, teach the younger ones how to control their Song and in general have good time. Each chieftain upon becoming one goes through physical changes initiated at the meeting of the chieftains. The exact method is secret, but in following months, the chieftain grows stronger (although he loses some agility with greater mass), bigger. His fur becomes spotless golden and he grows the mane. The changes are called the Song, sometimes Ragesong or Life Blaze. Whatever the name, the life of the chieftain is emotinally powerful, physically impressive and...short. It seems that fires that drive them and give them the power also spend their life at a faster rate. It is rare to see the chieftain older than 50 years or that has been a chief for more than 15 years.Chieftains choose The Tribe Father, Chief of chiefs, one to rule on the disputes between the tribes. Only rarely is this power needed since females and shamans keep the peace among the tribes. Butgame terms: gain bite attack, gain strength instead of dex ratial bonus, lose climbing speed, gain rage power as the totem barbarian, cannot be a PCThe ShamanThe shaman is a spiritual leader and lore master of the community. The Shaman can be male or female, indeed, he is considered to be both in the tribe. His duties include briding the tribal quipu, maintaining their legends, writing new legends and keeping their religion pure. Treesinger, as the shaman is called, is commonly cleric (nature, life, death or grave), occasionally bard (lore or rarely valor) or druid (land, sheperd). Treesinger is NEVER born in the tribe. Once apprenticed to the shaman in the tribe, he becomes initiate when he is ready and goes to another tribe to learn their history before the old shaman dies. Shamans chose their apprentices from the cubs, once the male becomes a warrior or female becomes The Mother for the first time it is too late to become a shaman. Male shaman needs to become accepted female and spends one month helping in the nursery and going through the secret initiation rituals. Female shaman needs to pass the Rite of Manhood, same as female warriors.The shamans gather at the Shamans Grove in the middle of the dry season. There, older ones ask for ready initiates, occasional death by accident, sickness or other reasons are cause for double duty for the shaman born in the tribe. He takes one of the initiates and teaches him the history of the tribe. This is helped by quipu and The Great Mother and The Chieftain of the tribe that lost the shaman. The lore is rarely lost. Shamans don't have one of their number as supreme authority, but the elder shamans get more respect and their word carries more weight in the decision of the gathering. Occasionally, an old shaman chooses to remain in The Grove, leaving the initiate as the new shaman of the tribe. The Grove contains The Great Tapestry of the tribes - quipu maintained by all the shamans and in particular Hierophant of the Grove.The Great MotherThe Great Mother is the leader of the females of the tribe. She is commonly a cleric (life, nature, solidarity, occasional trickery), bard (lore, valor), druid (dream, moon, sheperd), rarely a monk or rogue. When called for, she adjudicates any conflicts among the females.Females of the tribe live in a commune in the middle of the village. They live with the cubs in a great communal space with only Great Mother being accorded any modicum of privacy. All Mothers have the same responibilities, caring for the young, crafting things the tribe needs and advancing the tribe. The Great Mother is chosen on the position for life by general voting. Popularity and vanity contests are held in check by the duration of the mandate. Having a popular female full of promises, but without responsibility or with too much pride may mean bad blood between females and the hunters if cubs or mating contracts become matter of power plays rather than tribe advancement. As a female, shaman has a vote in the proceedings. The Great Mother is the keeper of the mating contracts and has a power to ban any proposed contract.Great Mothers convene one week or so before the rains start. At the Mothers Nest, they make trade agreements for the next season, ask for supplies they lack for the next rain season and exchange of female cubs as needed to keep the tribes healthy. They choose among their number Mother Supreme, The Tribe Mother. Similar to The Tribe Father, this is mostly ceremonial role.</blockquote>

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