Post by Wilhelm Cransnikov on Mar 19, 2023 3:57:22 GMT
General Information
Population: 488,076
Friends:
Allies:
Enemies:
Products: furs, leather, amber, ivory, bog iron, pigs, bone goods, and honey
Warfare
Kvensch warfare mirrors traditional Kvensch hunting techniques. It is built upon skirmish tactics and guerilla warfare. To that end the most common weapons are the spear and sling. Depending on the circumstances the Kvensch will either attempt to surround and ambush an enemy to hem them in and butcher them or through skirmishing.
Population: 488,076
Friends:
Allies:
Enemies:
Products: furs, leather, amber, ivory, bog iron, pigs, bone goods, and honey
Society
The Kvensch are semi-nomadic people who subsist off horticulture and hunter-gatherer lifestyles. They formerly occupied the entirety of the coastal rainforest of the western continent. Following the migration of the Beyhepbeǀnek'hok to the region, they have been driven to the northern reach of the forest.
Political Structure
The building block of Kvensch society is the clan. An average clan is made up the relatives of a clan head as well as their slaves and tends to have 150 people inside of it. Most prosperous clans have inferior subordinate clans who pay tribute to work a clan's land and receive its protection. Said clans tend to be smaller, but depending on the wealth and power of their superior clan they might be richer than less prosperous free clans.
Above clans on the Kvensch hierarchy are tribes. Tribes can widely in size anywhere from 5 to 12 clans or about 750 to 1800 people, though this does not include subordinate clans which can greatly inflate the size of more prosperous tribes. Customs for tribal leadership very, but it is common for tribal chieftains to be selected either through an election within the tribe, succession from the previous chief based off blood or another determinate, or through the completion of some sort of challenge to prove one's worthiness.
It is not uncommon for particularly powerful tribes to have subordinate tribes under them. This is to reduce the strain of governing large swaths of land and people. These subordinate tribes are given a portion of their superior tribe's land which they then parcel out to the various clans. For the strongest of tribes, their subordinate tribes may have their own subordinate tribes for the same reason. A subordinate tribe is given land and protection by its superior tribe and in return is expected to pay tribute and supply soldiers to their superiors in times of war.
All non-subservient tribes answer to the Kvensch king. It is the duty of the crown to maintain the blessings of the Sungod, lead the tribes to war, maintain records of pacts/oaths made between tribes, and resolve disputes when brought to the crown/they become too large to ignore. The relationship between the Kvensch king and tribes vary widely overtime with periods of strong crown authority where the crown hold vast sway over the tribes and periods where the crown has virtuallly no influence over the tribes. Most of the time the authority of the crown is between these two extremes and the crown can direct portions of Kvensch society but still needs to govern with the support of the tribes.
Warfare
Kvensch warfare mirrors traditional Kvensch hunting techniques. It is built upon skirmish tactics and guerilla warfare. To that end the most common weapons are the spear and sling. Depending on the circumstances the Kvensch will either attempt to surround and ambush an enemy to hem them in and butcher them or through skirmishing.
Kvensch metallurgy is poor meaning they only indigenous produce iron and stone tipped spears. However, many more prosperous Kvensch warriors have acquired foreign made weapons. Particularly favored are foreign swords for their use in one on one combat and combat in tight spaces. Bone weapons are extremely common and almost every single Kvensch warrior carries at the bare minimum a bone dagger at all times.
Religion
The Kvensch belief all life has souls and that as things age and experience their souls develop and grow. This means that there is a strong respect towards age and certain objects that have done great deeds/lasted a long time are revered. The Kvensch have familial gods who they revere and generally claim ancestry from. The most sacred place of Kvensch worship is the family shrine where the dead are buried. The shrine may not be moved as it is believed that all the souls of one's ancestors reside in the shrine. Due to this belief, the shrine is the most highly valued part of the clan even above the survival of the clan itself. Most clan shrines are hidden and a closely guarded secret due to the enormous leverage one could have by controlling another clan's shrine. This is part of a larger desire in the Kvensch faith to strengthen the souls of one and one's kin while destroying or subjugating other's souls. To that end the Kvensch prefer to eat meat and especially the meat of powerful and old animals who they view as having strong souls. The Kvensch place great stock in names, believing that the constant repeating of a name help prevents it from breaking down and reincarnating. As such, the Kvensch do all they can to have the name of enemy gods and dead men forgotten by never writing or uttering them instead favoring pseudonyms (which must routinely be changed lest the pseudonym develop its own soul and curse them). Because of the importance of names they place a large role in everyday life and worship. For example, it is a sign of affection or favor to repeatedly say someone's name because you are helping ground them, this is also common in the worship of gods. There is a superstition tied to this that those who's names have been forgotten while they still live become skinchanging beasts who eat the souls (and can then assume the forms) of anything they come across in a futile effort to patch the holes in their soul.
The Kvensch belief all life has souls and that as things age and experience their souls develop and grow. This means that there is a strong respect towards age and certain objects that have done great deeds/lasted a long time are revered. The Kvensch have familial gods who they revere and generally claim ancestry from. The most sacred place of Kvensch worship is the family shrine where the dead are buried. The shrine may not be moved as it is believed that all the souls of one's ancestors reside in the shrine. Due to this belief, the shrine is the most highly valued part of the clan even above the survival of the clan itself. Most clan shrines are hidden and a closely guarded secret due to the enormous leverage one could have by controlling another clan's shrine. This is part of a larger desire in the Kvensch faith to strengthen the souls of one and one's kin while destroying or subjugating other's souls. To that end the Kvensch prefer to eat meat and especially the meat of powerful and old animals who they view as having strong souls. The Kvensch place great stock in names, believing that the constant repeating of a name help prevents it from breaking down and reincarnating. As such, the Kvensch do all they can to have the name of enemy gods and dead men forgotten by never writing or uttering them instead favoring pseudonyms (which must routinely be changed lest the pseudonym develop its own soul and curse them). Because of the importance of names they place a large role in everyday life and worship. For example, it is a sign of affection or favor to repeatedly say someone's name because you are helping ground them, this is also common in the worship of gods. There is a superstition tied to this that those who's names have been forgotten while they still live become skinchanging beasts who eat the souls (and can then assume the forms) of anything they come across in a futile effort to patch the holes in their soul.