The Rhosa

COMMON KNOWLEDGE FOR TRIBES FROM THE SHROUD

The Rhosa and a couple neighboring Tribes have a cultural habit of keeping Males close, and monitoring their bloodlines for health and genetic diveristy.
The Rhosa are a very old name, and can trace their bloodlines back to Meracydia.

Old and traiditonal, the Rhosa are truly Nocturnal, and slightly Xenophobic.
Notorious worshippers of Menphina

SPECIFIC WORLDBUILDING KNOWLEDGE

 

Internal Politics: The Rhosa are an ancient Keeper tribe located in the deep Shroud. As a traditional Matriarchal tribe they look to a sole Female to lead the Tribe as a leader. The Matriarch is a position where the eldest daughter inherits the position unless she is Challenged by another eligible female. The challenge is without weapons, and usually ends upon submission-although death matches are known. The Matriarch is a position of nearly ultimate power; although Matriarchs who’ve abused this power are usually Challenged and ousted as a check against them. Females eligible for Matriarchy must be of breeding age, a full blooded Keeper, Named to the Tribe, and of sound mind. Only the Matriarch has the power to Name individuals to the Tribe. Eligible individuals are either born of females within the Tribe, the Claimed Mates of Females in the tribe, or particularly spectacular persons of good standing-needless to say they must also be full blooded Keeper. A family with many females in the Matriarchal line has more status in general, and each Matriarch brings her family more. The Matriarch is-by default-the highest status female in the Tribe at any time. A recent ‘regency’ situation has been accepted by the Rhosa due to extreme and extenuating circumstances and is unlikely to ever be repeated. The Rhosa, being a Keeper tribe, are Nocturnal. Families with a strong history of bearing male children are also accorded more status.

 

Religion: The Rhosa worship Menphina the Moon Goddess, the Lover-leaving offerings of rich milk and delicately carved strings of beads at her shrines.  The HedgeTree at the center of the Rhosa Village has been decorated with countless strings of carved beads of every possible material from the Rhosa's offerings.  The most prized beads are carefully made from unaspected crystal harvested during the new moon so that as the full shines down the HedgeTree seems to be lit with thousands of stars as the moonlight catches on the beads.  Such bead strings usually change hands through bartering, but the shower of gifts upon a Mating Claim to bestow status on the couple is considered bad luck without at least 12 strings of beads for the Mates to offer during their first year of Matehood. The rare individual born with truely white hair is considered to have been ‘Kissed’ by Menphina as a sign of special favor and is usually accorded status in the Tribe, if not encouraged to enter the Priesthood.

 

Distinguishing Marks: The Rhosa paint their faces in according to Keeper custom-believing the paint grants them lunar powers through Menphina’s blessing. The name Rhosa comes from their tribe having a strong slant towards red coloring in the hair and eyes-although blonde in all it’s shades has come through in recent generations from bringing in fresh bloodlines. Many choose red for their facepaint to honor this tribal distinction. Different shapes within the facepaint hold different meaning and purpose for the Rhosa, and they change their paint depending on their intentions. Ash gray paint drawn across the face in slashes is reserved solely for mourning.

 

Family Ties: The Matriarchal nature of the tribe means bloodlines are also traced matrilineally as the mother of any particular baby cannot be questioned whereas paternity could be. A female may have brothers, but has no solid relation to the brothers of her mother and their children. In theory, this means a male who sires children with two different females means those children would not be considered related, and cousins are only reckoned through the sisters of one’s mother. The status of one’s mother is passed to one’s children, and though males to do not affect their children’s status-a higher status female will usually prefer a high status male. Specific families within the Tribe usually specialize in particular tradecrafts-the exchange of their best goods is usually the most obvious indicator of high status individuals.  It is a particular duty of the Matriarch to carefully monitor the family lines and breeding pairs-managing the pairings for genetic diversity, as well as keeping an eye on how often babies are born. She has the power to put pairs together to maintain numbers and health, in spite of the pair’s predilection towards one another. In times of desperation or inclination, Seeker Males are the exception to the Rhosa’s general Xenophobic policies on their breeding plans.

 

Gender Roles: Unlike some Keeper tribes, the Rhosa keep their males close as prized and coveted members of the family unit. Only by rare exception are males permitted potentially dangerous tasks such as hunting, or warfare. Instead, traditional male roles within the Rhosa are usually such skills as could be performed within the safety of the village-carpentry, agriculture and its associated processes, and smithing; although due to their limited numbers these tasks may also be performed by females without social chastisement for taking on male roles. One task exclusively performed by the men of the Rhosa which no female would dare be caught performing is a particularly secret seasonal rite to symbolically fertilize the fields; some carvings are also the strict purvey of males within the Tribe, highly prized for the frames of Mating Beds, and for some of the carved beads offered to Menphina. 

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Individuals of mixed presentation are rare and prized-amongst the Rhosa they have a special caste amongst the tribe.  They are usually trained as Priests and Priestesses of Menphina (the title of their choosing) and educate and initiate youngsters going through their coming of age rites/trial. These individuals have an especially high status in this position.

 

Romance: The Rhosa being Keepers find little or no shame in the acts of sex or nudity. Males and Females of suitable age are free to commingle and romp as they please-with one particular exception. The Rhosa observe a tradition of Mating Claims-which must be approved and performed by the Matriarch-usually before the tribe at large. Mating Claims are usually made as love matches, after the ceremony the pair retire to privacy to consummate the Claim-biting each other at the juncture of neck and shoulder to leave a mark. This mark is to be worn visibly when the couple return for a large group meal, showing off the new Claim to the other adults of the Tribe to good natured teasing. The grander the meal at this time, the more status granted to the pair as a unit, part of the meal is a shower of gifts-the amount and quality of which also proclaim the status of the pair. While under a Mating Claim both partners are to be committed and faithful to one another, without straying. Should one or both prefer to dissolve this claim-it is as simple as informing the Matriarch of their intention and it is done. Claims on persons from other Tribes requires the consent of both Matriarchs-the Rhosa do not raid other tribes for their menfolk, considering it an unacceptable risk to unwilling males. The Rhosa do not give permission to outside requests for their males unless the male is both willing, and too closely related to the other females of breeding age. Should a Mated pair agree to include one or more persons to their Claim, they must inform the Matriarch and mark said person-although this is not a public occasion and does not always offer the opportunity for increased status.

 

Should either partner stray from their Claimed Mate it is taboo, and the wounded party is owed compensation. Should the male stray with another female, this female is considered to have ‘Impugned’ another Female’s Mating Claim, and must pay recompense to that female in the form of a beating-although permanent injury is not allowed. If he strays with another male, both parties are severely chastised, and punished with the most unpleasant tasks of the tribe-dealing with the tanning of hides, management of latrines, and midden heaps. This does not change if his partners are also under a Claim-males may never be punished physically. Should a female stray from her claim the Matriarch will step in to punish guilty parties on behalf of their Mate(s). Needless to say the risk of recompense prevents most from betraying their Claims, and the ease of dissolving or extending a Claim makes it especially distasteful to most opinions as unnecessary. Mated males usually cannot be requested to give other females in the tribe children, unless the tribe is at particular risk for inbreeding. In such cases the Matriarch and females who will be bearing his children will make a compensation to his mate with high status gifts of particularly valuable goods, seeing to the pair’s needs for food or resources, as well as the universal status of a Male being prized for his virility and usefulness to his tribe. Same sex Matings are generally uncommon, though not disapproved. Usually a Claim is made because one wishes their partner not to share intimacy with others due to strong romantic feeling-so for Female/Female pairings the Claim is more a declaration of their intense feelings than a practical arrangement. Male/Male pairings are made for similar reasons-observers of the Rhosa have presumed that Male/Male pairings were to prevent their partner from giving other females children, but within the tribe such a duty is considered a matter of status and responsibility-and the rarity of males see such pairings often very gracious when the Matriarch requests their services for the health of the tribe. And, of course, within a Mating Claim, permission can always be granted one’s partner to find sexual release with other consenting adults. It is only when one’s Mate has not consented to such contact that a Claim is considered to have been Impugned.

Without the formal Ceremony, biting alone is not indicative of a Claim commitment.  Many young people tease and play with ‘pretending at matehood’-however to display bitemarks without a Claim is frowned upon as distasteful.
 

 

Rites of Passage: ((WIP))

 

Notable Persons: 

 

Teyha Rhosa: (Deceased) Matriarch at the time of Kogoeru’s birth, her biological grandmother.

 

Bhasa Rhosa: Currently acting as Regent Matriarch on behalf of Mahju Rhosa.  Eldest daughter of Teyha Rhosa, Kogoeru’s biological mother. Defeated in a challenge for the Matriarchy by Nahnyan.

 

Nahnyan Rhosa: (Deceased) Second daughter of Teyha Rhosa, challenged Bhasa for 

Matriarchy, killed in a Championed Challenge by Kogoeru Naosiene on behalf of Mahju Rhosa.

 

Kairoh’a Rhosa: Mated to Bhasa Rhosa, Named to the tribe upon his Mating Claim with Bhasa.

 

Kogoeru Naosiene: Eldest illegitimate daughter of Bhasa Rhosa, conceived through rape by a Midlander Hyur, and unnamed to the tribe.19

 

Bhasa’a Rhosa: Eldest son of Bhasa Rhosa, 17

 

Mahju Rhosa: Current Matriarch-Eldest Legitimate Daughter of Bhasa Rhosa, Championed in her Challenge for the Matriarchy by her sister, Kogoeru. 14

 

Ellah, Farah, Hanah: Youngest daughters of Bhasa Rhosa. 11

 

Bhasa’to Rhosa: Youngest son of Bhasa Rhosa, 3