~ Murrah Society ~ Human Guardians The acquiring of a human guardian has become a huge matter in the lives of Hauran Murrah. Without the soul of a human bonded to them, a Murrah is extremely vulnerable to the attacks of the mysterious beings that have already been living on Haurah. Before a Murrah finds a human to bond with, they feel exposed and watched while on Haurah. Nightmares and strange occurances of feeling darkness creep up on them are common. Once a human guardian is bonded however, these sensations quickly cease. The lonliness from before the were 'guarded', is replaced with a constant feeling of company, which is a good thing if the Murrah gets along with their guardian. The Murrah and hhuman are able to partially manifest in each other's world. Murrah can mind-speak with their guardian, as well as supposedly feeling a touch or seeing a glimpse of them. Dreams of being in the human world with their guardian are not unheard of either. There have also been stories of these eerie manifestations flaring up while a Murrah is actually under attack by one of the shadowy Hauran creatures, a swear that their human actually had a hand in fending the creature away. How closely bonded a Murrah is with their guardian, what their opinions and thoughts are on it, and how many uncanny manifestations it experiences, vary greatly between individuals. Clans and Clan Leaders Clans have always been pivotal in Murran life on Pelmei, but this fact has bee magnified exponentially on Haurah. With the Murrah remembering their own society and wild habits, 'returning to themselves' on Haurah, the tradition of clans has seen a fiery comeback. A clan is something of a cross between a family and a tribe. It is both who they consider their closest relatives, and their neighbors. Often when a Murrah leaves their family group to live with another clan, the clan-bonds take over as being more meaningful than who actually gave birth to them. Some Murrah feel differently, but clan loyalty ruling over all if most common. A Murrah can be born into a clan, join a clan as a clanless outsider, be mated into a clan, or even be forced into a clan by other means. All of these however, require the approval of the clan leader (or someone else of high standing) and a small ceremony. Just because a Murrah belongs to a clan, does not necessarily mean that it is related to the rest by blood (hence why there are in-clan matings), and it does not mean that the Murrah cannot live outside of the clan. Many Murrah live on their own or in small family groups, often with scattered members of other clans. The only real restriction is living in the heart territory of another clan. That is generally considered risky and traitorous by both groups. There is definitely clan rivalry, and even conflicts, as well as truces and alliances. The clan attitude generally reflects that of it's leader. --About starting a clan -- For a Murrah to start their own clan, and to grow the large horns that mark them as the all-important clan leader, several things need to take place: --No competitions for dominance for a year --Needs to have had at least one offspring --Needs to have had, at least recently, a steady mate --There must be at least two other adult Murrah steadily in their company --About clan leaders -- The clan leader is one of the most important titles in Murrah society. They serve as the law, leader, and voice, of the entire clan. A clan leader is expected to organize and rule his clan, and meet each year with the other clan leaders to discuss Hauran affairs. The horns are what marks a clan leader, and the importance of them extends into ceremony. To defeat a clan leader and forcibly take over rule of a clan, a Murrah must either kill the clan leader, or break both of his horns. One horn is allowed to be broken without penalty, either during battle or some other means, but if a leader loses both horns, he must give up his title in disgrace. If a clan leader wants to hand over his rule for any reason, including passing in on to an heir after becoming old, there is a horn-breaking ceremony to complete it, allowing him to leave with honor intact. Classes and Groups ©2007 - Shannon Legler