Introduction
Masters of lightning-fast raids that carry off captives and wantonly destroy everything in their path, the Jackal Tribe is rightly feared throughout Haradel, Trilias, Kuzaarl, and Varkraal. Settlements on the frontiers of Jackal Tribe territory constantly seek evidence of fast-moving war parties announced by the yips and cries of War Jackals on the hunt.
Kuzaarik Field Wardens keep a wary eye on the plains south of their mountain home, knowing an assault can come sweeping off the cold grasslands anytime. They protect the flocks that keep Vinyabah Gohrahd fed and warm wool produced, but that attract the attention of the always hungry Jackal Tribe and their packs of vicious War Jackals.
Along the Dorsang Danar, in the mountain citadels of the Varkraalan, patrols are organized that watch for signs of Jackal Tribe War Parties moving into the mountains to assault herders on the interior plateaus. Looking for these war parties is a full-time endeavor for the Varkraalan defenders.
The northern Reach of Trilias is also no stranger to Jackal Tribe assaults. Often avoiding the constant patrols of the Trilians, the Jackal Tribe pushes deep into the Reach, capturing prisoners and preying on the less-defended.
Gone as fast as they arrive, the Jackal Tribe has a fearsome reputation for raiding all along their frontiers, sometimes in several places at once. Taking prisoners and goods with them, they leave a trail of destruction and terror behind them.
Where They Live
The Jackal Tribe’s ancestral lands are very different from what they now inhabit. For ages untold, they lived in the Red Rock Deserts of what is now Kandor.
Rock carvings and hieroglyphic images have been found all over Kandor that witness the Jackal Tribe’s presence there. These images include representations of jackals, human sacrifices to their Totem god, and hunts carried out by the tribes.
The Krai Jan invasion of Isarshael pushed the Jackal Tribe out of their desert home. The Story-songs of the Jackal Tribe tell of this time with great anguish. They call it Dav Tonat ker Bevaldin - The Season of Whimpers.
The Jackal Tribe abandoned their ancestral lands, leaving their Mirat Ker Egan - Place of Bones - places holy to the Jackal Tribe and filled with the spirits of the dead that they call upon to fight for them.
Thus began the Season of Whimpers. Pushed out of the desert, their only path was through Trilias, a course that the Trilians fought hard to deny them. Many of the Jackal Tribes’ Clans were wiped out as they moved north looking for a new home. Retreating through the passes of the Dorsang Danar, they emerged onto cold and frigid plains that were home only to The Mammoth Tribe and the other dispossessed Urdaggar Tribes.
Now, their lands extend along the upper reaches of the Fel’ Sha’Elthi. To their west are their old Tribal neighbors from the desert and fellow death worshippers, the Vulture Tribe. East of them, in the Dorsang Danar, lie the domains of the Bat Tribe, while south of them live the Spider Tribe.
The Jackal Tribe has spread across these vast plains south of Vinyabah Gohrahd. From there, they raid the trade routes between the Kuzaarik and their primary trade partners, the Varkraalan.
The Jackal Tribe is less nomadic than many of their kinsman, preferring to stick close to their Mirat Ker Egan, which they rebuilt after the Season of Whimpers.
They defend these holy places vigorously, “met Ta’anve dranan” - with the Jackal’s teeth - destroying any that come near them, or allowing them to stumble into them and watching them be destroyed by the angry spirits contained by the energy of those dark places.
Religion
The Jackal Tribe worships Ta’an, the Jackal. Ta’an is a god of death. He is called Girat - Smiler - by the Tribes, and that grin is witnessed in Tribal art, where Ta’an is always seen with a smirk. This is believed to be a nod to the fact that, eventually, all come before Ta’an, the Totem god of death. None can outrun him nor slay him. He is inevitable.
The Tribe worships death and celebrates their own ends as feeding their Totem god. They kill because Ta’an is always hungry, seeking more souls to devour.
The Jackal Tribe Vola - Mystics - form a link to Ta’an and offer his guidance, wisdom, and cruelty as answers to problems in everyday life. Likewise, the Tribe raises War Jackals, which they believe to be the living embodiment of Ta’an. They learn from these animals just as they would their Mystics, for each is connected to Ta’an in a way that most Tribespeople are not.
The initiation of Mystics in Jackal Tribe society is necessary and seen as the Clan’s survival. In the Jackal Clans, one of the War Jackals of the Clan is involved; the animal acts as a spirit guide for the young Mystic to take an inward journey that culminates in Thuv Ayadlish - re-birth.
During the ceremony, the War Jackal and the Mystic Candidate enter an ecstatic trance. This is achieved with sacred herbs bundled and then burnt under the noses of the Jackal and the would-be initiate. Both collapse and mumble during the ceremony and, at other times, can appear as though they have died.
During this trance, the Mystic Candidate follows the Jackal to Ta’an. All who come into the presence of Ta’an die or are already dead, and the soul of the Mystic is said to go to Ta’an at that moment. If Ta’an finds the candidate acceptable to act as a medium between him and his people, he allows the soul to return to the body with the help of the Jackal guide.
When the candidate awakens, the War Jackal does as well. They have completed the Thuv Ayadlish - Re-birth - together and will often remain connected for the rest of their lives.
Another kind of Jackal Tribe Mystic is the Iryn Pavihta - The Soul Scriber. Soul Scribers are Mystics specific to the Jackal Tribe. They capture spirits at the moment of death before they go to Ta’an and bind them with powerful magic to a Jackal’s tooth. They can then release these spirits to fight for the Tribe.
Soul Scribers also have the task of letting a few of these spirits loose on the Winter Solstice, known to the Jackal Tribe as Okanars - The Long Night. This is an act of ritual sacrifice to Ta’an, and it lowers the fighting powers of the Clan, but it is thought that if the gift is sincere, Ta’an will fill Mirat Ker Egan with more bodies and spirits in the coming season.
Mystics are the lifeblood of the Jackal Tribe. It is believed they have a direct connection to Ta’an and relay his will to the Chieftains of the Clans when they speak. The Mystics are revered, though not as much as the jackals themselves.
The Tribe patterns all they do off of their Jackals, from how they eat to how they fight. To understand the Jackal Tribe, one must observe the jackals they keep and breed in their camps.
These vicious creatures - the survivors of the much shorter-haired jackals that thrived in the red rock deserts and were brought with the Jackal Tribe in their exile to the north - form the basis of all life in the Jackal Tribe. Even their eating habits, which can tend towards scavenging, is a practice that the Jackal Tribe has adopted, helping them survive the lean times that the cold north often brings.
Culture
Individuals are celebrated in Urdaggar society, and they can choose their own way, and individual freedom is the cornerstone of Urdaggar culture. Despite the focus on personal freedom, however, the Clan and its survival are of paramount importance, and the freedom of the individual is almost always used to serve the Clan.
Jackals are social creatures and rely on the pack for survival. It is no different with the Jackal Tribe. Though individualism and individual freedom are revered in all Urdaggar Tribes, there is also a healthy respect for the Tribe and the interconnected families that make up each Clan. The good of the Clan and its continued survival is something most Jackal Tribe member holds sacred. The Season of Whimpers looms large in their culture and everyday life.
The Jackal Tribe Shukal is similar to other Tribes,’ but it will be accompanied by a Lirta - a Mystic Guide - and several of the Tribes’ Jackals. The Jackals will aid the Mystic in training the young members of the Clan. During the Shukal, the Lirta and Jackals will lead the Yarta - youth - on several raids.
The youth start by raiding other Shukal in the wilderness and culminate in a raid on a larger target that the young ones choose with the aid of the Lirta. The survivors of the Shukal are welcomed home with the Ha’adutan - The Proofs - that initiate them into adult members of the Tribe.
Like Jackals, the smallest social unit in the Jackal Tribe tends to be a monogamous pair. Like all Urdaggar Tribes, marriage and divorce are incredibly easy to do, merely achieving the consent of both for marriage and the support of one for divorce.
Despite its fearsome reputation, the Tribespeople participate in fun activities such as sports and contests of speed and cunning. When not on raids, life can get monotonous and boring around camp.
Races have always held a special place for the Jackal Tribe, with individuals pushing themselves to keep pace with the War Jackals. These races start at an early age, and any that can keep pace with a jackal are already well on their way to becoming Tordai, or Predators, that Jackal Warrior sacred to Ta’an.
The Jackal Tribe also has a game where a skull or severed head of an enemy is kicked between two teams, who try to place the unfortunate object into a small area, usually some sort of a basket, to win. The game is very physical; where players are not allowed to touch the skull with their hands, they can do almost anything they want to other players to advance the ball and kick it into the basket.
The escaped prisoners who described these activities could only understand some rules or whether they changed regularly. They recall the ominous name of the endeavor: Thosh - head; or Gulgat - skull. Whichever term is used, the scoring team and onlookers scream the word when the skull is kicked into the basket. They also reflect how rowdy the onlookers can become, sometimes spurring fights amongst them that rival any intensity shown by the players.
Tattoos
The Jackal Clan, like the rest of the Urdaggar Tribes, are fond of their Tattoos. When raiding, most warriors don warpaint, transforming their faces into leering visages of Ta’an or using other motifs to scare their opponents. Some of these include Red Warpaint worn across the entire body, especially those who have been given an omen of death.
Others include a wide swatch of black around the eyes and a long “nose” extending from the eyes to the mouth. This warpaint makes the wearer resemble the Jackal.
The Clans make these permanent based on achievements. Religious symbols, Omens of greatness or doom, and other symbols may be bestowed on a warrior by the Bes Vola of the Clan. This system makes a Jackal Warrior’s tattoos a warning to any who would fight them; they are facing a seasoned ferocious warrior who has won their markings.
The most common of these is the Gira - the smile - that so much Jackal Tribe art depicts Ta’an as wearing at all times. This Gira makes the mouth look larger and formed into a permanent leer. These are awarded to those who take to battle without fear and fight without regard for their personal safety.
A second common tattoo is canine teeth tattooed on the lips of warriors. These are awarded for ferocity in combat or the death of a notorious enemy at their hands.
A common Tattoo found on Jackal Tribesepeople, and not one awarded, are long ears tattooed onto the head upward from the ears. These are usually done in red, a color that is also tattooed onto the ears.
Armbands are common tattoos found among the clans. They include many motifs, including teeth and paws.
Some warriors keep a running tally of their kills tattooed on their bodies. These tallies are often incorporated into armbands or tattooed headbands where each tooth indicates a kill.
Economy
The Economy of the Jackal Tribe depends mainly on the spoils of war won in raids on the civilized nations around them. They also herd small animals, hunt and gather, and practice leatherworking.
Raiding provides a Jackal Clan with money, goods, food, and prisoners, and they can trade with other Clans for things they need or want. This economic model encourages raiding, as goods from different people groups can be highly prized by a Clan that does not have access to them.
Prisoners are sometimes ransomed for things that the Clan needs. At other times they are eaten or fed to the Jackals. Most of the time, they are auctioned off to other clans or Tribes, especially the Vulture Tribe, as it has nefarious uses for the Thralls they often make of prisoners.
A small amount of herding is done by the Jackal Tribe Clans. Their charges usually consist of the wooly bayish - goat - that provides milk and meat to the Clan.
Leatherworking, intricate jewelry made from Jackal teeth, which they shed regularly, and other small home industries are practiced among the Tribespeople.
War
All Jackal Tribespeople are warriors. Life dictates this. They may not all join the perennial raids renewed after the cold season, but when war is provoked, every man and woman is mobilized and ready for battle.
War is a way of life for the Jackal Tribe. They have been fighting since they can remember, and their Story Songs are primarily about death and combat. Battle is their way, both because it brings riches to the Clans and because it satiates Ta’an, who is not above feeding on his own people if they do not satisfy him with the souls of their enemies.
Jackal Tribe raiding parties are often called Dinarilgat - Swiftdeath. They are fast-moving groups that leave death and destruction in their wake. Dinarilgat are opportunistic - they are always looking for the most lucrative target to strike without having to expend much of their fighting strength. Like Jackals, they are most active at dawn and dusk, using the cover of darkness to mask their approach and their hasty exit after the chaos of their raid has been unleashed.
The Jackal Tribe is wary of giving its allegiance to other tribes; it has to have good reason to do so. These Clans and Tribes are often the ones that have been targeted by Jackal raids. The Jackal Tribe has no problem taking from these neighbors and expects the same favor will be returned to them.
However unwilling they may be to form allegiances, on the advice of a Vola - a Mystic - they will send warriors out with mixed Clan or even Mixed Tribe parties with specific goals in mind. Sometimes this is to destroy a shared enemy. Sometimes it is to raid an enemy difficult to defeat or steal from.
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