Varnilutaji Norwei Clans

Out of the Norwei people the Varnilutaji are by far the most secluded ones. They live very much so to the north and their choice of the mountains as the place for their underground keeps makes it all the more difficult to stay in touch with them. A shame, as they are a very interesting group, although with a culturally driven obsession with very traditional, as I'd say, war. Anya Lebed, famous traveller of the North

Culture

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

The Varnilutaji Norwei clans traditions are deeply rooted in competitive clan conflict, that albeit have been stripped of their original bloodshed, still retain a great deal of violence.

The Game of War

During an annual festival of Jaunabscik (new cycle of nature) which takes place in early spring, a game known as the "Varodursme" is undertaken to determine the ablest in the "classical" [see more on that in the column to the right] art of war from within each clan. The selected contestants are gathered in Liecaurum, a spacious valley that serves as the arena grounds for the game. They are then selected into random teams (fellow clan members are never separated) that can differ in size from 50 to even 100 people. The 4-day game begins with the striking of a metal hammer which activates a machine that let's two boulders loose, tumbling down into the two teams' bases. Enclosed in these are the homestones, simple crystals bearing the mark of the team. The team objective of the game is to capture the enemy homestone and bring it to the middle of the valley or to eliminate the enemy team entirely. The individual player objective is to get as many points as possible, as the real victors are the first 13 with most points.
For the first three days, the two teams are separated by a line dividing the valley into equal halves and are meant to prepare fortifications, weapons and anything else they'll need to conquer the enemy and defend their homestone. Only blunt weaponry is allowed, as killing is strictly forbidden during the game. All team members are given an identical set of armour before the game begins and are not allowed to alter it.
At the fourth day, the beginning of the clash is heralded by a symphony of horns. The teams can now cross the division line and attack each other. One hit to the armour with a weapon means being eliminated and having to stay down, playing dead. In this part of the game, an important role is played by observers who monitor the clash from pillars that are scattered throughout the valley (there is usually 36 of them). They are not only the "judges" who make sure rules are obeyed, but also it's them that determine the valour and skill of each contestant (on the basis of these observations they are granted additional points later on).
The aftermath of the game is the ceremony of granting points and thus finding the 13 contestants with most points that will become the new "honourable guard", chief field leaders of the clans. Points are attributed for kills, being on the winning team and the observers' verdict on one's performance.

Understanding "classical" Varnilutaji art of war

In Varnilutaji Norwei understanding, "classical" refers to the so-called "four pillars of war" described in the Vietiesskar codex - cunning, strategy, valiancy and mastery of all melee weapons.

Creating the arena

The Liecaurum valley is always slightly changed before each game to make its environment unique. This is also a countermeasure for someone learning the layout of the arena the previous year and being more prepared this time. The usual changes that are made involve building hills, carrying over rocks to create formations, etc.