Claw Scuff Stepping

Rhythmic servitude, that's all it was. You can't call it a language - they were simply mimicking the intricate clicks and growls of a dragon with their feet. Those beasts were trained to respond to rhythmic commands, nothing more."

— General Mariusz Senyavin

Claw scuff is a contentious form of communication that was used by claw keeps to direct and command the dragons they cared for. The claw keeps would wear inflexible, wooden soled shoes, which they would manipulate in order to produce a series of taps, scuffs, stomps and clicks that were intended to replicate the voclaisation of dragons. Most imperial linguists are loathed to assign claw scuff the status of 'language', which is a point of contention between Kredasene folklorists and historians, and their Raskvaerii overlords. The Kredasene argument is not helped by the fact that, in the time following the Great Confiscation and the Raskvaerii Invasion, claw scuff has developed into an intricate dance form in its own right.

Dragon Illustration by Brinsmead

Ostlers: Stewards of Dragons

Dragons are believed to have first come to Kredashmi 324 HE. Blown to the shores during a violent storm, it is said that many of those who sheltered in Drachenruhebaai (or 'Dragonsrest Bay') were exhausted and injured. It is not clear what country they fled from beyond the Unending Sea, or what type of persecution they were fleeing. Approached by members of the Rhaelen Clan, the dragons were presented with meat and water, and eventually submitted themselves to the care of Rhaelen's healers.

The taming and riding of dragons gave rise to the need for a specific breed of ostlers: men and women brave enough to carry out the daily care requirements of those fearsome, winged beasts. Dragons were considered large creatures, with the smallest beast on record measuring 17 hands. They were also boisterous and loud, with historical sources commonly describing dragons communicating amongst themselves with a mixture of sounds. The predominent noises were whistles (both high and low notes), clicks (both high and low pitches), chirps, growls and snarls. Despite stereotypes, dragons did not often roar, and only did so to fulfill specific communication functions: such as when communicating in flight, when contesting social heirarchies within groups, or to announce availability to potential mates during mating season.

A Claw Keep's Shoes by Cait Brinsmead via BING AI

Origins of Claw Scuff Stepping

The exact circumstances around the creation of claw scuff stepping is unknown, but is largely believed to have resulted from claw keeps trying to replicate the vocalisations of the dragons with their thick, wooden soled shoes. In winter, these shoes would be modified with a hardened leather, covering over the toe and heel of the shoe, in order to create more grip on the stone cobbles in poor weather. The creation of the individual commands, and more complicated sequences, is likely to have occured due to trial and error.
The more extravagant and striking steps and tricks, associated with modern claw scuff stepping, is believed to have emerged as an attempt by claw keeps to try and out-perform each other during their down-time. Some historical sources detail claw keeps dancing for the amusement of their dragons, or dragons joining in with their keepers in a strange duet, vocalising patterns that their human would then try to repeat.

The first few generations of dragons' riders are largely believed to have remained ignorant of claw scuff stepping. They chose to communicate with their dragons verbally, or by using their riding crops of 'tap out' a series of commands on the beasts' shoulders. However, by the time of the Raskvaerii Invasion of Kredashmi, there are several accounts of riders involved in what historians can only describe as 'mass dance-offs' against each other during the meeting of rival clans.

Apart from the shoes, another key item in claw scuff stepping is the use of a corded length of tough, braided leather, similar to the riders' riding crops. These leather braids measured between 18 to 28 inches, and were used by the ostlers to catch the dragons' attention and direct them. The rhythmic swinging, cracking and whipping of the cord was used to reinforce the commands given by the claw keep's stepping. In post-Invasion, Kredasene society, another dance form has grown up around the use of these cords: clawbraid dance. This dance reinforces the unpopular opinion that claw scuff stepping is not a language, but purely an art form. Historical accounts detail this tradition being danced at merrymoots and other social gatherings long before the Raskvaerii Invasion, usually as a display piece, accompanied by fast-pace music from fiddles, drystlewynd merkordeon and snaredrums.
It is summised that this tradition was created by groups of claw keeps dancing together during work breaks. They form a chain by holding their cords. Without breaking this chain, the dancers utilise a fast rhythm to weave in and out of one another, twisting the cords above their heads or in front of each other, to create 'displays'. It is common for the dancers to jump or backflip over the braids.

Tobias Valen by Cait Brinsmead via BING AI

“It’s not... it's not a dance, Nathalii. Not in the way that you think. It’s a form of communication, between a dragon and its ostler. The steps, the rhythm — they're layered to convey meaning, not to be performed. It's meant to convey a message. A command. Whatever the beast needs to understand.”

— Valentin Ekhorin, Book 2 of The Sorrow of Souls Quartet

A Claw Keep and Dragon by Cait Brinsmead via BING AI

Commands and Rhythms

In its most basic form, claw scuff stepping are a way for humans to communication with dragons. Each step, or combination of movements, convey specific commands, creating a rhythmic language that is rooted in the close ostler-dragon bond.
The Call: This movement signals to the dragon that its claw keep is about to issue instructions.

• Stepping: The ostler rises onto the balls of their feet, and smartly clicks their heels together three times in quick succession.

• Auditory Components: This is personal, usually characterising the relationship between the claw keep and the dragon. Some ostlers whistled sharply through their teeth. Others cracked their braided cord. Others paired it with a shout. Tobias Valen, an accomplished claw scuff stepper, was known to shout, "GETCHA, BOY!"

Back up

• Stepping: Body positioned sideways-on to the dragon, feet move towards the beast. Drag-STOMP. Drag-STOMP-STOMP. Repeat until the beast moves in the direction commanded.

• Auditory Components: Flicking or cracking the cord, depending on the temperment of the beast.

Halt:

• Stepping: Stomp-stomp, stand still.

• Auditory Components: Verbal command of, "woah!"

Steady

• Stepping: Shuffle tap-step-heel, change foot, shuffle tap-step-heel.

Forward/Walk On

• Stepping: Hopping-double-rounded shuffles. Alternating feet. Step-rounded shuffle tap-hop-rounded shuffle tap, change foot.

• Auditory Components: Occasional, sharp whistling.

Notice/Look Back

• Stepping: With your feet in four o'clock position, kick the heel of your dominant foot against your grounded heel.

• Auditory Component: Scrape the cord on the floor then whip it on the ground.

I swear, the Raskvaerii would rather shit in their hands and clap than admit there's any beauty or meaning in what the Kredasene do.

— A elder claw keep's grumble

Derision and Misunderstanding

The Raskvaeric have always maintained that dragons are creatures of Perdition, and were not deserving of human trust or kindness. It was one of their main incentives for invading Kredashmi: to bring about an end to dragon riding and its various culture, social and political influences in a world ruined by the Raven's treachery.
While the slaughter of the dragons has led to the eradication of the claw keep profession, the Raskvaerii Conquest has done little to disuade claw scuff, and its fellow traditions, from growing in popularity. The Raskvaerii mock the idea that the stepping is a form of language, instead comparing the dragons to eratically trained dogs. There has been mounting pressure on the Kredasene to view this rhythmic communication purely as an art form. This manifests itself in statutes, during the reign of Saint-Kohnyg Miron, limiting the performance of claw scuff stepping and clawbraid dances to officially-sanctioned events and festivals.
While these restrictions have been abandoned in modern times, there

Young Claw Keep by Cait Brinsmead via BING AI

is a lingering feeling amongst the older generations of Raskvaerii-Kredasene nobility that these dances should be learned for purely theatrical reasons. Amongst the younger generations, claw scuff stepping is seen as a display of cultural pride and defiance, especially given the Raskvaerii tendancy to demand performances of these dances during state visits - both to and from Raskvaeric. During these displays, performers are often noted to be grim-faced and belligerent, their movements powerful, fluid and precise. This is in stark contrast to those who perform willingly to Kredasene crowds, where the dances are described as joyful, and the dancers openly teasing one another within their formations, while also riling up the crowd.