Nightflyer Holt

Subject: Nightflyer Holt Fri Jul 13, 2007 7:48 pm

Most all Flyers are related to some degree, so I am not going to put down anything but direct line (grandparents, parents, siblings, children) The Memory Keeper keeps track of who is safe to breed with who. Recognition trumps any blood laws, of course, even to those forbidden to breed like Nightfox.

Due to old wars to promote one bloodline over another nowadays Nightflyers children are raised together by Hearth Cub Sitters and Sage Teachers, their bloodline is traced through the female side, and while the Memory Keepers track of actual fathers (for breeding safety) in general usage the mother's life mate or current bedmate, if any, is considered the father for all other purposes. Everyone helps raise all the children but the mother (and her mate, if any) usually take a more special interest. For this reason children adopted into the pack (usually by absorbing the Nursery of defeated clans) are adopted by a specific mother (and father). Children are normally given a ‘child name’; a name that means only ‘child’, to confuse evil spirits which child is which. Occasionally the mother will give a normal name to her infant (The two currently pregnant elves intend to give regular names for various reasons)

If you are familiar with American Indian names then you might notice I mixed Tribes and several times ignored the gender of the name (since earth names tend to be slanted to male for fighters and reversed for hearth names) Nightflyers use both the name (Misae) and meaning (White Sun) so pick either, or a nickname (Warchild)

There are two types of shapeshifters among the Nightflyers; Full Shifters, who are unlimited in their shifting but uncommon, and partial shifters. Partial Shifters can only shift one thing, ie make wings disappear, create clawed hands and feet, change face, etc, and are fairly common. Full Shifters are listed on adoptables list but partials are not. If character being adopted does not have any other special power then they can be partial shifters with approval, what they can shift MUST be indicated when adopting them.

Warriors Class: Protectors, Hunting skilled (Tracking, Trapping, Tanning), Weapons Crafters, Blacksmiths, Slave Masters, Cave Explorers, Scouts, Voice (only one), Chiefs (one male, one female). Wears hooded robe in Holt of Scarlet tones.

Sage Class: Memory Keepers (who is also normally the third 'ruler' who advises and on occasion, can override the Chiefs, breaks any deadlocks), Healers, Herbalists, Potty Makers, Gold and Silversmiths, Jewelry Makers, Weavers, Netmakers, Seers-marked (moon birth mark, one wing, etc),
Wears hooded robe of Azure in the Holt.

Hearth Class: Generally a temporary state every Nightflyer goes through when young and later if pregnant or crippled. Cubs, Striplings, any female while Pregnant/nursing, Cub Sitters, Gatherers. Most older Striplings help with Cubsitting, all Striplings help (to their ability by age and size) with Gathering. Note: Human slaves do most of the substance farming (mostly to raise grains for animals), animal herding, gathering (mostly to feed non-blood drinkers) Wears hooded robe of White at all times in public. Pregnant women, striplings in training, etc, may wear an edging of their other Class.

Sage and Hearth Class do not fight or kill (human slaves even kill livestock for food), the Hearth Class do not even drink blood. It is considered a Killing Taboo for those who do fight and kill to harm or kill anyone from those classes. The Nursery is sacrosanct. Pachua, one of the five ancestors revered by this Nightflyer Clan, was a Warrior of renown temporarily in Hearth because she was pregnant. When she was faced with Trolls headed for the Nursery – they knew attacking the Nursery drove the Nightflyers crazy - cut open her belly to birth her child. Using her shape shift to hold the grim wound closed she put aside the protection, and restrictions, of the Hearth Class to return to her Warrior class and fight to keep the Trolls at bay until reinforcements arrived. She did not survive her wounds. Her child was named for her and went on to be a great warrior in his own right. The Weapon Crafter, Yasto Kala, is Pachua’s granddaughter and she plans on naming one of the twins she carries after her ancestor.

Forbidden … All Nightflyer Packs are closely bred, anything else and they start losing flight ability. ALL out Pack breeding requires Memory Keeper (or whichever Sage Class is keeping the Breeding Records) permission, in Pack the new couple checks with the Memory Keeper. Forbiddens are any Seer marked, those who carry too many recessives, or for some reason are bred too closely (see Nightfox CS). RECOGNITION trumps all that. Recognition allows out-clan and Forbidden matings (and normally forbidden matings like first cousins) due to the Memory Keeper controlling breeding Recognition is actually fairly rare (other than outclan) and so almost always greeted as a welcome influx of fresh breeding material care of their ‘ancestors’ (whom the Nightflyers believe cause the Recognition). A child born of recognition, even with BOTH parents Forbidden (like Una and Pau Wau’s unborn child Wicasa) can breed, because the Recognition is seen as indication the bloodline IS needed by the clan despite possible recessives (note they call it ‘bad blood’ or ‘tainted blood’ I use words like recessives so the players understand the thinking behind it) Forbidden have tattoos in Henna (since recognition can overturn the ban) which the wearer is required to have done some place fairly easy to see, and to get them promptly redone when they start to fade.

Also note that breeding is not the same thing as sex. Most herbalist or healers can give a Seer or Forbidden bloodline something to stop unwanted pregnancies. A Forbidden who fails to use those methods and gets pregnant, or causes a pregnancy, will cause not only their death but the death of the child unless it is Seer marked.

Subject: Re: Nightflyer Holt Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:57 am

The Foxbat bonds can live up to 50 years.

Subject: Re: Nightflyer Holt Thu Jul 26, 2007 7:27 pm

Note on Ages. Nightflyer Clans are aggressive and warlike. With a high deathrate comes higher number of births than some other elves types might have. Childhood also lasts less time, normally until about 10 years old. With the onset of adolescence the Nightflyer child loses their baby name and takes on a new name, likely only the first of many they will be known about in their life time.
Actual adolescence only lasts about 5 years, making Nightflyers sexually mature by 15, however they are rarely accepted as adults by that point as their stripling period is also the time they are sent to do scut work for different Clan Positions, to see where their interests and skills lay. Once they have found a position that suits them the stripling is ‘apprenticed’ to a teacher in the skills needed, preparing them for adulthood’s responsibilities.
Any time after 15 years of age the stripling can apply to the council of elders for admission to adulthood. It is uncommon, but not unheard of, for the stripling to have the skills and physical and mental reserves necessary. There IS a trial, each custom made to the stripling involved, each stripling is tested separately (twins, who are considered two parts of one soul are an exception and are tested together) the Trial is a major undertaking and it is rare to have more than one trial in one day.
The average age for adulthood trial is around 25, and a stripling is not looked on oddly until some time past 30. While technically there is nothing to force a stripling to step up to adulthood (other than a desire for sex, for striplings are forbid intercourse.) but in real life the Clan can not support those who will not support the Clan. After 30 the stripling will find him or her self more and more shut out, until one day the Clan no longer acknowledges their existence, including to feed them. Some go on to be come exiles or loners, drifting to another Clan, forced by nature herself to become the thing they were avoiding if they wish to survive. Such ‘walkabout’ adults are only cautiously accepted into the Clan, some prove useful members; others revert at first opportunity to their old slothful ways and are soon cast out again.
Few live their full life spans but there have been Nightflyers, usually Sage Class, who have reached 3,000 years. They tend to hold their looks and physical and mental prowess until late in life, then age gracefully.

Subject: Re: Nightflyer Holt Thu Jul 26, 2007 7:51 pm

Phoenyx asked and it was a good question; do Nightflyers eat their food cooked or raw.

Adults often prefer raw as the blood in the meat fills their need for high protien, though not as well as blood itself, and human blood over animal.
And yes, Nightflyers have been known to eat human flesh, but its generally considered a waste of a good source of blood and it unduly riles the Keste, the slaves. Thus it is most often only the last resort in lean times.
Striplings are often started on raw animal meat, then blood, before stepping up to human blood as they are being first trained in the full use of their wings. wings, small on a child, gain their full size during the stripling years. Or perhaps it is the increased blood ingested, no one is sure and no one wants a todler who can fly.
Children under ten do not eat raw meat or drink blood. They might be occasionally fed a titbit for good behavior, but raised by the entire Clan excesses are quickly discovered and dealt with.
Nightflyers are mostly carnivores, but like dogs or cats they occasionally devour vegetataion. Being intelligent they are usually pickier about it than grabbing mouthfuls of grass.
Human slaves are fed vegetable stews for the most part, the lack of protein assisting in keeping them docile. Pregnant slaves are given a special diet that helps in delivering a healthy child, and may remain on the enhanced diet for up to a year as long as they nurse.

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