LFG Clan Charosh Great Rites

Discussed frequently in chat, but thought I'd make a post here. This will be open to orcs only and set at Penteth Charosh

During the dry season (savanna winter) the tribe moves south to a semi-permanent home. Lessat catches up to the sun and eclipses it three times a year. See: https://chroniclesrp.net/Folklore/Core-Lore:The-World-of-Arethil/#Astronomy

The orcs celebrate this with competitions, food, dancing and singing to firelight.

If you have any more ideas or want to join, post here!

More notes:

• The Great Rites are timed to meet the day when Lessat eclipses the sun
• A great pyre is built in the centre of the clan's village and lit to meet Lessat as its rings glow.
• There are many stories passed down by shamans to explain what is seen in the sky
• The Rites are also used to compete in different ways and are especially useful for young bloods to showcase their skills to older members
• Early morning whilst there is still light the orcs will get painted up in colourful, tribal patterns
  • Mated couples typically paint each other
    Males and females typically separate and help paint one another.
  • The right arm is usually left bare
  • Through this time orcs will join the other group and declare their interest by offering to paint some of another's orcs right arm
  • Accepting the offer only shows that the orc being painted will watch the other display their skill during the Rites. They may return the favour. An orc may let several potential suitors add to the patterns on their right arm
  • A lot of different patterns on a right arm shows how desirable and orc has been considered.
• As Lessat closes on the sun various challenges take place around the area to showcase almost any skill useful to the tribe.
• One on one fighting with padded weapons
  • Wrestling
  • Tracking
  • Butchering
  • Archery
  • Any others you might want to throw in
• The pyres are lit as the sun is swallowed by Lessat
• The shamans lead the tribe in music, song and dancing to mark the event.
• Herbs will be slowly burned in small bowls and passed around. A small amount can give a pleasant buzz and break down inhibitions. A large amount can bring on visions. The experience is perceived as returning an orc to their roots – the union between wind and fire, i.e. the sky lit by the burning rings of Lessat.
• Orcs will feast, dance, sing, mate and continue the celebration until the morning of the next day, when the sun returns and the pyres have died out

• Attacking a tribe during the Great Rites is considered the lowest form of insult. Whole clans have been exiled and hunted down because of this.

Archery

Targets are around man sized and made of tightly packed bales of hay and wrapped in white fabric. There is a yellow circle painted in the middle around plate sized.

Everyone gets twelve arrows with a target at sixty paces. Need eight hits on the entire target to go into the next round.

It goes back to eighty paces and you need to hit eight again. That cuts down to the serious archers.

Each round after you get six arrows. Adjudicators will give a yellow strip of cloth for each arrow in the gold circle. Each archer holds up a strip of cloth for each gold and every arrow that hit the target

Each round the Chieftain, or normally someone chosen by her, decides how many hits and yellows you need to go on. E.g. Six hits on target and two in yellow. (orcs don't like maths)

After a few round the targets go back to one hundred paces.

At the end the archers carry the bales of hay to add them to the bottom of the pyre.

Lagakh

Jump on in! Archery has started, feel free to join that or come up with other things. Orcs are basically doing things to demonstrate their prowess. Partially to show their worth to the clan, prove theyre better than the other clans and to attract a mate(s)