Mikaina and Sonekei: Kings of the North

Rivals for All Time
Two factions of humans have been fighting over control of the Great North Mountain for as long as anyone can remember and then some.

Each of these factions have spent their entire existence focused on destroying the opposite half of the civilization. As such, they have been increasingly warlike over the generations. They have also branched out into trading, since most of their territory is a 150-mile wide strip of land that ends at a steep mountain. Not only have they used the trees around to build ships in order to trade with other areas that would be difficult to reach by land, but they have made a significant amount of money doing so. Even though they live in a mostly forested area, these people have a decent amount of livestock for food and clothing. They also mine out sections of their strips of land, although most of the big digging is done underground in order to preserve what little living area they have. They do turn up a variety of valuable gems, most notably gold and silver.

The Mikaina Tribe:

Unlike the Sonekei Family, who all share a close bond with one another, the Mikaina Tribes only care for one another in much smaller, separate tribes. These tribes are seldom larger than 30 people, and are usually isolated from each other. They are on generally positive terms with each other, as each tribe serves a different purpose to better the whole civilization. For example, one tribe serves as the religious base for all the other tribes. Each of the other tribes is sent a single representative from the Priest tribe to serve as a religious base for those people. Most of them obtain food by hunting and gathering, but the farming tribe stays in one location to tend to their crops. These tribes interact with each other by vast amount of trading, because what one has the other cannot make.

TRIBES:

Priest Tribe:

Name: Midoniwi

Values: Honesty

The tribe of those chosen by Uktier to lead his people in devotion to him. This has also spread to their other gods as well. These people trade with other tribes by offering their own members in service to the other for any amount of time. Because of this, this tribe is naturally larger to sustain this constant scattering.

Farmers:

Name: Tayvli

Values: Hospitality

Much larger than the average size of one of these tribes due to their important to the Mikaina nation as a whole. Most of the non-meat foods that are produced in this area is made by the Tayvli tribe. In addition to the permanent lodgings they have built for themselves, they also have set up a complex that is almost as big as their own village for the visiting tribe when they come to barter for food. Their villiage is on the western end of the Adalih Strait

Earth Mages:

Name: Waniki

Values: Fertility

A tribe blessed by the god of the moon to carry his power. Mostly nocturnal, so their prey is slightly different from the rest of the tribes.

Blood Mages:

Name: Giviqui

Values: Harmony

Among the first to develop Blood Magic, these people attempt to become more in tune with nature through the rhythmic cycle of life. They are generally peaceful people, not wanting conflict unlike the rest of the Mikaina tribes. When necessary, they will go to war, but only by a vote of the entire tribe (excluding children under 16).

When hunting, Giviqui mages will shape blood into long, arrow-like slivers and kill their prey from long distances. The blood from these kills they collect in bags made of animal hide with a cap at one end to remove when necessary. To clean the kills that the hunters bring back to camp, 3 women are assigned to each animal. Two of them play some kind of instrument, usually a pulse string or a drum. The third will use her magic to butcher the beast, drain the blood for future use, and take the skin to someone who can clean it properly for other uses.

The Sonekei Family:

Inspiration: pseudo-mafia, Batlic/Eastern European names

Live on the western side of the mountain. The entire group claims to all be family; laws have been implemented by the Head of House and the Sonekei Council to ensure that marrying couples are not too closely related, among other things. The Head of House is chosen by either the eldest child of the previous Head or the eldest Council member if the Head had no children. The Head of House's main function is to act as a tiebreaker in case of split votes within the Council. The Council itself is made up of eight elder members of the family. The Head of House has the power to replace 1 member per year with whoever he chooses, so long as they meet the requirements. The requirements are not exactly set in stone, but a general guideline for them is either a great feat on the battlefield, specifically against the Mikaina, or in a particularly spectacular trading run or series of trades with the outside world. Once such a feat has been accomplished, either the perpetrator himself or someone closely related will bring the news to the council, who will then vote on the matter. If the vote passes, the man or woman becomes an honorary Elder. When selecting new elders, the Head of House may only choose from the list of honorary elders. If he wishes to have someone outside of this group join, it must be by a unanimous vote amongst the current Elders, not including the one being replaced.

The coming of age ritual is one that is not set in stone, but several options available to these youth are: prowess on the battlefield, practical application of economics, extensive knowledge of politics or history, or an ability to perform some craft. Once one of these is met, the youth will be sworn into the Family as a full-fledged adult. A member of the council of elders or, if the individual is worthy, the Head of House, will preside over the ceremony. There, he is given a middle name name that fits his accomplishment. From that day on, his primary occupation will be whatever he used to arrive at the ceremony.

In terms of civilization, the architecture of the Sonekei is much more advanced than the rudimentary shelters that the Mikaina Tribes use. The Tayvli Tribe are the only ones on the east side of the Mountain whose building skills can rival the Sonekei. They typically build using wood and concrete in a Norman style, but on a much smaller scale. There exist no grand cathedrals like in the real world, the largest building being four stories tall. Buildings exist here for mainly housing. Other civic centers, such as a bank or government office, are much fewer than residencies. These are typically built with the vaulted ceilings and domes that dominated Romanesque architecture.

There are is 1 person assigned to live at the top of the mountain from the Sonekei Family. He is to watch for the god Uktier's return to his shrine. This person is usually a priest. He is often told to watch for advancing Mikaina forces not only at the top of the mountain, but also in the area around the summit as well during times of war. If either of these happens, they would return to the village and inform the Head of House immediately. Performing either of these duties is considered a great honor within the family. Many years after the Sonekei sent up their first shrine guardian, the Mikaina did the same as well. A female counterpart to the male Sonekei priest. The Head of House saw this as a peace offering for many years to come, and suggested to the man that he marry her to ensure that. Their children are still mainly in charge of watching over the shrine to this day. Not long after the marriage (1-2 generations) the children of that couple took up a new family name: they call themselves the Pynni family, after the name of the shrine. In times of peace, the 2 groups have an unwritten rule that anyone bearing the name Pynni is free to go wherever he pleases. In times of war, they are usually conscripted into whatever side they are currently on.

Ukteian
The Mikaina and Sonekei have very little in common: other than the god they worship, they both use a form of writing called Ukteian. The name comes from the only other thing they are willing to share: worship of the God Uktier.

The writing itself is based on a line, much like this: -. On this line, the letters are written. They can either go on top, on bottom, or through this line. Words are distinguished by breaks in the line.