The Cilicians
And so it was that Kerrukm and Haunnu were married at the Temple;
But Kerrukm's clan-retainer, Asha, looked on with jealousy and pain in his heart- he, too, loved Haunnu, but he feared action, for like a youth who is early stricken with Love's darts, he feared inadequacy and heartbreak for himself or others; as well, he had no wish to be disloyal to his chieftan, Kerrukm.
For many months, Kerrukm and Haunnu were very happy, and Asha became more and more stricken; his shoulders sagged as if under a weight, his eyes were in deep shadow, and he became hotly angered at slight comments.
Finally, when the complaints among the clansmen of Asha's listlessness and temper grew too great, Hikenvoshla the Mysian, another clan-retainer, went before Kerrukm.
Hikenvoshla the Mysian said: "Thou hast, in wisdom, seen the malaise of Asha the clansmen, he of coppered hair and weighted presence?"
Kerrukm replied: "This weighs upon my soul. But may he not simply be stricken by evil spirits?"
Hikenvoshla said: "We have asked him to make the Rituals, but he refuses. We think he is not stricken by evil spirits."
Kerrukm said: "Then I dispatch thee to find his confidence in this matter- you must bring me the solution."
Therefore, Hikenvoshla the Mysian went to Asha and, clapping him upon the shoulder, said:
"Tell me, clansman, in your confidence- what is it that weighs upon thee?"
Asha said: "There is one who is my heart's desire."
Hikenvoshla said: "Forsooth? Then who is this one that preys so upon thee?"
Asha replied: "I care not to elaborate."
Hikenvoshla was dispatched frustrated, but a little wiser.
So it went when was sent Kikurushma, Ikahashn, and Arishla, also clan-retainers, who were sent to find Asha's secret love.
Finally, one day, it was discovered that Haunnu had gone missing in the night- a search was conducted, of part Asha was not.
It was discovered that Asha had fled the lands of Kerrukm and gone to the east.
There was a chase sent, and Asha was discovered lodging with Harrkkn, King of the Akshlas; and it was discovered that during the journey, Haunnu had been bitten by a serpent, and that Asha was even now upon her grave weeping in shame, fear, and rage.
When they went before Asha, he said to them: "All has come to nothing- I have destroyed all I loved. The only recourse is death."
But Kerrukm, who had before been filled only with rightful vengefulness, went to Asha and said: "Forsooth, my friend- there is nothing to regret."
Asha replied: "There is a child who waits for you, among the People of the East. It is not my bastard; it is your full-blooded son."
Kerrukm said: "What is his name?"
Asha said: "Haunnu called him Kilikka."
Kerrukm then gave to Asha the ceremonial sword, and Asha took himself to a place hallowed by Magi, and spilt his blood in expiation of guilt.
-The Tales of the People of Kilikka
In Their Own Tongue:
Kilikkateka ("the clan of Kilikka"; 'kee-lee-kah-tey-kah'; in proper Cilician, as spoken by the upper classes, this should include the modifier 'Kor-' on the front of the word, denoting an organization of people)
Epithets:
The Redheaded Ones, the Wolf People, the Berzerkers, the Northern Ones (by people south of Mysia), the Raveners (by the Parakonians)
Homeland:
Cilicia, the Wolf Land (in their tongue, Kilikkata)
Phenotype:
The Cilicians are among the tallest of all Agera. Men stand 6'1"-6'7" (177-201 cm) and women somewhat shorter, at 5'5"-6'1" (158-176 cm). Cilicians usually have a sturdy, well-proportioned build, and are a bit heavier than the norm (being a bit chubby is common among children and elderly Cilicians); in some regions, however, it is more common for the folk to be extremely thin and willowy (these ectomorphic individuals are often called "tree-children" or "grass-children"). Cilicians have a pale-medium skin tone that lends itself to having a pinkish tone, and burns quite easily. They have a wide variety of facial features which mix and match quite frequently in unusual ways, though long, aquiline noses are common. They have red, auburn, coppery, or red-blonde hair that is very curly or frizzy, or in some cases, waved. Cilicians have blue or green eyes.
Dress and Fashion:
Cilician men usually dress in knee-length kilts called mteshkar, which are generally striped with one's clan colors and fastened with a thick belt of leather (irreushla). Over this is worn a long coat-like garment with sleeves that reach to the middle of the forearm, called a kulshlimu; the kulshlimu is generally not worn closed, but hangs open, though among southern Cilicians, it is slowly becoming fashionable to belt it with a strip of cloth. Footwear is either thick boots of hides and fur or simple leather sandals. All clothing is trimmed with fur to cut the cold. Weather dress (which, in Cilicia's climate, is almost always worn) is a heavy pelt-cloak of wolf or elk, and a close-fitting leathern cap with earflaps, which is, of course, trimmed with fur.
During formal or festive occasions, Cilician men dress in a similar fashion, but they use cloths specially made and kept for such occasions- their kulshlimus are checked in bright patterns, and their mteshkar are striped in the brightest of shades possible to emphasize clan membership. On these occasions, it is also traditional for Cilician men over 30 to wear a ceremonial breastplate of bone and horn, painted with clan patterns and mystical symbols, called a dashlekk.
Women dress in gowns or dresses, called akikknd that reach down to the middle of the shins. Among Cilician women, it is often a sign of status to have the thinnest possible fabrics for one's akikkn. Over the akikkn, women wear a short jacket or vest that covers the shoulders, arms, and upper torso, called a mashlukk. Footwear is fur-lined slippers of leather. Most clothing is fur-lined, including the thinnest of akikkn. Weather-dress (again ubiquitous) is a heavy pelt-cloak, like those of men, and a hood of fur and leather that is pulled over the head and tied into the clasp of the pelt. At the hairline, young women who are eligible for marriage wear a white band of cloth.
In formal occasions and festivals, young women bring out the bvakknheutnd, a tunic of thin cloth painted with clan symbols and designs with a short skirt reaching to about the lower-middle thigh. Older women wear layers of long, thin robes, and wrap jewelled or decorated sashes about their waists.
Cilicians wear lots of jewelry, men and women both. Typically, a man carries his wealth (or signs of it) in the form of heavy bangles, torcs, and earrings, while women may wear necklaces, torcs, armlets, bangles, bracelets, and other bric-a-brack. Cilicians prefer colorful materials to the luster of metals, and enjoy jewels very much. Their jewelry has a distinct barbaric character to it- wolf fangs and feathers are common among rubies and emeralds. Cilicians also wear huge amounts of carved things- things which are carved are believed to release their spiritual power, or hutmild. Many Cilicians weave carven figurines and beads into their hair, or hang them from their clothing- it is not uncommon to see Cilicians wearing pseudo-armors of carven ivory and wood.
Cilician men grow their hair long and wild, preferably with many braids and weavings, and large sideburns. Only men over 25 may grow beards- this is the sign of an adult. Warriors of a tribe will wash their hair through with lime, bleaching it into a mane of white-yellow spikes. Most women of Cilicia cut their curly locks at about shoulder length, and pull it back tightly, catching it into a ponytail behind the head. In southern Cilicia, young women attempt to grow their hair as long as possible, however.
Food:
Cilician food is generally meat foremost. Any Cilician who doesn't enjoy a good chunk of roasted elk is probably a coward, or worse, a Mysian. Organ meat, haunch meat, it's all the same when roasted over a crackling fire. They eat a large amount of protein, with the added root vegetables and various fowls and fishes, generally eaten with the bones, which Cilicians relish as "good for the teeth" (perhaps not coincidentally, choking deaths are common among Cilicians, especially at their wild raucous feasts).
The general impression of Cilician food is fire-roasted, dripping grease, heavy and filling.
Music:
Cilicians make music on small horns and hand-drums, with rattling tribal beats and storytelling chants. Accompanying may be the buzzing throat-singers of western Cilicia, or the droning bagpipe-like instruments of the north- and southeast.
The general impression of Cilician music is long, narrative, and droning.
Society:
Cilician society is based on the given word and the bond between master and servant. Cilician males form bands of warriors (OOC: similar to the Germanic gefolge) under the head of a chieftain, who is in turn bonded to the high-chieftain of his clan. Cilicians organize themselves into clans. However, these are clans less in the familial sense we might make it to be than they are organizations of clients and patrons- a clan is made up of a chieftain and his bonded retainers, and the retainers' retainers, and so on. One may leave a clan or join another at any time, but the rituals for the release of given word must be overseen. These relationships are governed by complex ritual laws, and based on the giving of oaths, which are regarded as sacred things- to give one's word in Cilician society is to put one's heart and soul behind a promise, and traitors and breakers of promises are among the worst of criminals.
Spirituality:
The Cilician gods are incredibly numerous and vary by region, for the Cilicians are not ruled by one authority or group of Magi. These gods are generally known as ulikkiri ('oo-lee-kee-ree'; literally, "they are watching"). There are generally agreed, however, to be three "universal" ulikkiri, shared by most, if not all, of the tribes:
-Mimerrde, the Wisest One, Gray-Hooded One, Night-Traveler, the Poet God
-Norrnd, the Wolf God, the Bloody One, the Terrible Spear-Shaker
-Nishlurr, the Liar, the Trickster, Lord of Fire and Darkness, Honey-Tongued, the Cunning and Bold
Magi among the Cilicians are called mtorushla ('m'toh-roosh-lah') and are rather more similar in function to tribal shamans than the organized priests of the other nations. Mtorushla of a given area have a loose brotherhood of sorts, and gather together for rites to the local ulikkiri and to the universal ones. Ritual sacrafice of humans and animals is a large part of Cilician religion, and also fortune-telling. Indeed, shrines to the grim Cilician gods are often frightening in their stench of blood and death. A well-known method of divining the future among the mtorushla is to bind a man in a kneeling position, and hack him in the back with a sword- his writhings are sprays of blood are then interpreted.
As stated before, Cilicians believe oaths and given word to be sacred, and any oathbreaker is said to be cursed by Mimerrde.
Cilician Naming Customs:
Cilician male names end in -a, -as, -nd, -urr, and -n; female names in -u, -ish, -ikm, and -arr.
Male Name Examples: Asha, Kilikka (very popular; literally "he is like a wolf"), Beushlas, Morrnd, Mtikkurr, Rrolshn
Female Name Examples: Haunnu, Thrikklish, Mnoshlikm, Shleusharr
Cilician names are generally preceded by an identification of clan- "I am of Krishla Clan, named Mishkarra.
Social Customs:
Cilicians greet each other by kissing each cheek- this is true of all, except between those of low status and high status; in such situations, such as a king greeting a peasant, the high status person places their palm towards the low status person.
Cilicians are not overly concerned with hygiene, but they never, ever eat from another's portion of food, or drink from an unwashed vessel that another has drank out of.
It is considered a healthy behavior to drink lots of alcohol, and those who do not are often believed to be suffering from sicknesses.
Because of their belief in the sacred power derived from carved things, many Cilicians whittle in their spare time, and present people they meet with gifts of carven figurines.
