THE CHAGATAI: A MINOR CLAN?

A Thesis on the study of a divided clan by Jack Hansum, circa 5396AB

Insignias: Clan Chagatai, House Azurplate, Bleak Company, Sundered Throne.

Origins
The Chagatai is a proud warrior clan known for their armor and weaponry. Nobody really remebers
how the Chagatai came to be as a minor clan. Nobody even remembers if the Chagatai clan was always
human or not. Regardless, whatever drove first Chagatai to become a warrior clan, they remained a
clan that accepted anyone willing to follow it's code of honor, even nonhumans, to this day.

At one time the Chagatai, under the leadership of Lazarus Vlad, tried to become a major clan by
conquering other clans and villages and forcing them to join their ranks. Were it not for a band of
heroes and the betrayal of the Azurplate family that overthrew Vlad and scattered them, the Chagatai
could have rivaled any of the major clans and perhaps gone to war with them.
Lost Warriors
Today the Chagatai are a scattered Clan that can be found throughout the Kingdom. Some are lone
wanderers and duelists. Others have formed nomad tribes, bandit gangs, pirate crews, and mercenaries
companies. Some, such as House Azurplate, settled in communities to serve the local populace as
defenders and armorers. There are three notable factions that stand (or stood) out:

Technically the head house of Clan Chagatai, House Azurplate was one of the few factions to settle
within a village. Settling in Malta Zan, Azurplate took the role of defenders for the coastal village.
Recently, it is believed the entire clan was wiped out by a band of sea raiders.

The most widely travelled Chagatai mercenary company, The Bleak Company has a professional
reputation of completing any contracts it takes. They also tend to be arms dealers as well. The
Company is led by Karka Bodge, an intelligent and calculating businessman and soldier. It is this
company that took Katherin in after Pirates raided Malta Zan of which Onjo Ramis, one of the
company's high ranking officers, continues to teach her Chagatai ways. Currently Bruck Rimson,
another high ranking officer and House Vlad spy, is convincing Karka to ally itself with the Sundered
Throne.

The Sundered Throne is the remnants of House Vlad and those loyal to the goal of making the
Chagatai a major clan. Since it's fall from power, House Vlad as slowly been rebuilding it's house
strength as Chagatai Warriors. It wasn't until the current generation's leader, Taven Vlad, that it started
reuniting the clan. His method, however is different from Lazarus'. Rather than conquering other minor
clans and villages, Taven has been recruiting nomad bands, bandit and pirate groups, and mercenary
companies, regardless of whether or not they we're Chagatai to begin with, and wiping out those who
refused.

What makes a Chagatai

The Chagatai place no emphasis on birthplace, races, or citizenship. They regard their warrior code as
central to the chagatai identity. The code is outlined as followed.

- Deal openly and honestly with others

- Never fear to act, but live life fully and wonderfully.
- Take every opportunity to aid others.
- Combat is glory, for battle is the true test of self-worth
- Only a coward strikes from behind
- Always fight equally. If foe is armed, fight armed. If foe is unarmed, fight unarmed
- Respect your elders in the Family
- Never let a debt go unpaid.
- Act with honor (dont lie, dont cheat, dont use poison, and so on)
- Wear your armor
- Defend yourself and your family
- Raise your children as Chagatai
- do not dishonor the name of the clan

Anyone who practices this is considered Chagatai. The emphasis is carrying out these acts daily, not
paying lip service to them. Add to the mix their ability to set aside the rugged individuality and sole
ambition to achieve a common goal, doing whatever it takes to achieve it, and one can see why
Chagatai make superb soldiers.
Chagatai Society & Family Life
There is no gender in Chagatan, the language used by Chagatai bands. This mirrors the equal status of
men and women and the general flexibility of societal roles.

Not surprisingly, the female ideal that chagatai men respect is not fragile and graceful but physically
strong, enduring, and gritty. If you imply that a chagatai woman was delicate, weak, a bad mother, or a
poor fighter, you'll find out the hard way that she is none of these things.

Marriage is expected to be for life and usually takes place soon as they turn sixteen. Despite their
emphasis on fidelity and chastity before marriage, Chagatai are surprisingly forgiving and relatively
unconcerned with parentage.

Just as it's possible to become Chagatai, it's also possible to lose your Chagatai Status, renounce it, or
even have it taken from you. Exile is a rare yet feared punishement.

When a Chagatai child is born, it was family custom to wait eight years before having another child so
that the first child is old enough to be trained as a warrior for five years until the child reaches age
thirteen, where they are considered adults in chagatai culture. The parents duty is to train their child in
survival skills and their culture and language, and to prepare them to raise the next warrior generation.

Religion & spirituality

Being a warrior clan, The Chagatai pay homage to the war deities of many religions and have in truth
forged their own sixteen deity Pantheon, at whom the Great Mother was the Chief deity, although
Goradin, Grimaldi, and Shenahsee have become popular worship recently.

The Chagatai afterlife seems to be battle oriented as they consist of two outer planes the eternal fields
of Glory (akin to Ysgard in Manual of the planes) and The Cube worlds of Strife (akin to Acheron in
Manual of the Planes)

Daily Life and Death

The Concept of home to the Chagatai is the sense of safety and comfort that can be found even in
temporary settlements, thus to a chagatai, home is where the armor lies.

Because many Chagatai have become disconnected from the cycle of the seasons due to nomadism,
Life Cycle events birth, coming of age, marriage, death have become the only truly chagatai events
to be celebrated, though many mercenary companies will join in festivial celebrations of settlements
when they occur within presence. The uncertainty of their existence means most celebrate life
whenever they get the opportunity, enjoying drink, communal singing, unarmed fights, and relaxing
with family and clan.

Burial is unusual the houses that settled in settlements or strongholds being exceptions because
nomads do not have cemetaries. The Chagatai cremate their dead if the can recover the body, scatter the
ashes and keep one of the deceased's posessions as a memorial (The armor is left behind as it is set a
flame with the warrior). Usually this is the warrior's weapon which, being of Chagatai make, is
valuable. Chagatai recite the names of loved ones and comrades each night before sleep as a conscious
act of keeping their memories, and thus their existence, alive.
Food & Drink
Soldiers and nomads need food to be portable, sustaining, and preferably to require little cooking and
Chagatai bands are no exception. Small bits of meat threaded on skewers, flatbreads, and vegetables
roasted in ashes are all specialties of the chagatai, but one area where they shine is the preparation of
fried things.

One dish of note is Dishmeal, a Chagatai foodstuffs created by the Bleak Company. Dishmeal is a
flatbread thats coated with oil on top before baking it on an open oven, halfway through the baking
process, the bread is covered with a paste of some kind, popularly tomato, before any kind of available
cheese is added onto it followed by shreds of meats, fruits, or vegetables before it is finished.

One common misconception of the chagatai is that they eat rotten flesh, maggots and all. That is simply
not true. The Chagatai eat only the maggots as they are considered a good source of protein, either by
eating them as is or smashing groups of the into a rich protein paste to supplement othe food.

Another misconception is that they drink the blood of their enemies from said enemies' skulls. That
hasn't been practiced by them since even before the time of Lazarus Vlad. They drink normally from
skulls made of white wood, white clay, or, in the case of wealthy chagatai, white dyed korgstarn.

Arms, Armor, and Clothing

One of the key symbols of the Chagatai are their armor and weapons. Steel armor and weapons are
prized highly by the Chagatai, especially if it's made from the korgstarn (Chagatai steel), a light and
dyeable metal that not only gets it's strength from it's natural properties but also from Chagatai
smithing techniques.

When they reach the age of adulthood (again thirteen), A Chagatai warrior crafts their weapon and
armor of choice with the aid of their parents (or an elder warrior should the parents... well you get the
point). While the form and style of the armor is customized to the preference the the wearer, all
Chagatai armor must be of only two colors, which the colors of the house, company, or tribe insignia.

Clothing among the chagatai varies from band to band, but the most common feature among Chagatai
is the loincloth. Whether it is worn with or without any sort of leggings, a loincloth is a secondary
identification of a Chagatai warrior with tattooes serving as a tertiary method of displaying insignia.
Rather than normal jewelry such as rings and necklaces, Chagatai have a much a more plain and
functional method of adornment. If their wealth is not displayed through their armor, weapons, and
loinclothes, they will then wear collars, armrings, anklets, or heavy belts of precious metals. Any form
of piercing is especially frowned upon by the Chagatai as it can be torn off in a fight, causing injury.

Interacting with the Chagatai

Chagatai are more sociable than generally supposed. Granted one are more likely to encounter them at
swordpoint, but meeting them in a more peaceful setting shows them to be gracious hosts and honest
business associates. Just be sure to follow these rules when dealing with them is such a situation:
Say what you mean
Never refuse the offer of a drink or a meal
Do not hit on one unless you are proposing marriage or pledging to join the clan
Look them in the eye
Pay your debt immediately
Make a fuss of their children
Treat their elderly with reverence