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Springtime, The Yaagkhege Steppe
Springtime, The Yaagkhege Steppe
An elder takhal, tall and sturdy even for his race, scales a hill nearby the bundle of yurts his people call home. His shadow is long in the dawn light, and a procession of very agitated foals follow behind him. When he reaches the hill's crest, a large pile of river stones comes into view, taken from the Nëju, which winds around the hill and disappears over the flat horizon. The stones, each the size of a takhal head, envelop the base of a totem. The top of the icon is carved with the likeness of an eagle, who faces the east.
The elder, whose name is Daarö of Altiil, halts before the icon. In his hands he carries a stone much like the ones arrayed before him, carved with a set of runes representing Ituunalg, and painted in bright pigments. Two small skins hang against his thigh from a loop of twine over his shoulder, one of potent lözhan, liquor of the ikt grass, and one of fresh aad milk. In his hands he holds a long-handled stone axe and the leash of an aad lamb, who trails behind him. He wears an aad skin drum on his belt, a load of branches on his back, and a headdress of eagle feathers and rawhide.
Daarö sets his load down and goes to the aad, and uses his length of the cord to bind its legs together, taking a moment to overcome its struggling. Once the animal is bound, he sets it before the stone pile, resting its head on a stone and applying pressure to its neck until it becomes calm. Turning to the rising sun, he murmurs an incantation before turning around again, and casting some liquor and milk over the lamb and stones from his skins. He repeats this series of motions three times, before turning to the sun again. He retrieves his axe from the load of branches, a highly decorated ritual implement, and moves to the side of the lamb.
Raising the weapon into the air, he brings it down on the lamb's head with a deft crack of its skull, and it convulses for a moment before falling still, the blood from its head staining the stones. Facing the young, he sets the long-handled axe aside and sits with his legs crossed, his tail curling around him. For an expanse of ground before him the hill's crest is flat, on which there is a bare patch of ground surrounded by stones forming a pit for fire. After him the young takhal begrudgingly follow, taking their places in a ring around the pit.
Meticulously, Daarö constructs a cone of the branches, stuffing the interior with twigs and dry grass. Gathering a bundle of the latter two, he removes dual shards of flint from a pouch. Under his breath, as it was bad luck for the children to hear, he continues chanting his incantation, soaking the bundle in some of the liquor before striking the pieces of flint together, setting it alight. He places the flame in the center of the cone of branches, and blows gently to stoke it. The foals wait impatiently, some of the younger ones drifting into sleep until their older peers silently nudge them awake.
Once the fire is made, Daarö raises his head and speaks to the young. He tells them of the Takhald Nëge, song of origination, and the story they would hear. Of how after this year's trek to the south, they would be fully accepted into the tribe, and take their clan name. He takes the skin of lözhan and drinks a gulp from it. The liquid burns his throat fiercely, and settles into his stomach like a pool of fire. He passes it to the foal to his left, who reluctantly sips from the container before passing it on, the drink causing each to mimic the convulsions of the lamb. After every foal had drunk from the skin, Daarö throws the remainder onto the fire, which leaps upward violently. All of the young lean backwards in surprise, and Daarö beats his drum and begins to sing the story.
(Singing example with drum)
The people of the Yaagkhege prepare for their annual migration to the forests of the south. On the dawn of the day they depart, the tribe's chief shaman Daarö includes the of-age foals in an ancient tradition, sacrificing an aad lamb to the sky god.
For now, it appears the same as any other year...
For now, it appears the same as any other year...
The Aad
The aad are large sheep-like creatures domesticated by the takhal for their skin and horns, which are used in the crafting of tools, as well as a sacrificial subject for religious rituals. They are treated with great reverence.
Like the takhal, they have long, narrow tails that end in tassle-like collections of fur. They have stouter heads and ears than the takhal, and thicker fur. Their hooves are more like sheep or goats than the hooves of the takhal.
The males possess a several foot long pair of curled horns which they shed annually, like antlers.
They have a wild variant, known to the takhal simply as the wild aad, who inhabit the grasslands of the island, as well as some mountainous areas. They are generally smaller than their domesticated counterparts at about 3 feet (1 meter tall), who are about 4 feet (1.2 meters) in height.
Lözhan and the Ikt Grass
Lözhan is an alcoholic drink brewed from the grain of ikt grass (in combination with spirits of any number of local plants), a wild grain found primarily in the river basin the Nëju is a part of. The distillation process is complicated and lengthy, and certain compounds endure the process which cause light hallucinogenic affects in the takhal. There are several varieties of the drink, the one distilled for religious purposes being particularly hallucinogenic. On average, it is about 70-80% alcohol by volume.
Areas:The Yaagkhege (Steppe/grassland)
The Nuugkhan (Desert)
The Daanigkhal (Mountain range)
The Nëzhiba (Forest)
Special features:
Daalag Jöm (Mythical place, the tallest mountain in the Daanigkhal, translates to "God's House")
Rivers:
The Nëju
The Debaik
The Rheju
They travel to where the blue arrow is pointing for the fall/winter, and to where the red arrow is pointing for spring/summer.