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Post by Westering Holt on Jul 5, 2009 9:38:42 GMT -6
Normally, the band was led by the council, of which the bandleader was head. Decision were made by him, but the bandleader was answerable to the council and the council had the authority to impeach the bandleader if his decisions did not meet with their approval. A wise bandleader heeded the advise of the council, and when he parted from their recommendations his reason was sound and acceptable. The bandleader who too often ignored their advise, or ran rough-shod over them, was soon displaced.
However, Mahkir’s leadership had been so long, few remembered when he’d been chosen for the position. Either they had not been on the council then, or their memories had faded. It fell to Oreg and Nazari to remind the council, and the band, of the tradition.
The morning dawned bright, warm, and blue-skyed. As the members of Tavol stirred on their sleeping mats and woke for the day, a sending not often felt settled within their minds. Some of their minds shuddered away from that all-encompassing touch, the vastness of experience that nearly overwhelmed, and the depth to which it could sense. But the message was received: break your fast and come to council.
It was a subdued band that gathered around the central cookpit. Grassmats had been placed on the ground, and soft-woven blankets spread on top. Oreg and Nazari stood together before the cookpit, waiting for the band to settle.
“This, then, is the tradition,” Oreg began. “When a bandleader seeks the Palace, the council chooses one amongst you to take his place.”
Nazari took up the explanation. “In day to day, the council and bandleader speak for the band as a whole. For it was you who chose the council, and the council who chose the bandleader. However, in decisions as important as this, the council must know the heart and mind of the people more closely. “
“Thus, the nominations for bandleader must come from the band. From the list of nominations, the council will choose.”
“Here then, are the guidelines for nominations. First, no one may nominate themselves. The qualities that make a bandleader must be evident now, and not withheld for the future. If you bandmates have not identified those qualities yet, then you have them not.”
“Second, all nominations must be of sufficient age and experience to stand as first among equals within the council. A child or youth, regardless of how promising, has not gained wisdom and his or her voice will not be heeded.”
“Third,” Nazari took up the instructions, smiling briefly at several members of the band. “Magic users are not valid nominations. Their skills and talents are too specialized, the demands of their magic to important to the band, to divert their attention to the guidance and guarding of the band as a whole.”
“Fourth,” Oreg concluded, his voice smoother now than it had been at yesterday’s funeral. He had spoken more in two days than was his wont to speak in a year, and use has soothed the roughness away. “There must be consensus amongst the council. All must agree on the nomination. No majority will triumph. The vote must be unanimous. “
“There is no time limit. Discussion will continue for as long as is needful. Consider well this week, and when next council is called, nominations will be heard.”
Oreg held out his hand and Nazari placed hers within it. Together the two High Ones stepped quietly away from the circle. Their part was done. They would not vote. They would give no opinion unless there was no choice. They would moderate, in lieu of the council, since the council had no clear memory of the procedure. The decision, however, must rest with their descendants.
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Post by Anna on Jul 5, 2009 12:33:41 GMT -6
Tevac, Astierri to Sohnji, anyone else who wants to visit
Tevac stood up, with Astierri just a breath behind him. Both of them turned and held their hands out to Sohnji, the move so automatic and natural to the three of them that Sohnji's hands were already up to take theirs before they'd finished standing. Tevac's smile as Sohnji seemed to float to her feet was the first pure expression of pleasure any of them had shown since Nazari's send had brought them racing back to camp.
Astierri slipped his arm around Sohnji's waist as Tevac bent and gathered up the blanket and grass mat they'd been sitting on. They walked slowly towards their tent, but instead of going inside, Tevac settled mat and blanket on the ground outside the tent. There would be a lot of talking today, and it was easier to be visible and available than muffled up inside.
Astierri went inside and came back out with cushions or all of them, and a clay water jar that felt cool against their hands. He sprawled down on the blanket and waited for his lifemates to settle themselves.
"Well," he said expectantly. "You two are on the council. What's going to happen."
Tevac made a face, then reached through the door of the tent for the leather lacings he kept just inside. Pulling it out, he separated several strands and started plaiting them together. "Our positions are more honorary than anything. Sohnji's the band's healer, and I'm the trainer. Neither of us has the age to actually speak in council." He smiled slightly. "They still call us 'colt' and 'filly.'"
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Post by Anna on Jul 5, 2009 18:47:16 GMT -6
Ghelyn/Verrim to anyone...
Ghelyn leaned against her lifemate as the High Ones explained the process of choosing a new bandleader, and the requirements to be had. She hadn't known that the bandleader could not be a magic user, but it made some small sense. But who could take Mahkir's place? Who among the tribe was best to lead them?
Verrim's arms slipped around her and she sighed as his chin nestled on her shoulder. Her lifemate's presence soothed her worries to some extent. As the High Ones left and other bandmates departed, neither she nor Verrim made any move to leave. Others remained, as well. If nominations could come from anyone, then they all had a great deal of thinking to do.
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Post by meimei on Jul 5, 2009 23:17:10 GMT -6
Siyal to Ghelyn/Verrim
Nominations. Siyal glanced around the gathered band slowly. Who? Who was skilled enough; caring enough; responsible enough...? A few names came to mind, but somehow none of them seemed right. Something missing. Or perhaps she was comparing them to Mahkir instead of judging them on their own merits?
Right now there were only a few quiet conversations, as everyone digested the information the High Ones had given them. Later, that would change. The debates would probably get quite lively as the day wore on. As she rose to return to her own tent, she spotted Ghelyn and Verrim. Hesitantly she walked over to kneel beside them. "Right now I'm not even sure who will be nominated."
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Post by Kris on Jul 5, 2009 23:26:50 GMT -6
Sohnji to Tevac, Astierri, anyone else who wants to visitTevac made a face, then reached through the door of the tent for the leather lacings he kept just inside. Pulling it out, he separated several strands and started plaiting them together. "Our positions are more honorary than anything. Sohnji's the band's healer, and I'm the trainer. Neither of us has the age to actually speak in council." He smiled slightly. "They still call us 'colt' and 'filly.'" "Yes, they make it quite clear how little weight our words carry," Sohnji remarked, rolling her eyes to make her opinion on the Council clear. "We may be asked to say what we think about this candidate o the next, but actually give us more than half an ear?" She snorted, sinking her right hand into Astierri's thick loose hair, and placing her left hand on Tevac's knee. "Look at who's grouping together," she said quietly. "It seems factions are beginning to form already." Astierri shifted, placing his head on Sohnji's lap. She smiled down at him, smoothing the wild hair away from his brow. "I see it too," he said, frowning. "Tevac?" "Of course," Tevac answered, continuing to plait his lacings. "So far, I just see friends and family gathering--elves who might have someone to offer for Bandleader, or just want to gossip." "I see Kahlyn," Sohnji murmured. Her lifemates followed her discreetly pointing finger aimed at Mahkir's second lifemate, who sat down near a Council member's tent. "Looks like she either has a candidate to offer, or herself." "Kahlyn as Bandleader?" Astierri gave a short laugh. "When the mountains crumble. She couldn't lead Tavol across a dried-up stream." "No," Tevac disagreed with them both. "Mahkir was friends with many of the councilors," he reminded them, watching Kahlyn with sympathetic eyes. "Most of Kahlyn's friends are among them, and their mates." He looked at his lifemates and shook his head at them. "She's grieving, one lifemate dead and the other too caught up in her own emotions, and has no one else to turn to."
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Post by peachbug on Jul 6, 2009 1:34:23 GMT -6
Ki-Nava stood quietly on the fringes of the gathering elves, one arm crossed across her waist, the other at her mouth, blocking any expression. Despite the power of the elders, nearly everything rested on choosing an appropriate leader. How wrong it felt to have to do it so soon after Mahkir's passing. Necessary, of course, but difficult. She'd spoken with the young ones of the tribe to help explain their leader's death, and with several of the elders on what was to come, but everything was unclear.
Sohnji and her lifemates were talking amongst themselves, as were other groups that gathered. All were hoping to know or influence the outcome before the council began, it seemed. What a risky time for them all...but the elders were not elders for their gullibility. The sense in not having a magic user as a bandleader was evidence of that. Ki-Nava watched as Kahlyn seated herself a short ways away. She seemed strained by the events, understandably. Where was Sureen, for her?
**Kahlyn, do you need anything?** She sent for privacy, and to express the emotions she had not explicitly shown to the others.
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Post by rayne on Jul 6, 2009 6:31:26 GMT -6
Tiran to Ki-Nava
As he carried his grass mat away from the group, Tiran bid Koda a quick farewell. The tracker was off to think by himself, most likely among the brush and rocks. Spotting Ki-Nava, he decided to reach out.
**Ki-Nava, there are so many questions. However do we find the answers?**
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Post by Kris on Jul 6, 2009 7:59:12 GMT -6
Sureen watched as the High Ones walked away and the Council dispersed them to consider who would next lead Tavol. She watched as the Healer walked away with her lifemates, hand in hand, and clenched her fists.
Three. Not two. Three.
"Sureen?" Kahlyn came up beside her, voice soft and trembling with unshed tears. Sureen closed her eyes; suddenly, she couldn't stand the sound of it. "Come with me," Kahlyn urged, placing a hand on her shoulder. "There are some likely ones--"
Sureen yanked herself away from Kahlyn. "Leave me be," she ordered, and strode off across the camp.
She didn't know where she was going. At the moment, she didn't care. If Tevac had called prey-birds to pick the flesh from her while she lived, Sureen was sure she couldn't have cared less. She had eaten nothing, and only drank a little, since Mahkir . . .
His name alone was like taking a blow from a club to her chest. She could almost feel ribs breaking.
A screech from above startled her, and Sureen looked around. The dry brown grass rattled as the wind blew through it, and with it a slight, sickly smell of decay. She glanced up and saw the tower. Her lifemate's tower. The high place that was so like the place he'd occupied in life, proud and strong and protecting . . . and the prey-birds flocked upon it, a black cloud of devouring maws.
But what if they weren't eating him? Sureen shuddered, swallowed down her gorge at the very thought. Surely . . . surely by now they must have finished. There were so many! And Mahkir had not been a strongly-built elf; he'd been whipcord-lean, body sheathed in flesh as supple yet as tightly stretched as new leather.
She folded her arms around herself as the loss struck anew. She had been young, so young, when Mahkir first courted her; together they had pursued a maiden from Yeralyn, who had resisted them both for an entire Mustering. Sureen had made note of it; as dear as Jinshen had been, when she died Sureen had subtly encouraged Mahkir to turn to Kahlyn--biddable, dutiful Kahlyn, who had never gainsaid Sureen in any way.
Except now.
When Mahkir lay on their sleeping furs, his face turning black with the rattler's poison, his breathing choked, his eyes rolling back into his head, where had the Healer been? Off romping in the wilderness with her own lifemates, too careless to stay close to camp. And what had Kahlyn done, with Mahkir's body still warm with freshly-departed life? She'd taken comfort from the miserable little failure.
When this is done, Sureen told herself, I'm setting Kahlyn's belongings outside. She can share a tent with someone else. I'm not keeping a lifemate who won't stand fast with me.
She stared up at the tower, wondering if there was some part of Mahkir there that could hear her . . . could sense her. She could never slip away from him; he claimed he woke whenever she tried to sneak away while he slept. She'd move . . . and a quick, strong hand would snap out, clasp her wrist, pull her back against him with a laugh . . .
"Mahkir!" Her voice spiralled into the air like a climbing raptor, high-pitched as the scream of a prey-bird. "They let you die. You didn't leave me. You would never have left me!" Sureen closed her eyes as hot tears cascaded down her cheeks, blinding her. "I swear to you," she whispered, "if it takes me twice the years I've lived, I will avenge you. And if they dare put up some stripling to take your place, I'll hound the ones who do until they flee across the grass sea. By the bond between us, lifemate, I promise you that!"
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Post by peachbug on Jul 6, 2009 18:56:19 GMT -6
Ki-Nava acknowledged her furmate with a pleasant sending, though weighed by the preceding events. **We must listen to the council, to the elders...to the High Ones. Of course, even the voices of the young. They are a tangle now, but watch, even now they smooth themselves. A leader will be chosen, whether or not many choose to face the choice. I hope I one who can live well with the decision.**
Suddenly, she spotted Sureen, stalking the tents like a long toothed cat after the horses. This was one who did not look apparent to live with any decision made by the council. This one was troubled. Ki-Nava tensed as Sureen pushed Kahlyn away, the gentler of the mates struggling to hold in her pain.
'So cruel in her suffering...Sureen is not acting in the anger of grief, but in true anger.' Ki-Nava considered this worriedly. She obviously held some debt of pain against those who could not save her mates, surely not against the High Ones, no elf could hold rage against them, but Sohnji...? The idea sent a streak of irritation and further grief through her. For Sureen to push her pain on an innocent maiden with child was unspeakable...and Ki-Nava's grandchild besides, though that meant little in the face of the true crime of the thing.
'It mustn't be true...I am convincing myself of foal's tales and horrible thoughts.' Ki-Nava soothed herself. 'She is grieving. It will pass.'
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Post by rayne on Jul 7, 2009 7:56:16 GMT -6
Tiran to Ki-Nava
His own heart was heavy, as were his footsteps as Tiran began walking toward Ki-Nava. He had no food with him to offer, but he hoped that the simple companionship would be offering enough in the small gathering that was forming.
**I hope I can as well. And you are very right, sometimes the voices of the young can speak with uncommon wisdowm.** he sent to his furmate and friend. Tiran was thinking of Koda, and how he often picked up on things that those who could hear would miss. The nuances of body language, the voice of the land itself. It brought a smile to the firestarter's face for the first time since hearing the news of Mahkir's death.
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