The Naglani

The strangest people in Daleth are the Naglani. Strange, and to some men scary, and therefore hated. The Naglani lived long apart from the other Dalethian people, and much was unknown or rumoured about the Naglani.

The Naglani Family

The Naglani live in rather large families (kunja). A family owns a farm, and the farm can be as big as a village. Everyone on the farm belongs to the family, be it by birth, be it by marriage or buying. To make a difference, there are different names for family members with the same bloodline and other family members. There is no difference in rights or plights.

To the bloodline family (fadrein) belong the father and the mother, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. A special place has the Wawa, the grandfather or -mother, who is more or less the head of the whole family. The Wawa is supposed to be old and wise and a natural judge, judging by experience.

In the larger meaning of the Naglani family, there are some special persons too:

the kilthei: a man or woman who guards and raises one or more of the children of the family. Fathers and mothers are not always the kilthei. An orphan always has a kilthei and the kilthei will act as its mother and/or father. Kilthei can only take the place of the parents if the parents approve of it, or if they are dead.
the swaihro: the members of a family that is related to the family by marriage. They sometimes live within the family, but are not “real” members, even if they are regarded to as members.
the arb: the person who will inherit the farm. It will be the next leader of the family (gardawaldands), (though not the head of the family, that role is for the Wawa). Usually the oldest child of the leader of the family is the arb, even if the leader is the kilthei to the child. The farm does not split up when there are more children, but the family may split up when it gets to big. In that case, a new farm has to be build where the new formed family will live.
the gasintha: the people living on the farm that are not (yet) members of the family as such.

Birth, and children

Naglani children come out of an egg. After a pregnancy of 2 twozmenoth, the egg is laid and the family warms the egg to get a healthy child. 3 twozmenoth later, the child breaks out of the egg. The baby can drink milk from a mother, but gets mashed worms to eat too.
Only pure Naglani are always born out of eggs. Those who have a father or a mother that is not (pure) Naglani are born the human way.
Naglani like children a lot. They do not bother if it is their own child, as long as the child is a member of the family. The whole family. especially the kilthei, raises the child to be a good, family-minded adult.
A family can have no more children than they can feed. When too many eggs are laid, the eggs are smashed. Mount Taht has a more or less traditional place where eggs are smashed by throwing them from the mountain.
It is an emotional thing to smash the eggs, but it is better than having children and see them starve to death.

Marriage

Naglani marriages are true horror to people who only know about the legends:
It takes two Naglani to get married. They are married by sharing their blood. Many Naglani die getting married. Never marry a Naglani!
A Naglani who breaks the wedding vow is killed, and not only that Naglani, but the entire “swaihro”. The Solmer War started this way. Never make promises to a Naglani!
Luckily, the truth is not as rough as the legends, but unusual as well.
The wedding of two Naglani is a thing between the two Naglani who are wed. The family has no part in it, not yet, though they will try to give hints to their children about a good wedding partner. The Naglani are free in their choice as long as the partner is not from the same fadrein and preferable not from the same kunja. The Naglani can be married to one person only.

Death

“When my Time comes, he comes on velvet shoes and with a razor sharp sword. You won’t notice him nor stop him.”

(Edelhart Kyran-iz-Taht on his sickbed)

Naglani die, although many people doubt this. They die pretty young in relation to other people (average dying age is 50 Athns). On their dying bed, the Naglani want to see the open skies, the night with the stars if possible.
Naglani burn their death and let the ashes drift away with the wind. They do not have cemeteries or memorial places; the memory itself is enough. The separation by death is not eternal, for Naglani believe in reincarnation. They believe to live three times before they finally die for good. At this last death, they transform into a bird for the last time, and fly away, to the stars and further, until there is nothing left of them...

Thyng and Thyngfyrst

Naglani have a interfamily-meeting once every menoth, called a Thyng. The chairman of the Thyng is the Thyngfyrst. The title of Thyngfyrst goes to the Arb, but only if the Thyng has nothing against it. Historically, the Thyngfyrst was chosen from the Thyngmembers.
The Thyngmembers are usually the Gardawaldands of the families, but others can be chosen to be a member too.

The role of the Wawa and the Gardawaldands

The big family has a Wawa that stays at home when the family goes hunting. The Wawa is responsible for the wellbeing of those that do not hunt, for the animals and the houses. A Wawa can not leave the family village as long as the gardawaldands is out hunting.
The hunters are those that are old enough to go hunting and young enough to survive it. The skills of the hunter makes the hunter an excellent warrior if necessary. The leader of the hunters is the Gardawaldands, who is in charge of the family when at home, or leads the hunters out in the open. The Gardawaldands is also the leader of the war band in times of trouble.
When it comes to a quarrel between the Wawa and the Gardawaldands, it is for the Thyng to make out who is right and who is wrong (and shall be punished).

The Shaman

Not every family has a shaman, and some families have more than one. The shaman is a gifted person, who is able to learn many things. The shamans learn from their masters, the older shamans, and from experience. The shaman travels a lot and meets many families. Modern shamans might go to university to learn things.
The shaman can read the landscape better than all other Naglani, and sees the meaning of Alls in even the smallest things. Because of these advances, many people -including the Naglani- think the shaman is a magician.

The Naglani from Skaunsric and those from the Taycha

The Naglani live traditionally in the Taycha and in Skaunsric. There are some differences between the two regions:

the families in Skaunsric are smaller, because there is not as much food as in the Taycha
in Skaunsric are hardly any hunters and warriors. The Naglani there live from the fields and of gathering food in the woods.
the Naglani in Skaunsric are more isolated. They mistrust others, especially the ones who drove them in the woods. The Taycha-Naglani travel more and have better contacts with other people.
Skaunsric Naglani are closer to the seashore, they eat more fish and enjoy swimming and sailing. Elfane and Uzda used to be the harbours of the Naglani.
the skin of the Skaunsric Naglani is a little more tanned than the skins of the Taycha Naglani, and the Taycha Naglani are in average taller than their kin in Skaunsric.
the culture of the Skaunsric Naglani has a higher standard, that is, it is interlinked with the Imperial Court in Nieuw-Gamoor and the upper class of Isauls.