Daamtalan

Daamtalan (lit. "Spiritual Honor") is a moral code of conduct for members of the kihiþ, the taanttu-bavkir clan, as concerns behaviors, conduct, and lifestyle. The code of conduct also applies to the clans themselves as individual entities. While it is considered to be uniform between clan members and across clans, there is a great deal of variation in what is considered honorable or dishonorable, and a great deal of conflict may arise from that.

Origin

Given the prevalence of cultural and religious norms, and written evidence, it is highly likely that the tradition has its origins in the pre-Bavkir age of Eastern Boroso.

According to legend, it is believed that Vanu, the goddess of laws and tradition, gave Daamtalan to the Bavkir people.

Honor Rituals

Honor Duels (Daamaraak)

To resolve a personal feud with another person, an honor duel, or "daamaraak" may be declared. This battle may take any number of forms, ranging from a simple contest or game, to a fight to the death in arena combat. Of course, the severity of the battle is directly related to the affront to the other person. Where simple thievery of small items may warrant a simple challenge, sleeping with another man's wife may warrant wanting to kill the other. While it is believed that this practice evolved from a code of honor, it is nonetheless related to the belief in the goddess, Vanu, of revenge and justice. Daamaraak was also featured in the story of Baaç, who would challenge one the gods to a contest of wit.

Blood Duels (Yararaak)

Where honor duels are used to restore a person's honor, a Blood Duel is used to determine clan allegiance of a child. Where a man and a woman are each of a sufficiently large clan, the biggest question will be what clan the children will be a part of. This duel would be between either the parents of the newly weds, or appointed champions of their prospective clans. This battle would take place as part of the wedding ceremonies and would provide not only entertainment in the form of arena combat, but also would decide the future of the newly weds' allegiances in the coming years.

Blood Feuds (Yarkark)

The blood feud is a declaration of hostility between two different clans. This may range between two entire tribes, two different parties in the same tribe, or two different vassal clans between tribes. The way this manifests is more often than not in the form of stealing or damaging property, destroying buildings, looting or even all-out war, depending on the scale. As a result of this practice, Generals and Warlords often had to deal with the fact that some clans would refuse to go into battle at the side of others when organizing armies for war, so would have to balance their regiments accordingly.

Blood Oaths (Yareður)

Where blood feuds were general hostilities between clan, blood oaths are agreements on good terms between them. Alliances forged in this way were generally seen as being unbreakable and to do so would be a terrible affront to not only the other party but also to any other clan for violating a sacred treaty. While a regular alliance between clans may only persist for a temporary period of time, such as to form a coalition against a powerful opponent or to bolster the strength of a smaller tribe against attack, a blood oath is seen as more permanent and represents the two groups coming closer together, as if they were blood-related. Blood oaths can grow organically out of a series of alliances, where the parties may have close relations with each other, or as a result of members of the two clans intermarrying and forging a bond in that manner.

Honor Struggle (Damȧṡ)

An honor struggle is an individual taking up arms against a group of people, something within themselves, or something within nature.

In some cases it can be used as a means of exacting revenge. For example, the founder of Tȧarkehï, Żava Raaz, took Damȧṡ upon a rival clan for having been the only survivor on an attack against his clan. Tȧarkehï, a mercenary order called "the blood band", would be born in blood. Though, most of the time, it was for small injustices rather than all out blood-vengeance.

In modern times it can be used to invoke action against corporations for misdeeds they've carried out, though no longer to such barbaric lengths.

The meaning is also ties into personal struggles to perfect oneself. Where instead of targeting a source of corruption in the world around, the person looks inward and tries to fix portions of themselves. Declaring an honor-struggle against alcohol, for an alcoholic, would be seen as a step in the right direction.

An honor-struggle against nature may be declared to help a community prepare for an upcoming disaster, or hunt down a dangerous animal... But an honor-struggle in support of nature may also happen, should the environment become ravaged by corruption.

Banishment (Ġamnak)

The act of banishment, either away from the clan, a settlement, or the tribe, would be a punishment against someone who was a danger either to themselves or the community. While personal misdeeds could be solved with duels, a misdeed against the community would be met with opposition in the form of banishment. It was seen as just as harsh a sentence as execution, as said person would no longer have the ties to their clan, their tribe, or their community to help them in finding a new place to take up shelter, for the environment of ancient bavkirak was a harsh and unforgiving one. Though many have perished or joined mercenary bands in light of such an event, none were as successful as Tumtek Ïkarilṡbet who became a rich and successful merchant who donated money to those who had gone through the same trouble as he did, the homeless and the orphans.

Color-Changing (Kovoġviikal)

A person or family changing their clan allegiance.

Abandonment (Piiçażin)

A person or family (or a group of families) leaving their clan. This is done to to start a new clan, start priest work, or marry into a family without clan ties.

Religion

Living one's life in accordanc with Daamtalan is considered to be an extension of living one's life in accordance with the Taf of Sidharkuv and Shavirsiid. Thus, it is as much cultural as it is religious.

Naming Taboo

It is considered dishonorable to give a child a name before they are ritually inducted into the clan as a full adult, for they are not full members of the family. It is also believed that they may draw the ire of evil spirits or monsters that would spirit away a child before they are able to mature into a fully grown member of the society. The most common are nicknames involving sand, animals, and disease.