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"One of the Sisters came into the tent. She told the elder that the parents have identified the body of the dead child they found, as their son, and the funeral pyre was ready, they were just waiting for her permission to light it. The Nightsister asked if she could have permission to go out and pay her respects to the body. The elder said she could, and followed her out. At first the parents thought of protesting her presence. But when they saw the elder right behind her. They bowed out of respect to the elder, and knew that she would have given permission for the witch to stand there. When the two parents lit the funeral pyre. The mother noticed that the witch had tears in her eyes. When her son's body was completely engulfed in flames. The witch fell down on her knees sobbing. The mother could not understand this reaction from a witch. She knelt beside her, and asked her why she was crying. She told her that when they brought him to the mountain. She saw that he seemed like a nice boy, the type of son she wanted to have, and she could not do anything to stop them. The mother than understood that this woman was a victim, just as they were, and they cried on each other's shoulders. The husband did not understand why his wife was crying with a witch, but she was a woman with a good heart, so he knew she had a good reason."
"When they returned to the tent. The Nightsister thanked the elder, she told her that this was the first time in a long time that she could cry freely, without fear of punishment, because nothing should make a Nightsister cry. She told the elder about the husbands being drugged for only one year. How if they had not been ordered to do so before. One of the last things they did before the drugs wore off, was to murder their wife. Usually by strangulation, sometimes by more bloody means, if the Nightsisters thought they had not been sufficiently entertained, recently. She told the elder that the spiral walkway was almost finished. So they really did not need any more female slaves to finish it. She thought that they may have accumulated close to two years supply of grain. The Brackaset that the families brought with them, were slaughtered right away. Some of the Nightsisters liked to drink their blood, and eat the meat raw. Whatever was not drunk, had to be carefully collected. Some of the other Nightsisters liked to bathe in the blood. They claimed it helped to make their skin more youthful. This from women who painted their face, to hide how using the dark side of the force, permanently distorted the facial features of their face. She readily answered every question that the elder asked her. The ones she did not know the answers to, she would apologise, and tell the elder she did not know. She did not know that the elder was trying to determine the depth of her knowledge of the dark side of the force. When she was satisfied, she led her outside, and gathered all the people that where there together. She told them that she is satisfied with her cross-examination of this woman, and has come to the conclusion, that she is in fact, not a Nightsister. She has been deceived, and manipulated into thinking she was one, than forced to do their bidding. The Sisters in the Singing Mountain Clan, have more knowledge of the dark side of the force than she does. None of them have anything to fear from her. What they need to fear, are the ones who will come looking for her, and what they will do to her, because she has chosen to be free of them. The elder asked the grieving parents what they were going to do now. They said that they will return to their home, and maybe they will be blessed with another child. The elder told them that they already have been, she knew for a fact that the wife was pregnant. When the husband looked at his wife, she blushed and said that she had suspected she was. The husband was jubilant. He picked his wife up and kissed her, and twirled around with her before putting her back down. Their great sorrow had been replaced with great joy."
"The elder knew she had to get to the Council of Mothers, before they all went home. The Herd Mother, along with an honour guard of Rancor were waiting at the top of the trail. The whole herd considered it a special privilege for the Herd Mother to give a ride to an elder. The Rancor she had bonded with, when she was a young Sister, has long since passed away, and it would not be right for any other Rancor to give her a ride, unless there was more than one elder needing to go somewhere. The elder had already arranged with the Herd Mother, for the two Sisters who were accompanying her back to town, to be allowed to ride two of the honour guard. Because their Rancor are waiting for them in the compound attached to the town. The other two Sisters would be escorting the now clanless Sister back to their village. They will put her up in their Mother's home, until they return from the Council of Mothers. The elder thought that it was the safest place for her for now. But they will have to find another place for her, because they know that this home will be the first one the Nightsisters will check, when they come looking for her. The elder had also used the force to contact another Sister that had come to hunt in the area. She has sent her Rancor home, and will be trailing the parents to make sure they get home safely."
"It was dusk when the elder arrived in the Singing Mountain Clan's compound. The Mother sent one of the Sisters, to get the Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan. So she and her Sisters can hear what the elder has to say. Mother told the elder how the Clan Mother helped her delay the Council of Mothers, and gave her an opportunity to talk privately with two other Clan Mothers. The elder had tremendous respect for her Mother, and agreed to brief them both at the same time.
The Clan Mother from the Red Hills Clan, took longer in coming to them than they expected. When she found out that the Herd Mother for the Singing Mountain Clan was in the compound, she just had to go pay her respects. When the Sisters told the elder why their Clan Mother was delayed, the elder told them she had a very good reason, and was no longer upset at the delay. It also gave her time to finish her dinner."
"The next morning the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, asked the Council to indulge her, she has brought someone to tell them what the Nightsisters are up to. She had her two Sisters open the entrance way for the elder. When the other Clan Mothers saw that it was an elder, they all stood up to show respect, except for the Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, she only stood up because the others stood up. She did not like this situation at all. She knew this elder was here because of her. She knew she had to be careful. After arranging a comfortable place for her to sit, all the Clan Mothers sat back down. The elder gave them a detailed account of all that the Nightsisters have been doing, since they received permission to have the southern coastal swamp as their territory. She told them about the one they call Mother, actively recruiting Sisters from all the clans, having the greatest success with Sisters from the Misty Falls Clan. The Clan Mother of the Misty Falls Clan acknowledged, that she had lost a number of Sisters, but never knew how or why. She asked the elder if it was possible for her to talk privately with her after the meeting. She wants to know how they can combat the Nightsisters' recruiting strategy. The elder agreed. She then detailed the kidnapping strategy the Nightsisters were using. How they poisoned the children, once they brought them to their Sandstone Mountain, because they were no longer needed. Their main goals were to get their hands on the grain reserves these families have, and to permanently enslave the husbands. Their secondary goal is to enslave the wife for one year, and work her to death. If she survived the year, then her drugged husband would be ordered to murder her. The Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, scoffed, "What type of drug could do that?" "This one can." The elder placed a sealed gourd in front of her. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, instructed one of her Sisters to unseal the gourd, and let the other Mothers and their Sisters have a sniff of it. She cautioned her to not let the Clan Mother from the Frenzied River Clan take it from her, or cause its contents to be spilled out. Most of the Clan Mothers and their Sisters recognised the smell of many of the ingredients. Most of them also knew that when combined with the use of the dark side of the force, it could produce the effect on adults that the elder described, and would be deadly to children. The only one that did not take a sniff of the gourd's contents was the Clan Mother from the Frenzied River Clan. Though she did not stop her Sisters from having a sniff. Instead she challenged the elder. "How do we know that you did not just mix this up yourself, and bring it here? Claiming that it came from the Nightsisters." "Because I am an elder." "What is that supposed to mean?" The elder looked at her Mother and asked, "Is this person really a Clan Mother? She seems far too ignorant for someone who holds that position." The other Clan Mothers recognised that this insult from the elder was well deserved, she was too close to insulting a clan elder, which was considered a cardinal sin. The Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, was red in the face, both from embarrassment, and from anger. The elder turned her attention back to the Frenzied River Clan's Mother. She reminded her that under clan law if the Clan Mother gives evidence, she requires someone to back her up. But when an elder gives evidence, it is accepted that she is backing up her own word. She does not require someone else to back her up. The Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, said under her breath, that if she was worthy she would challenge her to a duel. Unfortunately for the Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, it was very quiet in the room at that moment, so everyone heard what she said. The elder simply said, "I accept the challenge." "What challenge?" "You said that if I was worthy, you would challenge me to a duel. I am an elder that automatically makes me worthy. It also means by clan law, that by insulting me, you have insulted every elder in every clan, including your own. That means that every elder is free to accept your challenge." "I'm sorry, but you misunderstood me. I did not issue a challenge." The Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan, spoke up, "We all heard the challenge." The other Clan Mothers also confirmed that they heard it. The Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, was afraid, and started to panic. She had heard that there is an elder of the Singing Mountain Clan, who is considered the most powerful force user on all of Dathomir. If this is her, and they duel, she is dead. She got to her feet, she told them all that they misunderstood what she said. Then she told her Sisters, that they were leaving, and she left. The elder motioned to one of the Frenzied River Clan Sisters, to approach her. The Sister came over. The elder asked her to make sure the elders of her clan know that their Clan Mother insulted an elder. She promised her that she would let them know. In fact she promised herself that she was going to let her whole clan know. She was somewhat disappointed that the elder did not go after her and force a duel as soon as they left the town's neutral territory. Unfortunately that would be undignified for an elder. It did mean that her Clan Mother would have to be very careful where she went. Any elder, including the ones in her own clan, could easily accept her challenge and defeat her.
After she left. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, told the other Clan Mothers, that she was going to barricade the only natural trail from the midland plateau to the lowland plateau. It would not hinder the Nightsisters' movements. Because they could easily scale the cliffs. But she could stop clanless families from being completely destroyed. They knew she was not asking their permission, she was just informing them. But they were grateful that she told them. They also told her that they thought it was a good idea. The Clan Mother of the Great Canyon Clan, told her that she was willing to ship her some stone blocks, if she was thinking of constructing a permanent gateway. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, hadn't thought that far in advance. She liked the idea of doing something permanent. With the other clans help, it would make construction that much faster. It would also show the Nightsisters, that other clans were supporting them. She agreed and thanked the Clan Mother of the Great Canyon Clan. The Clan Mother of the Misty Falls Clan, also volunteered some stone blocks which were accepted.
The Mothers started getting ready to leave, except the Clan Mother of the Misty Falls Clan. She was thinking of dismissing her Sisters, because she felt that she would be doing some arguing with the elder. This got all the other Clan Mothers attention. They asked permission for their Sisters to stay and observe, because it was not very often that they can see two adults talking when there is a healthy disagreement. The Clan Mother of the Misty Falls Clan, thought about it for a few minutes, and agreed, this would be a good learning opportunity for the Sisters. It would also force her to be more careful about what she said. The elder had no objections. Instead of sending her Sisters away, she sent them to make sure there were adequate refreshments for everyone, she was expecting it to be a long session. But if it kept her from losing anymore of her Sisters to the Nightsisters, it will be worth it."
"The Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, was surprised to see her own mother waiting for her in her own home. But instead of greeting her, she slapped her in the face. "That is from all of us elders. How dare you insult an elder? Do you know how fortunate you are, to still be alive?" This was quite a shock to the Clan Mother. Her mother had never struck her before in all her life. So there was more than just the physical sting in that slap. "The whole clan is in turmoil, there is even talk of some leaving the clan altogether." "Are they all planning on becoming Nightsisters?" "The only one that I have seen in this clan that looks like a Nightsister, is the woman standing before me." "Is that anyway to talk to your Clan Mother?" "No its not. But it is the only way I know of talking with my daughter, when I think she has made some big mistakes." The Clan Mother looked away from her mother. She knows her mother thinks she is being helpful, but she is not. For the Frenzied River Clan to be strong. The Singing Mountain Clan needs to become weak. Why can no-one else in her clan see this? They should all be grateful, that the Nightsisters, would be doing all the dirty work for them. With a weakened Singing Mountain Clan, the Frenzied River Clan would have no problem absorbing all the other clans. Then there would be no more fighting between Sisters."
"The elder introduced her Mother to her house guest. They talked candidly well into the night. The clanless Sister understood that no clan would be willing to accept her, and it would be even harder to protect her. There is only one way for her to live a peaceful life, without fear of discovery by the Nightsisters. It would also mean that she would not have any contact with any human. So she would not know what a real relationship with a good man is. She would not be completely alone, the elder was sure the Kwi would accept her and look after her. They are supper sensitive to dark force users, and would never allow one to get near her. The Sister asked the elder how long she would need to live with the Kwi. The elder told her that at the very least she could not return, until all the current Nightsisters are dead. To be safe she should plan on living with them for 100 years. If she returns as an elder, she would be readily accepted, and no one would dare look into her past. The elder had shared with her the time she spent with the Kwi. She was surprised by how much she learnt from them, and how safe she felt with them. She asked the Clan Mother, if she would agree to send someone to her, when all the current Nightsisters were dead. The Clan Mother promised that if she was not able to, the elder would make sure that the next Clan Mother would. The Sister smiled, she did expect that if she did return as an elder, this elder would still be here to greet her. She left the next morning with two Sisters who volunteered to go with her into the Great Desert, the elder had given them some suggestions about where the Kwi might be. But when they found them, she must approach them on her own. When the two Sisters returned, they reported to their Mother and the elder, that it was the Kwi who had found them. It was like they were expecting her."
"It was not long after this, that a young boy found their village. He was weak, malnourished, and hallucinating. After carefully feeding him, restoring his strength. He told them his story. He is from the independent settlement on the lowlands. It is near the east trail that goes from the lowlands to the southern coastal swamp. One night the Nightsisters raided their settlement, and took most of their children. His mother was able to hide him, but not his sister. After they left, she sent him to find the Swinging Mountain Clan. She told him that when he reaches the midland, to follow the stream to its source in the highland. There he would find the Singing Mountain Clan. He asked for their help to find the Singing Mountain Clan. The Clan Mother told him that she is the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan. He fell at her feet and hugged her legs. "Please help us. They say that we are now their property, and must do as they say, or they will hurt the children. They are his friends, he played with them every day. They also have his little sister, she's a real nice girl most of the time. They would really like her if they met her." The hearts of everyone on the village melted. They all wanted to go down and put the Nightsisters in their place. Which to everyone on the Singing Mountain Clan, was a watery grave. The Clan Mother had to restrain them, she told them that without the Council of Mothers' full support. They would have to fight against all the other clans if they went against the Nightsisters. That meant that they would be fighting against friends and allies. They asked her what they need to do. She told them that she needs to send runners to all the clans for an emergency Council of Mothers. Then this young man can make his plea there, on behalf of his people. "Hopefully they will see reason, and remove the restraints they have placed on us so far.""
"Things did not go well in the Council of Mothers. When they found out that they had come to hear the plea of a clanless boy. The Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, became angry and ordered her Sisters to throw the child out. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan became furious and used the force to push the Sisters away from the boy. Something that is forbidden in the Council. The Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan tried to get the other Clan Mothers to impose some sort of punishment on the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, but the other Clan Mothers said she was justified in this case, because it was in fact the Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan that had violated the Council meeting, by ordering something not sanctioned by the Council. So the boy made his plea, with the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan standing over him, ready to protect him. After he finished, she had one of her Sisters take him out of the Council meeting, and sit with him, until the issue was resolved. She then addressed the other Mothers, "If pirates or slavers had attacked the settlement, and stayed to use it as a base of operation. I would not have need to come before the Council of Mothers, to ask permission to rid the planet of them, once the child's plea and that of all the families he represents, came to me. But one of the members of this Council has chosen to protect the Nightsisters. When they have shown themselves, time and again, to be worse than pirates and slavers. So now I ask that this Council give me permission, to rescue the children, and free the settlement from slavery." All the Clan Mothers, except the Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, agreed to support the Singing Mountain Clan. When asked why she would not support them. The Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, said that she could not support any action against the Nightsisters, in support of a clanless settlement. That would just encourage more families to leave the clans, and set up settlements wherever they wanted, within the clans' territories. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan stood up. "What sort of heartless person are you. None of the Clan Mothers, throughout the history of the clans, has ever turned a human being away, when they came and pleaded for help, regardless of whether they were members of their own clan. How is this different?" The Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan remained silent. The other Clan Mothers had never seen the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan so angry before. "You disgust me. You are not worthy to be called a Clan Mother. I challenge you to a duel." The Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, was terrified of this woman staring at her. She refused the challenge. This shocked the other Clan Mothers more than the challenge. The Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, had just declared to the world, that she is a coward. "Then remove yourself from this place. For your presence is loathsome. I will promise you this. The next time I see you, I will grab you by your hair, and drag you outside of the town's territory and kill you." The Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, could not move fast enough to get out of there. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan had just given the Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, the worst insult that one Clan Mother could give to another. The Frenzied River Clan has just been given notice that they must find a new Clan Mother, or give up the right of being called a clan. Which means that they have no right to try and defend their territory, from any of the clans."
"When the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan left the meeting, she took a couple of steps, then fell to her knees and started sobbing. The little boy got up from where he was sitting, he went up to her and put his arms around her. He asked not to cry. "But they won't let me save your people." "But you fought for us. You fought really hard. You made that bad lady run away. Maybe next time you ask, they will let you." "I cannot ask them again. What is done, cannot be undone." The little boy looked down at his feet. Then he started to cry. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan hugged him to herself, and they cried together. The other Clan Mothers, when they left the meeting, and saw the two people crying, were ashamed of themselves. They felt they should have done more. They should have disciplined the Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan when she threw that poor lady out, when she asked for their help concerning her kidnapped son. Things may have turned out different this time. They sighed and moved on. What is done cannot be undone."
"The one Sister of the Frenzied River Clan, raced ahead of her coward for a Clan Mother, and her other Sister. She wanted to make sure everyone heard what happened in the Council meeting. She wanted to see what the elders would do. Because if they did nothing, again, then she would do something."
"When the Clan Mother did arrive, she dismounted from her Rancor, and sent him to the den area. Everywhere she looked, the people where turning their backs to her. They did not understand. It would have been suicide to accept the challenge, then they could have removed her block, because there would have been no-one to say no to the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain. Then the Nightsisters would be no more. There would be no-one to keep the Singing Mountain Clan in check. She had to play the coward. The elders will understand once she explains it to them. Her mother will bring the people around, and she will be Clan Mother again. Then she will have to train really hard, so she can face the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan. Then they will see who will drag who by the hair, to the edge of the town's territory."
"When the Sister saw that the elders did nothing, she told the other Sister that had been at the meeting, to tell the elders she was leaving. Word spread through the whole clan that this Sister was leaving. As she was packing, other Sisters and family members, asked her if they can go with her. She told them that they could, but they must bring adequate supplies, because they do not want to show up on the doorstep begging. A full one third of the village choose to follow this Sister."
"One of the elders came to her to plead with her not to do this, not to divide the clan. She told the elder that there is no clan. She is not the one doing this, they are. They are the ones who refused to act when the Clan Mother insulted the elder. Now innocent families are slaves because of them. She can never forgive them for that. The elder left her, ashamed and embarrassed, her words stung, because they were true. She went to speak to the other elders. When the Sister was sure everyone was ready, she took the other Sisters that were coming with her, to go talk to the Herd Mother. She asked her permission for their Rancor to come with them, at least until they find a place to stay, because she does not want to leave the people unprotected as they move. The Herd Mother asked them how much food they were taking with them. She told her that the people coming with her said that they could not carry more than three months' supply of food, and that is only if some Rancor come with them. The Herd Mother asked her where she was planning on going. She told her that she wanted to go to the Clan Mother that she respects the most. The one that has proven over and over again, that she cares for her clan, and she cares for all the people, and she cares for all Rancor. The Herd Mother told her that it would not be fair to the Rancor they bonded with, to be sent back to her herd without their Sisters. If this Clan Mother is as good as she says, then she must also have a good Herd Mother with her. It would be better for her children that go with them, to stay with them, and seek acceptance in that herd. The Sister was surprised, but understood why the Herd Mother was saying this. She asked the Herd Mother, that if the humans are allowed to come back and visit family, would her children be allowed to come visit her? Even though they would be members of a different herd. The Herd Mother thought for a long time about this one. She said that this has never happened before. She believes that she would always know the scent of her children. She could see it being possible, for the first year or two. But the scent will fade as the memory will fade. It might be dangerous to come back, after that time. All of the herd was listening to this exchange, they understood what their Mother was telling them. The female Rancor that were bonded to Sisters that were leaving, took their infants with them. The male Rancor that were going would help guard them. It turned out that a full quarter of the herd was going. None of the Sisters rode their Rancor, in case one of them needed to carry an infant. The only Sister that did ride a Rancor, was the one that was sent as a runner to the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan."
"The elders of the Frenzied River Clan, deliberated long into the night, wondering what they should do. The best candidate for Clan Mother was walking away, because they did not act when they should have. The mother of the disgraced Clan Mother took it harder than the rest. She was the one who dissuaded the other elders from acting when they should have. Those people are slaves, because she choose her daughter over her clan. Now they had to decide which one of the Sisters that remain, is best suited to be Clan Mother. None of the candidates they discussed were good choices, and they are the best ones of all the Sisters that remain. They narrowed it down to three possible, and five maybe. They called it a night, because they needed their rest. They knew that tomorrow was going to be a long day. They did not go to their homes, they just slept where they were."
"They were awaken the next morning by the kitchen workers. They brought them breakfast, because they thought they would be too busy to join everyone else. While they ate their breakfast, they called four Sisters to bring the disgraced Clan Mother to them. When she appeared they asked her to explain herself to them, starting with her being the driving force behind the Nightsisters getting a piece of the Singing Mountain Clan's territory. She explained her strategy to weaken the Singing Mountain Clan. So that they could not help their allies, the Red Hills Clan, when it came time to absorb them. Her mother could not believe that she was using such nice words to describe armed conflict. Sister against Sister. Clan against Clan. She wanted to conquer all the Clan's north of the town, and keep the Singing Mountain Clan occupied, so they could not interfere. When she finished talking, her mother accused her of wanting to make herself Queen. She told her mother that she would not have been opposed to the people calling her that. She would have settled for Clan Mother of the Four Clans. Her mother commented, that if only her other daughter had not had that accident, she would have made an excellent Clan Mother. Then she looked at her daughter, and asked if she had anything to do with her Sister's accident? When she did not answer. The mother went pale, and asked permission to leave. One of the elders had one of the Sisters to go with her, in case she tried to harm herself."
"The elders made the disgraced Clan Mother disrobe from her elegant clothing. In its place they gave her a simple tunic. They gave her a wooden fighting stick, and nothing else. They told her that she must go to the desert for two years to meditate on her own cowardice, and how she disgraced and divided the clan. After she came back they would hear the results of her meditations, and decide at that time whether she would be welcomed back as a Sister of the clan. She will never be allowed to be Clan Mother again. She asked for permission to say goodbye to her Rancor. Her request was denied, and four Sisters escorted her out of the village, and shut the gate behind her.
The elders asked that her mother be brought back to them. It was obvious that she had been crying. They told her that they need her. She needs to be strong for the clan. What has been done cannot be undone. They decided to call the five candidates to speak with them individually. They would give them the names of the four other candidates, and asked them which of the four they thought would be the best Sister to become Clan Mother, and why? They would make their final decision based on their answers."
"When the runner came to the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, with the request for the people that were once part of the Frenzied River Clan, to become her people. She told the runner, that for now the answer must be No. Their wounds are too fresh, and their sorrow too great, from what happened. She asks that they wait at the clan compounds at the town. She will ask permission of the other Clan Mothers that their compounds would also be open to them. She would like them to see if they can reconcile with their old clan. Once a new Clan Mother is chosen. If they cannot reconcile, then she will hear their petition to be members of her clan, and their Rancor to be members her herd. The runner liked her response, no wonder the Sister wants to be part of her clan. She accepted provisions and ran back to report to her Sister."
"The Clan Mother sent runners to the other three clans to get permission to use their compounds. After they left the Clan Mother and her elders sat with their Herd Mother, to discuss the situation of the settlement that has been enslaved, and how to prevent the Council from denying aid, to anyone else who seeks their intervention. They felt that once the New Clan Mother was chosen for the Frenzied River Clan, they could force an agreement amongst the Clan Mothers, that the Nightsisters must restore the children to their families, or face the wrath of the Council. The other thing that they came up with, was that every settlement must be approached. If they gave a token tribute to any clan of their choosing, if something happened to them, than that clan would be obligated to help them, and the Council could not deny that clan its support. With that, the elders departed and left the two Mothers to discuss the best way to absorb the people and Rancor that could soon be coming their way. The Clan Mother said that they would need to expand soon, anyway. They should consider building another village. They talked about how to protect it. How many Rancor they should keep there, and how often they would need to replace the Rancor, so that they know that they are still part of the herd. They both knew that until the new Rancor were fully assimilated into the herd, they could not send Rancor to the new village. So Sisters in Rancor hide armour would have to protect the village. The Clan Mother went over the plans for the new village with the Sisters, so that everyone understood what was required to build it. The Mother left one of the Sisters in charge of the project. Then left for their compound at the town. She did not want the people who had left the Frenzied River Clan to feel like unwanted orphans while they were there."
"When the runners returned to her with permission to use the other compounds, she sent them back to the Clan Mothers they just came from, to explain the strategy they had come up with, to ensure that all people were protected by the clans. The Clan Mothers would be responsible to reaching out to settlements in their own territory. When the refugees reached the town and settled into the compounds, they were impressed to find the lady they hoped would be their new Clan Mother was there to greet them, and help them settle into the compounds. Even though she had turned down their initial request. She dispatched some of their Sisters to return to their old territory, to talk with the settlements there, about getting clan protection. The Sisters were delighted to do it, since they knew all the people in those settlements, and had worried about their safety, after what their former Clan Mother had done. They were also confident that their fellow Sisters would not challenge them, but might share some information about what is happening with their former clan. When a runner arrived in town from the Frenzied River Clan, she was surprised to find the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan there. She told her the news, that the elders of the Frenzied River Clan had appointed a new Clan Mother. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan told her to tell her new Mother, that she was invited to come to the town, with their elders, to hold talks with the refugees about a possible reconciliation. The runner promised to let her Mother know right away. When the new Clan Mother and the elders arrived in their compound (the only one not being used by the refugees) they noticed that the Clan Mother for the Singing Mountain Clan was not there like the runner said she was. The Sister leading the refugees told them that she has gone to visit the Red Hills Clan, so that no one would think she was meddling, and that they could all talk freely. The elders were impressed, this Clan Mother was living up to her reputation."
"The Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan, sent a Sister to keep an eye on the town. As soon as she saw the new Clan Mother and her elders leave the town, she was to return to the village. The villagers liked having the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan as their guest. The children especially liked that she told good stories right after dinner, before they had to go to bed. The adults liked the stories too. The Sisters liked to talk to her about using the force. They found that the Singing Mountain Clan had a slightly different way of using the force but would get the same, or similar results. It help them look at the force a different way. There was the potential of learning new, and unexpected things in relationship to the force. The two Clan Mothers, and the Herd Mother talked a lot during the day, and any Sister or elder that wanted to, was allowed to listen in. Before she left to return to town, the Sisters were rushing through their chores for the day, just so that they could listen in on the talks. When the Sister returned to inform them that the talks were over. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan decided to return to town right away. As she was saying good bye to the people of the village, some of the small children asked their parents if they could give this nice lady a kiss goodbye, because they had seen some of the Sisters do it. Their parents told them that they should ask her. They all ran up to her and gently tugged on her skirt to get her attention. She squatted down and asked them how she could help them. They said that they wanted to give her a kiss goodbye like their Sisters did. She told them to go ahead. They all took their turn, and by the time the last one kissed her, the little girl had to wipe the tears off of her cheek, so that she had a dry spot to kiss her."
"When she returned to the town compound she found the Sisters inside waiting for her. As soon as she entered, the Sisters all fell on their knees and bowed before her, asking for permission to be part of her clan. She told them that she accepts them into her clan, but the Sisters need to accept them as Sisters. After she had them stand up, two of the Sisters led her outside to the people, who did the same thing their Sisters had done, even the children. The Clan Mother told them that she accepts them all into her clan. Then she told them that they need to get up and get ready, because they are leaving first thing in the morning, right after everyone has had their breakfast."
"She never asked them how their talks went, until after they had gone through the bonding ceremony with all the other Sisters of the Singing Mountain Clan. Even then the Sisters knew that it was informal, and they were under no obligation to talk. Most of the Sisters did talk to her about it, because they did not want to hide anything from their Mother, and because they were now comfortable to talk with her about anything. The others came around and talked with her in private, because they were still hurting, and needed her help to find healing. The Clan Mother had gone ahead of them to the village that was being built, so that she could send them some Sisters. Who would show them the best places to camp for the night, and where the sources for fresh water were. She also admitted she had been away for too long. There was probably a pile of work waiting for her attention."
"When she did get back, one of the Sisters informed her that the mother of the little boy, approached one of their patrols, and told them that her son had seen the bad lady with some Nightsisters. The Clan Mother decided to send a runner to the new Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan, to inform her, of her former Clan Mother's whereabouts. And to suggest that she call a Council of Mothers, to introduce herself, and so that they can discuss what to do about the enslaved settlement."
"The new clan members were first led to the new village. They were told that only some of them would be given permission to live there. But if they all lived there, they might not feel that they are part of this clan. This new village was intended to be mainly a farming village, so craftsmen would not be given permission to live there. The Clan Mother promised that there would be enough room for them, in the main village. They had them stop there to rest, and to give anyone interested, the opportunity to check out the new village, and meet the families that were already living there. When they arrived at the main village, everyone from the main village was outside the village ready to greet them. The people were waiting in groups according to their trades, so that the new clan members could meet the people of the same trades, and be given a tour of the village. The herd and the Sisters were also waiting outside the village, off to one side. Before the Sisters were introduced to one another, the primary responsibility was to make sure that all the Rancor were safe, to see if they would be accepted into the herd."
"The new Rancor approached the Herd Mother, one at a time, accompanied by the Sister they were bonded to. They each asked permission to be accepted into her herd. All the female Rancor of the herd were with their Herd Mother. The male Rancor were with the infants in the den. They kept them running around by having them ask simple questions of another male Rancor on the far side of the den. The idea was to keep them running until they tired, and lay down, and fell asleep. The Rancor with the Herd Mother had the authority to tell the Herd Mother that they did not want this Rancor to be part of the herd. Fortunately none of them exercised that authority. The female Rancor that approached the Herd Mother also brought their infants with them. The most common question the Herd Mother would ask the Sister, was why they chose the name that they did, for the Rancor they were bonded to. This gave the Herd Mother an insight into the personality of the Rancor. After all the Rancor had been presented, and none of the females rejected them, the Herd Mother told them that she will accept them into her herd, and that they will have an acceptance ceremony later that day in the den area. Because she has stated that she would accept them, they had no fear of being attacked by her Rancor. When that was done, the Clan Mother spoke to her Sisters. She told them that she has accepted these women as members of her clan. It was up to them, whether or not, they should be accepted as Sisters. She had her Sisters be seated on the grass, and had each woman who had been a Sister in her former clan, come forward one at a time, and introduce themselves, indicating what area of the force they were strongest in. There was one healer in the group. A couple said they were runners and warriors. The rest just said they were warriors. None of them mentioned stealth. Maybe they did not check for stealth in the Frenzied River Clan, she would have to ask them later. The Sisters that had escorted the new clan members to the village, had also been asked to say something about the woman, good or bad, that they had noticed during their time with them. After the woman was presented, any Sister was allowed to ask any question of them. The most common question, was what relationship they had with the men in their group, and if they had any children. If they did have children and were asked about them, they were usually invited to call their children and present them to the Sisters. If they were married, they were asked to present their husbands. That way none of the Sisters would flirt with the man, only to find out he was married."
Krillgan squeezed his father's shoulder. He wanted to know what flirting meant. Chitrah told him that it was a way that men and women communicate to each other, that they find the other person interesting. It is often the first step for teenagers and adults, in establishing a relationship.
"Is this something I will understand when I am older?"
"I hope so."
Krillgan did not like that answer. He was hoping that his father was going to say yes. Why do adults have to be so complicated?
"The Clan Mother liked the way the presentations were going. She did not foresee any problems in the women being accepted as Sisters of the Singing Mountain Clan. When it came time to the acceptance ceremony, only Sisters who had bonded with a Rancor were allowed to attend. The thing to remember about Rancor, is that their sense of smell is the strongest of their senses. This is how they can tell who is a member of their herd and who is not. So for the new Rancor to be accepted as part of the herd, they need to get the scent of a herd member on their body. The only way they knew how to do this, was to have a herd member have sex with the Rancor that wanted to be herd member."
Krillgan squeezed his father's shoulder. "Isn't sex something that humans do?" "All animal species have sex in one form or another, for most of them there is some pleasure in the experience."
"But who teaches them about sex, because you said I am still too young to learn."
"For many it is something they know to do by instinct, when their bodies have matured to a certain point. Quite often it is triggered by the chemicals their bodies release at certain points in their life."
"Do humans have these chemical triggers?"
"They do, but they are not as strong. There are other things that affect humans, including social considerations, because we are more complex then animals. We need these social considerations, to make sure we raise strong healthy children. Because what should be a good thing for everyone, can be made into a bad thing by some."
"Is that why you have to teach me about sex, so I don't make it a bad thing."
Chitrah gave his son a hug. "We want you to grew up and enjoy all the good things in your life."
Krillgan let the Captain know he could continue.
"All Rancor know, that a female in a herd, will only have sex with a male from her herd. So the Herd Mother had paired up a new herd member with an old herd member, so that they would both have the others scent. That way everyone in the herd will smell them both at the same time, and learn to accept the new scent as belonging to a herd member. While the adult Rancor had sex. All the new infants were brought to the herd Mother, she picked up each one, and hugged it and rubbed it against her body. She did this with each infant, and repeated doing it while the adults had sex. For the next month, all female Rancor's were instructed to pick up any infant that wandered near them, to hug them and rub them against their bodies. During the next month, no adult Rancor was allowed to leave the herd on its own. The Herd Mother always made sure that a new herd member was always teamed up with an old herd member, and they had to be back by nightfall. This meant that a new Sister would be riding with an old Sister, when they went out hunting. There were more teams of hunters out riding together, than what was normal for the herd. That meant more food for the whole clan, which meant that every night was a feast night. They tried keeping the families that were now assigned to the new village, in the main village for the month. So that they too could share in the festivities. But a number of adults had to get a ride with a Sister in the morning to the new village, than back again that evening. This was a special time for them, because most of them had never ridden on a Rancor before. They often asked if they could bring a child along for the ride, so that they could share the experience. All the females of the herd were also encouraged to have sex with the males of the herd more frequently that month, then they normally would. Which made that month more festive."
Krillgan asked the Captain, if the humans also had more sex that month, because it was more festive? Andriel had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Chitrah reached out and squeezed her other hand.
"The Sisters did not say. But I imagine that there would have been."
Krillgan was confident that he would figure out this sex thing soon enough.
"The night after the Rancor's acceptance ceremony, the Clan Mother called for a special bonding ceremony. She told her Sisters that they were each allowed to invite only one candidate from the women, who they thought, would make a good Sister for the clan, so that they could bond with them tonight. Some of the women were at first disappointed when their friend was invited and they were not, because the Sister could only invite one of them. There was great rejoicing at the bonding ceremony that evening, when they all found out that none of them were excluded. Many of the Sisters thought it was the most touching ceremony they had been to in their life. There was a lot of hugging, and crying, and laughing, and kissing." Then the Captain looked right at Krillgan. "But no sex!" Krillgan smiled. The parents were secretly relieved.
"During that month of celebration, word came that a Council of Mothers had been called by the new Clan Mother. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan left for town right away. Along with the two Sisters she normally took with her, she invited two of the new Sisters to join them. This way they could all get to know one another better, and she would have the time to find out if the Frenzied River Clan tests their Sisters for stealth. When the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, entered her compound, she found so many tributes, from so many settlements, none of which she knew existed. She found a member of the town, and they took her to see the book they started. In it they recorded the name of the person representing the settlement. The name they called their settlement. Whose territory they were in. The tribute they gave, and who they gave it to. The Clan Mother asked them if they would be willing to read it out loud in the Council of Mothers, when asked to do so. They told her it would be their pleasure. At the Council, once the new Clan Mother introduced herself. The meeting went pretty much as expected. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, pushed for permission to totally annihilate the Nightsisters. The Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan, suggested that they send an envoy demanding that the children be surrendered back to their families, or face the wrath of the Council of Mothers, which would be them giving permission to the Singing Mountain Clan to annihilate them. The other Clan Mothers were much more willing to accept the proposal from the Red Hills Clan, since it did not violate any agreements that had been made previously, and it represented a much more peaceful solution. With all the other Mothers supporting it they were able to persuade the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, to also support it. Just like the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, and the Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan, had discussed with the Herd Mother of the Red Hills Clan, when she was visiting them earlier."
"The Council decided to send the Clan Mother of the Great Canyon Clan, and her Sisters, because they would seem the most neutral to the Nightsisters. When the new Clan Mother asked if there was anything else that needed their attention (since having called the meeting, she was in charge of the agenda). The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, said there was one more thing that they needed to discuss. She told them that she found out upon her arrival, that settlements had already started paying tribute to a Clan Mother, and the people of the town have been recording this as the witness. None of the other Mothers had heard about this, and were interested in knowing which settlements had paid tribute, and to who. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan sent one of her Sisters to go get the man that has been patiently waiting, with the town's book. He came in and started reading each entry. Every time he mentioned what the tribute was, one of the Sisters placed it in front of her Mother. They were all fistfuls of grain in an embroidered clothe, with the emblem of the settlement on it. One of the Mothers asked the town's representative, if he knew why they had all paid tribute to the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, and not to anyone else. He said he did, and all of them said the same thing. When the mother of the kidnapped child pleaded with the council for help. She was instead thrown out. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, was the only one to reach out to her, and offer assistance. Even though she did not know her, nor whose territory she lived in. They all felt confident that she would be just as willing to help them. The Clan Mothers all felt embarrassed by the incident, especially the new Clan Mother since it was her former Clan Mother that had thrown the poor woman out. She asked the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan what they needed to discuss, since she had received the tribute from every known settlement. She told the Council that she feels obligated to send Sisters from her clan to visit every settlement, to thank them for their tribute. Since none of them are in her own territory, her Sisters would have to encroach on another clan's territory. She would like permission from all the clans for her Sisters to do so without being challenged. They can stay and discuss it, while they await the return of the Clan Mother from the Great Canyon Clan. That way everyone can hear her report on her meeting with the Nightsisters. While they discussed how her Sisters can enter their territory without them taking offence. The new Clan Mother glanced around at the other Mothers. Everyone was in agreement with the proposal from the Singing Mountain Clan. So the Clan Mother from the Great Canyon Clan went with her Sisters to Confront the Nightsisters."
"When the disgraced Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan showed up at the Sandstone Mountain. The Nightsister Mother knew it was only a matter of time, before the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan figured out some way to come for the children. She was sure that even without her ally on the Council, the other Mothers would restrain her from open war. After all, is that not the purpose of the Council? So now they had to try and determine what the Clan Mother's options might be, and how best to counter them. They figured to save face, the Council would settle for most of them, not all of them. But who to keep, and how best to make them stay. She decided that if they kept the youngest child, they would still have enough leverage over the settlement. As well as the threat to take the other children away again. To make sure the little girl stayed under her control, she separated her from the other children. Then she ordered the woman in charge of the kitchen, to their main room for a demonstration. All the children loved this woman, because she fed them, and from time to time she made treats for them, even though she had already been beaten once for that. Other than the Nightsisters, the only other person there, was the little girl. The Mother told the little girl that this woman upset her, and must be punished. The little girl asked her what she did wrong. She told the little girl that she did nothing wrong, but that wasn't important. What was important was that she was upset, so this woman must be punished. She signalled the Nightsister standing behind her, who grabbed the back of the woman's blouse. She ripped and tore the blouse off of her body. Then two other Nightsisters turned her around, so her back was to the little girl, and fastened her hands up to the rings that where there specifically for this purpose. Another Nightsister had a leafless green branch, and started whipping her bare back, over and over again. Another Nightsister held the little girl, so she could not turn her head away. It wasn't long before little trickles of blood started to appear on her back. The Mother squatted down so that she was close to the little girl's level. "Soon people will come and take the other children away. But I do not want you to go with them, because if you do, then I will be upset with your mother. Then I will have to do this to her." She asked the girl, if she wanted her to do this to her mother? The little girl said no, because she wasn't allowed to look away. The whipping stopped when the branch finally broke. Throughout the ordeal, the woman did not cry. She tried not to make any sounds, but could not help herself, every time the green branch whipped her back. When they loosened her hands. The woman almost stumbled and fell, but was somehow able to keep her balance. She carefully bent over and picked up her blouse that was just lying on the floor. The Mother told the little girl to go with the woman. "She will be looking after you from now on." The woman was walking like her knees wanted to give out on her at any moment. When the little girl caught up with her, she touched her skirt because she was afraid to touch her anywhere else, in case she hurt her. Surprisingly the woman felt the child's touch, and stopped. She looked down at the little girl who still had tears falling down her face. She gently cupped her face with her hand, and brushed the tears aside with her thumb. She told her not to cry for her, because she had stopped crying long ago. The little girl saw that her eyes glistened, but there were no tears on her face. She told the woman that she was told she had to go with her. The woman went back to her strained walking, but she held out her hand for the little girl to hold. When they reached the kitchen. The woman strained for a container that contained a whipped animal fat, water emulsion. She put a scoop of it in a bowl, and put the container back. She then went and selected some fresh herbs. Some of which the Nightsisters did not know were in the kitchen. She chopped the herbs up real fine. She put the chopped herbs in a mortar, and crushed them together until they made a paste. She scraped the paste into the bowl, and mixed it with the fat, water emulsion. She then grabbed a bag of coarse cloth that they had used to put the dead bodies of the kidnapped children in. She handed the bag to the little girl to carry, grabbed the bowl, and made her way to her room. She lit a small lamp then closed the curtain over her doorway. None of the slaves' rooms had doors on them. She took the bag from the little girl, placing it on the end of her bed. She placed the bowl on the bag, then lifted the little girl onto the bed, and handed her the bowl. She asked her to spread the mixture onto the wounds on her back, and not to be surprised if her fingers start going numb, it means the mixture is working. It helps to take away the pain. While the little girl applied the mixture to her back, the woman started unraveling a thread from the bag. The bag looked like this was done before. When the woman felt she had a long enough piece, she took out a bone needle, and started to repair her blouse. The little girl noticed there were a lot of scars on her back, and asked the woman about them. She told her that the last time she was beaten was because she made sweets for the children. Now she made them some sweets just the other day, and these were old scars. She told the woman that. The woman told her they only beat her once for making them sweets. That was the first time she made them. The little girl wanted to cry again, because she made sweets for them quite often. She risked being beaten each time she made them. She is a very brave woman. After she finished repairing her blouse, she put it back on again. The little girl noticed that it was almost as scared as the woman's back. The woman blew the candle out, and lay down on her side with her back almost touching the wall. She asked the girl to lay down in front of her with her back to her. There was barely enough room for the two of them on the bed. When she laid down the woman put her arm around her holding the little girl to herself. The little girl felt safe. The woman started to cry, not for herself, but for the little girl.
"Over the next few days, the Nightsister's Mother started to coach the little girl on what she was to say when someone showed up to take the other children away. When the little girl asked the woman that looked after her, what she should call her? She told her that it was best if she only called her mother, that's what the other slaves call her. She witnessed other slaves being beaten, just because, and they all cried. None of them were as strong as mother. She would try to help each one get to the kitchen. Some of them only made it a few steps, and fell. They were too weak to get up. She had to run to the kitchen to get mother to come and pick the woman up. The Nightsisters ignored them, it was like they weren't there. She would spread mother's mixture on their back, while mother mended their clothes. After they were dressed again. Mother would sit beside them and hold both their hands in hers. They would lean against mother, and cry on her shoulder. The little girl would stroke the hair on the top of their head. The only place she could touch them without hurting them."
"When the Clan Mother of the Great Canyon Clan came for the other children, like the Nightsisters' Mother predicted. The little girl said what she was taught to say. That she was staying with her friends. That they took good care of her here. When the Clan Mother tried to approach her, she backed away, keeping Nightsisters between her and the Clan Mother. The Clan Mother could see the fear in the little girl's eyes, and the smirk on the Nightsister Mother's face. She decided not to push the issue, she had recovered most of the children, and took them to the settlement. When she arrived in the settlement, the little boy that made the plea before the council, met them. He started jumping up to see if there was a little head in the midst of the children he did not see yet. Finally he asked the Clan Mother, where Sissy was? That's what he called his little sister. She told him that she said she wanted to stay behind. He looked right at her and said, "I am only a child, but even I know that they made her say that. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan would not have left her behind. She would have fought all of those Nightsisters by herself, to make sure she came home. You are not a very good Clan Mother. You did not do, or say anything, when that bad lady tried to kick me out of the meeting, and you did nothing to help Sissy when she needed your help." He ran away crying, much to the embarrassment of his mother, after insulting such a powerful lady. The child's words really stung. The Clan Mother of the Great Canyon Clan would have preferred that he would have slapped her in the face. When she returned to the Council and made her report. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan was furious. That is not what she agreed to. She was ready to withdraw from the Council and go to war with the Nightsisters. Even if it meant going to war with every member of the Council. It took both the Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan, and the Clan Mother of the Misty Falls Clan, to calm her down. They also told the Clan Mother of the Great Canyon Clan, that she broke faith with the Council, and they would never trust her to represent them again. It was only the Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan that stood by her. She knew she had failed her peers, but what has been done cannot be undone. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, told her that her mother taught her from when she was small, to value every life, because it is only when you value every life, that your life has value. "What is the value of your life right now, when you do not value the life of an innocent little girl?" She told the Council that she was too angry to stay in the meeting, she would await word in her compound, on how her Sisters can visit the settlements without giving offence to anyone. She turned to the Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan, and asked her if she could inform her on what was decided. The Clan Mother said that she would."
"The words and actions of the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, hurt the Clan Mother of the Great Canyon Clan more than the little boy's did. This was a woman that she looked up to and admired. She was like a mother figure to her, and she really let her down. When she returned to her village, she gathered all the elders together. She told them everything that was said and done. She told them that she was no longer confident that she could lead their clan. She asked that they find a better candidate to be Clan Mother, and went to her home. A short time later one of the elders came to her home, they said that they have found who they think is an excellent candidate, the best person for the job, and all the elders want her to meet this special person, to see if she approves. The Clan Mother was surprised, it did not take them very long, maybe they were already thinking of replacing her. She was curious as to which one of the Sisters they thought so highly of. So she let the elder lead her back to their meeting. When she arrived there, she asked them who this special candidate was. They stood up as one and said, "You Are!" They told her that they agreed that she does not have the same fire and passion that burns in the heart of the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, very few women do. But she has been good and steady. Everything their clan needs. Yes she stumbled and fell and bruised herself pretty bad. But that has never stopped her before. They need her to be strong, and pick herself back up. Her clan needs her. If it helps, she should personally go to the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan and apologise. Maybe she will see that you are still a good person, you're just not perfect. She did feel better after the pep talk, and took two Sisters and departed right away for the Singing Mountain Clan."
"The Clan Mother did accept her, and did accept her apology. She had her recall everything about her trip to the Sandstone Mountain. Every detail about what she heard, what she saw, what she smelt, and what she felt. She told her that what really bothered her, was the smirk on the Nightsister Mother's face. She knew she had been set up, but could not figure out how to get around it, and the fear she saw in the little girls eyes was real, she just could not get close enough to the girl to talk with her. The Singing Mountain Clan Mother wondered what could cause the fear in the little girl's eyes. The Great Canyon Clan Mother said that what would scare her as a little girl, would be if someone threatened her family, and showed that they really could hurt them. The Singing Mountain Clan Mother agreed that that is what happened, but what can be done about it now. The Clan Mother of the Great Canyon Clan looked at her peer, "You're not going to let it go, are you?" "Nope." "If I can remember anything, or think of something. I will definitely let you know." "I'm sorry I was so upset with you." "You were right to be, which is why it hurt so much." They departed friends again. Not as close as they were before, but it was more than the Clan Mother of the Great Canyon Clan could have hoped for."
"The Nightsisters stopped beating their slaves because of the little girl. Sissy was afraid to be around the Nightsisters or the slaves, in case she did something wrong and they beat a slave because of it. Instead, she started spending time with the only Rancor on the Sandstone Mountain. He seemed so sad being there, but would cheer up when she was around. They were like best friends."
"Now Rancor seem to be very afraid of dark force lightning. Light force lightning doesn't bother them. But they are terrified of the dark force lightning. This is how the Nightsisters controlled this Rancor. They would flash a little dark force lightning, and the Rancor could not move fast enough to do what they wanted it to do."
"One day a Nightsister came up to the Rancor, and flashed a little dark force lightning. Now the Nightsister did not know that Sissy was napping right behind the Rancor. The Rancor was so frightened that she would hurt his friend that he killed her. The other Nightsisters just assumed that he had overcome his fear of dark force lightning, and became more respectful of the Rancor. Sissy only found out a few days later that a Nightsister was killed by the Rancor, when mother asked her about it. Mother also started telling her, that if someone comes for her, that she needs to go with them. She should not worry about her or the other slaves. They will be alright. If someone does come for her, then she should know, that they will be powerful enough to protect her family. Because mother told her this almost every day, after she found out that the Nightsister was killed. Sissy started to believe someone was coming for her. Because she was happy, the Rancor was also happy."
"A runner came from the Red Hills Clan. It has been about one year since the last council meeting, its time they got together for another one. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan suddenly had an idea. She knew this Sister, and trusted her. She asked her if she was very tired. The Sister looked at her, "I am not so tired that I will not do anything you wanted." The Clan Mother was happy to hear that, because they will be running and climbing all night. But would not tell her anything else. She told her that it was best she did not know. She left her standing where she was, and called an emergency meeting of all her Sisters. After explaining what she wanted each of them to do, they departed. They left the main village and ran almost due south across the rolling hills and woodlands of their highlands. They scaled down the 800 meter high escarpment to the forest of the midlands. They ran through the forest to the edge of the escarpment separating them from the lowlands. They climbed down the escarpment, which was 500 meters high at this point (it is only 400 meters high where the trail is), down to the lowlands. They crossed the woodlands and dales of the lowlands until they came to the settlement. Most of the Sisters slowed down to catch their breath, while the Clan Mother, two Sisters, and the runner from the Red Hills Clan pushed on. Because there had been no major tides in the past year the trail through the swamp was clearly visible. When they reached the base of the Sandstone Mountain, it was just before sunrise. They had completed a cross country trek in just under twelve hours, what normally takes six to eight days riding a Rancor on the trails, and stopping every night. Or would have taken the average person more than a month to walk."
"At the base of the mountain, the Clan Mother told the runner that she has to stay as close to her as possible while they run up the spiral walkway. The Nightsisters that where on guard that night detected using the force, two small creatures, and what could only be a larger predator running up the spiral walkway. They smiled at each other. They get to have a little entertainment, before everyone else wakes up. Suddenly there are two clan Sisters standing behind them, and the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan has picked them both up using the force, and is choking them. They try to reach out using the force to alert the other Nightsisters, but the two clan Sisters seem to be able to block their attempts. After they pass out. The Clan Mother surrenders them to the two Sisters, who confirm that they are still alive and are breathing. When everyone is in position. The Clan Mother emits a powerful force call. This is her signal to her Sisters to surround the mountain, and be prepared to climb. The force call also awakens the Nightsisters, who stumble outside wondering what is going on. The call also awakens Sissy who wakes up mother, and tells her she is here. Mother kisses her on her forehead and tells her to go to her. Some people in the settlement also heard it. In fact all the clans later claimed they felt something."
"The Clan Mother of the Great Canyon Clan woke up with a smile. She knew who had called, and she had guessed the reason why. It will be nice to go to the Council of Mothers, expecting to hear good news for a change. The Nightsisters' Mother demanded to know what the meaning of this is. Two of the Nightsisters went to the edge, and looked down. They told their Mother that they were surrounded by clan Sisters. There must be Sisters from at least three clans down there, for there to be so many. The Nightsisters' Mother did not like the sound of that. They have no escape, and if they start fighting, they will easily be wiped out. The Clan Mother told her that she was here for the little girl. Just then Sissy walks outside and says hello. The Clan Mother tells her that she is here to take her to her mother. She tells the lady that mother is in her room sleeping. The Clan Mother tells her that she is going to take her to her mother that lives with her brother. Sissy just went "oh" and walked up to the Clan Mother. She indicated that she wants to be picked up. So the Clan Mother picks her up and holds her. She whispers in the Clan Mother's ear, asking her, if she can protect her mother and brother? The Clan Mother whispers back that she can, if she gives her something valuable. Sissy is at first disappointed, then she sees something behind the lady. It is almost like a shadow but in colour. When she looks carefully she can see it's a lady. She sees her kiss the back of her hand then points to the lady holding her. Sissy realises that she wants her to kiss the nice lady. So she kisses her on her cheek, and asks if that is valuable. The Clan Mother has tears in her eyes, she tells her it is more than valuable, it is precious. In a loud voice the Clan Mother proclaims, "This little girl has just paid tribute to the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, with a precious kiss. Though the Nightsisters consider her and her family to be their slaves. Because of this tribute, she is obligated to protect this family. If any harm comes to anyone of them. She will not need permission from the Council of Mothers, to come back here, and drag their dead bodies to the ocean." Everyone on the mountain, and surrounding the mountain, heard her quite clearly. This was the first time that mother knew of, that she had tears of joy in her eyes. She fell back asleep, and had such wonderful dreams. Dreams she has not had since her son was kidnapped, so long ago."
"The two clan Sisters dropped the Nightsisters they were holding. Everyone in the group backed up slowly, until they were out of sight, and down the spiral walkway. As soon as they were out of sight, they ran all the way to the bottom. The clan Sisters cheered when they saw their Mother emerge from the mountain, with the little girl in her arms. When they reached the settlement, the mother of the little girl ran up to the Clan Mother with tears in her eyes, hardly believing that this was her little girl. She thanked the Clan Mother for bringing her back. Sissy reached for her mother, who took her into her arms and hugged her to herself and started balling. Then she covered her daughter's face with kisses mixed with tears, than she hugged her again. Her son also had tears in his eyes, as he looked up at his sister and mother, with one hand on his mother's hip. Finally Sissy started squirming, she wanted to be put down, to be with her brother. He took her hand and told her he missed her, then he reached over and gave her hair a quick tug, and ran off. She went tearing right after him. He ran around a building to be out of sight of the adults, and waited for her. She ran straight into his arms, and he gave her the biggest hug he could give her, and she hugged him right back. "I knew she would bring you back. I really missed you." "I missed you too… Please do not pull my hair. It hurts." "I am sorry! I promise, I will not do it again. He stepped back, and tapped her on the shoulder, "You are the Rancor," and ran off. She called after him, "You are the Moog," then gave her best Rancor roar, and ran after him."
"The settlement was more than willing to share their breakfast with all the Sisters. After breakfast the Clan Mother started issuing orders, she sent a Sister to get the Rancor of everyone going to the Council of Mothers, and asked that they wait for them at the gate, and told her she did not have to rush. She sent Sisters to reinforce the Sisters they left at both villages. They had only left three at each village. She organised the patrols for the lowlands, the midlands, and the highlands. As well as dispatching Sisters to get their Rancor and rendezvous with them. She thanked the runner for being part of this, and asked her to let the Council know that she was going to be delayed. She wanted to hear the little girl's story, and she doubted that she would open up to her right away. She sent the Sisters that were staying with her out hunting, so that they would not be a burden to the settlement. The Clan Mother doubted the Nightsisters would attack her in the settlement, they would know that she had a lot of clan Sisters nearby, and now they knew she had the power to call them through the force."
"That night the Clan Mother told the mother and daughter, her version of their little boy's story. That he did this because he wanted his mostly nice sister back. The little girl sat on her mother's lap sucking her thumb, and stroking her brother's hair because she thought he has really brave. She fell asleep in her mother's lap, listening to the story of how her brave brother spoke to all the strange women, even after the bad lady tried to throw him out. Her brother soon fell asleep leaning against his sister's back and his mother's side, with his mother's arms around them. The two mothers talked for a while. The mother of the children wanted her guest to have the family bed. The Clan Mother told her that her place was sleeping across the door to the room. So that if her daughter wakes up in the middle of the night, she will know that she is keeping her promise, and making sure they are safe. They have no door over the doorway to the family bedroom, so when the little girl woke up in the night to use the chamber pot. The Clan Mother asked if she was all right. She asked the Clan Mother if she could have a cup of water. After the Clan Mother gave it to her and she drank it, then she went back to sleep. She had really woken up, concerned about her family. But now that she knew that the nice lady was protecting them, she knew they were all safe, and quickly went back to sleep. It was only after hearing everyone else's stories in her home, after dinner each night. That the little girl felt comfortable enough to share her story. She told how she was separated from the other children after that lady came. The Clan Mother asked her to describe that lady. As she was describing her, her brother interrupted her, and told her that that was the bad lady who tried to throw him out of the meeting. He described again how the Clan Mother stood up to her. How even after he left to wait outside he could still hear the Clan Mother fighting for them, and how the bad lady had to run away because she was a coward. The Clan Mother was a little embarrassed by the way the boy described her, the only thing missing from his description of her, was her being surround by a bright light and having wings. The mother knew her son adored her, it was good for him to look up to a hero like her. The little girl said that she was not a coward on the mountain. At first the Nightsisters and their Mother treated her as everyone's best friend. Then they tried to treat her the way they treat all the new Nightsisters. But she fought with them, to prove she wasn't someone new, and she forced many of them to admit that she was more powerful than they were. That is when she stopped being their Mother's best friend. Mother told me that the Nightsisters' Mother does not like that she is so strong in the force, and seems to be growing stronger in the dark side of the force. She was not surprised when the Nightsister's Mother told mother that she died in her sleep. That she should carry her body to the Rancor. So that the Rancor can throw it on the trash pile in the swamp. This was the only good part of her story. She always felt more comfortable telling her story when she was sitting on her mother's lap, with her mother's arms around her, because then it seemed like it was only a bad dream. There was an unexpected visitor to the settlement while the Clan Mother was still there, listening to Sissy's story each evening. The Rancor had come down off the mountain, looking for his friend. No one knew if he came down on his own, or if they allowed him to come down. Everyone ran for their homes when he appeared, except Sissy and the Clan Mother. Sissy ran right up to him and climbed up on his arm. He sat down happy, he had found his friend. The Clan Mother realised that Sissy was a beastmaster. She had worked with enough beastmasters, that she could show Sissy how to get the Rancor to do all the really hard work in the settlement. She let all the people of the settlement know that if they treat their beastmaster well, then the Rancor will not harm them. It is only if the Rancor thinks you want to hurt the beastmaster that the Rancor will hurt you. Her brother asked how bad the Rancor would hurt him, because he liked to tease his sister sometimes. The Clan Mother told him that the Rancor would probably eat him as a very little snack. He did not like that. She told him that they have to do something special, so that the Rancor would not eat him. He did not want to be eaten, so he agreed to do whatever she said. She told him that he has to stand on one leg and lean forward, spread his arms out wide, and close his eyes. Because his head was at the right height, she whispered to Sissy to go up to him and kiss him on the cheek. Sissy giggled because she knew the Clan Mother was teasing him, but she did what she was asked to do. When she kissed him he lost his balance and fell over. He was upset with her, and asked her why she did that. Instead of answering, she told her brother to look at the Rancor, he was laughing. None of them knew that the Rancor could do that. Even their mother was laughing because she knew her son was set up. When he realised that the Clan Mother had tricked him, he wasn't upset at his sister anymore. The Clan Mother told him that the Rancor knew from their smell that they were brother and sister, so he would not hurt his friend's family. The boy asked if the Rancor knew by their smell who their mother was. She said he did. Then she tried an experiment. She led the boy off a short distance, and asked him if he could use his body to ask the Rancor to come to him. He tried and the Rancor did. Then she asked the mother who was standing near her daughter if she could call the Rancor to her, and she told Sissy that she had to stand still. The Rancor came to the mother, so the Clan Mother asked the Rancor if they could all communicate with him, he said they could. This would make it easier. She could train the mother in working with the Rancor, because she could better understand what the Rancor needed to do, and the children could learn from her, so the Rancor would not stay as just a play toy for the children."
"The first thing they needed to do, is build a den area for the Rancor, and to make sure it would be big enough to accommodate more Rancor. At first the people of the settlement where unsure of this arrangement, because their Brackaset were not used to having a Rancor so close to them, and were not producing very much milk because of it, for the people to make their cheese. The Clan Mother assured them that by building a den area for the Rancor. The Brackaset would calm down a lot, and get used to having the Rancor around. At least she hoped that this would be what happened. Since they did not have any Brackaset at their villages. After trying the cheese, she wanted to start raising some at their villages. The Clan Mother showed them what trees they would have permission to cut down, to make the den area. They were impressed that the Rancor did most of the work in building its own den. They could see how useful a Rancor could be around the settlement. Before the den was finished the Brackaset, had already started producing more milk, because they were used to its smell, and it never attacked any of them, so they started feeling safe. The den was finished around the same time that the little girl finished sharing her story. The Clan Mother saw that the children's mother was already comfortable communicating with the Rancor. So she told them that she needed to head to the Council of Mothers. They were sorry to see her go, but they knew that clan Sisters were not very far away."
"After she left, one of the Nightsisters came to the settlement and asked them where the Clan Mother was going. She did not use one of the derogatory slurs they usually use for her on the mountain, because the people of the settlement might not cooperate. They told her that she was heading to the Council of Mothers. The Nightsister inspected the den that they built for the Rancor. She was surprised that the Clan Mother had not only given them permission to use her trees to build it, but had actually shown them which ones. She went back to the mountain and reported everything that she found out at the settlement."
"When the Nightsisters' Mother heard about the Council of Mothers, she decided to attend it herself, and accuse the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, of attacking their mountain, and killing two Nightsisters that were guarding it. Now the Nightsisters' Mother was actually the one who killed them. She was so furious at what the Clan Mother had done, that she tortured the two Nightsisters that were on guard duty that night, until she was sure she understood how the clan Sisters were able to get on top of the mountain, without them being able to raise the alarm. Since they were beyond the point that any healer could help them, she continued to torture them to see how much pain she could inflict on them, before they actually died. All the other Nightsisters were present, so that they could better understand the use of the dark side of the force, in torturing victims, and prolonging their lives."
"The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan had just finished giving her report on the little girl's experience, in being a hostage of the Nightsisters, when their Mother burst into the meeting throwing to stinking, mutilated, female bodies on the floor, in front of all the Clan Mothers. Then she accused the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan of causing their deaths. She thought she could shock the Clan Mothers and turn them against the Singing Mountain Clan, but they just sat there like this was a normal part of the meeting. The Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan asked one of her Sisters to identify the bodies. She looked at them and confirmed that they were the two Nightsisters that were on guard duty that evening. She also said that they were alive and breathing when she left the top of the mountain. They were unconscious, but alive and breathing. The Nightsisters' Mother accused her of being a false witness. She could not have been present on the top of the mountain. There was only the Clan Mother and two of her Sisters. She pointed to the two Sisters standing by their Clan Mother, and told the Council that they could hardly be considered impartial. The Sister that identified the two bodies replied, "It's hard to be seen when the person standing in front of you is larger than life. How do you think the little girl knew to give the Clan Mother a kiss?" The Nightsister Mother was taken aback. She knew now that the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan was extremely powerful in the force. She thought at first that she had been using the force to project this image of herself to intimidate the Nightsisters. But if she was doing this to shield this Sister so that none of the Nightsisters could detect her as being present. That meant that the Clan Mother was much more powerful than she imagined. No wonder the Clan Mother of the Frenzied River Clan played the coward, and refused to fight her. She really was afraid to fight her. Yet she had not been intimidated by any of the Nightsisters. That is why she had her eliminated, because her next move would have been to challenge her as Mother of the Nightsisters. Now the Mother had come to the meeting with the intention of challenging the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan. Knowing she would not turn down a challenge given in front of the council. Now she knew that this would be a fatal mistake. So she left the meeting like she was insulted by their presence. Before she was challenged, and forced to play the role of a coward. Her own Nightsisters would gang up on her and kill her if they found out."
"After she left, the Clan Mothers used the force to detect what was really done to the two dead witches. They were even able to determine how the other witches kept them alive through their ordeal. The Misty Falls Clan Mother confirmed that they had been her Sisters. They could tell from their distorted facial features that they regularly practiced using the dark side of the force, so had no sympathy for them. After all the Clan Mothers were sure they knew what happened to the dead witches. They gave the Sisters from the Singing Mountain Clan permission to take their bodies and throw them into the ocean. They adjourned the meeting so that sweet grasses could be burnt to fumigate the room, and get rid of the smell. After the meeting concluded, the Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan invited the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan to her compound. She showed her all the tributes the settlements had left her. She wanted to know why they did that, considering last year they only gave tribute to the Singing Mountain Clan. She had checked the town's records and knew that the settlements paid tribute to both their clans. The Singing Mountain Clan's Mother told the Red Hills Clan's Mother, that when she sent her Sisters to all the settlements. They told the people that the Red Hills Clan played a big part in them being able to help the family with the kidnapped child. Then being able to bring the evidence of what the Nightsisters were doing before the council. So this must be their way of acknowledging their help. "Besides if I ever get really angry and get myself kicked out of the Council, it's good to have someone else that they can turn to." They both had a good laugh over that comment. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan then told her friend that she was planning on leaving there, to go visit some settlements right away. She told the Clan Mother that she could come with her if she wanted. Now the Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan knew that her friend did not do anything without a reason. Even when she did something spontaneous, like the raid on the Nightsisters' mountain. So she asked to know, why was she going? Her friend told her about the settlements using Brackaset as their beast of burden, because they are docile creatures. They are also able to get milk from the females and make an excellent cheese. She wants to add this cheese to her people's diet, and have the Brackaset as a backup source of meat, for when the hunting gets tough. That way there will be less stress on the Rancor herd. She knew there was a good reason she was going to the settlements, of course she would come along."
"When the two groups approached one another. The Rancor that the Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan was riding, approached the Rancor that the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan was riding. He asked her Rancor to refrain from attacking him and the members of his herd, because he was carrying an honoured friend of his Herd Mother, and his herd, so would be unable to defend himself if attacked. The Rancor promised he would not attack them, and he would restrain his herd members from attacking. When the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan heard this exchange, she got off of her Rancor and went and hugged all the other Rancor, so they would all have a lingering odour of her scent, to help them restrain from attacking one another. She had already hugged all the women in the group, so they should all be carrying a little of her scent on them. There were no incidents the whole time they were together, and they found out from the settlements that the Rolling Red Hills was a good place to find wild herds of Brackaset. Even though their meat tastes good to humans, the Rancor seem to pass them by, in preference for other game. Maybe they think they are too easy to kill when there are so many other options out there."
"One family from one of the settlements, said that they were willing to be members of the Singing Mountain Clan, and would be willing to share their knowledge in how to care for the Brackaset, and how to make cheese from their milk. They did not think that the Brackaset would thrive near their main village, because of the number of Rancor present. But they did think that they would prosper near a farming village, once they got used to the Rancor being in the village. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan, asked her friend if she had permission to round up a herd of Brackaset from the Rolling Red Hills, to take them back with her. Her friend gave her permission. So she sent one of her Sisters to go scout out where some herds might be, then they could all meet back at the settlement. Her friend sent one of her Sisters back to her village to let them know that there are Sisters with their Rancor from the Singing Mountain Clan in their territory. They are not to be challenged if they meet them. The last settlement they went to together was not that far from the Red Hills Clan's village. When the Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan looked around. She thought that this would make an excellent location for a farming village, for when they were ready to expand. The people in the settlement told them that there was a wild Brackaset herd nearby, but it seems to be getting smaller every time they see it. Because there seems to be an unusually large number of predators in this region. They even have trouble protecting their own herd from the predators. The Clan Mother used this as an opportunity to start negotiations with the settlement to see if they would be willing to join the Red Hills Clan, and become their farming village. The Red Hills Clan would provide them with protection from pirates and slavers, and could cull the number of predators in the area. She suspected that it was because they let them use the two ships as dens. They may need to block up the entrance to one of the ships, so the predators can't get in. If they ram a large boulder in the entrance. It would stop the predators from getting in. But little prey creatures could still get in, and may provide enough of a food source to stop the remaining predators from going after the docile Brackaset. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan told her friend that if the settlement did agree to become part of her clan, she could harvest the trees that they needed to build a palisade as compensation for the Brackaset herd they would be taking. The settlement liked the idea of having a secure palisade. They told the Clan Mothers that they had not heard from the settlement that bordered both the Red Hills Clan's territory, and the Frenzied River Clan's territory. They asked if they could check on their friends."
"When the two Clan Mothers arrived, it looked like the settlement had been attacked by slavers. They found the decaying body of one of the men of the settlement with a blaster bolt wound in his chest. They found other signs of struggle, and all the dwellings were trashed. This group did not try to burn the dwellings to cover up their crime, which is probably why it went undetected. It must have happened recently, because both Mothers received tribute from this settlement. The Clan Mother of the Red Hills Clan said that she would send runners to all the settlements, and the clans, to warn them of this latest attack. They burnt the dead body, and scattered the ashes. Then they went back to the other settlement to tell them what they found. They suggested that the people from this settlement go and salvage what they can from the other settlement, since they were their friends. The Red Hills Clan would then claim what was left, and would harvest their fields when harvest time came. Negotiations became earnest when they knew that that settlement was no more, because they were close to the same size, and they now felt vulnerable. Before the Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan left to meet up with the family that was joining her clan, the people of the settlement told her that they had agreed to become part of Red Hills Clan, and asked her if they could also harvest trees for their Rancor's den, and an internal enclosure for the Brackaset. She told them they could, as long as they also sent some cheese to her clan over the next year. They agreed. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan took all the Rancor from her Sisters back with her. So that the Sisters could help the family move the herd they selected, as well as provide protection for the family and for the herd. She would send them supplies, on a regular bases, because the Brackaset herd would not move very fast. The family estimated that it could take close to three months before they would arrived at the village. Mother's biggest concern was that they all arrived safe."
Captain Richard indicated that he would be jumping back and forth concerning the history of Dathomir, because there were a few things that happened here and there, and he wasn't sure of the exact chronological order.
"The political exiles made some interesting contributions to Dathomir's society. Before the journal writer passed away, a political exile arrived with the knowledge on how to brew ale. He knew how to malt the grain by getting it wet so that it sprouted. Then hit it with hot steam or fry it in a pan to stop it from growing. The reason for this, was because the seeds would create enzymes as soon as they sprouted. The enzymes converted starch into different sugars. You had to stop the seeds from continuing to grow, because they would consume the sugars, and you needed the sugars for the yeast to grow to make the ale. The problem the political exile was having, was in finding a good strain of yeast. He thought the strain they had for making their bread was too slow, and would take forever to make any ale. One day he overheard a town member telling a new political exile about the different fruits you can find around town. He told him about one fruit tree, where the fruit would start to spoil before it became fully ripe. If you tried to pick the fruit it would burst in your hand and you would have a sickly sweet syrup all over you. Long ago the children liked to go pop the fruit, and lick the syrup, but afterward they would have trouble walking, and would fall down a lot."
Andriel gasped and put her had to her mouth, to keep from laughing. Krillgan wanted to know, what was wrong? She told him the children were drunk from licking the syrup. He asked her how she knew. She told him that when her father took her with him to the cantina when she was little, that was how many of the adults were when they left the cantina. They would have trouble walking, and would fall down a lot. She said that they also liked to sing in a very loud voice, and looked at Chitrah when she said that. Who turned a nice shade of purple. The Captain told her she was correct.
"This is what the political exile suspected, and asked to be taken to the tree. He took a wooden water pail with him, and collected the syrup from the bursting fruit in it. He could smell the alcohol being given off from the fermenting fruit juice, and knew he had a good strain of yeast to make his ale."
Chitrah asked, if the Sisters knew about the alcohol?
The Captain told them that they knew there was a mild poison that had affected the children, but they did not have the means to concentrate it so that they could study it.
"So to be safe they asked everyone to stay away from it. They had so many other things to study that they probably forgot all about it. The political exile needed special pieces made so that he could start producing ale. So he visited a number of clans, to talk with the blacksmiths, to see it they could make what he needed. They told him that they had some soft metals that they could use, to make what he wants, because they have no use for the metal, they just needed their Clan Mother's permission. He did not know that the metal they wanted to use, was the best metal they could use for making the containers to brew the ale. Because the metal was not used for anything else, the different Clan Mothers gave their permission. When he finished making his first batch of ale, they stored it in animal skins, because they did not know what else to store it in. He went around to the clans who made the items for him, with his skins of ale. He tried to get the skins as cold as possible before letting the Clan Mother, the Sisters, and the blacksmiths, sample it."
"In the village of the Red Hills Clan, he had the ale skin lowered into their drinking well. Since that was the coldest place in the village. Even though he had it down there for a few hours, it did not get as cold as he would have liked, but at least it was not warm."
"In the village of the Frenzied River Clan, they had him leave it in a quite pool connected to the river. There he found it was chilled the best."
"At the village of the Misty Falls Clan, they had him put it in the pool at the base of the falls. It was cool but not as cold as at the Frenzied River."
"When they sampled his ale he told them about the alcohol it contained, and suggested that it not be given to children. He told them about some of the effects it had on humans, and how it was consumed in large quantities on festive occasions. He offered them a number of skins, and they each promised to try it at their next festival. He did not tell them about the headache they could expect the next morning, if they consumed large quantities."
"The clan elders were not particularly pleased with the results that the ale had on their people. They found that some people became more open and happy, and others liked to be around them. Some became sad and angry, and would often start fights. A lot of people lost their inhibitions, and behaved in what the elders thought was inappropriate behaviour."
Krillgan squeezed his father's shoulder, and asked him about inhibitions. Chitrah told him that inhibitions are self-imposed restrictions we place upon ourselves, to help us in socialising with others, in what we think is an appropriate fashion. As an example he mentioned that both he and Krillgan's mother love sweets. But they have learnt to only indulge themselves on small amounts on special occasions. If they lost self-control with this indulgence, they would consume large quantities of sweets on a regular basis, and their bodies would soon grow to be the size of a Hutt. Krillgan did not think his parents would look good as large fat slugs. He mentioned that there are other areas of their lives were they have set up inhibitions, to protect the relationships they have, at the expense of starting new ones. This is an area where consuming alcohol could have a direct effect, damaging long term relationships. Krillgan looked confused. Chitrah sighed, and told him that it had to do with the way adults interact. He could explain it better, when he was older. Krillgan was starting to understand that life as an adult can be very complicated. Maybe it would be better, if he did not hurry up and get old.
"The elders of all three clans wanted to ban the substance altogether, but the people convinced them that that would be a bad idea, and would divide and hurt the community. Since they knew it was available elsewhere. So the Red Hills Clan, and the Frenzied River Clan, chose to only allow consumption of alcohol on special occasions, and people were asked to limit the amount they consumed. Their Clan Mothers forbid their Sisters from consuming alcohol, unless they had special permission. She did not like that they were vulnerable to attack when the Sisters consumed alcohol. The Misty Falls Clan took a different approach. They only allowed alcohol to be consumed with meals, and not after, on its own. They ended up consuming greater amounts of alcohol than the other clans, but you would never find a drunk clan member. All the clans imposed a minimum age of 15 years, for the consumption of alcohol."
Andriel asked why the age restriction was so low. The Captain pointed out that it was actually high. When you consider how long a year is on Dathomir, having 17 months in a year. By the time you are 15 on Dathomir, you would be 22 or 23 on most other planets. Andriel realised that this was going to be difficult for them in knowing someone's true age, when compared to what they were used to. As well as determining birthdays and anniversaries. This is something she and Chitrah would have to talk about.
"The Clan Mothers reluctantly agreed to allow the people of their clans to produce their own ale. Now the Red Hills Clan was at a disadvantage, when it came to making ale. Because they had no trees growing in their territory, they had to travel a long distance to find the fruit tree growing in neutral territory. When ale was introduced to the Great Canyon Clan, and the Singing Mountain Clan, they adopted the rules of the Red Hills Clan, and the Frenzied River Clan. It was after the journal writer passed away, that a political exile arrived, that was familiar with distillation of alcohol. He also had a good knowledge of storage of alcohol, and of metallurgy. He informed the clans that the soft metals were better for making their pots and pans, because they were better at distributing heat. The cooks found that they had better more consistent results when they used the soft metal pans."
"As a reward for sharing his knowledge, they agreed to cooperate in making the parts he requested so that he could assemble a still. He also convinced most of the clans to store their ale in hardwood barrels and kegs. (Not having ready access to trees, the Red Hills Clan still store a large portion of their ale in skins.) He also had containers made to store the fermenting juice from the tree. Producing a nice wine. He convinced the town to plant a grove of the fruit trees on the west side of town, since that area was never used. The Red Hills Clan helped in planting the grove, on the condition that they would have access to the grove. This cut the distance to 1/3 what they had to travel before, to get to a fruit tree to be able to make ale. He was able to distil fortified ales, and fortified wines, that were available in the trading post. He was also able to distil a highly concentrated alcohol, for medical purposes. When he took this to the clans, the elders were very pleased with the way it cleansed wounds. They were able to convince the Clan Mothers to increase the amount of ale being sent for distillation."
"This opened the door for earrings, now that they had an easy way to keep piercings clean, until they were healed. Since another political exile arrived with the knowledge of refined blacksmithing, for making jewellery. The Sisters would take him the coins and rings they took off of the dead bodies of pirates and slavers and have rings made to remember the battles. The Sisters from the Red Hills Clan wore more rings than anyone else, because they battled more pirates and slavers than anyone else. The Sisters from the Frenzied River Clan were very jealous of them, because no one ever landed near their village, because the land was in transition. So none of them wore rings. They regularly petitioned their Clan Mother to form an alliance with the Red Hills Clan, so that they could battle pirates on their territory. The Nightsisters liked to wear earrings, made from the different metals they traded for. The Clan Sisters liked to wear earrings with colourful stones they found in their territory. The Red Hills Clan found a canyon on the edge of their territory that contained a lovely translucent red stone. They were able to have it made into lovely earrings and necklaces, that all the women of the Red Hills Clan wore, not just the Sisters. They also gave the stones to people they considered their friends. The Clan Mother of the Singing Mountain Clan has a pair of earrings with a large red stone, surrounded by the blue ones found in her own territory. She also has a necklace made with the stones found in every territory. That had been given to her as gifts by the other Mothers. She wears it to every Council meeting, to remind the other Mothers, that at one time, they were all her friends."
"When the Nightsisters discovered ale and the fortified drinks. The only rule they had, was that they were the only ones allowed to consume it. Now the slave settlement which produced the ale for the Nightsisters. Also harvested the juice from the fruit trees found growing in the lowlands. Which they made into wine for themselves. They would drink it mixed with an equal part of water, so if a Nightsister ever asked them what they were drinking, they would say juice and water. Two things that a Nightsister would only ever drink, if she was sick."
