WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK 0030 0030
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• Subtle Vengeance: Refusal to respect the wishes of
a Chronicler often leads to the order covertly releasing embarrassing or disparaging secrets of such offenders. It is for this reason that many dare not refuse any request or risk offense of the Gare Attessa
despite the long absence of the Daragkarik.
• Whisperers: Chroniclers whisper when talking to
each other, though they speak at normal volumes as
necessary for other audiences.
• Book Makers: All Chroniclers learn to bind and repair their own Registers and can identify any past
Registers by how they knot their bindings.
• Privacy: To read a Chronicler’s Register without
permission (if even possible, given how often codes
or obscure languages are used to obfuscate the
writing) is considered a breach of decorum at best,
treason at worst, and recompense to the Chronicler
can vary from an apology to bribes to avoid such
rudeness from reaching the ears of the Exhalt in
Wani Chereet.
• Intra-Order Sharing: They share and memorize all
of their accumulated writings within their order,
especially those of the order’s founding matriarch
Yara Tass.
• Memory: With proper training, many develop eidetic memory and perfectly retain whatever they
see or hear.
• Dream Recording: Some gifted Gare Attessa have
also mastered dream recording, and must simply
touch the subject during a dream to reveal and record its secrets within the mind of a Chronicler (to
be recorded externally later).
• Prayer: Regular prayer is expected of all Gare Attessa with exceptions only for their duties of recording.
Prayers last as long as each Chronicler chooses and
happen upon rising, before any meals, and before
sleep. The Exhalt expect any at the Great Library to
participate in prayer with the collective brethren
when its bells ring (eight bells during daylight, four
at night).
• Maxim Quotations: All Chroniclers quote Yara Tass
constantly and her “Twelve Maxims” form the most
common prayers used for Gare Attessa meditations.
• Aptitude Testing: Chroniclers test potential initiates during their youth for basic intelligence and
any aptitude for reading and writing. Testing is an
annual event at Wani Chereet, preceded by a pilgrimage of the young hopefuls.
• Intra-Order Mating Prohibited: Gare Attessa are
not allowed to mate or procreate with each other,
although they may find mates and family outside of
the order.
28
vindicta
With pressures from inhuman races like Pachyaur
slavers and the krikish hives, not to mention the
devastation of raiding human marauders, the peoples of the Old Countries find able-bodied warriors in short supply. When disputes among tribes,
villages, client-villages, or city-states come to a
head, there are rarely enough warriors on either
side to survive even one large-scale battle. As a
result, offended groups have the option to invoke
the Rite of Vindicta.
The Rite of Vindicta reduces a conflict to a chosen
champion or “vindicator” for each involved group.
Said proxies fight against each other in ritual combat either individually or in small groups and it is
always to the death. The rite’s conclusion judges all
matters, the winner’s side deemed the righteous.
This rite began as personal duels to settle arguments. Many duels conclude immediately in the
streets where they arise to settle petty matters, as
they always have. Vindicta became a widespread
and formal arbitration method via covert pressures
and suggestions from many Gare Attessa among
ruling courts (and they claim such rites existed before the Dragon Kings but were long forgotten).
Many towns now set a regular day of the week or
month where formal Rites of Vindicta are held.
The wealthy, noble, or elderly often chose a vindicator to take their place in the rite, in accordance
with other regional customs.
When larger towns or city-states invoke a Rite of
Vindicta to settle legal challenges or sovereign issues, a small ceremonial arena is set up equidistant
between the two settlements. In the time between
the challenge and the day of the rite many individual Vindicta are invoked by citizens and are held as
preliminary events leading up to the finale.
Despite a general acceptance of the outcome
of Vindicta, some on the losing end of the sword
go to war regardless of Vindicta results. If warriors
follow such a leader into an ignominious war, said
aggressors are considered cursed by many people
of the Old Countries . . . and the Chroniclers ensure such dishonor is not forgotten or forgiven.
• Interment: Dead Gare Attessa are entombed at
Wani Chereet or hung so their flesh is sand-blasted
off their bones, which become relics.
• Dramidge Enmity: Gare Attessa are at odds with
the Dramidge magical college, though few know
the why of it. Differing opinions over the historical
