WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK WORLD BOOK 0037 0037
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Chapter 3: RACES & REALMS
cautious and especially protective of their women and
children. They hold unmitigated hatred for slavers;
while some outsiders are surprised that Attites don’t
have a racial hatred of pachyaura, Attites differentiate
and know their enemies have always been the muchloathed Watu.
Ranks & Types
Of the human tribes, Attites have the largest number
of ranks and castes, making it difficult for outsiders to
judge an Attite’s exact social or political standing.
• Landao, Dotrong, and Trung: Names for civil authorities derive directly from the Attite terms for
advancing age, including Landao (“grown”), Dotrong (“grayed”), and Trung (“venerable”). They
cherish the knowledge and experience of their elders more than other human tribes, but often still
succumb to the timeless struggle between wisdom
and youthful petulance.
• Rau: Of high prestige among the Attites are their
Rau, or “bearded ones,” proud evangelical philosophers who grow especially thick beards high on the
face and down to their always-exposed shoulders
and chest. Rau are thought to be especially virile
men, sought by women of quality and power.
• Tongia: Contrasting their high social regard are the
rags worn by the Tongia, a Shadazim-guided religious minority that shuns worldly relationships altogether.
• Moigoi: Unique among the Attites are the Moigoi (“marriage brokers”), who have more say in
pair bonding than the individuals or their parents;
moigoi are not above accepting favors to influence
their decisions.
• Maigiang: These are socially elevated prostitutes
of both genders who ply their trade with impunity
among the higher castes who can afford their companionship.
• Detdosh: Detdosh are professional hair weavers
who dominate a fashion industry that they create,
change, and then enforce anew.
There are also strata among the Attite military that affect those in the armies, but may or may not subsume
any civilian social status outside those ranks.
• Conoan: The Conoan are a merit-based scholarly
elite whose counsel is faithfully heeded by even
the most reckless military commander. To disobey a
conoan is to invite the scorpion into one’s bed.
• Giotinh: Giotinh are most renowned among the Attites and their position carries social and military
honor alike. Randomly selected as newborns and
trained through childhood as warriors, these 225
honor guards swear to protect any important figure
or warlord. Sometimes called the “fifteen 15s”, they
are perfectly selfless and carry out their instructions without regard for life or limb. Giotinh are reputedly as tough as xursha scales!
• Turotch: In the armies, Tong oversee three-ranked
spear formations called turotch.
• Chutich: Chutich lead groto-armed skirmishers
known as whitusk. Traditionally, Attite participants
in any Rite of Vindicta are highly regarded Chutich.
• Ilinh: Ilinh are wandering healers who move fearlessly among the wounded during and after battles,
saving as many as possible. They administer the
water spice hesheyel among the soldiers in times of
need.
Attite Psychology
Despite the considerable fighting skills of many Attites, war forever remains secondary to diplomacy and
reason—a mindset forged by centuries of oppression by
Watu slavers they could hardly vanquish by strength
of arms. A fight avoided marks one as a true leader as
surely as victory by spear and sword. To the Attites, all
humans are equals, though none outside the tribe may
marry into it except in the most remarkable circumstances. Regardless, all non-humans are animals. One
must really be convinced of a pachyaur’s or krikis’ intelligence and worth, and even then skepticism will linger
just beneath the surface.
Other aspects of the Attite mindset follow directly
from their fatalist traditions. For the individual, life
is a brief gift that will pass and end in pain. For the
tribe, Khitus will one day be picked clean, and only
those who adapt will survive. There is no guarantee that the Attites themselves will adapt sufficiently
to avoid extinction. The writings of the philosopher
Amon Arik preach this fatalist message and encourage
mental discipline to face it honorably. Youngsters must
memorize most of these centuries-old passages before
coming of age.
Customs & Culture
Attite communities hold a transgressor’s feet to the
fire, sometimes literally, for ignoring their rules and
rites. Taboos are strictly enforced with punishment,
shaming, and exile, even for transgressing the slightest rules.
Attites never eat exactly at the moments of sunrise or
sunset. They pause for a full breath after learning some35
