Ok I got super curious about people with clan you mentionned during your post about schools in Galahd. Like, if those people to negotiate with another clan for whatever reason, is there a specific clan or an institution that serves as buffer to help these people have more leverage against the Clan? (Maybe like a feodal system?) How do these people can take part in the storytelling?
Sorry for the wait, but I think I got it figured out now. This turned out pretty long again XD I hope it makes sense.
(It does in my head, but that isn’t saying much.)
Let’s start with the basic hirarchies.
Lowest are the people who don’t have a Clan name for one reason or other. There aren’t that many of them, since having someone born of your Clan/family without a Clan name is a huge blow against your reputation.
Then come the children below 13 years old that haven’t yet earned a Clan name, then kids that did and then people that belong to Clans.
Within the Clans themselves children are on the lowest rung of the ladder. Next step up are the apprentices. Apprentices from outside the Clan are in a weird grey area where they’re partly included, because some decissions concern them, too, but also not, since they’re not part of the Clan. It depends on what was decided during negotiations.
Next are the majority of Clan members. Those that work within the Clan shops or do other tasks, like looking after the younger children, helping to teach, do basic repair work on homes, are merchants, etc.
Afterwards are the Masters of a Clan’s craft. They are the ones teaching the apprentices and organizing the workshops. They are also responsible for those working for them.
Then come the people who help the Clan Heads run the Clans. They help make sure the Clan has enough to eat, that the children and apprentices are taught accordingly and help solve minor disputes between Clan members.
Clan Heads do keep the Clan books, the treasury and storage, the Clan census and most of the other relevant paperwork. They settle major disputes within their Clan and do the diplomatic work with other Clans.
So if, say, an Altius wants to learn from the Furia, said Altius goes to his Clan Head, and if the Clan Head agrees, they go to the Furia Clan Head. The Clan Heads then negotiate on the terms of the apprenticeship (if the Furia Clan Head agrees). Of course a master has to be found who is willing to teach someone from outside their Clan.
The negotiations start with the Altius Clan Head sending a message to the Furia Clan Head. If the enquiry is accepted, then the Altius Clan Head and the one who wants to learn in the Furia Clan, visit the Furia Clan Head to introduce the prospective student.
The Clan Head who wants something always visits the Clan Head they want soemthing from. It’s a sign of respect and common courtesy. If it’s not done this way it’s a grave insult to a Clan’s integrity.
And a Clan’s integrity plays a large part in their standing with the other Clans.
There is no definitive authority. The one person who stands above it all. The makti-oir comes closest. But they only preside over the hunters. Basically the makti-oir is the Clan Head of all the hunters of Galahd. It makes them the most powerful and influential person on Galahd because everyone who knows how to (and does) handle a weapon for hunting (wildlife and daemons) and/or war is under their purview.
Also I want to say that no Clan strictly owns land. The land where large numbers of one Clan are settles is considered under their purview. They can’t just own soemthing they share with the spirits and the animals and the flora. (I hope that makes sense.) This makes “borders” between Clan territories very fluent. The only hard lines are village borders and those of houses and homes.
Clan Ulric has purview over a rather large piece of land (part of which they share with the Ostiums) despite their small number. This is in large part because the clout and integrity the name Ulric has. And the other Clans respect that.
That’s how a large part of their society works. Integrity and respect. The standing of one’s Clan in society. This works in part of the “us against them” mentality Galahd has against the rest of Eos.
I should probably turn the finer points of inter Clan relationships into another post since this is getting long again XD Anyone who is interested in learning more, don’t be afraid to tell me. Then I know it’s actually worth the time to sit down and type it out, since I wrote all of that down in a notebook.
Also adding that if you need a third party to police negotiations, you either go to the Arra or the Khara. The Arra because it’s their business to know stuff, and the Khara because they turn out to be pretty good at this kind of problem solving.