Berdande’s Horde

Before Berdande’s Exaltation she had many suitors. Chieftain’s sons from across the north ventured to win her hand. Some tried to impress her with gifts plundered from the cities of the Realm, others would regale her of their many triumphs in battle, an epic ballad accompanying each scar. Some of the more foolish suitors attempted to conquer her tribe, hoping to win her favor through force. All, in the end were miserable failures. Now that Berdande has been Exalted her once high standards have become insanely high standards. She can’t bear the thought of mating with anyone beneath her, as a result she has never bred even one beastman. This peculiarity makes her tribes somewhat unique. Each tribe is comprised of free men and women and includes her father’s IceWalker tribe.

Berdande’s modest horde is a collective of four nomadic tribes from the North and East. They do not travel together under a united banner, in part to allow each tribe to retain its uniqueness and in part to protect it from the Wyld hunt. The only thing they all really have in common is they worship Berdande as a god, (though she would argue she’s really just the tribe’s patron saint in the worship of Luna). They communicate through complex songlines and obey the taboos and rules Berdande has taught to each tribe.

The Sacrosanct: The worship of Luna above all is stressed. Bellow Luna is Berdande herself, her appointed chieftains and shamans. Although each tribe has it’s own totem animal, all chieftains and shamans wear the same color, blue. Blue is a sacred color, though all are allowed to wear the color during festival.

Festivals: While Berdande was still just a mere mortal learning to lead her tribe she was in charge of all religious festival arrangements. Her memory of this has followed her into Exaltation & now she simply adores throwing parties in honor of Luna. It gives her the chance to reward her followers under the guise of ritual. She always arrives with a gift for her tribes, herd animals or weapons she has crafted for the tribes mightiest defenders. Each tribe has their festival assigned to a different day so that Berdande can attend each in person. Often she will arrive days earlier to help the tribe prepare, regaling the tribe with tales of battle while engaging in tasks clearly below her, like food preparation and painting the faces of the tribe’s children with ritual markings. In truth Berdande gets a special thrill in all the "trembling in her mighty presence" they do and the songs sung in her honor.

Hospitality: Standard rules of hospitality apply, you don’t have to like the rain soaked wanderer at the edge of your territory but invite him in for a hot meal and a dry bed. When a Lunar Exalt is your guest that’s a different matter entirely. Any barbarian tribe would bow before a Lunar Exalt and honor them as a god deserves. Berdande’s tribes do it with style though. Every tribe in her horde is prepared to offer their hospitality to a visiting Lunar at all times. Each tribe has developed it’s own unique way of honoring visitors, from epic songs and mirthful plays to elaborate ice drawings depicting that specific Lunar’s famous deeds. In fact each Lunar will have a completely unique experience because Berdande has used her talents as a resourceful No Moon to research the likes and accomplishments of her kinsmen and pass that information on to her tribe’s shamans. Tales of such visits are traded with great delight among the Lunar Exalted and will be fondly remembered when the Lunar meets Berdande in person.

Horde Growth: Kidnapping and slavery are forbidden and unnecessary in Berdande’s horde. The taking of slaves is a low practice of the Realm and she wants no part of it. Belonging to the tribe is a great honor and to many of her followers exile is a worse fate than death. Outsiders are welcome and can even be inducted into the tribe if they are able to prove themselves as great assets to the tribe. Induction is a long and difficult process and failure often results in death; for example, if you fail to defend the tribe from snow beasts in an attempt to prove yourself, it is likely because you have been eaten by snow beasts. If an outsider is able to prove himself to the tribe his outsider status is immediately forgotten & he will be treated as though he had been born into the tribe. Some tribes are also consolidated to form stronger tribes, several of her northern tribes were formed by smaller tribes that shared the same animal spirit.

Tribal Politics: Berdande’s horde isn’t the kind of ravaging, burning, raping & pillaging sort of horde. Instead it works as a sort of loose collective who will happily trade with once rival tribes or come to an honored rival’s aid in a time of need, i.e. famine. Conquest is frowned upon by Berdande, she much prefers it when a once rival tribe pays tribute to her in hope of joining her horde. She has very strict rules regarding her tribe’s ability to protect what is theirs. No tribe in her horde is permitted to invade a rival tribe. However any rival foolish enough to attack a tribe in her horde will face a swift and merciless retaliation. The rival’s herd animals will be taken and the tribe will be slaughtered to the last, their butchered bodies left on the scorched land as a warning to others who would be so foolish. This is the sort of thing Berdande herself will show up for, finding the looks of unholy terror on the rival tribe’s faces as they run to their equally terrified shaman incredibly hilarious.

Berdande’s humanitarian leanings toward barbarian tribes do not extend to the cities and caravans of the Realm. Her tribes don’t need to be attacked to fight back, the fact the cities exist is an attack on barbarian sensibilities & is justification enough. Her nomadic tribes specialize in the caravan raid. It could never be said that Berdande doesn’t show mercy to even the reviled denizens of the Realm though. Barbarian and civilized alike will never be tortured or forced into servitude, swift deaths for all.