Ticanee Clan

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The Ticanee Clan were once people of the plains, but in Anarinuell, they have become woodland dwellers.
The Ticanee Clan were once people of the plains, but in Anarinuell, they have become woodland dwellers.

Contents

Overview

The Ticanee (used as singular and plural) are something of an enigma. Though they look Firan and their language has similar roots as the Firan language, they are distinctly not Firan. Some think of them as Srenna's "Fire People," the Goddess of War's descendants who were separated from the Firans long ago by Drik, the God of Hate. Others think they are just another race without any true Firan roots, like the Bonduins.

The Ticanee tend towards red hair, blue eyes, freckled fair skin and a complete lack of modesty. The Firans first encountered the Ticanee when the Seven Heroes were searching for the Great Beast which ravaged the countryside every year. And were it not for one of the heroes, Bannos, looking much like a Ticanee, there might have been war on yet another front. But after a few initial misunderstandings, the Ticanee and Firan people chose to band together against the common enemy: the Shamibelians. Though the Ticanee joined the Republic, they are still thought of by most Firans as uncultured savages and they, in turn, think of a majority of the Firans as spineless and girly.

Current Leadership

The Ticanee are ruled by the Oshta Family. Their clan leader is Taria Oshta of the Ticanee, whose mother was Velani and whose father was the Dolo-Oshta.

Religion

Ticanee are mainly totem worshipers who are led in religious ceremonies by Shamans, however, the Ticanee are very accepting of other religions and often incorporate them seamlessly into their own spiritual beliefs. It is said that Elik favors the Ticanee because they were the first to accept his divinity.

Culture and Traditions

Tribes

When the Ticanee roamed the plains, they roamed in tribes. These tribes make up the staple totems that can be found in the Ticanee Temple, as well as around the district, they consist of the Wolf Tribe, Falcon Tribe, Snake Tribe, Panther Tribe, Bobcat Tribe, Elk Tribe, Horse Tribe, Boar Tribe, Wolverine Tribe, and Beaver Tribe. Tribes would mark groups of families that would travel together and share camp and were each ruled by a primary leader called the "Oshta."

Unfortunately, due to the Shamibelians conquering most of the Ticanee lands, many of the Ticanee tribes were wiped out completely, and others barely survived. By the time the Republic found the Ticanee people, only one Oshta remained - the Dolo Oshta of the Wolf Tribe. The Ticanee people have banded together under this Oshta, though those who belong to other tribes keep their pride in where they have originated from.

Tribes Today

After many years of Shamibelians claiming their people, the remaining Ticanee mostly consist of the Wolf Tribe ruled by Oshta Taria, and almost every Republican Ticanee that is asked will respond that their family belongs to this tribe. This is because the Wolf Tribe was farthest from the Shamibelian lands, and expressed an eagerness to join the Republic when found.

This is not to say that all Republican Ticanee are all Wolf Tribe members, as through the years, more Ticanee Tribes have been found and repopulated through the clan. The Panther Tribe only had one last remaining member at the time of Unification, Vahlon, who was survived then by his only son, Prince Torianos. Since Torianos' marriage to the Oshta's daughter, Melani, they've had children in an effort to keep the clan's line alive.

The Bobcat Tribe has also been introduced to the Ticanee clan when two members, Lutika and her brother, Okatik, were brought back from their camp to Anarinuell. They both have thriving families that continue to grow today.

Besides these, some families of the Snake Tribe have also joined the Ticanee Clan at the time of Unification, and are a constant presence in the Clan today.

Members of the other tribes are few and far between. Many of those who escaped captivity were too young to identify themselves as a tribal, and there are plenty of displaced Ticanee who will never know their tribal roots.

Quilting

Quilting is a recent tradition that has been reborn from old Ticanee tribal traditions between mother and daughter. The tradition was found again when the Cyrani children burnt down the Ticanee Totem Pole, which held two scrolls inside. One scroll taught about a father-son tradition of going off on adventures together, and the other outlined a tradition to be shared amongst the generations of mothers and daughters. Taleena took up the task to revive the latter tradition.

The tradition reads that a mother and daughter (or a person old enough to be a mother to a female who hasn't one) are to sit together and gather old cloth in which to sew together quilt squares. As the mother and daughter both piece together the squares, they are to share stories between themselves, telling of family, life, motherhood, and similar subjects. When finished, the quilt should be blessed by a Priestess of Soli or a woman old enough to be a mother twice over, or it doesn't hold its full potential.

Quilting is a protected craft, and when classes are held, men are not invited or allowed to remain in the area. The Ticanee have since shared this tradition beyond their clan, allowing for the Republic's mothers and daughters to share in the sacred tradition.

Red Cap Juice

Redcap Juice is a mystical drink with Ticanee orgins. The Ticanee are said to drink the powerful mixture to center and concentrate on meditations about the totems. It is rumored to be a hallucinogen, and that some people become temporary insane or disconnected to their environment immediately after drinking it. Very few know its recipe and the Ticanee are known to protect it fiercely when asked about. It is said that this drink is primarily used as part of the Father/Son adventure that was rediscovered along with the lost quilting tradition from the burned totem pole. It's use and formula were rediscovered by Dame Urtenia after the scrolls were found.

Rites of Passage

In place of the Firan Ceremony of Souls, the Ticanee have a Rites of Passage in which children complete a set of tasks to enter into adulthood.

Children meet with a Shaman when their parents give permission to seek out adulthood, and talk over their life's goals and ambitions for hours or days. The Shaman will then think about the child specifically and meditate on a set of quests that will force he or she to grow and discover the hardships of their new adult paths.

Quests usually include a self-survival aspect, a career aspect, and most importantly a totem aspect. It is during this time that the child is expected to find its patron totem. How remains a mystery, but it is rumored that the totems might "call" to the child in some shape or form and they understand immediately which they should choose.

When a child completes all of their tasks, they have an actual ceremony to mark their adulthood, where they will receive their traditional first tattoo in front of family and friends. The tattoo usually represents a feat accomplished or a connection to their totem, and it is tradition for it to be worn on the face where all can see.

Some children do not pass their Rites of Passage on the first go, and in such cases, a second set of quests might be given some time later, or an alternative option is rarely offered.

Courtship

Out of the many stranger rituals of the Ticanee Clan, courtship is one that goes back as far as Ticanee can remember. Mostly, courtship exists of killing an impressive animal and delivering it to the one you wish to court, or marry. This can range to many little kills, to great big kills, such as a bear! The more impressive and earnest the kill, the better the chances one might have at their request to court another.

This has lead to many different mishaps and misconceptions over the course of time. Sometimes, a Firan might send a fresh animal corpse to a Ticanee as a joke, not understanding that they have just offered their hand in courtship. It's created a humorous bind over the years and allows for interesting situations.

Weddings

Marriages are another interesting aspect of the Ticanee Clan. They are one of the most faithful clans when it comes to marriage of assertion, which means that Ticanee love to claim their mate and run off to consummate their marriage or "tent." Because the Ticanee are very mindful of raising their clan's numbers, they find marriage and children to be an integral part of their lives and waste no time getting to the point.

It is said, that for some period of time, wedding quests were given to brides and grooms to make sure that they are fit for each other and marriage itself. It was not always this way, and the new tradition started when Radik was to marry Lady Lotis. He was put through many trials to prove himself worthy to join her in her nobility, and when he passed, he became Lord Radik Dawn.

Since them, the tradition kept on, and many Ticanee couples after the marriage of Lotis and Radik were made to go through trials to prove their dedication to each other. Through the years, though, the marriage quests have slowly died off again as Ticanee revert to a more traditional form of marriage. This is not to say they do not exist at all, and often, quests will surface when a couple needs to be steered in the right direction - for better or for worse.

Divorces

Ticanee divorces aren't very normal by Firan standards either. By Ticanee law, a woman can divorce a man if he fails to meet expectations in the bed. It is perfectly acceptable for a woman to make such a claim and have the Ticanee Clan stand by it. On the other hand, a man can claim that is wife does not know how to cook well, and divorce her on the grounds of lousy cooking. Afterall, if the Ticanee can not make more children and keep them fed, what good is the couple in the first place?


Awards

Order of the Beaver

Order of the Boar

Order of the Elk

Order of the Falcon

Order of the Horse

Order of the Mother Bear

Order of the Panther

Order of the Wolf

Order of the Wolverine

Legends and Stories

Drik and the Ticanee

One story about the Ticanee is that they were favored by the Goddess Srenna, which made her on-and-off-again paramour, Drik angry. The God of Hate was so jealous, that he lured the Ticanee south, then pulled up the land into mountains to cut them off from the rest of the people and hide them from Srenna. They were not found again until Elianos traversed those mountains just before the Great War.

See Also

Ticanee Newsletters

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