Welcome to Tambali, home of the Tuareg people. Throughout North Africa, the Tuareg are known for one thing: their exceptional cavalry. There are some things that you should know about the Tuareg, their horses, and their finely-tuned military system. Come. Come closer, and let us show you.
Species Rules
1. All site and Oekaki board rules apply.
2. For the moment, one war mount per person. There will be ways to get more mounts as this progresses, and the number will rise as the species develops (so don't worry about not getting the perfect one just yet).
3. Ranks are set upon adoption, but can move up or down through events, challenges and Roleplay.
Background
Tambali is a medieval North African state, occupied by the Tuareg people and their horses. The Tuareg people are avid riders and horse-owners, and many years of breeding and training experience has culminated in their fine, beautiful war mounts. Only the best horses are chosen to join the army, and only the top young recruits are chosen to train and ride them.
At the age of fourteen, every capable Tuareg child is sent to the War Stables as an initiate. Initiation takes a year, and involves daily stable work which includes mucking out, grooming and learning general horse lore. Children cannot yet ride the warhorses. After a year, the initiation is judged to have been successful if a child has learnt, applied his or herself, and worked hard. If it is successful, that child is considered an adult in Tuareg society. Most children leave the stables to take up positions in their community. Those who have shown an exceptional aptitude and interest in the warhorses are chosen to stay, and become recruits in the Tuareg army.
Recruits bunk in barracks near the stables, and their time is entirely devoted to the horses.They learn to ride the horses rejected from the cavalry due to unsuitable conformation, temperament or size. This involves a lot of falling off. This, coupled with the intense teaching they get in horse care and battle tactics, makes the two years spent as a recruit quite harsh. Not all recruits succeed, but those who do, and prove themselves balanced, determined and passionate, recruits are sent to work with unbroken warhorses. These horses have passed all of the initial checks to enter into the army, but are almost entirely untrained. Here, the intense bond between rider and horse begins to form. Recruits form attachments with certain horses, and horses with riders. This can take anywhere from two weeks to several months. However, once human and horse pair off, the recruit must back and ride their horse. Once this is done, the recruit ranks up to an Ensign, and can shave off their partner's dock, braid their mane, and place their first rank marker.
The partnership between the pair is extremely powerful. Warhorses do not allow other people to touch or handle them (though they make an exception for their grooms, to whom they are devoted. The partnership is for life. Soldiers whose horses die of anything but old age are pitied, but ostracised, as they are considered bad luck. If a horse does die of old age or retires, a soldier may be offered another. Most will not take this offer out of loyalty to their mount. A horse whose rider dies enters a state of deep depression and distress. They avoid all human contact, and often die soon after their rider does. Occasionally, a horse may find a bond with another human, usually their dead rider's children or close relatives, but sometimes a spouse or a very close friend may be chosen.
Legions
There are seven legions, each marked by a painted symbol somewhere on the horse's body:
- Vandals: These are aggressive melee fighters, known for their rage and violence. Horses must be grey, black or bay, with a lot of chrome (white markings). Sabino is common and bred for. They also may have snowcap appaloosa markings, but no other appaloosa. Their sign is a red handprint on the shoulder.
- Arrows: These horses are messengers, and carry news and instructions to other platoons, to coordinate movements. These horses are extremely fast, a bit manic, and love nothing more than to run and run and run. Forever. They are almost always chestnuts (rarely palomino), with white and paint markings accepted. They also often have wall (blue) eyes. Their sign is a yellow arrow on the cheek.
-Marauders: Smaller horses built for stealth. These horses are scouts and spies. They come in roan or shades of dun, in order to blend in and not be too ostentatious. Their manes lighten at the ends. They are steady, intelligent mounts. The Marauder sign is a white band around the coronet band.
- Skylarks: They are the strikers. They leap into the battle, target problem areas, and leap back out. They are unpredictable fighters who think quickly on their feet, and can change the outcome of a fight. They almost always show pangare, and often have an irregular stripe. White markings can be found below the knees. Their mark is a blue feather on the belly.
- Stonewalls: Nicknamed 'the punishers', these horses come in when the battle is won. They take prisoners and clean up. They are huge, grey in colour, and dutiful. Their wolf teeth are overdeveloped, and are present in mares as well as stallions. Though they look intimidating, off the job Stonewalls are rather passive, bored, and overall quite boring. They don't care about anything except their job and their riders. Their sign is three black diamonds linked to form a triangle, on their neck.
- Pennants: These horses are specifically for intimidation and show purposes. They are parade horses, built to be flashy and impressive. They are usually bay, although any colour is accepted. They have a high rate of rabicano, and markings have to look NEAT. All facial and leg markings must be symmetrical, and blazes, stars and stripes are acceptable. The horses are proud and have good movement, but are not all that brave. They often have low standing in herd dynamics. Their mark is a green oriflamme in the centre of their chest.
- Templars: Anyone who is left over is a Templar. Any colour goes, though chrome is ideally minimal and face marks should look generic. This is the general infantry with no real, specialised job. Horses are required to be brave, strong and sturdy, and are often very friendly towards strangers. These horses are the most playful and good-natured outside of battle. Their sign is the purple one, displayed above.
- Each legion has a foundation stallion, who clearly fits the attributes of the rank.
Example: The foundation stallion of the Arrows is called Windarrow. He was originally bred to be a Marauder, but failed dismally at it due to his high levels of anxiety and energy. He was happiest when running pellmell through the battlefield, so it was decided to have him deliver messages. It worked beautifully, and the Arrows were created as a small platoon. Windarrow is still alive, though retired, and lives out his days in a field, with exactly four mares. Three is too few, and five is too many. He gets very upset if the wrong number of mares is in his field. In fact, the running joke in the army is that Windarrow is the first, and only, intelligent Arrow.
Human Ranks
Humans have seven potential ranks. The lowest, Ensign, is marked with one disc in the mane. The highest, General, is marked with seven.
