Taicho
General description
Tai-barbarians are nomadic people living at the northern coast in a northern side of the Dragon mountains. They are excellent riders and have excellent horse handling skills. Their skills are well known in northern nations. A typical tai-barbarian is about 155 - 175cm height and weights about 60 - 85kg. They have pitch-black hair and grayish-yellowish skin. Thick eyebrows and a goatee and longish moustaches are common. Their physique is quite strong and springy.
General personality
The taicho are aggressive people and they don't react very kindly for outsiders. They treat their horses gently and respect them. The taicho like a lot of different games and competitions.
Clothing / Decorations / Architecture
Taicho-men commonly wear clothes made of leather and wool, warm coats and furs as their cloaks. Adult men often also tattoo themselves. Common clothing of taicho-women consists of different dresses and skirts, which are usually made of leather. Commonly used decorations are jewels and bands made of animal bones and leather. Taicho-chief and leading persons might also have jewels made of precious metals and stones, which are either robbed or bought. These precious jewels show their rank among the society.
Housing / Society
Tai-barbarians are often moving and migratory nomadic people. They live in small cottages made of sticks and stems and padded with leathers. Their cottages are easy to pack when it is again time to change grazing. The cottage of taicho-chief usually differs from others by its size and decorations.
Taicho live in clans, which usually consist of about 40-500 members. A horse is given to a boy when he becomes an adult, i.e. 15 years old. The boy must tame and train his own horse. By doing so, the taicho believe the mind of horse and human become one.
The taicho-clan is always led by a man, which usually is mightiest warrior of the clan. Taicho-women take care of children and household works. Men hunt and tend sheep, goats, cows and horses. Every clan has at least one shaman depending on the size of the clan. Shaman is able to use some magic. Usually shaman operates as a healer of the clan. The oldest man in clan is usually regarded to be the wisest man and adviser of the clan. People trust his advises regardless of how senile the man might be. The taicho usually have big parties, which many clans participate. In these parties they compete in archery on the ride and in riding skills (by doing different tricks on horseback while riding). The parties are also important trading happenings (including marriages) and also keeping up the relationships between clans.
Livelihood and Economy
Tai-barbarians make their living by hunting, tending and collecting usable plants. They don't own riches and usually only clan-chief has some kind of property, but not much. The taicho also trade some with northern cities and villages. Usually they offer for sale their loot and furs (musk ox, deer, reindeer, wolf, bear, etc.).
Relationship
Taicho-family descends by the father and wives are usually got by marriage from neighboring clan. With few animals man could get a good wife for himself. Taicho-woman can't choose. If her father thinks the price is good, daughter must accept the marriage.
Language and Penmanship
The language of Tai-barbarians is taijo and they usually can't read or write. Shamans and clan-chiefs might be able to read and write some, but usually not much. For outsider Taijo sounds very lazy and slow. Taicho stretch vocals and emphasize consonants.
Religion and Religious festivals
Tai-barbarians respect and worship Garneird, the god of sky and weather. They often sacrifice their cattle in hope of good pasturing weather and game. They also believe that if man tames and trains his own horse, the mind of horse and man join and they become one.
Tai-barbarians worship also Thunder-hoof, a horse whose mind had joined with a man. For Thunder-hoof they don't sacrifice anything, but take good care of their horses instead. They keep this animal as their protector and also protector of mustang flocks. The taicho believe that Thunder-hoof gives them better horses the better they have taken care of previous horses.
Myths and Legends
Every taicho knows a story that tells about Shag "The northern wolf" Ghaznis a great clan-chief, who united all taicho-clans and pillaged even big villages in far south, until all his enemies united too and drove barbarians back to north.
The taicho also tell stories about man, who ascended to a highest level of connection between man and horse and finally became a part of the horse. This horse is said to be able to thing and speak like a man. It is told that sometimes when wind blows hard it is possible to hear neighing and in a light of a lightning a white shape of a big horse could be seen in the plain. This creature has been named as Thunder-hoof, because it is said to be seen first time in thunderstorm and the noise of its hooves reminded the noise of thunder.
History / Comprehensions about history
From the first taicho were not ramblers, but lived in villages and peacefully cultivated land. They lived in southern parts of nowadays Endoria. More civilized people however came from south and conquered the lands inhabited by taicho. The taicho couldn't do anything, but withdraw to cold plains in the northern side of the Dragon mountains. The taicho however accustomed to their new barren life and begun breeding cattle and hunting. Their new residential areas also had mustang flocks. With time the taicho learned to tame and train them to their own needs. Finally during times they have became one of the best horse handlers in Meln.
The own point of view if the taicho is that in the beginning there was only a horse, which had a mind of a human. Then some wicked god separated the human from the horse and made horse stupid and human slow. And now the taicho believe they'll alight to a mind of horse when they tame and train it and this way once again uniting the fastness of a horse and intelligence of a human. A man without own horse is not respected among tai-barbarians.
Technology
Iron age
Military / Common weapons and techniques
Tai-barbarians use short-bows because they are easy to use while riding. They are as accurate shooters while riding, than skilled archer from ground. Sabers and spears are other common weapons. Usually when attacking for example against a caravan, taicho ride around it and shoot enemies, so that it is difficult for the enemy to hit taicho. After that they will change to their sabers and engage to melee. Most common armors are different leather armors.
When bigger threat threatens a clan, all nearby clan-chiefs gather together and found a military council. This council decides what actions are to be taken against the threat and is the bigger army established. If bigger army is established, it usually is lead by the chief of the most powerful clan. In the war of the black sun taicho were mostly scouts and guerrilla. They very effectively disturbed the enemy with their fast horses.
Attitude towards other races
Tai-barbarians react suspiciously towards all other races.
Magic
Magic is not very powerful and is not used much. Only used way of magic is rune-singing. Rune-singers are very rare and there is at most only one rune-singer per clan.
Other
Sometimes taicho might be encountered as horse trainers and riding teachers in northern cities of Meln.
Written by : MoR, Whongar
Translated by : MoR
Printable version of this text
