"It's got...FANGS!!
A.K.A., a look into the really horrible life inside one of the Lago-speaking cultures.
Alrighty, I'm not sure what this culture is called, so we'll call it
Harsh.
All things in bold may change.
I have to admit that I was inspired by Imralu's thread.
Harsh is made up of many individual "nests," which are basically families comprised of a Warrior-Buck, or
mbaryng, his Queens (his does with whom he breeds), or
shylambeth, his offspring, or
aboluth, which can more probably be translated more accurately as a "brood," and his squires, slaves, and concubines.
Here is the gist of how the circle of life goes in a nest:
1) The
mbaryng takes one or two days to mate with each of his
shylambeths, usually once or twice each, just in case. This ceremony (since they copulate at other times without the intent to reproduce, this instance is done ceremoniously) is called
mbo fammyl dy lhi aboluth elve, or "The making of the honorable broods."
2) When the gestation period is up, the
shylambeths should give birth in the same time frame: one week from the first birth to the last. They are named in this fashion:
mbo mba aboluth ("The first brood"),
mbo go aboluth ("The second brood"), and so on. Any broods born after the one week are considered
aboluth amb ganymbari, or "outcast broods." More on these later.
3) These broods are raised communally, and frolic and learn together in the bounds of the Nest and its burrows and such (each
shylambeth has a burrow, the
mbaryng has a burrow, the squires have a burrow, and the concubines have a burrow).
4) Upon reaching sexual maturity, the broods are separated from each other for their birth week. On the day after the week, or
ymbųwey lhi aboluth, "Day of the Brood," they are taken to an area away from the nest and told that the victorious brood will become
mbo aboluth ngååles, or "the dominant brood," and the survivors will become
mbo aboluth amb ngenge, or "the weak broods."
This is still in flux in that they may be told of this from birth, or at least when they begin the week of separation, that way they are ready for it, at least mentally.
5) Once all the members of all the broods except for at least some of the members of one brood have been either incapacitated or killed, the fight is over.
Mbo aboluth ngååles is taken to celebrate with feasting and a night of debauchery with the concubines, who are given to service them until they leave the nest.
Mbo aboluth amb ngenge, however are taken to have their wounds tended, then are explained their duties and rights: they are to serve the dominant brood members for the rest of their life. Males, and females demonstrating certain prowess, will be squires to certain members of the dominant brood, assisting them in fighting. The females who cannot fight or are not interested in being a squire will be assistants to the
shylambeths of the dominant brood when they leave the nest.
6) Males of the dominant brood will eventually leave the nest, taking with them their squires and slaves, to find other nests, from whom they may gain one or more
shylambeths from the dominant brood of that nest by trade, force, or pledging to aid the
mbaryng of the nest in his fighting. Once the male is satisfied with the number of queens he has acquired, he will find a spot and build a nest, have his first round of broods, and become a full-fledged
mbarygn.
Alternately, females of the dominant group may be traded off to a dominant male seeking queens, or, if they demonstrate certain prowess in combat, may assist their father in is fighting until they die, or settle for being a queen. (not sure about this, but they may become a special type of queen who stays with their father's nest and serves as a concubine of higher quality to him; esp. if they are infertile).
And so the cycle continues...
Aboluth amb ganymbari: the Outcast Broods, born outside of the week preordained by
mbo fammyl dy i aboluth elve, are considered less than even the Weak Broods, and function as the slaves and concubines of the nest. They will never be able to rise above their status, and will never reproduce. The mercy of the
mbaryng determines whether the males will be exiled or kept as slaves. The only known Outcast to be elevated above his birth status is Thewyn, the Great Rabbit.
Does this sound like a plausible system? Are there any glaring inconsistencies? Please, ask questions and I'll clarify.